This week we’re trying to see the difference between a follower of Jesus, and someone else, in terms of how we see and use money.

Maybe you’ve seen a video going around the Internet with Kevin O’Leary, of Dragon’s Den, saying it’s just fantastic that the richest 85 people in the world have as much wealth as the 3.5 billion poorest.  He says it’s fantastic because it will inspire the poor to get rich themselves.

We’ve attached it if you’d like to watch.

The Bible thinks quite differently about the relationship between rich and poor, in the passage that immediately follows what we read yesterday:

As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 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 6:17-19 ESV)

Paul uses the same language Jesus is known for using – he refers to storing up treasure in heaven.

When we are generous, sharing with those in need, we are actually doing something of real value and eternal value that Paul calls a good foundation for the future.  That is truly life.  When others hoard, they are missing the point.  They are living a false life with limited value and longevity.

Finding that balance is of course always hard.  How much is enough to gain, save, and give? Yesterday’s reading set a low bar: But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.

I have always liked a sermon preached by John Wesley centuries ago on the topic of money, that could be summed up as: Gain all you can, save all you can, give all you can.  In isolation, each part would bring destruction, but together they make sense.  You have to make money to be generous, but if you pursue making too much, you will crash or lose faith.  You also have to save money to give money – wisely spending to have some left over, and by having stability in order to help others.

Question: How else do you think a follower of Jesus looks at money differently from someone else?  How does gaining/saving/giving all you can impact retirement, debt, etc.  Why?

Read the Bible in Sync Today

Ryan Sim - June 18, 2013

Tuesday - Study It - The Golden Rule

Sermon on the Mount

Here's one of Jesus' most famous one-liners: “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. Then he went on: “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. (Matthew 7:12-14 ESV) We'll look first at the first part – what's known as the Golden Rule. You may think this was nothing new. Haven't other teachers said similar things? Rabbi Hillel was once approached by a young man who asked him to summarize the whole law while the inquirer stood on one foot. He simply said, "What is hateful to yourself do to no other.” Socrates told a story of a Greek King: "Do not do to others the thing that makes you angry" Confucius was once asked, if there is one word to sum up the law of life and he answered, "Reciprocity: What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others." People will often repeat a similar idea today: you can do whatever you want as long as you aren’t hurting someone else. If Jesus is just saying what others have always known, it seems strange for him to pair this saying with a story about a narrow gate, and how difficult it is to live this out, and how few people will manage to do it. But in fact, Jesus isn't saying the same old thing, he says something very new! When this concept appears in other traditions, it's always in negative – do not do to others what you would not have them do to you. But Jesus says the positive: Go above and beyond. DO. He wants the motivations to be love, not fear. The object to be the other person, not self. The question to be, not how much I can get away with, but how much can I do for others. That's what Jesus was all about. We'll explore this more later this week. Question: Many have said ‘Don’t do to others what you wouldn’t want done to yourself” – but only Jesus gives the positive – “do to others what you would want done to yourself”. If you were to apply each of these statements to a practical situation you’re facing, would they each lead you to different responses?

Related Topics: Law, Love | More Messages from Ryan Sim | Download Audio

From Series: "Sermon on the Mount"

Discuss

More Messages From Ryan Sim...

Powered by Series Engine