The Love of Money and Sin 2

I took this picture in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino. A huge display just inside the reception area celebrated the Chinese New Year. I thought this was so odd because it was about the weekend of Valentine's Day, and I figured Vegas would capitalize on it, i.e. all of the wedding chapels galore. Instead, a huge approximately 40 foot Chinese idol with massive looking gold coins strewn beneath it was the focus. The only place we found in town celebrating Valentine's Day was Walmart.

 

Though my hubby and I enjoyed the short vacation we took in Vegas through many of the sights and sounds that were family friendly, this aspect of blatant idol worship disturbed me. Though the displays all over town celebrating this festival were very alluring as noted above in this picture I took, those things that it represented to me is perhaps the core of humankind's separation from God--the love of money and sin. When I read these passages listed below during one of my devotions, I was reminded of the pictures I shot in Vegas and decided to post them on my flickr site:

 

The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them. (Psalm 135:15-18, NIV)

 

The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood--idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts. (Revelation 9:20-21, NIV)

 

The result of of the love of money and sin brought to mind these like passages:

 

He said to me, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But the cowardly, the unbelieving the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters, and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." (Revelation 21:6-8, NIV)

 

Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

 

I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star. (Revelation 22:14-16, NIV)

 

Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:14-15, NIV)

 

The Good News after reading these very convicting passages can be found in passages like these that sum up the whole purpose of the Lord, bringing to light our many failings:

 

Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

 

But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:19-24, NIV)

 

For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all. (Romans 11:32, NIV)

 

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV)

 

The cool thing about this grace and righteousness given freely to us as a gift is that it has a wonderful side effect: We no longer desire or love to sin because His power touches us and are inclined instead to desire to do good and love (Romans 6:1 to 8:14 and Deuteronomy 5:29). This effect does not come by reading and studying and memorizing Scripture, though it is most certainly advantageous: Through it, we discover what sin is in order to agree with Him that it is wrong and it encourages us to do good and to love and to show ourselves approved and to fellowship with Him and others along with exhorting and rebuking us in Him, etc. (1 Corinthians 1:17 to 2:16). This new desire/inclination, instead, comes through His power poured on us through His Heavenly Waterfall and His Blood and His Breath (John 19:34-35, 1 John 5:7-8, John 3:3-18, Acts 8:15-17, Acts 10:47-48, Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 19:1-7, John 20:21-22, Acts 1:5-8, Acts 2:1-4, Matthew 3:11).

 

Thus, the love of money (or that which is worldly) and sin within us dies

and the love to do good and to love comes to life within us, making us new creatures in Him. We no longer feel, then, when someone tells us something is sin through Scripture that he/she is trying to ruin our fun. Rather, we see it as though we are being called on by God to be in agreement with Him and that He is looking out for us because we believe He is Good. Though we may still end up sinning, the important thing is that we no longer desire/love to sin (Romans 7:15-16). The benefit of this dying and cleansing of the old sinfully desirous self is that we inherit eternal life in Christ Jesus in this life and when we physically die because we will be resurrected in both spirit and then body as Jesus was (Romans 6:23, Romans 8:17, Romans 10:9-13, 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 and 12-2 and 35-57, 1 John 4:2-3, John chapters 20-21, Luke chapter 24, Mark chapter 16, Matthew 28:1-10, Acts 1:1-3) .

 

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Prayer of Salvation and Fullness

 

If anyone reading this post has not accepted Jesus in this way to be cleansed from the love/desire of money (the worldly) and sin, may I implore the reader to do so now. If he/she doesn't know how, one may just pray something like this:

 

Dear, Heavenly Father, I believe You and Your Word that I have sinned. I'm so sorry for loving that which You hate and now agree with you that sin is not fun but harmful and that You are only trying to look out for me. I realize now that You are Good...so Good, in fact, that you sent Your Only Begotten Son Christ Jesus to take my place in punishment for this sin I have committed against You and others, past, present, and future. Please forgive me and cleanse me from all of this sin through Jesus' Heavenly Water and Blood poured down on me miraculously from You.

 

Dear, Christ Jesus, thank You for living a sinless life for me, for being tortured and tormented and crucified for me, for dying for me, and for being resurrected for me and for ascending for me--all You have so lovingly done for me. Thank You for saving me through Your Heavenly Water and Blood that You shed on the Cross for just this purpose. Please come and Breathe new life in me and fill my mouth with Your life-giving manna to bless me with being joined to You, as a branch into the True Vine, so that I may enjoy the waves of love from the Heavenly Father through You and be blessed with Your Living Waters, the Holy Spirit, in my belly and heart. Please come and live within me and live through me now because I can do no real good apart from You and Your Spirit. Also please baptize me with the Holy Spirit and with Your Fire.

 

Dear, Holy Spirit, please come and live through me, be my Counselor and Comforter, and lead and guide me into all truth and lead and guide me to glorify Jesus and worship God in Spirit and Truth. Thank You.

 

In all of these things, please just mercifully and graciously give me all of the fullness of spiritual blessings that You have in store for me, to inherit all that You Jesus so lovingly and diligently worked for. In Christ Jesus' Name, I ask You for all of this and thank and praise You for doing so.

 

Many people think that this kind of prayer is not necessary in receiving Christ Jesus. However, just like a marriage ceremony (or what used to be an engagement ceremony in Old Testament times) is not absolutely necessary to be married, it helps humans to have a particular event signify a new direction in life as a kind of anchor or compass in order to hold fast to a commitment made to another. I hope and pray anyone reading this post will be moved to do so.

 

© 4-30-2009 Victoria Tribby

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