Tag: loved money
The prosperity gospel in Luke!
Scripture reading for October 25th: Luke 16-18
“No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” “The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus.” Luke 16:13-14
Jesus spoke very plainly: “You cannot serve both God and money.” In America, there is a popular variation of the Gospel called the “prosperity” teaching. This teaching plays on man’s desire for money and prosperity by taking verses of Scripture and using them to promote wealth as a sign of God’s blessing. God’s word does proclaim blessing on God’s people for obedience and faith. Some who walked in faith were blessed and obtained great wealth in this world. But God is more concerned about our hearts. He said it was impossible to serve two masters.
The Pharisees of Jesus time had a teaching very similar to this prosperity message of today. They taught that God’s blessing was on the rich and that the poor were under a curse. This had some scriptural backing from Deuteronomy 28 and other places in the Old Testament. Jesus taught us to see things in a different light by telling a story about a rich man and a poor beggar named Lazarus. These two real people lived on earth and both died. At death there was a great reversal. The rich man ended up in the torment of Hell, the place of the departed wicked dead. The poor beggar, Lazarus, ended up in Abraham’s bosom, a place of comfort and blessing. They could see each other but were separated by a great gulf. (Luke 16:22-26)
This ‘story’ struck at the hearts of those who loved “money”! Money could not and did not save the rich man! He left earth without it and ended up in hell. The poor beggar was not under the curse the Pharisees had presumed. His faith in God had taken him to Abraham’s bosom, a place of God’s favor. True prosperity is a state of the heart that trusts in God for daily provision and lives by faith in Him. It is impossible to serve two masters, God and money! Quit trying and pursue the kingdom of God and His righteousness! You’ll be eternally blessed and prosperous as God intended!
Being faithful with the little!
Scripture reading for April 13th: Luke 16:1-18
It has been said that money makes a good servant but is a difficult master! Our handling of money and property is called stewardship. The Bible teaches us that we really own nothing here, but are merely stewards who manage these things for our Master, God. God really owns everything! When we get ownership and stewardship mixed up, real trouble results.
Jesus told an interesting story that highlights these truths. “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’ (Luke 16:1-2) The manager, about to lose his job, called in those who owed his master money and made a deal with them to settle the accounts for less than was owed. He reasoned that these debtors would then welcome him into their houses after he lost his job! This was a shrewd move, but not profitable for the master who was owed these debts!
“The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind that are the people of the light. I tell you, use your worldly wealth to win friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” (Luke 16:8-9) Jesus went on to apply this parable to his followers. Worldly wealth is viewed as ‘very little’ by God’s standards. We are called to be faithful to use the ‘very little’ God has entrusted to us: our money and possessions. We are to use them to further God’s kingdom and we will give an account to our Master, God.
When we let ‘money’ become our master we are an unfaithful steward, no longer serving God. No man can serve two masters faithfully. (Luke 16:13) Either we fully serve God, or we serve ‘money’ when we make it our master. God will reward us with ‘true riches’ when we serve Him faithfully, an eternal inheritance that will never fade away. We will leave all our money and property here when we die or go to meet the Lord. Wise management for our Father while on earth translates into ‘true riches’ for eternity! Are you being faithful?