Keeping Up With The Joneses

   Why are you trying to keep up with the Joneses? If the Joneses aren't keeping up with Jesus then everything you do is in vain!

Most of us know people who are very competitive, fully equipped with a "do-you-one-better" attitude. As with most things in life being competitive has its place but when you find yourself being competitive to the point that you major in minor, trivial things such as brand name clothes, expensive cars, fancy houses and essentially living beyond your means then you end up in a vicious cycle of turning over your life to be controlled by someone else other than God. I have seldom met more miserable people than those who value the opinions of others over God's will for their lives to where they are willing to forfeit their birthright in Christ for the filthy lucre and approval of this world.

For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. I Timothy 6:10

Understand that material competitiveness breeds a love of money that is counter-productive to biblical Christianity. If you are busy chasing money and the temporal things that money can buy then you are going to be too preoccupied with this world and what matters to this world to care about the things that truly matter to God!

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. Matthew 6:32

Abba will take care of His own! In Jeremiah 1:12, God declares that He is watching over His word to perform it! He will carry out His plans concerning you for in Jeremiah 29:11, God says, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, said the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." Isaiah 26:3 says, "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you: because he trusts in you." So if you are preoccupied with the world, how can you ever expect to have peace? And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7

So rest easy and be about the Father's business and not the futile business of  keeping up with the Joneses. If the only thing that you aspire to is being better than your neighbor instead of being an example of holiness to them then you are missing out on the beautiful life that God has for you because you have opted to follow men rather than God.

*This is from Moment of Encouragement which can be heard daily on KPOZ Radio

Mocha Brown aka Koretta L. Allen is available for public speaking engagements especially pertaining to subjects of single parenthood, being single, women's empowerment through the word of God and much more. Mochababybrown@gmail.com