For the Love of Money

For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Timothy 6:10 NASB)

Some people will skim over this without much regard because one, its over used and out of context in their view, two, it pierces something and they don't want to deal with it, or three, they assume "well, that's not me..." But in reality it's speaking to more of us than we think.

The love of money or pursuit of it in a way that we rely solely on it and not God is the issue. In our culture especially, we feel it most as we see the economy tanking, causing us to rise up and shake our fists at the current governmental administration - and to a degree there's a place for that - yet the point to which we're the most grieved over it is measurable to the degree that we don't trust God.

Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU , NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU ," (Hebrews 13:5 NASB)

The love of money is not about evil and selfish pursuits, it's the idolization and reliance on a man-made system that is destined to fail, solely on that reason.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33 NASB)

If we live wholly on this principle to its fullest, our economic value will be determined by Him and therefore more valuable TO Him

Stewarding God’s Money

What does it mean to be a good steward over God's money?

Some would say it means to not spend wastefully but to plan for the future. Budget everything to be sure and save for retirement, buying a house, leaving an inheritance...
Yet Jesus said something quite the opposite.

Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;
for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Our conditioning in the western culture says, "store up for tomorrow" because we believe that nothing we receive is without cost. And so if we're smart, we budget for tough times. We invest in retirement funds, buy homes... And we budget things like entertainment and vacations and then our giving after that. Some will budget a certain amount every month to give to their favorite charity or a special need, yet hold tightly onto the rest for fear their plans will fall through. But that's what it is... Fear.

Because if we don't do those things, how will we eat, what will we wear...?
But that's serving a different master...

Matthew 6:24-33 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing?
Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.
But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you?
You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
**But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.**

To be a good steward over our "treasure" is not to invest in material things but into eternal things.

Galatians 6:8-9 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.

When we understand this fully, our bank account begins to look a lot different... and so does the culture around us.

He Rules Like a Father

The parable of the Prodigal Son has always been a favorite because it shows the love and the heart of a God who's arms are wide open, but it also speaks to His generosity & the misconceptions about His kingship.
We all know how the story ends when the other son is jealous...

Luke 15:28-31 But he became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him. But he answered and said to his father, ‘Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends; but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’ And he said to him, ‘Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours.

Most times we see this struggle between those who "serve" The Lord and "adore" Him. (The Mary vs. Martha syndrome) There is a constant misconception of The Lord's ruling hand. There is no doubt that there should be a certain amount of fear & respect for an all-powerful King. The Creator of all can also destroy! But the constant theme, not only with Jesus, but throughout the whole Bible is His character as Father. And again, we all know this, but it seems so hard for so many Christians to fully swallow.
But this parable is the perfect representation of His heart.
1. When the son decided he wanted to leave, there was no arguing... He was released.
2. When the son returned, his father rejoiced. There was no "I told you so" or "you can come back under these conditions..." He was restored into sonship.
3. When the other son became indignant, the father pleaded with him...
4. The father explained that ALL HE HAS BELONGS TO HIM, he only needed to ask! Saying basically "you're not a servant, you're My son!"

(This misconception also points to the parable of the talents in that the one servant thought him to be a hard man, etc)

Firstly, who are we? SONS! No matter what...
Secondly, we're sons of a very rich King who's provision is unending.
Thirdly, He loves His children the same but His favor is only recognized when it's accepted.

When we fully recognize our sonship with The Father, there is no lack of provision, no reason for jealously, and a desire to "serve" from a new perspective of training and partnership rather than obligation.

Post From a Friend

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So here is the story behind this Photo! We were in Big Bear since Thursday with Rob Chapman and Katherine Chapman when my 6 year old Alexa who has kidney and bladder issues starting losing control of her bladder and was urinating through all her clothes! I knew she was getting another infection in the bladder and kidneys. I came prepared with urine dips to check for blood and infection as a just in case! So happens we needed it.....not for diagnoses which is what i originally thought but it was to prove a healing from the hands of God! Before I left to Big Bear I felt a heavy pull to Grab these tests. I normally wouldn't because I don't want to over kill a vacation with worry, But this time I just felt like I needed to bring them! So I decide after a day of Alexa feeling badly that I would go ahead and check her urine for infection of the bladder and kidneys! Sure enough the test reads highest level of blood and Nitrates! So sad :( Now I have to call a DR. And somehow convince them to call me in a prescription to Big Bear because my only other option is the Hospital! And I knew If I left this untreated the kidneys would be infected quick and she would be throwing up in no time! We called different doctors and everyone said to bring her to the nearest hospital. Finally a doctor office calls us back and says I will call in some Septra but i'm not supposed to do this don't say a word to the office! So here we are thinking "oh God you are so good you gave us this medication so we can heal Alexa and enjoy the rest of the Vacation!! Well it gets better"....... Rob Chapman says wait!!! we should pray for her and see if the lord will heal her first!! And so we did we prayed God's healing over her body!! And if you look in the picture that is a negative result im holding up above the photo that says God! I did not save the Original test but it was a very deep purple meaning high blood count and infection! Now we are cleared of infection!! And the test reads light and pretty! Thankyou Jesus you really are a healer!!

True Worshippers pt 2

Those who worship in spirit & truth are able to do so regardless of their circumstances because it goes beyond feelings.

Is this to say that we should live as cold robots with no emotion?
Of course not! We were designed to have emotions. It's in our DNA how we respond to acts of love, acts of wrongdoing... Thankfulness, for instance is an action that is an emotional response. if we don't feel thankful, we're basically not.

Job's experience brought a lot of emotion! Was he thankful that God allowed everything and everyone to be stripped of him, living in physical pain and sickness? No! He was distraught! His heart was torn and broken. He was confused and hurt...
Yet he still KNEW that God is who He says He is. That was the basis of his relationship with The Lord. "God is God and I am not."

When we think of worship in the western world, we typically think of singing (which is totally biblical by the way - I love how people will use the "worship is more than singing songs, it's a lifestyle" catch phrase to explain why they don't "get into" singing worship... Again it's biblical. Look it up) and with singing there is usually some sort of emotion tied to it. Whether its the music or the lyrics, it is meant to evoke emotion to a point, in order to call to remembrance His goodness & His love or His majesty and therefore respond. But whether music is used or poetic lyricism, worship is a proclamation of God's attributes.

But what happens when we DON'T feel like it? Maybe we had a bad day... Maybe, like David, we lost a child or like Job, everything! Yet they worshipped The Lord. They stood firm on the goodness of God.

How that possible?

Because fortunately neither prayer nor worship require emotions, but faithfulness, because its what is right.
The emotions only effect our ability to make good decisions in right doing.

True worshippers worship Him because it is right.

True Worshippers

One of the greatest Worshippers we know of in the bible is David. David was said by God Himself to be a man after His own heart. We attribute that to David for many reasons, but one in particular is most famous is the heart of a worshipper.
We imagine David having this wonderful heart to heart time with The Lord daily while sitting out in the field tending sheep...which may in fact be very true... But I would venture to say it was more than that.

David truly understood who God is. It's one thing to have an intimate relationship or dialogue with God, but its another to fully have the mind and heart of The Lord.
We see this in many instances where he's tested and tempted in his flesh - refusing to take Saul's life more than once; being rebuked by a stranger for being a murderer of thousands, but yet rebuking his men for wanting to kill that man, recognizing that it could've been from God; or when seeing Goliath and hearing his taunting of the lord's chosen he rebuked & killed him; or fully repenting when rebuked by Nathan over his sin against Uriah & with Bathsheba - but one most famous times was when, in 2 Samuel 12, the first child born of Bathsheba (the bastard child), after David's fasting and praying died and yet he worshipped The Lord.

We typically read that section of that passage and translate it as "worshipping in our adversity or pain" or "worshipping despite our circumstances" as a reminder or adverse reaction to the negative. These are all good and true to an extent, but what David exuded, much like every other aspect of his life, was not a reactive worship, but a worship based on truth.

We read in John 4 how Jesus met the woman at the well and said "...But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

We usually understand what worshipping in spirit means, but what does it mean to worship in truth?

We typically say of course that it's worshipping truthfully, not with lying lips or giving Him "lip service" yet being far from Him in our hearts. Again, this is true. But even more, the one who worships in truth is the one who knows the truth. He or she KNOWS who He is, what He's like... They KNOW His heart. "One who is after His own heart"

We have in many ways become "reactive worshippers". We praise Him "because of what He's done" or we worship Him "even though..." But the true worshipper that worships Him in spirit and in truth, just WORSHIPS HIM.
Regardless of our circumstances, it is what we do because He is who He is.

Kindle Afresh

In a time when God is pouring out His Spirit, touching many lives, speaking prophetically through His saints to minister to one another and the lost, and there is an increasing passion growing in our hearts, let us not be silent nor dismayed. Let us not allow our flesh or the flesh of our brothers and sisters return to its place of dominion, but instead encourage one another through the power of testimony. Do not keep silent about the deep workings that are being done among and through us.
Silence brings discouragement and disbelief, but the power of testimony breeds faith and sustained assurance.

 

2 Timothy 1:6-8

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

⁶ For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷ For God has not given us a spirit of ^[a]timidity, but of power and love and ^[b]discipline.
⁸ Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,