Treasures Untold or Treasures Unclaimed

Scripture: Luke 16:11 "If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches."

Observation:
"unrighteous wealth" - simply not of eternal nature; not part of the promises of God.

Jesus described being unfaithful in unrighteous wealth in the preceding parables. In Luke 15:11-31 the "prodigal son" left and "squandered his property in reckless living." Later, the older son said they knew that included prostitutes. In Chapter 16, the rich man's manager had "wasted" the master's possessions. The wasteful manager was commended for being shrewd, but he should have used it to manage the finances.

Application: What are the distorted perspectives that cause one to be unfaithful? How do those attitudes relate to true riches? And why should my treatment of it here impact eternity?

It has been noted the Bible talks about money almost more than anything else (that fact makes it kind of ironic that so many people find it inappropriate for leaders of the church to talk about it at all during a service). Why is that? Perhaps it is because the Bible has two main categories of content. I'll call them the spiritual and the natural. Finances have been around since jump street. They say it makes the world go around.

In truth money impacts both realms.

What I mean to say is, I think the spending and allocation of one's money is the most visible indicator of the state of one's heart as it pertains to God. A love of God necessitates a trust in God above all else, money not excepting. Jesus was clear that you cannot have two loves; it's God or money, but not both. So, the distorted perspective is that money, not God, is the ultimate safety net. It believes money, not God, bring the best life has to offer. It reasons money, not God, will satisfy a hungry soul and protect from hazard. Perhaps most pitiably, it believes the highest quality life requires sufficient amount of money instead of sufficient amounts of God.

But why should my present attitude affect my future residence? The easy answer, though no less true, is "That's the way God wants it." So be it. But perhaps a more refined answer is "What you don't want now, you won't want in the next life." The reverse is the essence of the Christian heart--"What I yearn for now is what I'll long for in the ext life." The believer longs for God, for Jesus, for the Spirit, for the promise of a home that cannot and will not be found in this present domain. We've seen through the facade. We know money cannot buy happiness. We've accepted we cannot, regardless of how hard we try, have our best life now. To ascribe to that, frankly, is to cup our ears to the venomous deceit of Satan himself.

In fact, to believe otherwise I would say is to levy an expectation upon a world that is simply too heavy a burden for it to bear up under. As Seth Stewart recently purported (paraphrased): "God created us for a station too high for this created place to deliver."

The question Jesus left to those who will hear is, "How do you need to adjust your heart today toward money and God?"

Prayer: Father, can I separate the pursuit of success from the perspective of sanctification? Is there space for wealth in the separation from wordiness? I'm not asking theoretically. Truly, can I walk both the path of righteousness and the road of physical prosperity? If so, where are the guard rails to keep my soul from abandoning the narrow road to the narrow gate of your presence?

Where Did These Shackles Come From?

Scripture: Luke 13:15-17 "Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him."

Observation: This verse ends a passage in which Jesus is scolded by a ruler of a Jewish synagogue because he healed a woman on the sabbath. Jesu harshly rebuked the Jewish spiritual leader by pointing out that the same man would care for an owned animal on the sabbath; therefore, to not be the same present help and compassion to a person based on a man-made rule was a great hypocrisy.

And look at the crowds reactions! They "rejoice." Over what were they rejoicing? I think all who followed Jesus lived under the spiritual rule of men who maintained the exact same hypocritical standards. The people's reaction to Jesus' declaration is revealing. It clearly demonstrates that Jesus' words brought emancipation to people under oppressive, stifling, and lifeless religious rules and carries them into refreshing, invigorating, and liberating hope in a God who loves us as a perfect father or care-taker. This was new to them. This was life-shaking.

Prior to Jesus's words the people labored under the weight of works-based righteousness. After Jesus' words of encouragement (at least, they were encouraging to the masses) the crowds had the hope of a God who is for them, who knows their need and pain, who pursues them and comforts them, and who welcomes all, especially those who are looked down upon, who are just seeking open arms--not critical eyes.

Application: Rejoice! Surely the crowds who heard Jesus drew nearer to him after this. The same words are spoken to us today: "You are a treasure to God. He knows your pain. He knows your trouble. He knows your need. He knows all your sin and failures. And he does not turn away from you. Rather he is seeking you and wants to give you what you need. He wants to give you himself, which is the only truly satisfying thing."

James 4:7 "Draw near to God and he will draw near to you."

Prayer: . . .

No More Single Digit Kids!

Our youngest is now in double digits. That's kind of a big deal to us. I'm not sure how long it'll take me to process how old the kiddos are and what kind of stage of life we've entered.

I think I'll just enjoy it.

And of course a trip to Chuck E. Cheese ensued, where the monkey met his match.

I Hear You

Scripture: Luke 11:13 "If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him."

Observation: Clearly Luke chose "the Holy Spirit" intentionally when he recorded Jesus' instructions on the need to pray, pray specifically, pray frequently, pray expectantly, pray passionately, pray with faith, pray unguardedly, and pray confidently. But such a response--the promise of the Holy Spirit--seems, at first, strange. It seems strange until I begin to see God Himself as the first and greatest answer to prayer.

What do I mean by that? Jesus main point in this context is that God will give good things to his children when they ask. Thus, Jesus' promise that the Holy Spirit is a sure gift to the asker makes perfect sense--God Himself is the greatest good! God seeks those that will first and foremost pursue him and desire him when they or those they care about face struggles, hardship, and lack in this life (Matt. 6:33).

Proverbs 30:8-9 says ". . . give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, 'Who is the Lord?' or lest I be poor and steal
 and profane the name of my God." In this Proverb the writer is expressing his passion for God. He asks God to arrange his life in such a way that it does not become a hindrance to his faith in God nor a distraction from his pursuit of God. Priority #1 is the experience of God and with that God will fill all the gaps that are bound to come. In this Proverb the request centers around money, but it applies to fame and shame, health and sickness, popularity and loneliness, and accomplishment and failure alike.

But is this a right request? I see a danger in it. There is a sense in which I could pray for a life free of extremes under the auspice of "contentment," but while contentment is good (Heb. 13:5), when it comes to our desire for God it is a poor descriptor.

Therein lies the danger.

I do not need to be reserved in my pursuit of God. As C. S. Lewis wrote, I am not unfilled because my passions are too lofty. I am dissatisfied with things in my life because my passions are too base! I wallow in the mud seeking treasure when all the while the purest and strongest pleasures which are only found in God Himself are offered freely to me. My fervor is set on a target too low. In seeking contentment, I have mistakenly categorized the relationship with my Creator with cookies, cars, square footage of my home, and accolades among my profession! Be content with such things as I have, but be content with no less than the fullness of God!

Application:
Pray. Pray specifically. Pray frequently. Pray expectantly. Pray passionately. Pray with faith. Pray unguardedly. Pray confidently.

Believe that Psalm 16:11 is true. Treasure the presence and knowledge of God like a suitor cherishes being with and learning about his betrothed.

Prayer: . . .

Not Good.

Scripture: Luke 7:4 "And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, 'He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.'"

Observations:
"Jesus, you should help out this most honorable man. After all he has done so much good--he deserves it. He has earned it."

This passage reflects some deep concepts and truths. Foundational ones. Is there any such thing as a "good" person? Can we earn God's favor? Or to put it another way, can God's favor be earned? What is the benefit of the good things we do--the things that bless others? These questions should be answered individually

1. Is there any such thing as a "good" person? That question is answered on multiple levels, but the answer is pivotal in grasping the error of what the Jewish elders said. If we judge according to what people can see, the answer is "Yes," and not just religious people would be judged thus. Most unreligious persons live morally good lives. This fact leads to the objection, "Then does religion have anything to do with morality? Is religion dispensable?" In a way, yes; but ultimately, no. Why? Because there is a difference between the state of a thing being good and the reason that such a thing is good. [This is way too extensive a subject to discuss here, but it is the difference between our epistemology and our metaphysics. I've seen many, if not most, people confuse these two and the consequences of doing so have been frustration on my part and really bad logical processes on their part.] Essentially, people are generally morally good because the moral law is written on our hearts. God wrote it there to testify of himself. So, even if we were not taught a set moral code by society we would still arrive at many of the same moral decisions most cultures hold as right and good. So, "yes" there are good people.

However, if we answer the same question by climbing high into the mountains and looking down upon the moral value question, taking the sight of God, the answer becomes "No" and a resounding one at that! Some may ask, "Is it arrogance to assume to know the mind of God on this?" But luckily it is not arrogance, but rather this question has already been clearly given by God Himself, "No one is good, but One, that is, God" (Matthew 19:17 spoken by Jesus). The same truth is affirmed through the Holy Spirit by the Jewish disciple Paul when he said, "There is no one good; no, not one . . . for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:10 and 23).

That last statement is so key to this first question: "the glory of God." As Jesus stated that God alone is good, God is the actual standard for good. I can walk at street level and identify the good things people do, but from God who stands in the skyscraper looking across the city of humanity the term "good" becomes my--our--impartial judge and condemning jury.

Alas, if the God of all creation condemns us as evil, whatever shall we do?

2. Can we earn God's favor? Or to put it another way, can God's favor be earned? I group these two questions together because I think the second is really just a more appropriate way of stating the first. The answer to the latter is, "Yes, God's favor can be earned." . . . if I'm perfect . . . and by perfect I mean, entirely sinless for my entire life. So, now the question has transitioned from theoretical to practical--and now the answer is "No," or rather, "Not by me" (or any other person). But that is exactly what the Jewish elders were claiming. This centurion deserved God's blessings. He had earned it. The Jewish elders sought to convince Jesus to give healing to the centurion's servant based on the merit of the centurion. They brought a resume of accolades for him. This very concept is what Jesus rebuked the Jewish leadership on over and over and over. They were living their whole lives as hypocrites . . . knowing they weren't good, but pretending like they were and trying to earn eternal life by following rules. They were fooling themselves.

Of course, now I'm in just as dismal as a place as at the end of the first answer. Now no one is actually good and no one can earn God's favor. The situation seems hopeless.

3. But the centurion's own words tell a much different story and reveal what Jesus saw and why he would go with the elders at all. The centurion revealed humility and a recognition of his real standing before a holy God (vs. 6 and 7). The elders thought they could argue or convince God into blessing the centurion with healing; the centurion knew he could never--not with decades of "good" works--earn favor. Jesus responded to the heart of the centurion, not the hard work of the centurion. Jesus was attracted to the lowliness of his attitude, not the lavishing of praise by the elders.

This is the summation of it: Jesus always offers grace to the humble, but resistance to the proud. His favor is a gift only made possible by his very own grotesque death on a brutal cross. And the only work that could be done to make one acceptable before God has already been completed by Jesus--it is a finished and complete work. This then leaves to us only the work of submitting ourselves to God as unworthy of his presence and falling into the gentle arms of his wonderful, endless, comforting, tireless grace.

So, can we be good truly? No. Can we earn acceptance from God? No. But in this passage the exact reason for Jesus' life and death and resurrection from the dead are revealed. He lived to fulfill every rule that God has given us in our place. He died to take the true penalty for our sin in our place. He rose from the dead as Lord of everyone who will accept him for who he is and for everyone who will accept what he has done.

But that still leaves one question unanswered, but this is long enough at this point.

Application: Stop trying to flaunt my impressive qualities; God sees the truth of my sinful character and Jesus died for it. Stop trying to earn God's approval; Jesus did that for me. Rest in the finished work of Jesus.

Prayer: Father, you are so, so good. Bless you, bless you. I just say Amen and I love you.