Category: Money

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE

www.bible.com/1713/mat.19.26.csb

Let me add some valuable context and clarification for this verse. If there has been any drawbacks to verifying the Bible, it is this: allowing for single verses to be quoted without any context narrowing and defining their meaning. In context, Jesus is talking to His disciples about the “rich young ruler” who had just turned away, “because he had much riches”, though he had expressed a desire to follow Jesus’ instructions about gaining eternal life. Jesus responded to him by saying that though he had followed the Law, he would also need to seek his possessions and follow Jesus. The man was grieved, “because he had much possessions.”

The disciples are aghast, wondering how anyone could possibly be saved? Remember that for them, a man with much riches was obviously blessed by God. Riches meant spiritual blessing. So in their minds, this man was a saint. Jesus corrects their thinking with what is a New Testament concept, that physically riches are not a sign of spiritual wealth. So for the disciples, they are thinking that if such a man can’t get into heaven, no one can. Jesus corrects them by saying, (Matt 19:23-24) “it will be hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven! … it is easier to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter into the Kingdom of God.”

So what is Jesus saying here? Are riches wrong? No, Jesus isn’t condemning riches, but what happens when a person becomes wealthy. If it is impossible to please God without faith, then you must have faith to get into the Kingdom of Heaven. Faith in God can be clouded or obscured when you put your faith in your possessions. When you see your possessions as more important than following Jesus, which this young man did. He had put his security and hope in his possessions. He felt that without his possessions, he was nothing, and worthless. What we discover is that a life that is based and founded in Jesus is far better than holding riches and wealth. Would God give us riches to bless us? Certainly, but we also remember that any riches we receive are not our own, but given to us to manage for the Kingdom. The reason God gives us riches is to use them for His glory. That is why it is hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, because he is afraid of losing his wealth for the sake of the Kingdom.

So what does Jesus mean by this enigmatic “with God all things are possible”? He means it is possible for the rich man to be saved. As far as the man himself is concerned, he cannot save himself. That is impossible. But for God, it is possible to save him, because God can do this act of salvation (through the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ). The disciples were thinking that it was great blessing (signified by the man’s wealth) that was a sure guarantee of salvation. Jesus corrected them by saying it was not man’s effort (obvious by the man’s ability in business to create wealth) but God’s effort that saves. Within context, that is the meaning of this passage.

I might also use this passage to give hope to the hopeless. To someone who believes they are hopelessly lost. They may see themselves as lost with no hope of redemption, to which I might say, “for man this is impossible, but all things are possible with God.” A man cannot save himself. But God can save him. There is no sin so great committed by an unbeliever that God cannot save him. And that is saying a lot. But let that be hope for you as well. There is nothing you have done in your limited mortality that God is not so offended that He can’t love you any more.

Dear God, may I come before you humble of heart and soul. The things I have done I am certain have offended you and caused anger in you. Yet Father I have no where else to turn. Though I be the greatest sinner of all men, to You alone can I turn for my redemption. I cannot ask this lightly or flippantly, because my sin has been against You. And when I read Your book and hear Your words, I know I am dust. When I see myself through Your eyes, I know my worth and my sin. Lord I repent of my sins. I can do not other. I have offended the King of Heaven, to whom else can I go? Lord I pray for your forgiveness, not because of my righteousness, but because of the righteousness of the Son of God, who confessed His love for me by shedding His blood on the cross. May I claim that forgiveness for my own and receive undeserved righteousness in place of my wickedness? May He lay His blood upon me and cleanse me from my sin? My Savior and my God? I pray these things in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Every Good Work

www.bible.com/1713/2co.9.8.csb

Ever feel like you can’t get enough? While there is such things as too much food, or too much sleep, even too much air, there are some things you can’t get enough of. For example: too much money. How much is that?

I was reading an entry on Quora the other day about drug dealers and money laundering. Apparently, there is a way to get too much money. Drug dealers have to work primarily in cash, they have difficulty spending it, of making it into money they can use without suspicion. There is a monetary limit on deposits above which money is reported to the federal government. If you have too many of these deposits too frequently, the government comes in to investigate. Thus, many of these drug dealer types have to resort to money laundering, i.e., funneling money through legitimate business hoping that bo one will notice a few extra hundred dollars in the deposits. For them, there is such a thing as too much money. Apparently, money that comes from “nowhere” is a problem.

What is something you wish you had more of? Time? Money? Health? Joy? What about grace? Grace brings eternal life, both time and health. Grace brings joy, fulfilling joy. Grace also brings money, for wealth is reserved for you beyond your imagination as the child of the King. It may not be the wealth you want, but what you need. All the things that we wish we had more of, God supplies in abundance through His grace. But here’s the catch, and you knew it was coming. That grace is in accordance with His good work. He will supply you with abundance all that you need to fulfill His work in your world. God will grant you grace in abundance. But He grants this grace to equip you to do His work. He is looking for ROI, that is, a return on investment. When God invests His grace in you, He is expecting a return on that investment, like the three tenants who received talents.

So the lesson for today is to observe yourself to see how you are investing God’s grace. Are you hoarding it for yourself, or are you investing in others, passing on what you have received? We have this unique and awesome privilege of sharing what we have received, the grace of the gospel, to others. Let’s go do that today!

Heavenly Father, today is another great opportunity. Show me today where I can share Your grace, freely given, to others who need it. Help me to help others. Let the good investment of Your grace not be wasted on me today. May I in all things be the conduit and the endpoint of your love, mercy, and power. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

The Desires of Your Heart

www.bible.com/1713/psa.37.4.csb

As a father, I try to follow my children’s interests as best I can. My oldest is into Warhammer 40K. My oldest daughter is a Dungeons and Dragons DM for a small group at her high school. My younger daughter loves fantasy and dragons. My youngest is harder to pin down, as he is still finding his thing, but he loves watching videos and playing video games with his friends.

So when birthdays and Christmas come around, I have a notion of what they might be interested in. Of course I give them a gift card because I just can’t do the “wow” gifts anymore, the complete surprises that make them wonder if I can read their minds. I know my kids have dreams of what they want to be and what kind of person they will become. But sometimes I wish I could read their minds, just a little bit.

“Fathers, if you know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven?” God knows far more than I do. He knows my heart better than I do, and His gifts are never too late. He always knows what I need when I need it. He knows my frustration. He knows my joys. He knows me.

I should add that the delights of your heart ought to be what delights Him. I would ask yourself, is what I want really something that honors God too? Of what you truly want is something God has expressly forbidden, or worse could cause someone else harm, is that really something you think God is going to give to you?

People are always saying to me when I ask of there is anything I can give them, “Yeah, get me a bucket of money,” or “a million dollars!” They intend is a joke, but it reveals a piece of their heart. All my problems could be resolved if I just had enough money. Yet, if you cannot he content with what you have, what would more money do for you? There is never enough money. Just ask someone who has a lot of it. Solomon was the wealthiest man in the Bible. It wasn’t enough. Just read Ecclesiastes.

God wants to give you what your heart desires, but only when you are ready, and only if He desires it for you. You can’t just take this verse out of the context of the Bible and make it what you want. It has to agree with everything He has written, such as, “I have learned to be content in all circumstances.”

Heavenly Father, I know that my desires are stained with sin and selfishness. I want things that I ought not to have. As a good Father, you have seen my good impulses and rewarded them. You encourage me in doing good and loving others. You have shown me in being a father that it is hard to give your children what they want, to withhold from them when the time isn’t right, and to see them grow and mature, sometimes the hard way. I can’t imagine the grief you feel when we want and grasp for things that will harm us. Help me Lord to be a better father. Help me be a better husband. And help me Lord know what are the good things. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Why go to Church when my finances are shaky?

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A lot of people are under the impression that the Church is all about money. They will say that the Church only preaches about money, an idea born from the TV preachers. This is a valid charge, since many TV evangelists lay on some pretty thick guilt trips if you don’t send in your check. Some other Churches do make taking up the offering the centerpiece of the service, even to go so far as to check up on your finances to make sure you are giving your full 10% or “tithe”. Frankly, these are both abuses of Church power, and have no place in the Church.

Some use this reason so that the Church won’t ask them for money. People get hit up for money all the time, from the Fraternal Order of Police to the local charity drive. People are standing in the median at the four-way stop, or kids are coming to door asking for donations to this cause or that. Add to this the fact that the Government is always dipping into your check and taking out taxes so they can do their important social programs. Money is a sensitive issue, and everyone needs it.

But we would certainly be justified in talking about you and your money, since many parables and passages of Scripture deal specifically with finances. “Don’t gather up treasures on earth” (Matthew 6:19), the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), the pearl of great price (Matthew 13:45-46), “go sell all that you have and give to the poor” (Mark 10:21), there were no needy among them since anyone with property would sell it and lay the sum at the feet of the Apostles (Acts 4:34-35) and “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor 9:7). Someone who objects to the Church because it has something to say about their money have to reckon with God, not the Church.

Aside from reassurance that our Church isn’t like that, repeated assurances that we are not after money, some people will still believe that the Church is all about money. And there will still be occasions that we will ask for money. We must remember that some folks have had bad experiences with Churches and money. We need to be sensitive to this, because someone’s grandmother may have been conned by a money-hungry preacher at some point, and now that family is destitute.

But instead of becoming defensive, our first reaction to this objection might be, “how can I help you?” Perhaps there is a person who needs generosity and hospitality before they can respond to God’s grace.

Giving

Lavish Expressions of Love

In light of the recent stories about churches removing people from membership for lack of attendance and lack of tithing, I am reminded of this passage in 2 Corinthians 8 about “God loves a cheerful giver”. A person should not give reluctantly or under compulsion, which is exactly what a church puts in place if they say you have to tithe to them to continue to be a member. There is some thing to be said for being an active attender of a church. A person ought not to neglect the fellowship. But church cannot demand a tithe, or make it a condition of membership. Rather, giving should be an expression of love and dependence on the Father who gives His own love lavishly in the atoning blood of his Son, i addition to the grace and blessings we receive every day.

God bless you on this Friday!

Money Matters

When it’s tax time, that means its time to focus on the one thing that comes third in our lives, after God and family, and that’s money. Did you know that the Bible has more to say about money and money management than any other single topic? It’s no wonder, since many of our decisions often factor in 1) how much will this cost? 2) will I be able to pay this off, and 3) does my insurance cover this? Whether we are thinking about a house, a car, a new job, or surgery, money often becomes a deciding factor in our decision. Thankfully the Bible gives us solid guidelines on the use and saving of money, because money often represents time, as often as it represents assets.

Converting time and assets into money is nothing new. Ancient Israelites would convert their livestock into money, making it easier for them to travel to Jerusalem and there buy the proper sacrifices for the Temple. A person’s time working in another man’s field was considered a “day’s wage”. When you collect a paycheck, you are agreeing to the exchange of time (and skill), your invaluable, irreplaceable commodity, for the benefit of someone else’s profit margin. But this is a willing surrender, since compensation means a house payment, a car payment, and food on the table.

The Bible also speaks to the ownership of private property when it commands “thou shalt not steal”. God is very concerned about fairness, but not income inequality. Though the idea of equal pay for equal work is to be commended, income inequality is about envy, contrary to another commandment, “thou shalt not covet . . .”.

The Bible gives us rules and ethics for honest work, and what it means to provide for our families, but it also teaches about the proper use of debt, the payment of taxes, giving back to God, and saving for retirement. Just a cursory glance at the Bible’s principles of spending and saving money is enough to make me wonder if I’m honoring God with my money.

Principle of Work

For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.
(2Th 3:10)
Paul reminds the Thessalonians that even though he was apostle, he did not ignore the fact that he needed to work, with his own hands, to take care of his own needs. He argues that he had the right to expect compensation, but their sake, did not demand it. As long as we are able, we should be willing to work with our hands hands to care for our daily needs.

Principles of Debt and Repayment

Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
(Rom 13:7)

In this section on respecting and honoring government (even when its hostile), Paul also reminds them that just because you are now a new man in Christ doesn’t erase financial and legal obligations to the state and others whose privileges you enjoy.

Principles of Giving

Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
(2Co 9:7)
Paul’s instructions to the Corinthians about giving go far beyond tithing to the idea that we give as as we believe, according to our dependence on God. God lays no strict tithing program upon the Christian, but to give as he is cheerfully able.

Warning about Retirement and Planning for the Future

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, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’
(Luk 12:19-20)

Jesus’ warning to the Jews of his day include this short story about  a man whose barns weren’t big enough to store his crop. It is a this point that the man decides to retire. This is exactly when God warns him that his life has come to an end, and what does he have to show for it? When it comes to retirement planning, Jesus is is calling us to give greater thought to how we plan for ourselves and our families.