It is what we do after we receive Christ that determines whether we will become a part of God's eternal plan to fill Heaven and earth with the Lord Jesus Christ or whether we will become a competitor of Christ in the universe.

Security, pleasure, achievement—these are the three issues of life.

When God placed Adam and Eve in the garden that was located eastward in Eden, God gave his new son and daughter all the security they needed, all the pleasure they needed, and all the achievement they needed.

But one of the lessons we learn in life is that the things that come to us easily and readily we may lose as easily and readily. Before we humans can hold things of value we first may have to lose them. It is in the labor to gain back our blessings that we learn to appreciate our gifts and that we develop the strength to hold them properly in God so they do not become gods to us.

Security has to do with protection, a home, confidence in the future, a fortress against the enemy, privacy, shelter, warmth, comfort, independence.

Adam and Eve had perfect security in the Lord. Food, shelter, survival, were no problem in the garden of Eden. God had graciously and lovingly supplied their every need.

But sin, the great destroyer, entered. The man and woman were thrust out into a threatening environment. The issue of security emerged as the first of the three great questions of life.

Money is the symbol of security. Men seek money in order to gain protection, a home, confidence in the future, protection against the enemy, privacy, shelter, warmth, comfort, independence.

Men seek money because they do not trust God. They worry that God's promises concerning our material needs will fail. Money is our insurance against the failure of God's Word; it is our guarantee of survival in case God's Character is not all it should be. This is why no person can serve both God and money.

The soldiers of Christ's army must draw on the grace of God until the issue of security has been mastered.

Will God provide our needs or not? That is the first great question of living outside the garden of Eden. The decision that faces us is whether we will place Christ as the eternal Center of the answer to this question.

Is Christ alone sufficient for our security on the earth (and in Heaven)? Is He actually the Lord who provides? Shall we indeed know no want and fear no evil?

No individual can serve both God and money. Money appears to make us independent of God; therefore, the love of it is the root of all evil. The conquering saint does God's will whether or not he can understand how the necessary means for survival will be forthcoming.

The soldiers of Christ march forward at the sound of the trumpet. They trust Christ to meet their needs. They will not be stopped by their inability to see the future. They know what God has stated. That is sufficient for them.

To be continued.