Your Life as a Prize!!

Your Life as a Prize!!

Jeremiah 45:1-5
The word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch the son of Neriah, when he had written these words in a book at the instruction of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch: ‘You said, “Woe is me now! For the Lord has added grief to my sorrow. I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest.” ’ “Thus you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord : “Behold, what I have built I will break down, and what I have planted I will pluck up, that is, this whole land. And do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I will bring adversity on all flesh,” says the Lord. “But I will give your life to you as a prize in all places, wherever you go.”

Who was Baruch?
Baruch was a scribe that was faithful in writing down the prophecies received by Jeremiah from God. He was ambitious, of noble birth, was the grandson of Maaseiah the governor of Jerusalem during the times of Josiah. He probably looked forward to one day having a high office of state.

What's important about this prophecy that we find in Jeremiah 45:1-5?
What does it tell us about our lives?

Jerusalem was collapsing around Baruch and this prophecy was telling him to give up on his great ambitions and to be satisfied with being able to escape with his life.
He was faithful in writing down the word of God for Jeremiah. He probably assumed that being the grandson of Maaseiah would bring him favor in the eyes of God and that this position in life would lift him to a higher status among the people.
It wasn't who he was, but it was his faithfulness that found favor in the eyes of God.
God is telling Baruch and us simply this;  that the things of this world don't matter, they're just material things.
What matters is our faithfulness and obedience to Him. Yahweh is telling us if we do this we will escape with the prize - "our lives."

Matthew 6:19-21
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.


 In Matthew 25:14-30, Yahweh is telling us that each man’s eternal treasure is proportioned according to his faithfulness, and not according to his earthly recognition or the lack of it.

Matthew 25:14-30
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

As long as we seek ourself we WILL NEVER KNOW HIM and He will NEVER KNOW US!

What are we doing with what has been given to us?
Are we using it for our great earthly ambitions to feel good about ourselves and to be known by man?

Are we developing our character to imitate Yashua so that which has been given may be used as tools to bring in the harvest?

Keys to the kingdom:
1. Seeking and denying.
Seeking all things pertaining to His righteousness,
AND
Denying yourself to your-self.
2.  Diligence in your faithfulness to the truth of Yahweh.
3. Obedience to the one true God - Yahweh.
4. Believing that Yashua has been given ALL AUTHORITY.
5. Believing Yashua is ABLE to do ALL THINGS that He said.
6. Love - not despising, having contempt, hating, loathing one another, I can't be in the same room,  I can't be married to that............, BUT LOVE ONE ANOTHER! LOVE, LOVE LOVE - maybe if you say it enough times you might start doing it - LOVE, LOVE, LOVE.
7. First thing of each morning empty yourself of the poison in your mind and character and fill it with the POWER of YAHWEH'S SPIRIT.
8. After you finished #7 turn over and LOVE someone.

Matthew 6:33-34
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Never become complacent when aiming for the higher prize.
Seek - Seek - Seek - knock - Knock - Knock - then seek some more and knock some more and YOU will find what you were looking for; how to save your life... through Him.