Monday, January 23, 2006

Is your hand wide open or clenched?

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
1 Timothy 6:10

One night during dinner, I was having yet another interesting conversation with my 17-year-old son. His perspective usually brings a smile to my face and sometimes a chuckle. Then there are the times when the depth of his perceptions, for a young man his age, simply amazes me.
This particular evening, he was sharing his passion for music and his belief that God is calling Him into worship ministry. He must have been thinking about the pay scale of most people in ministry because he made the comment that the money doesn't matter. "After all," he said, "money is like cake. Too much of it is not good for you and you are always supposed to share."
Now, really, how may people really think like that? Isn't there a saying that "He who has the most toys in the end, wins." As "good" Christians we cluck our tongues and sigh at such a worldly attitude, but when it comes right down to it, isn't that how many of us live?
When I see people driving around in expensive cars, or not-so-expensive cars with "spinners" which can run into thousands of dollars I cluck my tongue and think about the underprivileged children that could eat, sleep or go to college with that money so wantonly spent. If you have an expensive car or "spinners"', keep reading because this isn't really about you. You see, if I'm going to cluck my tongue, I need to be clucking it at myself first. I may not own a fancy car or a fur coat or "spinners" but compared to the rest of the world, I live extravagantly. I have much more than I need, and I enjoy it.
I don't believe it is sinful to own and enjoy things that are beyond our needs but I hope we can remember it is only because of God that we can enjoy such blessings and that it doesn't really belong to us anyway, it all belongs to God. Once we get a death grip on our money, possessions, relationships, etc. they take the place of God in our life.
My question for you is: Is your hand wide open or clenched? Are you willing to share what you have with others that do not have?

That simple statement my son made really is rich with Biblical truth.

Diane

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