Who do you want to be identified with?  The shakers and movers of this generation?  What’s your goal?  What’s the target?  We said, “There has to be plan.  There has to be something in place.”  What is it you want your children to really learn?  Who do you want them to be?  We don’t know our own hearts, but many of these that have gone before us stood and watched their children stripped from their arms and murdered, cast before wild beasts.  Women’s loved ones sawn asunder.  The question that we are asking is: What are we doing to prepare ourselves to finish this race?  We can’t even think that way.

We live in a society of people that are almost paralyzed psychologically when somebody says something in CAPS about them on social media.  “They said something bad.”  Well, first of all, what are you doing reading it?  Secondly, what do you care?  I couldn’t care less whatever any of those clowns think.  Why?  I’m hearing in the Spirit, “Well done!”  You’re temperate, Paul says.  You’re temperate, with the things of this world.  They have no dominion over you.  They’re not dictating your time or your energy, but you’re seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all those other things that they’re seeking and still don’t have, I’ll give to you.  The greatest being His peace, and His presence.  Isn’t it amazing what man will do to obtain a corruptible crown?  Paul says in Philippians, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Some of us should stop here and give some real pause and thought to: How much time, energy, effort, how much desire in me to obtain an earthly crown that is going to fade away and means nothing?  The preacher said “It’s vanity.”  All you’re going to do is leave it to somebody else.  But what we sow into heaven will last forever, praise God!  Think about it.  There’s nothing wrong with money and possessions if we’re rich toward God; amen?  The man wasn’t rebuked for building bigger barns.  He was challenged with this wisdom: What are you going to do with all that stuff?  What does it matter?  Be rich toward God.  It’s foolishness!  It’s just going to become somebody else’s.  Solomon was really irritated over that.  Vanity!  Vexation!  There’s no new thing under the sun.  People following this philosophy and that philosophy and this new revelation.  There’s nothing new.

When men are being blown around by every wind of doctrine, we stand fast on the Rock of God’s Word; amen?  He who keeps these sayings of Mine and do them, here is what I’ll liken them to, a wise man whose life is built on a rock.  Aren’t you glad that life can’t shake you?  Aren’t you glad that wind and waves that are going to beat vehemently will not even shake your life as you stand in this last day.  “I don’t know if I could stand and watch my child be martyred.”  Yes, you can because His grace is sufficient.  Your trust can’t be in yourself.  “I don’t know if I can.”  You can’t, but God can, praise God!  “Because greater is he that is in us, than he that is in the world.”  So, let’s get our eyes off our own self-reliance.  Let’s get our eyes off all the lies of this world’s system.  Let’s run from the harlot’s corner into the highway of holiness and beeline it to the house of God, the house of prayer, that He has chosen to put His name and lean not to our own understanding and in all of our ways acknowledge God.  As we come and finish this race, He will direct our path, praise God.

Father, we thank You this morning for Your Word.  Stir our hearts.  Cause us to understand, clearly, the hour, the cost.  Stand and help us see the futility of all the effort we put into corruptible prizes, titles, property, recognition, vanity of vanities.  Help us lay up in the heavens where moth cannot corrupt and thieves can’t steal as we hear Your Word, “Enter in, good and faithful servant.”  For that, Father, we will give You the thanks in Jesus’ name, amen.