The synopsis of this scripture passage could be put in the form of a question. Do you want “stuff” or would you rather a long, happy, pleasant life full of wealth and honour?
A friend tells the story of his mother and aunt who ingeniously developed a way to navigate the stampede for Black Friday deals.
Read More wisdom, wealthEver feel like your voice is not heard? Do you feel that other voices crowd yours out, interrupting and speaking over yours? It’s not a nice feeling.
That is the experience of the voice of wisdom; God’s voice personified for us here. He calls out, raising his voice wherever people are, in the public squares and where their paths meet.
Read More wisdom, wealth
The top of this psalm is an attention grabber. “Everyone on this earth, now listen to what I say!” (v1). In our upside-down culture which applauds and envies celebrities, the rich and famous, the psalmist delivers words of wisdom.
He had lived through enough to know that God has designed life to be a potent and convincing teacher.
Read More hope, wealthThere’s a rumor going around. It goes something like this: God will help you get rich, if you are generous. You have to be incredibly generous, and it will pay off. Verses like those in Proverbs 11:24-28 say so.
Maybe you’ve heard this rumor. The trouble is it doesn’t square with the gospel.
Read More wealth, rewardWhen we enter a room we have the influence to create an atmosphere of pleasurable harmony or tension and strife. Our mindset has the power to determine whether we will live in a pit or a palace.
Palace living is not about wealth or prestige. Instead it is an attitude which establishes that whatever space we enter will be our place of abundance and grandeur.
Read More wealth, integrity, hard work, trustworthy
Have you ever packed a suitcase and then had that niggling feeling that you are forgetting something? Something’s missing but you can’t quite put your finger on it.
The rich young man who approached Jesus was lacking something. He didn’t know what it was either. He politely knelt before Jesus and asked what he needed to do to have eternal life. Jesus reminded him of the commandments.
Read More kingdom, wealth, Eternal life
Don’t you love to meet someone who is generous? They never count the cost but simply give out of their abundance – or out of their need or lack – so others can prosper. There is something godly about a heart of generosity. It is the plan of the kingdom of God. It is how God gets his work done on the earth. The early church was encouraged to come individually and give generously. They were all encouraged to participate. This is a call that is both individual and corporate.
Read More wealth, generosityOn the face of it this looks like a description of Paradise. “Everyone had enough to eat and drink, and they were happy.” They enjoyed fertility, plenty, prosperity and security.
But look a little closer, and a different picture begins to emerge. The story may well be told with some literary license, as is indicated by the opening statement that they were “as numerous as the sand on the seashore” (v 20 NIV; CEV’s “seemed like” is a paraphrase).
Read More prosperity, wealth, discipleship, contentmentThe old saying: “if you’re so smart, why ain’t you rich?” works with a number of assumptions that float just below the surface of its cheeky tone – that being smart should result in wealth, and that poor people are therefore by definition not smart. While neither assumption is necessarily true, these ideas shape many of our attitudes toward wealth.
Read More wisdom, wealth, integrity, shrewdnessI have had the privilege of travelling around the world – literally! I’ve seen too much to not be sympathetic towards the oppressed and the poor. As a result I want to do all that I can to encourage a movement towards a wider distribution of the blessings most of us enjoy.
James calls us in a very direct manner to examine ourselves and our actions.
Read More wealth, cruelty, self indulgence, honesty