A need to be generous Christians have received riches of Gods grace, and are to respond with generosity and giving. Christians are called to a life of service, sharing and stewardship. We have an obligation to do good. When we give ourselves to the Lord, we will give generously. Jesus often taught about money.Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me, said Jesus to a rich man (Luke 18:22). He said the same thing to his disciples (12:33). The new covenant demands all that we have, and that is fair, since Jesus gave all he had for us. He praised a widow who put two coins into the temple treasury, because she gave all she had (21:2).Wealth is often an enemy of faith. It can choke people and cause them to be spiritually unfruitful (8:14). Woe to you who are rich, Jesus warned (6:24). He warned us about the dangers of greed (12:15) and warned about the danger of storing up wealth for self without being rich toward God (12:16-21). When we use wealth to help others, we gain treasure in heaven (12:33). This helps us have our heart in heavenly things instead of earthly, temporary things (12:34).No servant can serve two masters.... You cannot serve both God and money (16:13). But money competes for our allegiance; it tempts us to seek our own desires rather than the needs of the kingdom. After the rich man went away sad, Jesus exclaimed: How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom (18:24-25).
Posted on: Thu, 16 Jan 2014 03:19:03 +0000
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