Several of the last few meditations have been about prayer. Prayer is central in the life of a Christian. Prayer is commanded in the Bible, it is described in the Bible, there are many examples in the Bible of God’s people at prayer, and Jesus himself was often seen praying. Sometimes, we are told, Jesus would spend the entire night in prayer. What can be more important? Think about it—we are invited to talk to God himself, the Creator of the whole world, and are given God’s promise that we will be heard, and that, if God sees fit, he will change everything in order to respond to our simple pleas. The importance of prayer in the Bible and in our lives cannot be overestimated.
Yet, there is something that Jesus talked about much more than even prayer. In fact, he talked about this other subject six times as much as he talked about prayer. Certainly then, this other subject must also be very important to God. What is this other subject? It is your money and how you spend it. In the words of Jesus, and in the rest of the Bible, there is much said about money. We are warned about how it can replace Jesus as our God; as that which is most important to us, and that which we love and trust in above anything else. We are told that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. We are told to be careful about being too greedy and allowing our greed to get us into to all sorts of other sins and wickedness. We are told in one of the commandments not to steal money, or anything else. We are told to be content with what we have, and not be jealous and covet what God has given to another. And we are told how the wrong use of money and the wrong attitude towards money can lead to much grief and sadness. The Bible has a great deal to say about money.
There is one other important thing that God says in the Bible about money and possessions. God tells us to share what we have. First of all, the Bible reminds us that everything belongs to God. “He owns the cattle on a thousand hills,” is the poetic way that the Psalmist puts it. It all belongs to God— the cattle on the hills, the trees on the hills, the hills themselves, and also the valleys and the fields and everything in the fields. It all belongs to God– along with whatever is in your checkbook, savings account, vacation fund, IRAs, and pension fund. It all belongs to God, and we get to use what we have, for a little while. It is all, the Bible says, entrusted to us. Jesus says we are ‘stewards’ of what God has given us. Stewards are managers of what belongs to another; in this case, to God. And God says use what you need and be willing to share the rest; giving freely to the Lord’s work and to those in need.
Everything still belongs to God; and we must remember that no matter what we have, one day we will have to let it all go. It will then be turned over to someone else to manage; again, only for a little while. It is for us to be faithful right now with what we have been given for the brief time that we are allowed to have it.
In Matthew 7:12 Jesus tells us how we should decide what to share. In what we now call the Golden Rule, Jesus said, “Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” If you were starving, what would you, most of all, want someone to do for you? You would want them to help you get something to eat. You can do that for others by sharing what you have with them.
This can be complicated. Should you give cash to the person on the street corner at the traffic light who has a big dog and is smoking? Will your cash keep him from starving, or will it go to cigarettes, dog food, and perhaps a bottle of whiskey? I travelled for a couple weeks with a missionary in Haiti. This man was giving his life to helping these people, so I listened close to what he said about how to help others. He advised us not to give money to the people begging on the street, not even in Haiti. He said you can help many more people, far more effectively, by giving to a good organization.
In tomorrow’s meditation I will tell you about a good organization: Feed My Starving Children. (continued…)
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Proverbs 21:13– If a man shuts his ears to the cries of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.
Luke 3:11 — (John the Baptist said), “He who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and those who have extra food should do the same.”
Matthew 25 (verse 34f.) Jesus told a parable about the last judgement and the opening of the gates of heaven. To those on his right hand he says, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you visited me.” And then, says verse 37, “the righteous will answer him saying, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison, and go to visit you?” Then, says verse 40, Jesus will reply to them saying, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these children of mine, you did for me.”
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Bless, O Lord, thy gifts to our use and us to thy service. Give us grateful hearts, our Father, for all thy mercies, and make us mindful of the needs of others; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—Book of Common Prayer (two prayers blended)
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