Week 25 - Matthew 6:25-34
"Do not worry..."
Don't worry?
I might have been wrong. Maybe loving enemies isn't the hardest thing to live out in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus seems a bit impractical in this command.
We have an odd way to think about our things.
Sorry, my words already betrayed reality. "My" isn't an adjective I can give to the things in "my" possession. Scripture teaches that we are not owners. You don't own anything. You are merely a steward...a manager.
But it's amazing how many times I use "my" as the adjective to describe the things I steward.
-my job
-my car
-my house
-my wife
-my kids
-my computer
-my body
-my _______
And when we use the adjective "my" that often, we commit ourselves to worry.
When you don't own a car, you have no car to worry about. You might worry about transportation, but you won't have to worry about insurance to protect your car.
When you don't own anything, you aren't committed to worry.
Jesus isn't suggesting that we go without things. Jesus is suggesting that we consider ourselves as stewards instead.
What would it look like to replace ownership with shared resources in a community? The restoration vision looked like Acts 2, a community that considered themselves to share everything and own nothing. We would do well to follow their example.
As you dwell in Matthew 6:25-34, here are a few questions to consider and comment on:
1) What is it that worries you most? How does ownership relate to that worry?
2) Does it make you worry any less to know that God takes care of the birds of the air and flowers of the field? Why or why not?
3) What is the difference between an owner and a steward/manager? How does that change our understanding of generosity?
4) The Acts 2 community understood and valued shared resources over ownership. How might the 21st century church seek to bless its members and community with shared resources?
5) What are some ways that Christians (those committed to putting the kingdom on display) might seek to implement this passage in 2012?
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Gone to ACU Summit
Clint Askins, our Youth Minister, will preach this Sunday on the topic of generosity and stewardship.
I will be out of town for ACU Summit. For more information on Summit, check out my blog at www.collinpacker.blogspot.com.
I will be out of town for ACU Summit. For more information on Summit, check out my blog at www.collinpacker.blogspot.com.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
"The Good Life" - Week 24
Week 24 - Matthew 6:19-24
Now, Jesus goes from preaching to meddling. Jesus already struck chords with many of us with his teachings on enemies, lying, lust, and anger. But if you're still reading, you weren't offended enough.
So, now he brings up your pocketbook.
"You cannot serve God and money."
"Where your money is, there your heart will be also."
And then, there's all of this language about good and bad eyes that seems a bit out of place. What do my eyes have to do with the topic of money and generosity?
I'm glad you asked. "The good eye" was a Jewish metaphor about generosity. And "an evil eye" meant that one was stingy or greedy. In other words, how we view our stuff colors the way we look at the rest of our lives. That's an image we should recover!
But the phrase that has caught my "eye" this week is the phrase "Where your money is, there your heart will be also." And while this phrase might be easy to misinterpret, I don't think Jesus is saying my heart is at Wells Fargo. But he is making a strong connection between our money and our hearts.
As you dwell in Matthew 6:19-24, here are a few questions to consider and comment on:
1) Consider the image of the "good/evil eye." How good do you think your eye is today?
2) Dwell on the phrase "Where your money is, there your heart will be also." What does Jesus mean by that statement? If your heart lies where your money lies, where is your heart today?
3) Jesus doesn't say "You should not serve both God and money." He says, "You cannot serve both God and money." Is that truly an impossibility? Why is Jesus so strong in his wording there?
4) What are some ways that Christians (those committed to putting the kingdom on display) might seek to implement this passage in 2012?
Now, Jesus goes from preaching to meddling. Jesus already struck chords with many of us with his teachings on enemies, lying, lust, and anger. But if you're still reading, you weren't offended enough.
So, now he brings up your pocketbook.
"You cannot serve God and money."
"Where your money is, there your heart will be also."
And then, there's all of this language about good and bad eyes that seems a bit out of place. What do my eyes have to do with the topic of money and generosity?
I'm glad you asked. "The good eye" was a Jewish metaphor about generosity. And "an evil eye" meant that one was stingy or greedy. In other words, how we view our stuff colors the way we look at the rest of our lives. That's an image we should recover!
But the phrase that has caught my "eye" this week is the phrase "Where your money is, there your heart will be also." And while this phrase might be easy to misinterpret, I don't think Jesus is saying my heart is at Wells Fargo. But he is making a strong connection between our money and our hearts.
As you dwell in Matthew 6:19-24, here are a few questions to consider and comment on:
1) Consider the image of the "good/evil eye." How good do you think your eye is today?
2) Dwell on the phrase "Where your money is, there your heart will be also." What does Jesus mean by that statement? If your heart lies where your money lies, where is your heart today?
3) Jesus doesn't say "You should not serve both God and money." He says, "You cannot serve both God and money." Is that truly an impossibility? Why is Jesus so strong in his wording there?
4) What are some ways that Christians (those committed to putting the kingdom on display) might seek to implement this passage in 2012?
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