We’re looking this week at how our views of money change as followers of Jesus.  Here are the words of Paul, one of the first Christian leaders, to his protégé, Timothy.

But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 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 6:17-19 ESV)

A Christian author, NT Wright note that we give lip service to the maxim that “money can’t buy happiness” and then give life-service to the opposite.

We don’t need to prove it, we’ve all seen this kind of thing.

One example, when someone is quite wealthy, they might buy more homes.  But since they can’t be everywhere at once, they need to get security systems or guards, repair people, landscapers and more.

With more wealth comes the need for lawyers, accountants, investment advisors, and all the work and stress of coordinating them properly.

A friend owns a home by the lake, which is beautiful.  But the amazing view comes at a cost, as they are constantly replacing shingles after every windstorm.

Another example: Justin Bieber’s incredible success and wealth may also be his downfall.  He is able to try and buy happiness in cars, drugs, and surround himself with friends so dazzled by it all that they won’t try to stop him.  But we’ve seen recently, that it’s not working.  His wealth has turned into a trap, a snare.

Is Paul saying money is bad?  Or houses by the lake, or pop music?  No, but money is also not good, or happiness, in and of itself.

This is why Paul says carefully, the love of money is the root of many evils.

Money isn’t the good to be loved.  It represents the good, it’s just a piece of paper, metal or computer data used to exchange for actual goods and services.  The further our modern currency gets from the actual goods it was meant to represent, the closer it gets to an idol for worship in and of itself.  Money is a stand-in for actual goods, and becoming less and less grounded in reality since treasuries no longer actually have to have gold on hand for every dollar they print.

What are idols?  They were things like statues worshipped for rain, sun, fertitility, whatever people wanted to control.  They stand in for a real relationship with God who can’t be controlled.  They allow us to become ungrounded from reality, since we elevate ourselves to the status of controlling nature through our gods.

If we pursue money alone, we are pursuing something at the whim of the markets that is ultimately meaningless. We can see this as the Canadian dollar recently plugned below 90 cents US.  Manufacturers who signed contracts at $1.00, bought supplies at $0.95 and got paid at $0.90 have all seen just how subjective money can be when it’s unhinged from the actual goods it is meant to represent.

The risk is that we’ll pursue this kind of thing in life, and worship things in our lives whose value is constantly in flux, hardly eternal.  They may not be little statues anymore, but idols are very much objects of worship today.

That’s why Paul states the obvious truth: we brought nothing into this world, we cannot take anything out.  Despite that, we regularly treat money, possessions in life as if they are permanent and of eternal value.

Question: When have you seen someone’s love for money lead to evil?

Read the Bible in Sync Today

Ryan Sim - January 28, 2014

Tuesday - Study It - Reset Time

In the story we’ll read in the Bible today, Jesus is visiting some friends, two sisters in fact, and challenges one sister on her use of time. Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42 ESV) This can be a frustrating story. We can relate to Martha! Think back to Christmas dinner, did you have a lot to get ready, and did some family member frustrate you by doing nothing? That sounds like what happens here. Jesus might have gone a different direction here, right? He might have told Mary to be more sensitive to Martha’s needs, and go help. Or, he might have gone to help her himself. Both would be consistent with Jesus’ teaching and character. But what he says is “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.” It comes down to the goal, the plan. One thing is necessary, and it’s not what Martha is doing. Two possibilities: One option: Martha is concerned with gender roles. In their culture, Mary should be in the kitchen serving, not learning like a rabbinical student. She’s assumed the posture of a learner, sitting at Jesus’ feet, which was an exclusively male pursuit. Another option: Martha really is just concerned with a meal to honour the visiting rabbi, but Jesus says at this particular moment, there is a more important goal that should consume her time. Either way, seems she’s missed the goal. Jesus is here. He’s establishing his kingdom, starting with teaching a few individuals, his disciples. Martha and Mary are invited to be a part of that select group of learners while he’s in their own home. Mary is sacrificing her place in society, and her time, to sit at his feet, learn and grow as his follower. Martha is letting those same things get in the way. The creator of time itself is sitting in Martha’s living room, and she doesn’t give him any. He is the only one who can create time. I act that way sometimes. I leave no travel time between appointments, as if I’ll conjure time out of nowhere. But, we only have so many hours in the day – time is a finite resource. We have to choose how to spend them. Sometimes it’s on life’s mundane tasks, preparing another meal or cleaning up, and sometimes it’s on great visionary stuff like sitting at Jesus’ feet. One Christian, Martin Luther, said years ago: “Oh, faith is a living, busy, active, mighty thing, so that it is impossible for it not to be constantly doing what is good.“ The question is – what is good? Question: What makes for a “good” use of time?

From Series: "Reset"

When our computers get bogged down and unmanageable, we know to hit a reset button to simply start over. Wouldn't a reset button be great in life? We know it would be complicated, with all our responsibilities and routines to consider, but imagine the freedom and refreshment of a new start in life! What would you do differently? What would you pay more attention to, and what would you ignore? How would you avoid getting bogged down and broken again? The great news is, in coming to earth as Jesus Christ, God has begun to "reset" our universe, our world, and even us. We're invited to start over with him, in what he calls his kingdom. We're invited to start a new life with a clean slate. What gets wiped clean, and lived differently, when God resets our lives? We'll explore how God resets these key areas of our lives: Reset: Goals Reset: Time Reset: Money Reset: Work Reset: Body & Food Reset: Sex & Marriage Reset: Family Reset: Compassion Reset: Nature Reset: Society Reset: Death Join us for the next several weeks, and invite God to reset your life.

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