This is a devotional written by Captain Roni Robbins for the Southern Territory's Easter to Easter Campaign. Sometimes I see new program ideas motivated only by being able to secure more funding. When I hear someone presenting an idea in the back of my mind I am thinking and what will be the price tag? How many ideas do you hear where it cost no money? These are the thoughts that have come to me after reading the devotional below...
Acts 16:19-24a
Money and greed caused an outcry of opposition against the gospel. The owners of the enslaved girl had lost their top moneymaker.She had been delivered by the power of Christ. As a result,her owners were frustrated, angry, and full of vengeance. Theyapprehended Paul and Silas and violently dragged them before thecity magistrates.Money and greed also caused corruption of the publicofficials. They gave in to the influential owners and to the public. Truejustice was by-passed. Paul and Silas were not allowed to answerfor themselves; in fact, they were not even allowed to speak. If thecourt had been interested in true justice, the magistrates would havediscovered that the two men were Roman citizens much sooner thanthey did. They would have also found out that the two men had onlyhelped a poor enslaved girl.However, the officials and rulers allowed themselves to beinfluenced and guided by their own selfishness and self-seekingpurposes. Tempted by money and greed and the promptings ofinfluential people, they gave in.As we ‘serve helpfully,’ we need to clearly understand thatboth personally and organizationally, we are not exempt from thesesame temptations of money and greed. As Frederick Booth-Tuckersaid, “Money is the rock on which many a good religiousorganization has made spiritual shipwreck.” He went on toadmonish, “Let us fling the devil’s golden bribes back in his face!”This is sound advice. salvationists, we must guard againstany form of greed or covetousness. Let us covenant that we will notforfeit our soul for the sake of money and greed (Mark 8:36). Wecannot afford to allow salvationism to be spiritually shipwrecked bycrags of covetousness.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Ecclesiastes 5:10--"Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves weath is never satisfied with his income...(5:18) Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him--for this is his lot." Always being concerned with our funding and with accumulating resources robs our service of its joy. As earthly beings, it's easy for us to think that financial and material benefits are the best of His blessings. But God's rewards seldom--possibly never--fall in line with what we think they should be. Our reward is the doing of the work and the joy that it brings.
Also, when you mentioned thinking "and what will be the price tag?" I was reminded of the feeding of the five thousand, when the disciples claimed that it would take a month's wages to meet the people's basic need. I think that that's greed in a different costume; it's allowing money to occupy and filter your thoughts and actions.
Post a Comment