Saturday, November 17, 2012

God and Money




“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
Luke 16:10-13


In these times, it is extremely hard not to be worried about money. Many churches have suffered great financial losses in the past five years and have gotten very fearful. It has torn some apart. They have turned on each other, their leadership and their friends. When money becomes the priority, when we lose our ability to focus on God and the needs of the people, we can lose our way.

Jesus has some harsh words to say about those who make money their priority. He is clear that if we focus on money we will never know the love of God. It is no mistake that he is talking to the religious leaders of the time. He understands that they have put their priorities on funding and not on service, on budgets and not on ministry. He reminds us all that God blesses those who are faithful with the little they have right now, and who, despite their lack, serve God and love the people around them.

Today, I ask God to help me pray for what we need, and to remain focused on serving others. In these hard times, may we not elbow anyone out of the way, but always put our focus on God's desire. May we live each day knowing God will supply enough for the day and trust the Creator with our tomorrows. And may generosity and compassion guide our every step and be our every action today.




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