Rich

Over the past 4 weeks we’ve been talking about some popular verses in the bible that have been distorted, misquoted and misunderstood.  We only looked at four, but believe me, there are more. We didn’t even get to the sayings that many believe are actually in the Bible, but aren’t.  Like “Cleanliness is next to godliness.” Not there.  Or “God helps those who help themselves.” Nope, not there, either.

On Sunday we looked at one of the most misquoted scripture out there, “Money is the root of all evil.” The Bible doesn’t say that at all!  Though I have to admit the restaurant sign is clever ;) 

What the Bible does say is, “The LOVE of money is the root of all sorts of evil.”  Money is neither good nor bad. 

Scripture does however, have something to say about our attitude towards money: how we acquire money, how we spend it, and where wealth ranks in your list of priorities.

In Matthew 6:24 we are told, “You cannot serve both God and money.” We must decide who we’re going to love most. When we choose to love money, it can lead to all sorts of compromised decisions and makes us much more vulnerable to temptation.
(We don’t have to look hard to see how this is true.) God’s Word makes very clear that if we make money a priority over God, we’ll bring a lot of unnecessary grief into our lives.

But here’s the thing, having money in and of itself is not bad.  The trick is to have it but not to let it have you.  If we are blessed with riches we are to enjoy it but we are also to be generous and share it.

Paul said it best as he guides Timothy on what to say to the rich — you and me (and we are rich), he said, 

18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.

Let’s love God first and foremost and realize that everything already belongs to Him anyway. God has entrusted us with much —and to those who much has been given, much is required. 

"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbour as yourself.’" Luke 10:27

"I know the plans I have for you."

 For the longest time I believed that the verse in Jeremiah 29:11 was all about me.  I wanted to believe it was written to me and written for me.  And who could blame me: 

 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

What an amazing verse!  Especially the prosper part.

 It’s true that God cares about every intricate detail in our lives. Jesus said in Luke 12:7 that even the hairs on our heads are numbered. But should I really expect that the main purpose of God’s plans is to make me happy right here, right now?

 The reality is that Jeremiah was writing to a specific group of people who were being held captive by the nasty King Nebuchadnezzar. They were ripped from their homes and now lived in exile in Babylon.

 Jeremiah was reminding them that even though they were not where they expected or hoped to be, God’s plan would stand.  God was reminding them that evenin the midst of this insanely hard situation, He had not forgotten them.

 And God has not forgotten us either!

 Just a few verses earlier, in Jeremiah 29:7, we see that a big part of God’s plan for them was to“seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile.”   In other words, God wanted them to know His plans weren’t just about them.God’s plan included the people around them.

 God was also making it clear that they will be there for awhile. Sure, Godpromised to restore them but it wasn’t coming any time soon. Instead, itwas going to be70 years out when many of them would be dead. God was letting them know that they needed to move forward, because in the eternal picture God’s justice would prevail and everything would be made right — and it was!

Today, in the midst of our own difficult situations, the same faithful God has a plan and purpose for us.If we submit to God’splan, God will use us to bless the world around us.

 And here’s the important truth I want you to hear that come right after Jeremiah 29:11, in good times and bad:

 “(when) you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Today, in the midst of life’s difficulties, how does God want you to trust His plan for you?

 How does God want you to be a blessing to others?

Plank? What plank?

I had a conversation with a family member not long after I became a Christian that I have not, even after all these years, been able to shake. 

He said,

“The problem with Christians is that they are all so judgey. Do this, don’t do that. Preaching from their high horse and then you see them having an affair with the choir director.  They are judgey and a bunch of hypocrites. Why do you want to be one of them?”

I was somewhat taken aback.  I don’t remember how I responded to his comment.  I do, however, remember how it made me feel, and it wasn’t proud. When I looked critically, (not in a judgey way ;)) I could see he wasn’t wrong. And somewhere deep down that sense of embarrassment took hold of me. I decided then that I would work very hard not to be THAT kind of Christian. I did not want to be that kind of person.

Let’s be honest. We are all judgey at times. Some of us are actually experts at seeing what is wrong with someone else.

In Matthew 7:1-5 Jesus said,  

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Isn’t it true that the speck in someone else’s eye that Jesus talks about is so very obvious to us. But the plank in my eye? What plank? 

James asks, “Who are you to judge your neighbour?” Jesus himself warns, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. In the same way you judge others, you will be judged.”

Here is the thing. We are not told in the Bible to overlook behaviour that separates us from God (aka sin). Jesus didn't say we never have the right to speak into a fellow believer’s life. That’s culture’s interpretation of that verse. The totality of the Bible says that:

• we should not judge superficially (John 7:24);  

• we should not to judge hypocritically (Romans 2:1-4). Your harshest judgment often reveals your greatest weakness;

• we never hold a non-believer to the standards of the believer (1Corinthians 5:12); and

• we should help those in the family who are in trouble, or are heading that way (Galatians 6:1-2). The same grace that has been given to us, we give to them.

As followers of Jesus, I pray that we would recognize the plank in our own eye before all else; that we would not be lumped into the “Christians are judgey or hypocritical” category; and that we would do that which Jesus taught — bring healing, bring restoration, and help people find the same grace and truth that transforms us.