The scriptures teach quite a bit on the subject of money. Sometimes, I doubt that we have been listening to what the Lord has to say about the thing that seems to drive our world. This is from August 6, 2007.
I bet it was an interesting Sunday morning in Tennessee. A church in Nashville is in the middle of a brouhaha revolving around the preacher. Members have brought a lawsuit against the minister, alleging he has been involved in financial misconduct, including mortgaging the church property without the permission of the parishioners. A meeting this week turned ugly and police were called to prevent the gathering from turning into, and I am using the terms used on The Tennessean's website, a near-riot and a brawl. The preacher has been legally barred from setting foot on church property. Members have stopped attending. I would guess it was an uneasy service today.
Money has the ability to anger us very quickly. Yesterday, I walked to a nearby store after stuffing some bills in my pocket instead of carrying my wallet. As I reached in to pay for my groceries, I discovered that I had lost a $5 bill somewhere between my apartment and the checkout counter. I retraced my steps but with no success. For the rest of the evening, I was mad. My hope was that whoever found it needed it more than I did. Have you followed the Michael Strahan saga in New York? The defensive end for the football Giants is either holding out for money or mulling retirement, whichever spin you choose to believe. Rumor is that he's not happy with his contract, worth only $4 million for the upcoming season. The Giants are not amused, fining Strahan in excess of $14 thousand for each day of training camp he misses. It might have something to do with his divorce settlement last winter which ordered the former All Pro to pay his former wife over $15 million plus $18 thousand per month in child support. We just don't like to lose money, whether it's five bucks in my case or in the upper millions as regards to Mr. Strahan. Did Jesus carry money? Based on two scenes which involved taxes, it doesn't appear he did. In the one, concerning the payment of taxes to Caesar, the questioners brought him a coin. In the questioning of whether Jesus paid the temple tax, he instructed Peter to retrieve the money from the mouth of a fish he was about to catch. It might be easy to write it off by saying Jesus could produce what he needed out of available materials. But the Master left us a great example of not being consumed by wealth. The well-to-do did not come off in a positive light in his stories. That should be a lesson to us. I tend to see it as a lesson for people with more than I have: they're the ones who really need it!!!!
Applicable quote of the day:
"Money often costs too much."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com
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