As we finish our series in God and Money, we reflect on the fact that Jesus talked about money as a thing to be joyful about. We are encouraged to consider how we manage the money God has given us and to stop trying to live up to the expectations of wealth that we form by looking at the people around us. We are left with the questing of if we are rich toward God or rich toward money and are cautioned to choose wisely.
This resurrection Sunday, we remember the Power of God shown even in the most horrific circumstances – death by crucifixion. Through Christ’s death on the cross, sin and death were defeated for all time and we now have hope for a future free of suffering. We are reminded that the message of Easter is the power of God and that, if we remember nothing else, we should remember the cross as it is the foundation of our salvation.
As we can see from Exodus 32: 1-6, affluenza (putting money before God) has been an issue for all of human history. We forget what God has done and refuse to see his instructions as being for our good. Today’s sermon reminds us that generosity is the cure to our affluenza, and no one is more generous than God.
We continue our series on God and money. It is important for us to remember that our treasures on earth are temporary so we should invest them back into God’s Kingdom, where we truly belong. This World is Not Our Home.
In continuing our series on God and Money, we are reminded that the Bible tells us that our relationship with money (especially when regarding the portion we give to God) should be one of joy rather than sacrifice. Jesus, in Matt. 6, doesn’t say we shouldn’t store up treasure but rather tells us WHERE we should store it (Heaven v. Earth). Since we can’t bring money with us when we leave the earth, why would we invest in something that we know is worthless? Instead, we are encouraged to send our treasure ahead by investing in the Kingdom of God since it all belongs to Him anyway.
As we start our 5 part series on God and Money, we are reminded about the impact that mishandling of finances/financial stress has on our lives. In 1 Timothy 6, we can see that money itself is not a bad thing but rather how the LOVE of money can cause discontent and sin. There is a struggle within each of us regarding money and we must keep our eyes/mind open to how this struggle is reflected in our attitude so our heart remains focused on God.
Our outreach can actively help people to understand the saving message of Christ. We need to ensure our focus is on Christ (not so much that we become narrow-minded/ judgmental but in a way that allows us to make good choices). Ultimately, these 7 rhythms (along with other healthy Christian habits) are intended to keep us from withering and to help us bear fruit.
Three more habits of effective disciples: having relationships that lift us up; being embedded into a community of faith; investing your heart into servitude of others.
Our series on being effective disciples continues. We are reminded that God is always with us. However, it is us who allow things around and within us to separate us from him (not the other way around). By putting on God’s yolk of grace and focusing on one thing at a time, we can bring ourselves back into a right relationship with God.
We learn that prayer requires devotion and humility. Then, we understand that we need to be grounded in scripture and imbibe it as equal to our daily bread. Therefore, if we want to be effective disciples, we must start with devotion to prayer and scripture.