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My Junior English class has to rank up there as one of the more memorable experiences of my high school career. Not because I learned a lot, but because we had so much fun in the class. And not because the teacher made it fun, but because she seemed oblivious to our frequent parties – complete with drinks and food – in the back of the room.
And, that lighthearted attitude sometimes carried over into …
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“Sixteen out of Christ’s 38 parables deal with money; more is said in the New Testament about money than heaven and hell combined; five times more is said about money than prayer; and while there are 500 plus verses on both prayer and faith, there are over 2000 verses dealing with money and possessions. Obviously, the Bible has much to say about money management.”
I don’t know how many times I have heard some version …
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Having looked at the priority of providing for our personal needs, and the importance of finding contentment in our relationship with God, we are ready to talk about what God would have us do with the money that is left after our personal needs are covered.
Once again, I would like to pause, and post a question for your consideration. And while it’s fine if you just want to ponder the question on your own, …
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I’ve always loved tools – anything that enables me to accomplish things better. I don’t believe you can have too many knives, flashlights, watches or power tools. People that know me today know that chances are good that I’ll have any woodworking tool they might need.
In the summer of ’82, that collection was in its infancy. Kasie and I had just started making payments on our first “home”. It was the 14′ by 80′ …
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In our exploration of our dependence, we have discovered that everything we possess has been entrusted to us by God. Implicit in such a trust is the expectation that all of these things will be used for God’s intended purpose.
Which raises the question of how God intends for us to use them.
I have suggested that there are at least four main items on this agenda.
Provide for my needs, and those of my family
Provide for …
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If you have been following these articles for a while, you may have noticed that, in recent months, I have found it challenging to produce an article every week.
There are two driving values that I am striving to balance.
On the one hand, I know that some readers look forward to Tuesday morning, when the RSS feed delivers the article to your email inbox. The discussions of God’s truth are an important part of your …
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Jesus tells us that we must give up all our own possessions (Luke 14:33).
By that, He means that we must renounce any notion of ownership toward the things we possess. They are resources entrusted to us by God to fund His agenda.
So, what are the funding priorities of this agenda?
In the previous article, we identified four:
Provide for my needs, and those of my family
Provide for the needs of others within the body
Fund Ministry
Build relationships …
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So, our exploration of dependence has brought us to a very pointed question – “What obligations does Jesus’ requirement that a disciple give up all his own possessions (Luke 14:33) place on us, today?”
We have already established that it doesn’t mean that everyone has to quit their jobs and take a vow of poverty. But we are still a pretty fuzzy about what it does mean.
So, I’m going to share some of what I …
As I look back over the last few articles, I realize that four weeks ago, we examined the commitments Jesus required of those who would follow Him (Luke 14:25-34), summarizing His point:
In other words, it will cost you everything. Your agenda and your means. There is no room for any competing agenda. No place for keeping back resources to be used as you wish, to live independently of Christ.
I had planned to explain how that …
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As I look back over our exploration of dependence, I am a little startled by the realization that the discussion has already filled 16 articles.
Starting with the recognition that we are dependent beings, we have tracked our dependence from the beginning of The Story, following it up all the way up through the Gospels. We have traced it through the stories of Abraham, of the nation of Israel, and of the disciples.
In the unfolding …
