Living In And Sharing True Wealth

"Today's Devotion" For November 17, 2005

Read: Matthew 19:16-22; James 2:1-13

LIVING IN AND SHARING TRUE WEALTH

"If you want to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me." (Mt. 19:21)

One of the most pernicious "theological axioms" of our world is "if you just believe strongly enough" you can achieve anything, including going to "heaven." Human nature has a strong sense of self-determination. When things go well for people we have a saying that "they must be living right." The ultimate end of such thinking is the strong belief, held all over the world, that "right living" will get a person into "heaven," whatever form that might take and whatever that word means to each person. It's a concept that continues to gain legs because the moral relativism that permeates society and often provides context for a great deal of current theological thought (as it seeks "relevance" in the world), refuses to acknowledge that evil truly exists and works on people to the very depth of their souls.

When the rich young man approached Jesus, according to Matthew's account, he was only acting on what is our normal, human understanding of reward. He was functioning with a "theological axiom" quite like what we noted above. While he was pretty certain he had all the angles covered in his quest for eternal life - his idea of "heaven" - he wanted to cover all his bases so he could be certain he'd done all he could do to gain God's favor. What's so sad about this account is that he was missing the obvious answer - he didn't really need to be told by Jesus if he had been paying attention. One of the things Jesus points out to him is the obvious which was, even then, a significant point in Jewish theological thought - perfect obedience to the commandments of God were necessary for eternal life. Jesus particularly points the rich young man to those commandments that concern themselves with loving our neighbors as we love ourselves.

What follows is a classic human response when we're trapped by our thinking and behavior - the rich young man defends himself. He responds with the same defensive response all of us are quite familiar with in our own lives. Trying to justify himself in the face of the reality of the very essence of the commandments - loving our neighbors as ourselves - he boldly stated that he had, in fact, obeyed all the commandments mentioned. As is the case whenever we respond defensively to questions that challenge our behavior and thinking it becomes obvious that the young man had missed the point. Upping the ante, Jesus presents a challenge to the young man's self-indulgent actions and thinking. He doesn't let him off the hook. Instead, Jesus give him a new perspective on what loving our neighbors as ourselves really means. He suggests the young man sell all his worldly goods, give the money to the poor, and then follow Jesus. Here we see one of life's greatest challenges unfolding before our very eyes. It doesn't matter if we're rich or poor, famous or infamous, influential or nondescript; free and totally giving of ourselves, including our possessions, never happens short of God's grace working in our hearts and lives. Sin's hold on us leads us to protect and hoard what we "own," no matter what that "possession" might be.

Although Sin seeks to lead us to selfishness and self-centeredness in our living and thinking, we thank God that in Jesus we have been freed from Sin's power and are able to live for Him and others. We live in a culture that tempts us to measure our success by how much money we make, what our net worth is, how big our house is, how fancy our car is, or what position we might hold in industry, commerce, politics, the church, or society. Only by the power of the Cross of Christ - His sacrifice for us so that we might be freed from the power of Sin to hold on to us - are we able to live for God and for others. Only through by faith in Jesus' sacrifice for us are we able to put the needs of others before our own. In Christ we learn what true and lasting wealth really is - trusting in the Lord with all our hearts. In Christ we learn that true and lasting wealth also means living out our faith and trust in Jesus by loving others as we love ourselves.

To be truly "wealthy" in Christ is to share the wealth of the Gospel with others and to give of ourselves without fear of loss, greed, or concern about whether we'll have enough for ourselves. By faith in Jesus we know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that true wealth is being redeemed, restored, and forgiven by God's grace in Christ. It's the only "real wealth" we'll ever need.

Prayer: Father, You give me so much each day that I too often take Your blessings for granted. I expect more and more of them and also, too often, see them as a result of my hard work and the just reward for my "success" in life. I forget so often that all I have is a gift from You to be used wisely and faithfully in service to You and others. I get caught up in the world's striving for power, wealth, prestige, and success and forget that none of these things has any meaning or purpose outside of a relationship with You. Like the rich young man it's really very easy for me to be tempted to look at my success as a result of "obedience" to Your Will. Forgive me, Father, for such thinking and living and help me, by the power of Your Word and Spirit to seek Your Will at all times, be grateful for Your many blessings, and use Your blessings to me for the benefit of others. Let my every motivation to service be that of love - love for You above all else and love for my neighbor as I love myself. Guide me to faithfully share Your love for me and for the world with others each day as a true follower of Jesus and a witness to Your grace, love, mercy, and forgiveness for all the world. In Jesus' precious name I pray. Amen.
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--Pastor Boeck

Copyright ©2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.