He must become greater and I must decrease III

2 Corinthians 5: 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

The old is gone. The old was not only the old ways of religion before Christ came, but the old ways of everything. Anything without God will eventually become self centered, and self motivated.
The new has come.

2 Corinthians 5: 7 We live by faith, not by sight.

Matthew 6: 19 “Do not store up for yourselves (vs. for others) treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

24 “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. (Can I add “you will follow the one and use the other”) You cannot serve both God and Money. 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Have we made the mistake by trying to lure people into the kingdom of God or obedience to God by making them promises of great gain, blessings, an easier life, etc…?

Is money bad? NO! But if it is placed before the one true God, it is your God! Anything before God is your God, and you will use God to get more of your real God!

Have we influenced the motives of people to come to Christ? i.e. no only what they will get, but NOW!

The promise is salvation! Saved from your sins and given eternal life!

Is that enough for you?

Are we tempted to build an altar at our places of experience and worship the God of our experiences? There are many places like that in Catholicism. I saw mary…

*The condition for more: seek first his kingdom and his righteousness

Have we changed the meaning of things like Faith, believing, Christian, Church, etc…?

Faith = the means that we get what we want
Follower of God = someone that believes God exist and if he wants something from me that I agree with then I will try to do it.
Church = Me! I can have Church by myself anywhere!

He must become greater! The commandment was to love him, not use him!

o How many of you women would love to be totally loved?

o What if you found out later that all he wanted was, sex, cooking, cleaning, massages, etc..? Bad news!