Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, 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.”
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matt 19:23-26 NIV)
Whenever I read this Gospel in public worship, I get a very uncomfortable feeling. After all, everyone sitting there is richer than a good portion of the world's people. I always hope that they understand that the temptations of having an abundance of stuff are great. This stuff can easily become our false gods, without us even realizing that it has. We become comfortable with our stuff and want more. And, more of our time and energy is spent on ways to accumulate more stuff, which when we die will be gone from us, anyway. Our stuff will be gone. The Kingdom endures forever.
I look out at the congregation and I know that very many of these people have used there wealth for the good of others and for the good of the Kingdom. I, and they, must trust that; although, it is impossible for any of us to enter the Kingdom of God on what we have or don't have; it is impossible to enter into the Kingdom on our own merit, with God all things are possible. It is faith alone that saves and that faith in the Kingdom promised through the blood of Christ will fill us with a desire to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, giving ourselves; our time, our talents, our "stuff" in the service of God and our fellow human beings.
Years (decades) ago, I sold insurance door-to-door in North Carolina. One particular home that I visited had a dirt floor. It was a farming household. They were rich. No, I don't mean they were rich because they had all they really needed. They were literally millionaires. But, they chose to live a lifestyle that appeared to others that they were even poorer than were. The wife was in the kitchen working when I got there. She was visibly upset. Her husband was working in the fields somewhere. After she calmed down, she explained to me how rich they were and she could not get her husband to upgrade their home because he didn't want to lose a penny to the local government. He didn't want to take the chance on having his property taxes raised.
Another elderly farmer's wife that I knew (again a couple decades ago) in Minnesota had a similar story. They had a very nice home, a huge farm. I didn't see much of her husband as he was always out in the barn or fields working. They were both very pleasant people. One day, I found her crying in the kitchen. She had wanted so much to go on a cruise with her husband. It's not that they couldn't afford it. She related to me that years before they had sold some property and invested quite wisely. They, too, were millionaires. But, her husband was what we would call a workaholic. He would not take the time to go away with her. He would not trust his farm to the hired hands. He was afraid he might lose a penny or two while he was away.
The love of money is a great temptation. It will tempt some to spend, spend, spend.... It will tempt others to hoard, hoard, hoard.... It will tempt us to spend time worrying more about our wealth than loving God or our families and neighbors.
I'm just saying that it is not so much about what you have or don't have; but, about what you do with what God has given you. Are you faithful to God in caring for the gifts He has given you? Do you use these gifts so that His will be done and not yours?
Wealth brings great temptations. In the end, we are all subject to these temptations and we are all lost. But, with God all things are possible. Thanks be to God that we are saved, not by our works, but by His grace!
God's Peace - Pr. J
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matt 19:23-26 NIV)
Whenever I read this Gospel in public worship, I get a very uncomfortable feeling. After all, everyone sitting there is richer than a good portion of the world's people. I always hope that they understand that the temptations of having an abundance of stuff are great. This stuff can easily become our false gods, without us even realizing that it has. We become comfortable with our stuff and want more. And, more of our time and energy is spent on ways to accumulate more stuff, which when we die will be gone from us, anyway. Our stuff will be gone. The Kingdom endures forever.
I look out at the congregation and I know that very many of these people have used there wealth for the good of others and for the good of the Kingdom. I, and they, must trust that; although, it is impossible for any of us to enter the Kingdom of God on what we have or don't have; it is impossible to enter into the Kingdom on our own merit, with God all things are possible. It is faith alone that saves and that faith in the Kingdom promised through the blood of Christ will fill us with a desire to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, giving ourselves; our time, our talents, our "stuff" in the service of God and our fellow human beings.
Years (decades) ago, I sold insurance door-to-door in North Carolina. One particular home that I visited had a dirt floor. It was a farming household. They were rich. No, I don't mean they were rich because they had all they really needed. They were literally millionaires. But, they chose to live a lifestyle that appeared to others that they were even poorer than were. The wife was in the kitchen working when I got there. She was visibly upset. Her husband was working in the fields somewhere. After she calmed down, she explained to me how rich they were and she could not get her husband to upgrade their home because he didn't want to lose a penny to the local government. He didn't want to take the chance on having his property taxes raised.
Another elderly farmer's wife that I knew (again a couple decades ago) in Minnesota had a similar story. They had a very nice home, a huge farm. I didn't see much of her husband as he was always out in the barn or fields working. They were both very pleasant people. One day, I found her crying in the kitchen. She had wanted so much to go on a cruise with her husband. It's not that they couldn't afford it. She related to me that years before they had sold some property and invested quite wisely. They, too, were millionaires. But, her husband was what we would call a workaholic. He would not take the time to go away with her. He would not trust his farm to the hired hands. He was afraid he might lose a penny or two while he was away.
The love of money is a great temptation. It will tempt some to spend, spend, spend.... It will tempt others to hoard, hoard, hoard.... It will tempt us to spend time worrying more about our wealth than loving God or our families and neighbors.
I'm just saying that it is not so much about what you have or don't have; but, about what you do with what God has given you. Are you faithful to God in caring for the gifts He has given you? Do you use these gifts so that His will be done and not yours?
Wealth brings great temptations. In the end, we are all subject to these temptations and we are all lost. But, with God all things are possible. Thanks be to God that we are saved, not by our works, but by His grace!
God's Peace - Pr. J
No comments:
Post a Comment