Money

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I'm just gonna' go ahead and say it, money is evil. Jesus said it. I believe it. that's all I need to say. My blog is finished. I hope you got a lot out of that thought and live it out in your daily life. You see, we are bound by an evil society that uses this evil medium to make anything and everything happen. So, we are roped into using an evil thing, money, to do anything we try to do. So, we can't win, can we? To even do something good, we have to use something evil.

Only Jesus never said that. And that would be true if that's what Jesus said. The closest He ever came was when He said that we are to use "unrighteous mammon" to accomplish His purposes by doing 2 things: making friends and being faithful with it. However, the apostle Paul does tell us in 1 Timothy 6 that "money is the root of all evil" (1 Timothy 6:10, HCSB). Again, that's probably one of the most mis-quoted verses in the Bible. It really doesn't say that at all. Here's what the Bible says to us in context:

For the love of money is the root of all evil (italics mine): which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (1 Timothy 6:10 KJV)

So, what we learn very quickly is that money is not the problem; it is me and my wicked heart. I know. I know. I can hear you saying what I have said many times before, "I don't want to do evil things with it. I just want a little more." Have you ever said that? I know I have.

So, you and I look around and find money lovers. The ones that are the real problem. We then say, "Thank the Lord I'm not one of them" and feel good about ourselves. The people we focus on are the ones that ruin lives and take money from widows and orphans and re-possess houses and cut off electricity just before Christmas. While I'm not saying that these people are not money lovers, what I am saying is that the circle is a bit larger.

Solomon, the wisest and arguably, one of the wealthiest men that ever lived identifies with laser sites what "money love" looks like. And, to tell you the truth, it makes me pretty uncomfortable. Here's his thoughts:

The one who loves money is never satisfied with money, and whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with income. (Ecclesiastes 5:10 HCSB)

While you can determine exactly what that means to you, I can say with relative confidence that there are too many believers who fall into the trap of spending whatever they make. When they get that raise that they thought would answer all their financial problems, it doesn't. They simply have come up with "new" ways to spend all that "new" money.

If that is you (or me), that is an indicator that we love money. That means that if our new additional income, which at times is necessary, doesn't help us get ahead, we are "money lovers".

The antidote for "money lovers" like me is not hoarding or saving or being stingy or being ruthless; it is found in giving. When we tithe and give to God, it is our "Money Lovers Anonymous" meeting. My tithe is my confession that I will always be a "money lover" unless I am giving it away.

How about this for your next prayer? Instead of asking God for more stuff, why not say, "Lord, where do you want me to start giving?" That attitude alone can make all the difference with what and whom we love.

The answer to our greed (as a fellow "money lover"), is not found in holding back, but in giving in. Loving our God means letting money serve us as we serve Him. How do you want to use money?

Pastor Trey Rhodes

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The "Serving" Mix Up

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Serving is a funny thing. As a matter of fact, I don't think anyone really knows what serving is anymore. Jesus said if you want to be the greatest, you must be a servant of all. That means that we've got to serve in order to be great. No disputing that. But, here's where the confusion comes in... What is "serving"?

• I understand the Jet Blue is now "serving" the Charleston airport. So, is serving about low cost passenger jets?
• I know people that are "serving" time. Is that what serving is...jail time?
• I know restaurants that are "serving" new selections of food. So, is this anything to do with a meal?
• I know soldiers that are "serving" their last tour of duty. Thanks for your service, but is this an army thing?

I think the word "serving" has become way too generalized. It can mean anything from prison to airplanes and lots in-between. That is why I think we no longer understand what it means to serve others. By way of good marketing, we think we are being served when we pay someone to do something for us. By politically correct language, we think that someone going to jail is somehow serving. By media influences through the newspapers and cable tv, we think that the meals we are buying is somehow a service to us. (Not that my waiters and waitresses don't have the right attittude. Nearly all are wonderful!) My point is, serving it's not just about being paid or paying for a job well done.

Here's my thought. Maybe serving is not something we are paying to have done for us, but is that which costs us time, effort, and resources. Maybe good service is not about giving someone a good day's work, for a decent wage, but it maybe it should be giving yourself to others with no expectation of return. Maybe serving is less about how long someone spends in jail, and more about spending and being spent for those who are imprisoned by sin and circumstances.

It took me a few pages, but when I googled "serving," I did find this:

Couple Honored for Serving Others

I found this article about a elderly couple who gave of themselves without expecting any kind of repayment. They loved, so they gave. Here's a quote from an article in their hometown paper, the Shelby Star. At a posthumous presentation for the husband, this was said of them both:

"Your generous acts of kindness reach far beyond food and show values of compassion and love..."

Sound familiar? You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving. I truly believe that it was God's love that compelled Him to give. "God so loved, He gave..." (John 3:16).

That's where we become like God. It is not a part of being godly...if you do not serve others, you cannot be godly. I came to terms with that many years ago after an epiphany at a Promise Keeper's Weekend in Tennessee. For the first time, I saw my role as a pastor, as a husband, and even as a father as a servant. It changed me. I hope for the better.

After all, when we look at the condescension passage in Philippians 2, we do not see a king lording his authority over his subjects. We see a servant willing to give everything, even his own life...for others...for you...for me.

Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death-even to death on a cross. (Philippians 2:7, 8 HCSB)

That's a servant; that's my Jesus. Lord, may it be me...

"Make your attitude that of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:5).

Pastor Trey Rhodes

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