In Mark 10:17-22 a wealthy young man asked Jesus this question: “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”Jesus replied: “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do … Continue reading Holding on to unkeepable things
money
When God is steering the ship
In the previous devotional I shared some words about the Parable of the Sower in Luke 8. A sower sows some seed—which, Jesus indicates, is a metaphor for the word of God. Ideally, the seed lands on receptive soil. But there are a few situations which don’t work out. One is where the seed “fell … Continue reading When God is steering the ship
Rich in virtues
In the Bible, money and riches are repeatedly listed as a barrier to genuine faith. In Luke 16:13, Jesus spells it out for us: “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve … Continue reading Rich in virtues
Do you have things, or do they have you?
Do you have things, or do they have you? When we “have” things, we own them. We control them. But when things “have” us, they own us. They control us. Consider the man in Mark 10:21-22: “Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and … Continue reading Do you have things, or do they have you?
Confused about the true value of things
In Mark 4:18-19 Jesus says that some people “hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.” He’s describing people who don’t respond to God’s word and message because of three things. The one we’ll focus … Continue reading Confused about the true value of things
Being a spiritual billionaire
Something that robs us of our contentment is always being reminded of what others have (but we don’t). It has to do with envy, which Rebecca Konyndyk DeYoung describes as “feeling bitter when others have it better.”* Can you relate? Come on, be honest. We can sometimes feel bitter when think other people have better … Continue reading Being a spiritual billionaire
A major stumbling block to faith
Yesterday I talked about having a relationship with Christ and whether or not it is authentic. Today I’d like to focus on something the Bible identifies as a major stumbling block to that relationship: Money. In Luke 16:13 Jesus says it with his usual eye-opening candour: “You cannot serve both God and money.” It’s a tricky … Continue reading A major stumbling block to faith
Piercing themselves with many griefs
We’ve been talking about idolatry, and how, when many of us hear that word, we think of ancient peoples bowing down to man-made statues. But our understanding of idolatry is often too narrow. Here’s how I think of it: Idolatry is giving first place priority to something or someone who isn’t God. With that definition … Continue reading Piercing themselves with many griefs
Greed is living like God is a liar
In the book “Money: A User’s Manual” Bob and Rusty Russell report that in 1900 the average person wanted 72 different things and considered 18 of them essential. Someone repeated the study more recently. The average person wanted 500 things and considered 100 of them essential! And do you know what? I get it. I’m … Continue reading Greed is living like God is a liar
Less is more
Welcome to the world of Bigger-Better-More! "You want it! You deserve it! Go for it!" (Even if you can't afford it.) It's easy to get sucked in, isn't it? But unfortunately, drinking the Kool-Aid of instant gratification draws us into a lifestyle of living beyond our means... which actually COMPLICATES our lives. Here’s why. As … Continue reading Less is more
