More on this verseThe Good Samaritan
James Montgomery Boice. Chapter in The Parables of Jesus. Chicago: Moody Press, 1983.
Pastor Boice of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia opens this essay with Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). He explains that this parable is a story within a story. Jesus specifically used a Samaritan, a people scorned by the Jews of Jesus’ day, as the example of how we are to treat our neighbors. He challenged the Jewish lawyer with whom he was talking to disregard the question of who is or who is not a neighbor but to focus instead on how to treat a neighbor. Boice explains that to live as followers of Christ, we are to do the same. With disregard to nationality, religion or social status, we are called to lovingly care for the needy around us.
Giving That Pleases God
Cynthia Heald. Excerpt from a speech delivered at the annual Generous Giving Conference, Pasadena, Calif., February 28-March 2, 2003.
When the hardworking Martha complained to Jesus about her lazy sister Mary (Luke 10:38-42), Jesus rebukes the former yet praises the latter. Mary, by sitting and listening at the feet of Jesus, has learned the secret of abiding in Christ. Martha, on the other hand, is too busy “serving” Christ to spend time with Him. Since we can do nothing apart from Jesus (John 15:5), we, too, must follow Mary’s example of abiding in Jesus. We do this today by reading His word. Having a reading plan and a set time to spend with God every day can aid our study of the Bible. But the most important key to growth is consistency. Faithful abiding quickens the heart to hear God’s promptings and leads to Spirit-guided giving. This resource also is available on compact disc.
More on this verseThe Discipline of Simplicity
Richard J. Foster. Chapter in Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth. 20th anniversary ed. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, HarperCollins Publishers, 1998.
Why is life complicated by the very trappings which are supposed to simplify it? Cell phones, cars, houses and six-in-one kitchen utensils that we accumulate in order to pave the way for a stressless road often compound rather than alleviate the anxiety of our lives. In his updated chapter on the discipline of simplicity, Richard Foster, an award-winning Quaker author and founder of the Renovare church renewal movement, reminds us of Christ’s response to the attitude of accumulation: “Take heed, and beware of all covetousness; for a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:33). Foster points out that Christ’s requirement—and the simple life—do not entail a plunge into asceticism or a rejection of material blessings. Rather, Christ calls us to a singular love and burglarproof treasure that transcends the deteriorating trinkets of this life. Quoting the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, Foster argues that the only way to have a simple life is to have a single focus: seeking first the kingdom of God. Moreover, Foster recognizes that the value we attribute to our ultimate treasure and real “dream home” must come into outward expression that is tangible. Seeking first the kingdom always has symptoms that can be recognized, like the chicken pox, from the outside. For example, Christian simplicity expresses itself in ways such as thrift, generosity, able enjoyment of others’ blessings, and the rejection of anything that distracts one from his first love: the Lord Jesus Christ. These virtues characterize the discipline of simplicity.
Worried about Your Finances? (Part 2)
James MacDonald. The Weekly Walk. Walk through the Word.
Did you know that in the New Testament, Jesus said more about money than He said about heaven and hell put together? Now that’s not to say that finance is the most important subject in Scripture—it isn’t. But it is a critical issue and the thing that often enslaves our hearts when God wants to own all that we are. Is money on your mind? Are you worried about your finances? Jesus taught five specific principles in Luke 12 that will help direct your money management.
The Rich Fool
James Montgomery Boice. Chapter in The Parables of Jesus. Chicago: Moody Press, 1983.
Opening his essay with Jesus’ parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:13-21), pastor Boice of Tenth Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia contrasts the foolishness of pursuing riches unto their own end with the wisdom of being rich unto God. Seeking satisfaction in this world by amassing great profits and storing up wealth and possessions for oneself is foolish because all these things one day will perish. Boice explains that being rich unto God does not necessarily mean that we are materially poor, but that we use our riches to serve our Lord. We must empty ourselves of all our pride and recognize his gracious hand in providing for us.
What Are We a Slave to? A Response to Money and Consumerism
Joel Vestal. ServLife International Newsletter, May 2002.
Why is it that we treat money as such a private matter? Because we have a tendency to connect our possessions with our identity. Jesus warns against this in Luke 12:15 when he says, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” When we idolize money, we deceive ourselves into thinking that wealth is the end of our existence. How do we avoid this danger? Only by seeing that Christ gave up everything so that we could inherit the riches of heaven can we understand that there is true joy in generosity. Three practical considerations: (1) Giving is a joyful response to God’s grace. (2) Giving should be in significant portions, and should be done sacrificially and according to our ability. (3) Giving should be thoughtful and systematic.
Gospel Economics
David Bisgrove. Redeemer Report [newsletter of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York], October 2001, p. 4.
Why is it that we treat money as such a private matter? Because we have a tendency to connect our possessions with our identity. Jesus warns against this in Luke 12:15 when he says, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” When we idolize money, we deceive ourselves into thinking that wealth is the end of our existence. How do we avoid this danger? Only by seeing that Christ gave up everything so that we could inherit the riches of heaven can we understand that there is true joy in generosity. Three practical considerations: (1) Giving is a joyful response to God’s grace. (2) Giving should be in significant portions, and should be done sacrificially and according to our ability. (3) Giving should be thoughtful and systematic.
More on this verseThe Evils of Wealth: The Hard Sayings of Jesus
Thomas Schmidt. La Paz [The magazine of Westmont College] 18, no. 1 (Spring 1995).
Dr. Thomas Schmidt, professor of New Testament at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, Calif., reflects on the statements of Jesus in the synoptic gospels concerning wealth, which were overwhelmingly negative. If Jesus requires us to give up everything we have (and He certainly seems to in Luke 14:33), how can we disobey Him and not presume on God’s mercy? Schmidt believes that we should not try to water down Jesus’ commands concerning our possessions even though we fail miserably to keep them. Rather, we are to hold God’s commands in a constant tension with His grace, knowing that He expects us to obey Him, but also that His mercy will meet our disobedience. Note: No downloadable text or audio is available at this time.
More on this verseThe Rich Man and Lazarus
James Montgomery Boice. Chapter in The Parables of Jesus. Chicago: Moody Press, 1983.
Pastor Boice of Tenth Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia opens this essay with Christ’s parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). Boice contrasts various aspects and events in the lives of the two men: The rich man had everything he wanted in this life, but he lost it all upon death and even increased in sorrow and torment. Lazarus, on the other hand, lived a life of continual hunger and pain, but he found his joy in serving the Lord, both in his earthly life and his heavenly one. What would each of these men have experienced upon dying and entering the place where they would spend eternity? The parable does not tell us that possessing wealth is terrible anymore than it tells us that being poor is wonderful. But it contrasts to us the hopelessness of those who place their highest value upon their possessions in this world and the hopefulness we can have by following and placing our trust in the Lord.
Panacea
Al Baker. Forget None of His Benefits 3, no. 38 (October 7, 2004).
“Men are prone to believe that money is a panacea or cure-all.” When we think money is the thing that will solve all of our problems, we create for ourselves an even bigger problem: We are serving earthly riches, or what the Bible calls “Mammon.” In Luke 16:13, Jesus says, “You cannot serve God and Mammon.” To serve both God and Mammon is impossible—we must choose one or the other. And as Christians, our allegiance is to God, not to Mammon. Therefore, in every part of life we must make God and His work the priority over Mammon. This means our Mammon is in submission to God and the kingdom He is building. God is the only true panacea, and so how we think about and how we use our earthly riches should always bring this truth to light.
Money Is a Spiritual Issue
Rubel Shelly. New Wineskins 6, no. 3 (July/August 2002).
Magazine editor Rubel Shelly states that our spirituality reflects how we treat our money. Shelly presents three points taken from Luke 16:9, 11, 13, that follow from the parable of the shrewd manager in verses 1-8: (1) Giving to those in need will result in friends welcoming us when we arrive in heaven. (2) Believers who have been unfaithful with their financial dealings on earth are unworthy of being trusted with things of ultimate spiritual significance in the age to come. (3) Either we submit to God’s sovereignty over our lives and possessions, or we are serving material wealth.
More on this verseGod as an Investment Capitalist
J.L. Williams. New Directions for Living, no. 7.
God ... an investment capitalist? The founder of New Directions International shows how God, as an investor, expects high return from His people. Using Jesus’ parable in Luke 19, Williams leaves the reader asking “What have I gained with what I’ve been given?”
Do You Need More?
R. Scott Rodin. Boardwise (Fall 2004).
Property owners are normally unwilling to give up what is theirs without a fight. In contrast to this ordinary attitude, R. Scott Rodin, former president of Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wynnewood, Pa., draws attention to “the man with the donkey” from Luke 19. In the biblical account, Jesus is about to enter Jerusalem prior to his crucifixion when He sends two disciples to acquire a donkey for His grand entrance. Following orders, the disciples casually untie a donkey they find in the city. The owner sees it and asks, “Why are you untying the colt?” and the disciples reply the Lord has need of it. The strange thing is that this simple explanation did the trick; the disciples simply expressed a need, and no further begging or persuasion was necessary. Rodin suggests that our worldly assets are like the man’s donkey: They “are to be in a constant state of readiness for investment in kingdom work.” Note: No downloadable text or audio is available at this time.
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