Luke 12:32-34
Don’t be afraid of missing out. You’re my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself.
“Be
generous. Give to the poor. Get yourselves a bank that can’t go
bankrupt, a bank in heaven far from bankrobbers, safe from embezzlers, a
bank you can bank on. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your
treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
Each
day, I get an e-mail notice from an online clearinghouse called
Zulily. This is somewhat like an “Overstock.com” site for (supposed)
“good deals” on clothing, toys, and more. The e-mail message showcases
different brands each day. Today, one of them was for a fashion design
company that sells clothing, purses and shoes. For the price of a bunk
bed set with mattresses for Timothy and Nathan, I could purchase a
designer purse! Which do you think would be high on my list?
We
could go to Ghana and visit Kodjo, the boy we have sponsored through
Compassion, International for ten years and counting. We could spend a whole day
with him! The cost of the trip for each of us would total about
$8000. For that amount, we could sponsor TWENTY-TWO needy children for a
year and provide them with the opportunity to attend
school…uniforms…food and health care…school supplies…the opportunity to
learn about Jesus, and more. As much as I would love to meet Kodjo and
give him a big ole hug, I cannot justify this. To do so would be to
store my treasure in momentary pleasure rather than doing big things for
God.
I saw an essay on what to expect when rearing boys, and
one of the points was that a whole lot of fancy, expensive toys are
unnecessary. Just give a boy a stick, some dirt and the outdoors, and
he is a happy camper! And I have to agree. I’ve watched our children
get as excited – or more – over the box and wrapping paper that
surrounded a gift than they were about the actual contents. We play
music on make-believe “drums” that are really a set of nested metal tins
– or a recycled oatmeal box. We have lots of second-hand toys and
repurposed items that fill our toy baskets…and nobody cares!
There
are so many opportunities each and every day to get it right…to line up
our priorities with God’s. But instead, we worry about whether our
purse and shoes look right with our outfit…or whether our “adopted son
or daughter” will know that we love them and care about them if we don’t
hug them in person. We stress over appearances on countless levels…and
we “store up treasure” in all the wrong places. We think we have to
have brand-new everything, when repurposed/refreshed items are often
just as good – and leave us with enough money to minister to the truly
needy.
We justify $100+ tickets to concerts and sporting events
and “cannot afford” to contribute to a local fundraiser to help needy
families during the holidays. Candidates spend millions of dollars for a
chance to be the new leader of the free world – or a lawmaker in some
capacity - while promising to enact legislation to create jobs, improve
health care coverage and care for the elderly and those in low-income
brackets. We dress up and attend “charity fundraisers” with our
friends, spending far more on our outfits, food, and party itself than
we actually raise for those in need! Do you see the irony?
Don’t
misunderstand me…God has not called us to be martyrs…to never have any
fun or spend any time or money on ourselves. There is nothing wrong with
making an effort to look nice and be stylish. But God has commanded
that we listen to Him and serve when and where He directs…to make His
ministries our top priority…and think a little more infrequently about
our own desires. God has called us to worry a little less about what
others think of us in terms of possessions and appearances – and to care
more about what they see us do in His name.
We all can do better
in this area. This passage is about a whole lot more than dollars and
cents…Jesus is talking about how we serve as His disciples with everything we’ve
got! This is the day to “get over yourself” and start serving…to “put
your money where your mouth is” with regards to your Christian faith and
how you spend your time, talents and resources…to really serve God
first, and yourself second.
This is the day that we need to quit worrying so much about what others think - and concentrate on God’s opinion! His is the only one that truly matters. So what do you say? Ready…set…GO!
©2015 Debbie Robus
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