"Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God…Woe to you who are rich, For you have received your consolation"; and,"Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. "Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."; and, "Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys." (Luke 6:20, 24; Matt. 19:23-24; Luke 12:33
For the vast, vast majority of people who are part of what calls itself the church in the United States, the words of Jesus above, spoken in the context of material wealth, will immediately draw an emotionally defensive response. Why? What does it mean when someone is defensive at the suggestion of living a sacrificial life for Jesus? What does it mean when people get defensive when it is suggested they do with fewer material things or 'not-as-nice' material things? Well, it probably means they are either in bondage to, or struggling with, the sin of covetousness. What is the definition of "covet"? It is to consistently desire more material things than what you presently have. It means to focus on getting more money/things as opposed to giving them away in serving the Lord. What does it mean to be in bondage to the sin of covetousness? It means one is not willing to try and follow Messiah Jesus. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
2006-09-23 08:58:42 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Well, one of the first things that people need to realized, is that any material things that we have really don't belong to us, it all belongs to God. When we "tithe" we are giving it back to God. As a general rule of thumb, we should keep only enough to live off of, and then give the rest to God.
2006-09-23 09:08:22 · answer #1 · answered by Jason M 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Here lies the problem...Every time I give a wad of money to the church, charity or the poor. One of my stocks will split 2 for 1, a dividend will go up, or I win big at the casino. I have to say, the more I give, the richer I become. Now, I wonder if Jesus thinks I should just hand it all over now, or keep some, (to make more) so that I can give more in the long run? Say right now I'm worth 2.6 million dollars. If I give it all away today, charity will only get 2.6 million. If I give $100,000 a year to charity, I can double the remaining money in approx 7 years...And so on...
2006-09-23 09:22:21 · answer #2 · answered by mslorikoch 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I believe that being a christian, we should be happy where we are, if God trusts someone with wealth it is no business of ours. I also believe that we shouldn't be seeking wealth for our own purposes. If your not a giver, then it's for your own purposes. In my own life, I trust that I will have the things I need, because I work I will eat. I don't need wealth, what I need is just to know him. I don't have much money, but that's not a problem. I have a wonderful wife and kids and most importantly, God himself. Because God never leaves you, I will never be alone. God bless you.
2006-09-23 09:21:06 · answer #3 · answered by inluvwshana 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
There is no problem with money until it becomes your driving force. If a person is blessed with wealth or even a comfortable living he/she needs to do their Christian duty and look after the poor, widows and orphans. We need to be willing to part with our material possessions rather than deny Christ. It comes down to what do we worship - material possessions or God. What we put first in our lives indicates what we put first in our hearts.
2006-09-23 09:18:31 · answer #4 · answered by Nora Explora 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
over the years I’ve come for the time of various evaluations on what the Lord quite meant by ability of the attention of the needle assessment. all of them have tried to reasonable the degree of undertaking wealthy human beings have in entering into heaven by ability of making the attention of the needle symbolic of something else. however the assertion become given on the heels of the controversy with the wealthy youthful guy who went away unhappy with the aid of fact the Lord had uncovered his over driving love of wealth, reliable sufficient that he couldn’t sell it whether it saved him out of the dominion. After the Lord’s commentary Peter asked who could in all probability be saved with the aid of fact the Jews believed that wealth become a reward for righteousness. The Lord replied that on an identical time because it become impossible for guy, it become no longer impossible for God. All issues are achievable for God. (Mark 10:17-27) It become a remark on God’s Grace. i've got faith that the Lord meant a literal needle and a literal camel to tutor that it’s actually impossible for even the righteous wealthy to get themselves into the dominion. in easy terms the Lord can do it. God sent His son to die for our sins, even the sin of idolatry that afflicts such a brilliant number of of the wealthy.
2016-10-17 12:39:06 · answer #5 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It all depends on your attitude toward it. I'd like to think that if I had money, I'd be the same person I am now, putting God first in my life, and not possesions. It would give me the advantage of being able to use my time and money to do more for others.
2006-09-23 09:40:55 · answer #6 · answered by cj_justme 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There is nothing wrong with being successful, even for Christians, but it does say in the Bible that to him that much is given, much is expected. So their are responsibilities that come along with wealth. It doesn't mean you have to give everything away and make your own family live in poverty.
2006-09-23 09:07:35 · answer #7 · answered by jim h 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Proverbs 13:22 A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.
2006-09-23 09:09:45 · answer #8 · answered by ? 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
NO, they should give it all up, pass through the eye of that needle. Send it all to me and get salvation, I take cash, checks, money orders and paypal. gemstones, jewelry, gold, and high ticket items.
2006-09-23 09:02:06 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
The greedy ones will say yes.
2006-09-23 09:00:20 · answer #10 · answered by AuroraDawn 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋