The Everyday Prayer

RE Verse reading–Luke 21:1-4, 1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19 (day seven)  “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”  (1 Timothy 6:10)  Money is not THE root of evil.  (Sorry King James committee)  It is A root of evil (one of many things that compete for our hearts and lead to sin).  And, it is the LOVE of money that has this power.  A “gold goal” can and does lead people to other acts that grieve the Spirit.  Dishonesty.  Unkindness.  Anxiety.  Those who love money will face these temptations as well.  Better to teach our hearts that our true passion and privilege is to find and do the will of God, whether we are rich or poor.  “Give me neither poverty nor riches, feed me with the food that is my portion”  (Proverbs 30:8)  “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money”  (Hebrews 13:5)

RE Verse reading–Luke 21:1-4, 1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19 (day six)  “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare”  (1 Timothy 6:9)  The Bible warns us away from a mental/moral mistake common in both the ancient and modern world–a desire to be rich.  The word is plousios and meant “flow or abundance”.  Applied to money it means “more than enough”.  Financial abundance can be a blessing from God and an opportunity for service, but not when it gets in the heart and becomes our goal.  The Christian’s goal must (always and only) be the do the Father’s will.   “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work.”  (John 4:34)  To walk with Christ, our lives must be ruled by this same passion.  Whether we end up rich or poor, our hearts must allow no other love .  “You cannot serve God and Mammon”  (Matthew 6:24)  Passionate and pure people, we want something higher than wealth.

RE Verse reading–Luke 21:1-4, 1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19  (day five)  “But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment”  (1 Timothy 6:6)  What do we gain by following Christ?  Since there is no guarantee that our reward will be financial (as the life of Christ suggests) then what?  The answer in part is contentment–  an awareness of spiritual resources not dependent on external circumstances.  It comes gradually.  “I have LEARNED to be content”  says Paul in Philippians 4:11.  Beginning at rebirth and deepening with every step of faith, we experience the reality of life in Christ Jesus (see Romans 8:4).  Gradually we learn to shift our confidence from things that can be seen to things that can’t.  We get free from fears and obsessions that used to control us.  “I can do all things, do without or be grateful because Christ strengthens me”  (Philippians 4:13–personal translation)  This inner confidence/freedom from anxiety is part of what we gain when we follow.  Glory!

RE Verse reading- Luke 21:1-4, 1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19 (day four)  “We brought nothing into the world. . . we carry nothing out;  (so) having food and covering we will be content”  (1 Timothy 6:6)  Paul is speaking for the entire Christian family.  When faith becomes mature, all believers arrive at three realites, three universally true verbs.  We BROUGHT nothing into the world. (Obvious if sometimes forgotten)  We CARRY nothing out of the world.  (Equally apparent)  Therefore, we WILL BE CONTENT if we have food and covering.  What powerful statements!  Consider saying them out loud to yourself every day this week.  Paul is not glorifying poverty.  He is not counseling us to ignore the situation when we have no food or covering.  He is saying that all Christians ultimately arrive at a place of contentment. (auto arkeo–focus on the internal rather than the external)  Our true treasure and deepest hope  is eternal/spiritual rather than temporal/material.  Christ taught us this attitude toward things.  It is where we stand.

RE Verse reading–Luke 21:1-4, 1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19  (day three)  “They are to. . . be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share”  (1 Timothy 6:18)  Paul is training a young pastor (Timothy) for effective service.  One subject addressed is the proper use of wealth.  In vs 17, Paul writes, “instruct those who are rich in this present world”.  Notice the honesty and the absence of anger.  We Christians are not party to a class warfare between rich and poor.  God loves and instructs both categories.  He knows that neither poverty or wealth is the central issue of the soul. Our true identity and real opportunity is deeper than either situation.  The word choice for generous is helpful.  Eu+meta+didomi=good+over+to give.  Literally “to give over what is good”.  Those of us who have been blessed are taught by God to give, to help, to transfer resources to others.  Doing so prevents our good fortune from becoming a spiritual trap.  May the Lord give us ears to hear!

RE Verse reading–Luke 21:1-4, 1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19  (day two)  “He looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasury”  (Luke 21:1)  A perfect end to a summer series on generosity, the story of the widow’s mite is powerful wisdom for those of us who will reflect on it.  It reveals a Savior who is VERY aware of how people give and why.  Knowing what is at stake,  Jesus makes it His business to watch how believers use money.  Mark’s underscores the deliberate intention.  “And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into it”  (Mark 12:41)  A lesson in itself.  The Lord is watching us give (or not give).  Not as a critic but as a life coach, Jesus knows that disciplines re. money will have a powerful effect (either negative or positive) on our souls.  Financial records are often (and wisely) kept secret.  Not from Jesus.  Physicians check temperature.  Christ observes our giving.

RE Verse reading–Luke 21:1-4, 1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19 (day one)  “Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment.”  (1 Timothy 6:6)  The gospel is not entirely self-denying.  None of us can follow Christ without denying self. (Luke 9:23)  However, having said No to the lordship of our ego, there is much that we gain by following Christ.  The word is porismos.  It meant “to procure what is needed, to be supplied”.  Paul pairs it with the word megas. (mega church, mega vitamin) which meant large in size.  We lose nothing of value when we follow Christ.  We gain much that we need and that lasts for eternity.  “Whatever things were GAIN to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. . .I have counted them as rubbish in order that I may GAIN Christ”  (Philippians 3:7-8)  Following Christ costs much as we begin.  It repays much as we continue on the road.  There is laid up for me a crown. . .

RE Verse reading–1 Corinthians 12:4-31, Ephesians 4:11-16, 1 Peter 4:10-11 (day seven)  “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God”  (1 Peter 4:10)  When Peter thought of spiritual gifts and the amazing grace he had seen operating in people’s lives since Pentecost, he chose the word “manifold”–poikilos, “many colored”.  Perhaps he had in mind how many colors of fish can be hauled up in a net. Old fishermen never die. Maybe he imagined a modern kaleidescope–brilliant colors, endlessly changing shape and pattern.  Beautifully true word. When the Spirit of God fills the human soul, He manifests Himself in rich diversity–personality, gifts, assignments, experiences, races, genders, ages.  As we gather for worship this morning, I hope you will look around the room and say with wonder, “These people are different from me”.  God does not make everyone/anyone the same.  There are no copies.  We should never expect it, nor be ungrateful.

RE Verse reading–1 Corinthians 12:4-31, Ephesians 4:11-16, 1 Peter 4:10-11 (day six)  “until we ALL attain to the unity of the faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man. . .according to the proper working of EACH individual part. . .for the building up (of the body) in love”  (Ephesians 4:13, 16)  The Scripture has a revolutionary expectation of the church.  Every believer will become spiritually mature.  Every believer will understand what it means to be “unioned” with Christ–in surrendered, super-natural life.  Every member of the church will enjoy an intimate friendship with the Lord and will make a unique and strategic contribution to the growth and success of the fellowship.  Revolutionary!  Sadly, not what is normally seen.  Who can deny that vast numbers of believers are immature and univolved?  Who can ignore the people who sit in pews week after week without progress or concern?  What can be done?  The world is not seeing the church that can be.

RE Verse reading–1 Corinthians 12:4-31, Ephesians 4:11-16, 1 Peter 4:10-11 (day five)  “Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God” (1 Peter 4:11)  “Truth through personality” is Phillips Brooke’s famous definition of preaching.  Famous, at least, with seminary students.  It allows that a preacher’s personality must always, and should, impact his message.  His outlook, his integrity, his experiences, his discipline–all are factors that the Lord uses to communicate the divine message.  Peter’s definition places the emphasis on the first part of the equation.  A sermon must be truth.  In order to “speak the very words of God”, a preacher must wait before the Lord, listen to the text and the Spirit and the needs of his people.  He must crucify any desire to communicate his own message or justify him own position.  To say “Thus saith the Lord” is a high, hard and holy responsibility.  Every spiritual gift is.  May the Lord inspire us to serve others well!