2007-02-16
Good Morning Dear Ones,
At last the Holy Spirit is having me return to the subject of materialism after a parenthetical interruption to discuss the disciple's cross. Today, I'm led to write about not making material things our idol. In today's society, that's a lot easier to say than it is to do. The temptations to be greedy are tremendous and have infiltrated every phase of our lives, even our churches. Let's see what Christ has to say about this subject.
LK 12: 47-48, "The servant who knows what his master wants him to do, but does not get himself ready and do it, will be punished with a heavy whipping. But the servant who does not know what his master wants, and yet does something for which he deserves a whipping, will be punished with a light whipping. Much is required from the person to whom much is given; much more is required from the person to whom much more is given." This conclusion comes at the end of the parable of the Faithful or the Unfaithful Servant. We must remove ourselves from disgust we feel today at the thought of whipping another person, since slavery is not acceptable in North American society, to extract the real lesson in this parable. One writer explains, "For believers, it means that there will be degrees of reward in heaven. For unbelievers, it means that there will be degrees of punishment in hell." Because we know God's will from the Scriptures, we have a great responsibility to obey it. Those who are not so highly privileged to know God's will shall be punished for their misdeeds, but their punishment will be less severe. It helps us to remember HE 11: 6, "No one can please God without faith, for whoever comes to God must have faith that God exists and rewards those who seek Him."
Through my husband, Peter, drawing my attention to a newspaper article, God gives me an example that applies here. I love to cook, and I'm also very interested in the behind-the-scenes activity in good restaurants. An article appeared in our local newspaper about some head chefs who are greedy, overly controlling, and who emotionally beat down their subordinates in restaurant kitchens. These well-known chefs end up floating from one job to the next, hired because of their expertise with their employers wearing blinders when it comes to some of the dissention they cause by their behavior. The problems don't end here. Many of these chefs are tangled in nasty law suits because of what they have done. The whole situation is very sad; at its base is the devil's work causing greed to drive it. Am I being naïve in believing that a restaurant which produces great food can be run peacefully? I don't know. Peter asserts that this problem is more widespread than the average restaurant customer would ever guess.
One other point that I'm compelled to mention is something our Pastor Emeritus at Woodbury Lutheran Church, Pastor Paul Pfotenhauer, spoke about in one of his sermons. Over the years since then, I have taken this one very seriously. Pastor Paul told us that church leaders, administrators, pastors, staff, and teachers are held to a higher standard than others. The reason for this is that they are in a position to influence more people for God than others. This is why these individuals can really cause problems for a congregation, as some have, when they engage in wrongful behavior. We must remember that human church leaders are sinners, just like the rest of us. If they are doing good, then Satan is angered. The adversary will tempt someone, anyone, doing good for the Lord, even more. That is why it's so important for a congregation to let their leaders, pastors, staff, and teachers to be chosen carefully and to know that they are supported and loved.
We must understand the principle taught in MT 6: 24 [also LK 16:13], "No one can be a slave of two masters; he will hate one and love the other; he will be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon [money]." From what we know of the history of Ephesus- that town in Asia Minor [now Turkey] where Paul remained in ministry for three years- we can learn a lot about this principle. The economy of Ephesus was based on the sale of silver idols in the form of the goddess Artemis [Diana]. A great temple to her was erected there. In AC 19: 21-41, there is the story of the near riot at the great amphitheater in Ephesus, a contretemps caused by the greed of the city's silversmiths. Paul and his fellow servants of God were helping to bring about so many conversions to Christianity there, that the sale of silver idols was greatly reduced. Paul wasn't at the amphitheater at the time, but wanted to go there. He was held back from doing so by his colleagues in concern for his life. Alexander, a silversmith and a Jew, was initially considered responsible, because the Jews present made him go forward to make a speech in defense of Paul's associates, Gaius and Aristarchus. These two had been grabbed by the angry crowd. But the crowd's shouts, "Great is Artemis of Ephesus!," for two hours drowned out Alexander's attempt. It took the City Clerk to finally calm the crowd. He did this by reminding the crowd that Paul and his colleagues had never robbed the temples or said anything evil about their beloved goddess, Artemis. He reminded them of the city's legal meetings for citizens with a complaint, ending his speech with, "There is no excuse for all this uproar, and we would not be able to give a good reason for it" [ACT 19: 40]. The crowd was then dismissed. We must ask ourselves how this question of bowing to two masters applies in our own lives. And yes, there is more to be written on this subject.
PRAYER: O Lord, we come before Your mighty throne, recognizing that we need Your help and leadership when dealing with the issue of temptation to be greedy. Heavenly Father, we can't make wise decisions and respond to invitations to be materialistic without Your help. Through the Holy Spirit, the teaching of the Son, and Your intervention can we live righteously. Even if it is difficult for us, we know we must submit to Your will and be swayed by the example that the Lord Jesus set for us. We find the perfect one in LK 20: 19-26. The teachers of the Law and chief Jewish priests were trying to find a way to arrest our Lord. [Conversions to Christ of Jews were hurting the temples financially]. Individuals were bribed to help them trick Christ- by asking Him questions- into providing a basis for their case against Him. In (22), Your Son was asked, "Tell us, is it against our Law for us to pay taxes to the Caesar [Roman Emperor], or not?" Our Lord saw through this and said, in (24 -25), "Show Me a silver coin. Whose face and name are these on it?" "Caesar's," they answered. So Jesus said, "Well, then, pay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and pay to God what belongs to God." Never is there ever anything in Your word that would teach us to cheat others, our churches, or our government. The temptation at times is so great that some people will emotionally or even physically abuse another in order to get ahead financially. Such is the case with the chefs in the story above and the teachers of the Law and Jewish priests in LK 20. Each of us must examine our thoughts, decisions, and behavior with regard to money and other material things, praying for Your help in the face of temptation. We bow to You authority in these matters and acknowledge our need to praise, worship, adore, and thank You for Your intervention in our daily lives. You are a worthy, honorable, compassionate, wise, and faithful God. We offer up our love and focus on Your direction. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen.
As mentioned above, I am led to continue writing about our response to temptation to be materialistic next week. The temptation to make material things, money and other things, our idols in today's world is tremendous. North America is a blessed with great wealth through natural resources, excellent educational opportunities, and technology. That is one reason why there is so much material wealth here in comparison to other places. Our Lord has given us much and wants us to do much good with it. He loves us and blesses each of us in wonderful ways. PS 27:11, "But all who humble themselves before the Lord shall be given every blessing, and shall have wonderful peace." With our willingness to conform to God's will, we can count on the Lord to provide for us. PHIL 4: 19, "And with all His abundant wealth through Jesus Christ, my God will supply all your needs." This verse demands a paradigm shift from society's materialism to establishing faith in the Lord Jesus. That shift is huge and not easily made. Yet, when we turn to God, seeking His help, He will give it generously. The motivations for our prayerful pleas to Him must be genuine and in keeping with His teaching. We cannot ask Him to make us materially wealthy, but we can ask Him to open His treasure trove of spiritual blessings to us. I stand as a witness to this in my personal life, which is one reason why I write these messages every week to share my faith with each of you. PS 98: 1, "Sing to the Lord a new song, because He has done miracles, by His right hand and holy arm He has won the victory." Our Lord Jesus gave His life on the cross for our salvation as the "first among many brothers" [RO 8:29] to be resurrected to eternal life with the Father in heaven. Praise be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn