We are all wealth managers.

They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

1 Timothy 6:18-19

Wealthy people and wealthy nations have a chance to do some of the most God-honoring, kingdom-expanding good things in this world. If (and this is a BIG “IF”) they will take a perspective on their resources that is eternal. Timothy again is given instruction by Paul to teach wealthy people well, and it seems the church in Ephesus had the means to share resources for the advance of the gospel. They were were a well-to-do congregation.

The eternal perspective that we should have about our stuff is five-fold: 1) We must see all the money and resources we have as the means to do what pleases God. That is why they were given to us. Any American above the poverty line is blessed to do this. 2) We must convert assets to good works. Money will burn come Judgment Day... but good works will go into eternity. 3) We must be generous. Don’t hold back! Bless others by giving abundantly, joyfully, with grace... not begrudgingly with a mere pittance. 4) We must be ready to give. This involves planning and strategy as well as having a means to be spontaneous. Without the plans, the tendency is to sinfully hoard or selfishly squander. 5) We must invest in eternity where the joyful interest earned compounds forever. We must see that as the goal of our life investment. We will find true life in this life and beyond when our viewpoint extends into eternity.

Don’t take the bait.

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

1 Timothy 6:10

The warning here is clear: Chasing after wealth because the stuff of this world is your first and highest love will ultimately lure you to pain and heartache. The love of money grows all sorts of bad things from its greedy root. It can lead us away from the truth and ultimately lead us to experience great pain.

It is not wrong to make money or to have resources. It is very wrong to love money like you should love Jesus! This is the problem. It becomes the worship of wealth. Prosperity is an idol and net worth is viewed as the god that provides. And in my experience many poor people bitterly buy into this thinking. It keeps casinos full and lotteries brimming with high jackpots. The painful sting of “One day I will hit it big” is never rewarded as daily bread dollars are wasted on the false promise of a wealth that never arrives.

The image of being pierced with pain is vivid... like a fish that swallowed the hook with the bait, the love of money painfully controls the person deceived by it until it is too late. The warning is not to fall for this deceit. Kingdom mindsets see our resources as a means to expanding gospel good news and faithful good works in the world. That will save us from craving wealth, loving money, and getting hooked by the false lure of easy living by wealth.

got wisdom?

Take my instruction instead of silver,

and knowledge rather than choice gold,

for wisdom is better than jewels,

and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.

Proverbs 8:10-11

Lord,

I want to learn from You. Your Word speaks wisdom to me if I will only apply myself to the pages and let Your Holy Spirit push the truth deep into me heart. I have been greatly kept from much pain by following the knowledge You have given in scripture. But I have also stumbled along the way when I did not value Your wisdom.

And I’ve seen a lot in this life. I have helped others by Your grace leading me. I have seen how Your gospel wisdom saves and redeems broken lives. I have seen how Your Word has given direction in confusion. I have seen others heed Your Word and turn from sin to find mercy and new life. It is a joy not just for me to follow Your wisdom, but to be used by You to help others do so as well. Your wisdom does amazing things to those who will treasure it.

And so this morning I commit to only one supreme value: Your Word’s instruction, knowledge, and wisdom as the only framer of my choices and actions. Nothing else comes close in value. I will treasure You, Lord, and Your words for they are with me now and for all eternity.

Amen

Súperfan of sinners

Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

Luke 15:10

On earth a soul repents. A sinner is saved by belief in the gospel. And in the grandstands of heaven angels are in exuberant cheering! Jesus Himself leads the crowd in the glorious, thrilling wave of rejoicing. Jesus, Who died for sin, Who carried all sorrows, guilt, and pain with Him on the cross is the loudest and most expressive superfan of repentant sinners. The angels are in the presence of God, with Jesus at the Father’s right hand. And in the presence of the angels the rejoicing takes place as the Father high fives the Son when a sinner repents.

Do I share the gospel, bless my neighbors with the good news that Jesus saves sinners so that this will bring joy to God? Or instead, do I act more like the Pharisees, looking down my stinking self-righteous nose from a cloistered position of false security, afraid and judgmental of those who don’t have all their moral ducks in a row? Will I have the heart of Jesus Who will passionately seek the lost? Will I be the friend of all, no matter who they are or what they’ve done, unashamedly loving them by telling them about Jesus’ offer of rescue for them?

The gospel calls me to be like Jesus. The Savior will go after the lost sheep with purpose. He will sweep the house to find  the lost coin. He will run to embrace the returning prodigal. Jesus loves sinners... sinners who are just like me... and so should I.

unfit?

“Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Luke 14:34-25

If the disciple will not meet the conditions for discipleship he is unfit. And in so many words: “He ain’t worth _____.” Just as the mined salt around the Dead Sea had to be processed to remove the minerals that made it tasteless, and if processed wrongly resulted in worthless waste, so can false discipleship be unfit. This worthless salt couldn’t be tilled back into the soil without ruining it, and it ruined compost if dumped on a manure pile. It had to be piled way in its own special kind of worthlessness.

To avoid being a sad kind of spiritually worthless heap I must: 1) Value Jesus and following Him more than any other relationship and even my own life (Luke 14:26). 2) Follow Jesus seriously with an attitude of death to my selfish desires, carrying a cross (Luke 14:27). 3) Count the cost of following Jesus, not running after Him rashly. This is a measured and deliberate choice (Luke 14:28-32). 4) Renounce all other allegiances and follow Jesus (Luke 14:33).

Lord,

I want to be good salt. I want to be useful to You. I want to maintain the salty taste of a follower of Jesus. You are my value. I die to me to live for You. I do this seriously, carefully, aware that it costs my life. I lay my desires before You to live truly in You!

Amen

rulers as God’s microphone

And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God that is in your hand, appoint magistrates and judges who may judge all the people in the province Beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God. And those who do not know them, you shall teach.

Ezra 7:25

God used Artaxerxes, the pagan Persian prince, to commission Ezra to a three-fold ministry to the returning Jewish exiles in Jerusalem. First, Ezra was sent with gold and treasure from the Persian royal vault to be used in the beautification of the temple as it was being rebuilt in Jerusalem. Ezra was sent to restore the house of worship.

Secondly, Ezra was commissioned to appoint legal civil authorities in and around Jerusalem for the establishment of law and order. These would be Jews, assisting and serving justice on behalf of the Persian Empire, among their own countrymen. Ezra was entrusted with establishing righteous leadership.

And finally, since this new self-governing would require a committed and educated citizenry, the task of teaching God’s Law to all was committed to Ezra by Artaxerxes. Those who did not know God’s Word were to be taught it. Ezra was tasked with teaching the Law of God to the people of God in the land of God’s people.

That God used a pagan king to make Ezra an architect, treasurer, governing magistrate, Chief Justice, and preacher all are proof of His amazing, sovereign power. God directs kings so that His will is done. Politics are not everything. God will direct and sometimes even speak through the actions of nations. God is over human affairs. I can trust that what God is doing is His plan, no matter what political circumstances I may see on any nation on earth.

listen up

My son, be attentive to my words;

incline your ear to my sayings.

Let them not escape from your sight;

keep them within your heart.

For they are life to those who find them,

and healing to all their flesh.

Proverbs 4:20-22

Pay attention

listen well to God’s Word.

Hold on tightly

to what you have heard,

for it is wisdom

to keep your heart

following Jesus

from the start.

Look to scripture

for wisdom to instruct your mind

for in its pages

you will always find

truth for living

so that in each choice

you can confidently follow

the Savior’s voice.

Life and healing

will attend all your days

if you pay attention

to what God says.

Your soul will be healthy;

nourished strongly and well fed...

satisfied forever in

what Jesus has said.