"Living Large"

 "For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it." (Ecclesiastes 7:12 KJV)

  "But -"When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life." This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to insist on these teachings so that all who trust in God will devote themselves to doing good. These teachings are good and beneficial for everyone." (Titus 3:4-8 NLT)

 Living large is a statement which usually applies to someone that is well-to-do, or has a big mansion or yacht, or lots of money; but, whether you realize it or not, we that have been saved, have the greatest fortune of all; greater than all the money in the entire world! At least we can know that is so, knowing that nothing in this life can outdo what God has already done for us!

 There is more to that than just the hope we have been given, as if it has only the future in mind; this is something that is worth more than we could ever know, right now, in this current life; especially when we are dealing with persecution or trials, of any kind. This word for "life", means more than living; it speaks of being restored, preserved, revived. In a nutshell, it takes us to new heights, and making us be stronger than we already are...

"Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God's way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!" (Philippians 3:8-11 NLT)