Money Matters

    Hello friends.  Can you guess the answer to this riddle?  The more a man has, the more the wants.  Instead of it filling a vacuum, it makes one.  What am I?  Did you guess money?  Listen to what Luke 12:15 says about money.  “For real life and real living are not related to how rich we are.”  In fact money has a way of tearing down a person’s soul.  For money is the principle god of this world.  One believer said it well, “the insatiable lust for material possessions is one of the strongest drives in all of life.  And yet it completely misses the purpose of human existence.” “...there never was a more fatal error.  A man is really measured by what he is, and not by what he has.”  There you have it.  This is a dilemma that will not be denied.  It screams out for an answer.  God and money vie for first place in our lives.  “For neither you nor anyone else can serve two masters.  You will hate one and show loyalty to the other, or else the other way around- you will be enthusiastic about one and despise the other.  You can not serve both God and money.”  Luke 6:13  These two are constant rivals and a choice must be made.  So we must ultimately put God first and reject materialism or live for earthly things and refuse God’s claim on our lives.
    The truth is there is only one thing that is permanent in this world.  It is the Word of God which produces life changing faith.  But are we in danger of trusting our money instead of God?  How does this compromise affect our lives?  Matthew 13:22b “...the cares of this life and his longing for money choke out God’s Word, and he does less and less for God.”  As we lose the power of God we are diminished as a person till we become apathetic and bored with life.  The love of money is like a parasite sapping our energy and vitality for life.  On the other hand, the Christian loses the world and finds meaning and purpose through a living Christ who has saved us from bondage to a failing system.  Here is the challenge.  Leave behind the burden of carrying this world’s god and embrace the freedom of not possessing a thing but your liberated soul.