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Personal Finance Bible Study: Contentment (Part 4 of 12) – Getting God’s View

Paul Williams — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 10:00:53 +0000

In the last part of this series, we began looking at the solution to the problem with The World’s message. We’re continuing that discussion today and over the next parts of the series. We’ll look at God’s View of the world, money, and our lives so we can start to focus on serving Him instead of serving Money.

In Luke 18:18-30, we see the story of the rich ruler. The ruler asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Here is Jesus’ response:

¹⁸ A certain ruler asked him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

¹⁹ Jesus asked him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good, except one—God. ²⁰ You know the commandments: ‘Don’t commit adultery,’ ‘Don’t murder,’ ‘Don’t steal,’ ‘Don’t give false testimony,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’”

²¹ He said, “I have observed all these things from my youth up.”

²² When Jesus heard these things, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have, and distribute it to the poor. You will have treasure in heaven. Come, follow me.”

²³ But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was very rich.

²⁴ Jesus, seeing that he became very sad, said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter into the Kingdom of God! ²⁵ For it is easier for a camel to enter in through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God.”

²⁶ Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?”

²⁷ But he said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”

²⁸ Peter said, “Look, we have left everything, and followed you.”

²⁹ He said to them, “Most certainly I tell you, there is no one who has left house, or wife, or brothers, or parents, or children, for the Kingdom of God’s sake, ³⁰ who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the world to come, eternal life.”

Luke 18:18-30 (WEB)

This story is also found in Matthew 19:21-30 and Mark 10:17-27.

When this rich ruler approached Him, Jesus knew that his heart was still focused on his wealth even though he had kept all the commandments since he was young. Earlier in our Personal Finance Bible Study, we learned that focusing on or serving Money keeps us from serving God. When Jesus answered the ruler’s question, he quickly honed in on this fact and challenged the rich ruler to give up his wealth if he truly wanted to serve God and inherit eternal life.

But we see the rich ruler’s response. He was saddened at the thought of giving up all of his wealth. What would we do if Jesus told us to sell everything, give it to the poor, and follow Him? Would we be so attached to our material possessions and wealth that we wouldn’t give it up for Jesus?

What if Jesus asked us to sell our iPods so we could feed the hungry? Or buy a smaller home so we could give clean water to those in third-world countries? Or forgo a new car and get a used one instead so we could give medicine to the weak? These are small things in comparison to selling everything we own, but there’s a good chance we feel resistance at the very thought of those actions.

Naturally, we hold the Things of This World very dear to our hearts because we clearly and plainly see them every day. We easily understand the necessity of some things, and we enjoy the convenience and fun of others. But our focus on This World keeps us from seeing the necessity of God’s viewpoint—of realizing that love and relationships matter much, much more than iPods, big homes, and new cars. We can take nothing with us when we die, yet look at how we strive to accumulate so much Stuff all our lives! This is exactly one of the reasons that Solomon said everything under the Sun is meaningless.

But if it is so natural for us to be attached to the Things of This World, how can we be saved if the salvation Jesus offers requires us to give up that very attachment to our natural world? We can try to remind ourselves that eternal happiness with God in Heaven is worth more than anything The World can offer, but we cannot completely remove the attachment to The World without God’s help. What is impossible for us on our own is possible with God. Through prayer and a close relationship with God, our hearts can be changed so we focus on God’s World and not ours.

The reward of contentment is very great. Our lives are made easier and much more joyful here on Earth because contentment makes the smallest things very great. A hot meal, warm clothes, or a soft bed—all are great wealth to the person who is content. We also get the eternal reward of communion with God and everlasting life in Heaven. How can any benefit of the world’s wealth be greater than the benefit of God’s rewards for us?

So this is the first part of God’s view we must begin to take on for ourselves. Our attachment to This World keeps us from fully receiving God’s gifts and fully serving Him. We must give up this attachment if we want to truly receive eternal life in Jesus. And we cannot do it on our own—we must ask God to change our hearts and teach us His ways. If it seems impossible, remember you are not alone. God can do it through you!

Want to read the entire Bible study series on Contentment? Download your free copy of Contentment Is Wealth: A Bible Study on Contentment now!

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Personal Finance Bible Study: Contentment (Part 3 of 12) – The Solution to the Problem

Paul Williams — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 10:00:07 +0000

In the last part of this series, we talked about the problem with The World’s message. Loving money and believing The World’s message keep us from serving God. Additionally, The World can offer us no eternal reward and the Stuff it tells us to buy can’t be taken with us when we’re dead.

Today, we’re going to begin talking about the solution to the problem with The World’s message. We’ll only get through part of it now, but we’ll finish up the discussion in the next part of this series.

Where Does the Problem Start?

In Mark 7:21-23, Jesus clearly tells us where the problems of greed and envy start:

²¹ “For from within, out of the hearts of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, sexual sins, murders, thefts, ²² covetings, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, and foolishness. ²³ All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”

Mark 7:21-23 (WEB)

Greed and envy come from within—they’re heart problems. These aren’t the kinds of heart problems that can be fixed by taking the right kinds of medicine, getting enough exercise, or eating right. Greed and envy are reflections of our deepest motives, desires, and attitudes. Humans are inherently prone to these kinds of thoughts because Sin infects every area of our lives. The only way we can get these things out of our hearts is to let God come in and take over.

For a while at my Bible study we had a guest speaker named Butch Marvin. One of Butch’s favorite sayings is that God doesn’t want your money, your good works, or anything else you think you can offer Him. God only wants your heart—because once He’s got your heart he’ll get everything else as well.

Renew Your Mind!

For God to fix our hearts and get rid of all the evil things that can come from within us, we have to fully accept Jesus and let Him live in us. That means we have to give up our lives, our hearts, our selfish ambitions—everything! We need to ask God to change our hearts and the way we think. We need to ask Him to keep us focused on His Ways instead of The World’s ways.

² Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.

Romans 12:2 (WEB)

God can rid our lives of greed and envy and teach us to be content, if we’ll just ask Him to change the way we think. Only then can we truly understand the great gain that comes from contentment and begin to see God’s perfect will for our lives.

³⁶ Turn my heart toward your statutes,
not toward selfish gain.

Psalm 119:36 (WEB)

We can start the process of renewing our minds and becoming new people by simply praying to God. David’s simple prayer here is a great way to start—simply asking God to keep us focused on Him and not on This World.

In the next part of this series, we’ll talk about the next step in this process: getting God’s view on our lives, money, and the things of This World.

Want to read the entire Bible study series on Contentment? Download your free copy of Contentment Is Wealth: A Bible Study on Contentment now!

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Wake Up from the American Dream

Paul Williams — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 10:00:40 +0000

In last week’s weekend reading roundup, I promised to write up an article about why contentment and careful spending are serious issues for Christians. Here it is.

The American Dream. The idea that prosperity and success will give you a better, richer, and fuller life began mostly as a dream about the ability to achieve as much as you are able based on your abilities and hard work. But over the years it has morphed into something that’s measured almost completely by material wealth and goals. Owning a home (or at least living in one that you partly own…the bank owns the rest). Having a nice car. Pursuing a successful career (and making lots of money). Having a vacation home. Owning a boat/RV/ATV/motorcycle/jet ski/big screen TV/iPhone/one of everything. These have become the focus of the “American Dream”. It’s no longer about the virtue of rewarding industry and diligence justly. It’s all about having bigger, better, and more stuff.

And the funny thing is that many of us go through life pursuing this American Dream without consciously examining these goals to see if they’re really ours. Countless people look back on all the effort they expended in buying, using, and chasing stuff and accomplishments with a deep feeling of emptiness and grievous loss. “What was it all for?” “What was my life really about?” “What good did I do?” “What now?” “I wish I had(n’t)…”

As the late George Carlin once said, “It’s called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it.” (I’m not endorsing everything George Carlin said…) This idea that material prosperity and success will lead to a fulfilling life is ludicrous when closely examined. And it ought to strike a very uncomfortable chord in the hearts of Christians who are fully pursuing God.

The problem is that we (Christians especially) don’t question it enough. Too many Christians blindly accept the goals of the American Dream as their own and spend their entire lives trying to achieve those goals. Seems like a strange way to live if we don’t want to be conformed to the patterns of this world.

What’s So Wrong about Wanting More, Better, or Nicer Stuff?

I want to be clear that I am not saying that all Christians must live extremely austere and Spartan lives. There is a place for the “extras” in our lives – the luxuries that we enjoy. There’s nothing inherently wrong in enjoying the beauty of a nice home, the relaxation of a boat ride, or the satisfaction of successful work. But the “American Dream” has become a lifestyle of seeking pleasure in anything and everything you want. It’s all about you.

But as Christians, we know it’s not about us – or at least we should know this. I don’t think I need to quote any Bible verses to prove my point here. Our purpose in life is not to pursue pleasure above all else and fulfill all our personal wants and desires. Our purpose is to honor and glorify our God – to seek out His will and then to do it.

In all my discussions about contentment (and I’ve discussed it quite a bit), my point has never been to draw lines about what Christians can conscientiously enjoy and what they should avoid when it comes to material things. I’m not here to tell you that it’s OK to drive a Honda but not a BMW. Someone else can just as easily say you should drive a Tata Nano (very cheap car) but not a Honda. We’re treading dangerous ground when we start to set strict guidelines for other Christians based on our own preferences and arbitrary guidelines. Contentment is not an excuse for self-righteousness.

The problem with wanting more, better, and nicer stuff and simply fulfilling those desires is that we stop asking ourselves what God’s will is when it comes to those issues. We either ignore His will completely or we assume that our will is God’s will. If we want to lead a life of significance – a better, richer, and fuller life – then we must start seeking God’s true will in everything. Not just in our career path, whom we should marry, or where we should live but in all things – even the day to day spending decisions we make.

Before you reason that God has blessed you and must obviously want you to enjoy these blessings for yourself, let me ask you this: Is your choice to use God’s blessings for your own wants a result of God’s will for you or your will for God? American Christians are very richly blessed with wealth and material things. But does this mean we should blindly use this wealth to continue lavishing luxury upon luxury on ourselves? Or could it be that God has greatly blessed us so we can give generously to those in need?

Contentment Is Not Laziness Or a Lack of Ambition

Too many people think of contentment as blind complacency – a “guise for mediocrity” as one detractor recently put it. But such a definition only signifies the person’s ignorance regarding the true nature and meaning of contentment. As I’ve written before, contentment is not complacency. It’s not laziness, apathy, or a lack of ambition. But here’s what contentment really is:

Fulfillment – Not from what you own or what you do for a living, but from who you are in Christ.
Sufficiency – In Christ, in our eternal life, and in our heavenly riches, but not in the brief, fleeting, and ultimately dissatisfying things of this World.
Appreciation – For what we already have, not what we still want.
Choice – To fully use what we have, to honestly and purposefully seek out God’s will, to consciously examine our goals and be sure they’re really our own, to use our excess for extreme generosity over self-seeking luxury.

God’s Word is exceedingly clear that contentment is an excellent virtue for Christians to pursue. We will always struggle to give generously if we cannot learn to find contentment in Christ. And we will pierce ourselves with many sorrows if we do not learn to hold to our faith and let go of our greed. But contentment does not come as an instant change that happens after you accept Christ. It takes time – and sometimes an epiphany. And that is why we must all make a strong and relentless effort to seek godliness and contentment as we walk with Christ. Consider these words from Colossians:

¹ If then you were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God. ² Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are on the earth. ³ For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, our life, is revealed, then you will also be revealed with him in glory. ⁵ Put to death therefore your members which are on the earth: sexual immorality, uncleanness, depraved passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry;

Colossians 3:1-5 (WEB)
emphasis mine

So take time to stop and count the cost. Deny yourself and take up the cross. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Wake up from the American Dream!

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Personal Finance Bible Study: Contentment (Part 2 of 12) – The Problem with the World’s Message

Paul Williams — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 10:00:50 +0000

In the last part of this series, we talked about The World’s message – if we can just get more of what The World can offer us, we’ll be happy and satisfied. God tells us The World’s message is wrong and clearly shows us in the Bible that only His Message is true. Only God can bring us true happiness, satisfaction, and security.

Today, we’re going to look a little more at why The World’s message is a problem.

It Keeps Us from Serving God

In Luke 16:13-15, Jesus tells us:

¹³ “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. You aren’t able to serve God and mammon.” ¹⁴ The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they scoffed at him. ¹⁵ He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts. For that which is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.”

Luke 16:13-15 (WEB)

If we’re focused on The World and the things it offers, effectively we’re serving Money. And Jesus tells us when we are serving Money, we absolutely cannot serve God.

God knows our hearts, and if we value the things of This World above Him then we are detestable in His sight. Putting more faith in the “wisdom” of The World than in God’s Wisdom means that we have demoted God to a lesser status. And we Christians know that the greatest commandment of all is to love God with all of our heart, soul, and mind – our entire being. If we place The World’s message above God’s Message, we cannot keep this greatest commandment.

It Cannot Provide an Eternal Reward

Psalm 49 does a wonderful job of explaining why we shouldn’t believe The World’s message. The wealth of This World cannot save us from death; and once we die (as we all must), we cannot take any of it with us. Slowly read this passage and reflect upon it as you ask God to reveal the lies of The World and teach you His Truth.

   ¹ For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by the sons of Korah.

   Hear this, all you peoples.
   Listen, all you inhabitants of the world,
   ² both low and high,
   rich and poor together.
   ³ My mouth will speak words of wisdom.
   My heart shall utter understanding.
   ⁴ I will incline my ear to a proverb.
   I will open my riddle on the harp.

   ⁵ Why should I fear in the days of evil,
   when iniquity at my heels surrounds me?
   ⁶ Those who trust in their wealth,
   and boast in the multitude of their riches -
   ⁷ none of them can by any means redeem his brother,
   nor give God a ransom for him.
   ⁸ For the redemption of their life is costly,
   no payment is ever enough,
   ⁹ That he should live on forever,
   that he should not see corruption.

   ¹⁰ For he sees that wise men die;
   likewise the fool and the senseless perish,
   and leave their wealth to others.
   ¹¹ Their inward thought is that their houses will endure forever,
   and their dwelling places to all generations.
   They name their lands after themselves.
   ¹² But man, despite his riches, doesn’t endure.
   He is like the animals that perish.
   ¹³ This is the destiny of those who are foolish,
   and of those who approve their sayings. Selah.

   ¹⁴ They are appointed as a flock for Sheol.
   Death shall be their shepherd.
   The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning.
   Their beauty shall decay in Sheol,
   far from their mansion.
   ¹⁵ But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol,
   for he will receive me. Selah.

   ¹⁶ Don’t be afraid when a man is made rich,
   when the glory of his house is increased.
   ¹⁷ For when he dies he shall carry nothing away.
   His glory shall not descend after him.
   ¹⁸ Though while he lived he blessed his soul -
   and men praise you when you do well for yourself -
   ¹⁹ he shall go to the generation of his fathers.
   They shall never see the light.
   ²⁰ A man who has riches without understanding,
   is like the animals that perish.

Psalm 49 (WEB)

I especially like the last three verses. How often do we admire the wealthy for their success? Yet despite all their success, if they trust in their wealth they will die just like wild animals. God is the only one who can save us from death, and He can only do that if we give up believing The World’s message and seek His Truth.

In the next part of this series, we’ll start talking about how we can ignore The World’s message and begin understanding the Truth.

Want to read the entire Bible study series on Contentment? Download your free copy of Contentment Is Wealth: A Bible Study on Contentment now!

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Personal Finance Bible Study: Contentment (Part 1 of 12) – The World’s Message

Paul Williams — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 10:00:16 +0000

The allure of shopping and consumerism has blinded millions of people. Many think more money or more stuff will make them happier. They always have to have the latest model, the newest car, the hottest fashions, or the biggest house they can afford? Advertisements tell us every day that we are missing out if we don’t have the things they’re selling. They bombard us with images of all the things we “need” to make us happy. We’re told that if we’ll just buy this gadget or these clothes we’ll be more popular, get more friends, have an easier life, or just feel better about ourselves.

We’ve even been taught that our role in society is to be consumers – consumers of stuff. We’re supposed to work hard so we can buy more stuff. The more stuff we have, the happier we’ll be. And if we work hard enough and save up, we’ll get to a point where we don’t have to work any more but we can keep buying stuff. We’ll be able to spend all our time buying stuff or doing things that will really make us happy. Much happier than we were when we were working so hard before…

This is just one of the many messages from The World that flies smack in the face of The Message that God has been trying to tell us for thousands of years. Jesus speaks directly to those who believe the world’s message in Revelation 3:17-18.

¹⁷ Because you say, ‘I am rich, and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing;’ and don’t know that you are the wretched one, miserable, poor, blind, and naked; ¹⁸ I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich; and white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see.

Revelation 3:17-18 (WEB)

The World tries to tell us that if we just acquire more wealth & things, then we won’t need anything else – we’ll be satisfied and secure. But the truth is that the more we get the more we’ll want. The World can not offer us any true satisfaction or security. It’s a false hope to think that a bigger bank account will make you happier or more fulfilled. Jesus already knows The World can’t satisfy us, and that we’ll actually be pitiful, poor, blind, and naked if we listen to The World’s message. Only God can provide us with true wealth and open our eyes so we can see the truth.

Something Better

God has a higher purpose for us than riches far beyond our needs and 6,000 square foot homes. God wants more meaning in our lives than a brand new luxury car in the driveway and a shiny yacht next to the dock. God has a higher calling for our retirement years than fruitless day after fruitless day spent on the golf course, beach, or back porch.

There’s a major problem with The World’s message – specifically in that it contradicts God’s Message. We’ll talk more about why The World’s message is a problem in the next part of this series.

Want to read the entire Bible study series on Contentment? Download your free copy of Contentment Is Wealth: A Bible Study on Contentment now!

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