A great test is coming upon the world, particularly for Christians in America. We are a prosperous nation and we have been spreading a prosperity message to the world, even in our churches. Jesus spoke this parable to underscore the dangers of worshipping money:
And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:16-21)
The kingdom of God is not of this world. If it were, Jesus would not have gone to the cross. His message was one of letting go the things of this world:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)
Our treasure is not in this world. The world is simply a crucible in which we grow in grace as we put our trust in the Lord and not in the things of this world:
Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and hisrighteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:31-33)
We are at the close of the Church Age. Now is not the time to hold onto the things of this world. The Apostle John wrote:
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2:15-17)
For true Christians there will always be persecution. We should be concerned if we are not persecuted. The Apostle Paul wrote:
If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. (1 Corinthians 15:19)
Are we ready for the rapture of the bride of Christ? We are not if we still are unwilling to let go of this world. God will transform us so that we may fit into the next world, if we let Him. Now is the time of letting go.
