Page 52 - The Mark of the Beast

been acquiring? Are you like millions of Americans that have had to rent storage buildings
just to have room to put the things that will no longer fit inside their homes?
In reading the biographies of men who have devoted themselves to God and who have
been greatly used of Him, I have noted that they rarely had many of the world’s goods. Last
year I read several books on the life of George Mueller, the minister who lived in the 1800's
in England and who built orphanages to house thousands of children. He also supported
a large number of missionaries and funded various day schools and paid for millions of
tracts and Bibles to be printed and distributed. At the end of his life a vast sum of money
had passed through his hands, yet he died owning no houses or lands, he lived in a room in
one of the orphan houses he had built, and his furnishings were described as Spartan. At
his death he had no personal savings, and all his money consisted of a few British pounds
that were in his pocket.
When we are seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and when our
focus is upon satisfying Yahweh’s pleasure and performing His will, then we are not as
prone to the attractions of this life. We will live our lives as servants to God and to others,
rather than spending all of our time serving our own selves. Can it be said of us, even
remotely, that we have been content with having food and covering? Are we fleeing from
a love of money, or are we engaged in an endless pursuit of more of it? Do we deny
ourselves the things we want, choosing instead to have only what God desires for us?
Our answers could determine whether we are enemies of the cross, or disciples who
have embraced the cross of Christ. Would you describe your own accumulation of the things
of this world, and the way in which you spend your money, as manifesting the cross and
crucifying your flesh, or is there no discernible difference between your life and that of your
lost neighbors who make no pretense of following Christ and being conformed to the image
of God?
There is a reason I am spending so much time in this book in relating our
accumulation of the goods of this world with the beast nature. What we spend our money
on reveals where our heart is. The beast nature is earthly and it desires many things of this
earth, while the divine nature is heavenly and seeks those things that are above. The beast
nature is satisfied with earthly possessions, while the divine nature seeks righteousness,
peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The divine nature finds its satisfaction in doing the will of
the Father.
The one whose focus is set upon things above will use the things of this world
sparingly. Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth warning them against being attracted to
all the material things that were around them in abundance.

I Corinthians 7:29-31
But this I say, brethren, the time has been shortened, so that from now on... those
who buy, [should be] as though they did not possess; and those who use the world,
as though they did not make full use of it; for the form of this world is passing away.

The days are truly short, and the Lord is soon to return to recompense every man and
woman according to their work. What will Christ say of us? Will He commend us for
devoting such a large part of our lives to pleasing self and acquiring things which will
perish? Will He be able to identify where we embraced the cross in the area of our desires,
so that we could seek His will and desires?
Another reason that I am giving much emphasis to this matter is that the book of