Prosperity Does Not Equal Godliness

In yesterday's blog post, I wrote about Solomon's prophetic prayer. He prayed that, when Israel went into captivity, they would repent and God would hear and help them. Solomon was the third king of Israel and he married many foreign wives who drew his heart away from God. He ended up worshipping at the altars to the idols.

This morning, I still wondered how this mess came about. Didn't anyone complain? Didn't the priests chastise the king? Where were the Pharisee-types when the people really needed them? Where was Nathan, who confronted David about his sin with Bathsheba? Surely someone could have stood up to Solomon.

But it doesn't seem that they did. 

I wondered why not, until I read two verses that might explain the failure of the people to confront their king about his idolatry.

"And the king made silver as common as stones in Jerusalem, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamore trees that are in the lowland." 1 Kings 10:27 nasb

"Now the weight of gold which came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold..." 2 Chronicles 9:12 nasb

Solomon brought immense prosperity to the land, but he also began their plummet into idolatry.He built shrines to the false gods of his foreign wives. He worshipped there himself.

It's easy to equate prosperity with the favor of God, but the two are not synonymous. 

666 talents of gold is equivalent (in today's measures) to 22,660 kg of gold, or 799,307.98 ounces of gold. With gold prices at $1,323 per ounce, the value of the gold that came in to Solomon each year (in 2016 dollars) was $1,057,484,457.54.

People looked at the unprecedented prosperity Solomon achieved, listened to his beautiful words, and deemed him the wisest man alive. They missed one important fact, however. 

Neither our bank account nor our words truly reflect the men or women we are. Only our actions can do that.

Solomon's actions showed that he not only flagrantly disregarded the law of God, but dishonored the Lord with his idolatry.  

No matter how wealthy or wise we are, our life won't count for much if we fill it with sin rather than righteousness.

Today, let's take a close look at our lives. When people see us, is the focus on our finances or our faithfulness, our holdings or our holiness, our words or our righteousness?

We will never please God with the gold we get. We please Him with the love we give.

Let's be sure our lifestyle reflects the faith we say we have.

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and foremost commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Matthew 22:37-39 nasb

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Photo above is of a sunrise in Galilee (above the Sea of Galilee)

In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: If I Had Only Known
(http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2016/05/if-i-had-only-known.html)

For those doing the Hosea study, the Chapter Four lesson is now live and here's the link: Chapter Four 
(http://lessonsindiscipleship.blogspot.com/2016/05/hosea-chapter-four.html)
#wealth #godliness #priorities

Guarding Against Greed

Someone in the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." But He said to him, "Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?" Then He said to them, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions." (Luke 12:13-15 NASB)

I have a notebook of verses that are my favorite and that have spoken to me at different times in my life. The last verse is one of those. "A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions" is my favorite translation of Luke 12:15. (Alas, I didn't note the translation but I think it's the TLB paraphrase) 

In this culture of affluence and entitlement, we can easily be swept into the current of covetousness. Don't be. Jesus gives not one warning against greed but two. Beware. Be on your guard against every form of greed. The repeated warning is a confirmation of His intent. Jesus is serious about our need to be intentional in avoiding greed.

The word translated as "beware" is horaō and can also be translated "to see". In this instance, the two admonitions indicate that we are to examine ourselves to prevent every form of greed. We are to be intentional about avoiding greed and the desire to accumulate things.

I look around me and am stunned by the amount of "stuff" I have accumulated over the years. There's a considerable number of items in my house that had no particular meaning for me at the time they were purchased. They serve no purpose other than decorative. I'm not sure now why I bought them, but they have become a symbol of the foolish ways I've used the money God has entrusted to me.

Therein is the problem. The money we have (much of which I have used to purchase "stuff") was entrusted to us by God. He had a purpose in giving it to us and an intended use for every cent of it. 

When I look at my income in that way, I'm shocked by how I've managed my money. If the widow who gave her mite, her last cent to God, is my example, I'm sadly lacking. Judging by the conspicuous consumption of those around me, I'm not the only one with this problem.

Despite all the possessions I've accumulated over the years, they are not my life. The people in my life are what matters. My son, my family, my friends, and (most importantly) my faith are what matters and by which I'd prefer to be defined. At the end of my life, I want people to remember the difference I made in this world, not the number of possessions I accumulated. I wonder if you can tell that from all the things I've accumulated over the years.

A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. 

It's a truth we would do well to understand. The greed that tells us otherwise must be avoided. Beware. Be on your guard. Examine your heart. Is greed there? A lifestyle of consumption? If we want to please God, our greed-filled lifestyles will have to change.

Why does our attitude about possessions matter? Jesus summed it up in Matthew 6:21.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

As we "beware", examining ourselves for the possibility of greed, let's evaluate that which we most treasure. Is it the things of this world or the next? Where is your treasure? 

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Dear God, forgive me for the ways I have used Your resources and the money You have entrusted to me. Cleanse me of greed and covetousness. Create in me a clean, generous, giving heart. Help me to store my treasure in heaven rather than trust in the things of this world. In Jesus name, Amen.