ICS Daily Devotions
Identity and Values
Luke 16: 13 “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
There is a great difference when we identify ourselves in being a child of God rather than doing something in order to feel that we are significant.
We need to sort out our identity and values in life in order to help us to deny ourselves and live for Christ. Once we have sorted out our identity and values then it is very easy to make decisions to say no to certain temptations or issues that might cause us to compromise with the world. If we are still trying to find our identity in our work and achievement for our significance then it is very likely we will succumb to temptation in the world.
What we value most will dictate our life and the lifestyle that we lead. We should be putting God first in our lives and then giving our family priority over our work. If we value our job and what others think of us more than God then we will definitely compromise with the world and the temptation that comes with it.
If we have the right identity in Christ and value our relationship with God then there will definitely be some non-negotiables in our lives when it comes to working, job posting and entertainment.
We have to bear in mind that once the family nucleus begins to disintegrate then the rest of it will crumble with it. Our lives will fall apart and no amount of money will be able to reconstruct it.
If there is a job that robs you of your quiet time, your Sunday worship and your fellowship with the saints, then it might not be the job that God desires for you to have.
We should not be fearful of man nor be fearful that we will lose our job because our security is in Christ. We should not be worried that we might lose our jobs if we place too much emphasis on the family. We should be living a balanced life and a life that is blessed holistically. The job security should be founded in God and not in man where we trust God to provide for us.
Members of the church are asked to pay tithes and offerings as a form of worship. It is a paradigm shift to trust God rather than in man or the company. The act of paying tithes helps us to break through in our reliance on self and the job. It is easy to say that our trust and faith is in God but it is the very act of tithing that is a step of faith and an outward expression of an inward conviction.
The world economy will change and companies will restructure but God does not slumber nor sleep. It is important for us to come to a point of surrender because whoever is our Master will dictate our lives! We will not live out the Christian life with its values and principles if money is our master.
If God is our source of provision and our master then we will follow God and pursue godliness.
Sermon Series: Affluenza
