Showing posts with label Mark. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mark. Show all posts

Friday, July 22, 2016

What does Jesus Teach About Money and Weath? Mark 8:36

Jesus spoke about money often, he paid taxes and watched people give money at the temple; and sometimes he used money as an example or a teaching illustration. If he had one piece of advice about money what would it be?

"For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and to lose his soul?" Mark 8:36.

A QUESTION
It is amazing at how well Jesus answered his critics who challenged him with questions. Here it is Jesus who asks a question, and his question may be the hardest one to answer but the most important one, and it is a question each of us must answer for ourselves.

A QUESTION OF VALUE
It is a question of values where one is greater and one is lesser and we determine which.

PROFIT
This may be the most important word in this verse. Here is the bottom line. Here is the ultimate question. It is like saying, "What is the point, or what is the good in it?"

THE WHOLE WORLD
At first glance, the whole world would be the ultimate gain, if you had the whole world you would have it all; every need, every desire, and every pleasure would be yours. If we stop there it would be a nice idea but the next phrase adds a surprising perspective.

LOSE YOUR SOUL
We have gone from gaining to losing. Our soul is eternal and it is the truest part of us. To lose your soul would be a loss that cannot be recovered. The Bible teaches we have one life and experience one death then we face the judgment. Hebrews 9:27.

GAIN
Everyone agrees that you must look to the future and save for retirement or save for kid's college, but when it comes to eternity we become nearsighted.  Yes, we should save for retirement, mortgage, and for kid's college but we must also look beyond.

The reason we save for things like retirement is that we hope to live into retirement, but even if we don't we will still experience eternity. We must make plans for how we will spend eternity just like we plan for our retirement here.

THE ANSWER
All the riches and power for the few years we have here are not worth sacrificing eternity for.

We must work and earn a living but just earning money and acquiring wealth should not be our focus. We need a balanced attitude. We live this life and use its resources for the next. The wealth you gain in this life you cannot keep in the next.

There is no profit in getting wealthy for a short time to lose your soul forever, but if you live your life in such a way that you consider eternity you will have a richer life here; it may not be finically richer but richer in ways the world cannot measure and that heaven rewards.

To learn more about the riches of salvation see my other blog.
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(c) Adron 7/22/16

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

What Did Jesus Say About Wealth?

If Jesus was the greatest teacher who ever lived shouldn't we pay attention to what he said? He spoke about wealth several times, so what did he say and what will it mean to me?

In the parable of the sower Christ explained reasons why people do not respond to his teaching. The last reason was, "But the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things come in and choke the word making it unfruitful." Mark 4:19.

DECEITFUL
The Lord uses a strong and negative word to describe riches. Something or someone who is deceitful is dishonest, tells lies, tricks others, and can't be trusted.  A thing that is deceitful hides the truth. It promises one thing and gives another.

Riches promise much but it gives little. Wealth promises happiness, ease, popularity, comfort, power, freedom, enjoyment and more, but the wealthy are still lonely, worry, seek refuge, suffer depression, and continue to search for meaning.

RICHES CHOKE
To choke something is to slowly rob it of the air it needs to live. Often it is slow. The deceitfulness of wealth may slowly choke your life of the best. It may happen so slowly that you are not aware of it.

UNFRUITFUL
We may believe God and his Holy Word but the deception of riches can rob us of God's best blessings.

Instead we should remember the promises of the Father in Heaven who never breaks a promise and "delight in the Lord for he will give you the desire of your heart, (Psalm 37:4); and "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and these things will be added to you as well," (Matthew 6:33).