Good Morning Friends,
The disasters in the news and that some of us experienced firsthand over the last few years have helped me to realize in a deeper way that my life is on loan from God and so each moment is something to bring joy. It also reminded me that hoarding joy is pointless and unproductive. Hoarding money and things as well. The challenge of church and community here is learning to share and thereby better understand the rewards of being a Christian that experiences the power of actively loving. So, Are You Rich Toward God?
Scripture: No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. Therefore his faith “was reckoned to him as righteousness.” Now the words, “it was reckoned to him,” were written not for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.
Romans 4:20-25 (NRSV)
Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”
Luke 12:13-21 (NRSV)
Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
Luke 18:25 (NRSV)
Message: Today’s question is a little odd. But it does bring into focus our emotions on greater awareness of the losses of property in recent disasters. You see, as we consider the things we own and have lost, our hearts are either moving to God as our treasure or toward the things of this world. How we are using our earthly riches in response shows how we value God. Scripture tells us that money can be helpful in forwarding God’s Kingdom and the church in response to its member’s needs, but also hazardous when it lures us away from God. The movement of our money reflects the movement of our heart and in the Church, should demonstrate how sharing money, according to need, so that none would suffer, brings us closer to God’s will. Here the nature of the church is designed to prompt our faithfulness in giving to a common good. And here the use of money, in the wisest ways, is a good thing but not a necessarily easy thing. We should listen to the deeper message of Jesus telling the rich ruler to sell, give and follow. For scripture tells us that the salvation of a rich man is something that only God can accomplish. In fact, we all are helpless when it comes to our salvation regardless of the size of our bank accounts, but in many ways, it is harder for those with excessive wealth. For ultimately, we will learn that the trouble with greed is that our goods go and worse, we go. So, it is better to store up treasure in heaven, invest in spiritual riches, and become rich toward God realizing that the reward is not all in the life to come but in the life here and now as well. Friends, the good life is knowing God not making money. Still God is not against profit or prosperity, but against pride and pretense. God is not against commerce but covetousness. We are to beware of the obsession of ownership. The supreme value is to be in God.
Pray we do not value things more than God at the risk of losing our very souls. Pray we are rich toward God. Pray we realize that material possessions do not always bring security to life. Pray we seek the Kingdom of God first. Pray we realize that what is impossible for humans alone is possible with God. Pray we share our surplus and save our souls. Pray the Lord grant us all the joy of finding our life not in possessions, but in the abundance of God. Pray we realize the value of Christ and the Church. Pray we are rich in good works. Pray we are not deceived by money. Pray that our ambitions do not become addictions. Pray that our careers do not become compulsions. Pray that objects not become the objectives. Pray we are content. Pray we have family and friends. Pray we share with others in a way that glorifies God. Pray we fulfill our commitments to each other by showing the world what it means to have God as our riches.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 