Matthew 19.21 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be
perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have
treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” (ESV)
The man in this account – a young man he is described –
had his god: it was his money. Now, he didn’t admit that, and Jesus
didn’t accuse him of that, but the implication derived from what Jesus told him
and his subsequent response indicated he was pretty happy with what he had and
didn’t want to give any of it up. He had
a lot of wealth.
Wealth causes people to do things, that without it, they
might not do. Riches have an effect on folks. Most of the folk I know worry
about their lack of wealth. Some of the rich I know worry about how to hold on
to it. Jesus tells us, don’t worry at all: trust God instead.
We really can’t control our inflow and out-go of money,
but God can, and does. Lord, Grant me the
serenity to accept the things I cannot control; courage to use wisely the
things I can, and wisdom to know the difference. Jesus wasn’t asking the
rich man to quit being rich, He was inviting him to have the right perspective
toward wealth. The man, in his thinking, had it all but he wanted God to bless
him as well. Jesus said the price of admission was to understand what money is
and what true riches are.
The trade-off (or transaction if you will) was giving up
riches as a god and accepting God as God. Jesus said, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the
poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” It wasn’t
giving up money; it was giving up the wrong attitude toward money: money isn’t the answer for everything.
Our problem is how we think about money: if I only had some money, I’d…
God, what do You
want me to do? God, where do You fit
into this picture? God what is my attitude toward money and wealth? What am I
clinging to that shows where my heart and values really are? The only answer
Jesus could give to the young man’s query was: get rid of what is holding you back and give yourself fully to God.
It was more than he wanted to pay.
My attitude toward money needs to boil down to something
like this:
Two things I ask of
you; deny them not to me before I die: Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give
me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me,
lest I be full and
deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane
the name of my God. (Proverbs 30.7-9 ESV)
Lord, I know I can’t handle it when I am flush, and I
know I whine about it when I am broke. I don’t need more or less money; I need YOU,
and a right attitude toward money. Help
me to trust You, to be content with what I have, and to be wise when it comes
to using what You have given me to further the work of Your Kingdom. Grant me
the serenity, courage and wisdom I need , amen.
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