Money Problems

1 Timothy 6:9-11: Money Problems

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness.

I don’t know about you, but I always seem to have money problems. Whenever my bills are due, they get paid, thanks be to God. But there never seems to be enough for the few extras that my wife and I would like to have. We usually have just enough or a little less than enough to pay for our monthly expenses. It all gets paid, but we wish we had a little more. And then, as soon we get a little more, our expenses go up -- increase in taxes, pre-school costs, car payment, insurance, and the list goes on. When can we get a break and get ahead?

Paul’s advice is exactly what I need to hear. He says, essentially, to stop fixating on the things we can get and spend. They do not bring true happiness. Instead, we should pursue eternal things like being kind and loving to those around us. We should exercise gentleness and self-giving toward others. We should deepen our faith and endure the difficult path that sometimes comes our way. When we focus on connecting with and reflecting the love of God toward others, we transform our outlook and experience a life-changing paradigm shift. 

Dear God, thank you for the many blessings in my life. Forgive me for looking the other way and for being distracted by temporary things. Please grant me the grace to be the person of love, caring, and self-giving that you created me to be. In Jesus Christ I pray, amen. 

Peace, 

Stan

God's Patience

1 Timothy 1:15-16 -- God’s Patience

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.

Paul has the humility to admit that he is “the worst of sinners,” showing that God’s forgiveness is a true gift and nothing that he deserves. If Paul, a persecutor of the early Christian church, can be forgiven and used as a vessel of God’s grace to others, then there is hope for everyone. Let us never forget this. God loves each one of us, even when we are at our lowest point. There is no limit to God’s love or his desire to see us repent and change our wayward trajectory in life. Through faith, Jesus uses each of us to reach out to others in hope and kindness, love and mercy, if we just put ourselves into his care, trusting in the loving grace he gives each of us no matter our sins. 

Always remember that God loves each of us without limit. So when we encounter the person who tries our patience, makes us angry, or shatters our peace, never forget that God loves that person without limit as well. And although it is often a challenge, maybe we, too, can find a way to love and offer hope to the difficult people in our lives, too. For God knows I am a difficult person, too, but my flawed nature has only increased his presence in my life. 

This week, instead of wishing that difficult person would go away, let us find a place in our hearts to welcome them and reflect the patience and love only God can give. 

Peace, 

Stan

Prioritizing Jesus

Luke 14:26 -- Priorities

Jesus turned and said to the crowd, “Those who come to me cannot be my disciples unless they love me more than they love father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and themselves as well.”

What does it mean to be dedicated to Christ? If we interpret Luke 14:25-27 literally, we fall into the same trap as do many who read the Bible -- the trap of biblical literalism. There is still a minority of Christians who believe the Bible is the exact words of God -- exclusive of historical context, literary form, cultural norms, and figures of speech -- meant to be taken at face value. But the majority of practicing Christians read the Bible as God’s inspired word breathed into human hands by the Holy Spirit. Those human hands, moreover, were subjected to all of the literary, historical, and cultural norms of their time. 

Reading this passage, then, is to understand that it uses hyperbole, or exaggeration not meant to be taken literally but used as a means of emphasis. Luke wants his readers to understand the weight of Jesus’ words. To follow Jesus is to prioritize his way in all aspects of our lives. Jesus must come first. This does not mean that we neglect our families or ourselves. Quite the contrary, Jesus’ words mean that loving him first will change us within. And through this change, we are better equipped to love those closest to us with a deeper, self-sacrificing love. 

Heavenly Father, we love you with all our hearts, minds, souls, and strength because you loved us first. Please give us the grace to prioritize your Son in our walk of faith so that we can better love those around us. In Jesus Christ we pray, amen. 

Peace, 

Stan

True Humility

Luke 14: 8, 10-11 -- What Humility Looks Like

Jesus said, "When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor. Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place. For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

When it comes to life, one of the toughest things to get past is our own egos. My ego gets me in trouble quite often. As much as I try, I find myself prioritizing what I want and veiling it in what others want. This means that, yes, I want to do good for others. But what that good looks like is often something I prefer to do and not, rather, what the other person truly needs. I call this egocentric giving, and I do it more often than I like to admit. 

True humility, instead, is to unselfishly do good for others. That good, moreover, is to provide what the other truly needs, despite our own comfort zone and preferences. When I do something for someone else, it means doing what they need me to do, not what I prefer. For instance, if my wife asks me to paint our room rose pink, I paint it rose pink. My ego, however, spurns me to suggest a “better” color, one that I prefer. Then the room gets painted a color for me, not her. This is egocentric giving, and it taints the love I intend to give. Conversely, true humility would be to paint the room her color because it is for her needs. And on the rare occasion that I get this right, true humility is immeasurably better for both the giver and receiver. 

Jesus reminds us throughout the Gospels that a humble life, a life of self sacrifice, is what God desires for each of us. Jesus himself models this all the way to the cross.

I pray that love, humility, and self-giving replace the instances in life where we may be drawn to selfish behavior. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray, amen. 

Peace, 

Stan