@JLoberiza
edited
more from that month
Should the Religious Remain Poor?
Should the Religious Remain Poor? Should the religious shy away from earning money? Is money the root of all evil? We have been taught, "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of heaven" -Luke 6:20 And in Matthew 6:24 .“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." And in Matthew 10:25 "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone rich to enter the kingdom of God.” Does this mean if we want to gain favor from God, we should remain poor? Tradition, especially here in the Philippines, has always taught the religious that God always favors the poor. That to gain so much money is sinful. But is that the real case? Does our God who provides for everything want us to remain poor? Hello, readers. It's August 22 and the fourth Sunday of the month. Welcome to another edition of my Sunday Reflection. In this post, I will share with you my thoughts on Financial Prosperity based on the Bible. Disclaimer *Before anything else, I would like to emphasize that I am not a Bible scholar, a theologist, nor a preacher. The content of this post is my personal reflection based on my understanding of and I do not intend to preach.* The Eye of the Needle. Let me clarify this one first. When I was young I had a misconception about this verse as well. Jesus was not talking about the eye of the needle that we use for sewing. But I think this common misconception or misinterpretation of the verse has instilled a belief that a rich person can't go to heaven.
But I heard the correct interpretation from at least two priests on different occasions. The eye of the needle described in this Bible verse refers to a narrow door of a gate. During the time of Jesus, this narrow door was used by the people to enter when the gates were closed. And for a camel to go through the eye of the needle, it must be stripped down first of all the baggage it's carrying and has to "crawl" through the narrow door.
Image source: 1.bp.blogspot.com https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-asvHuZvjShs/WiaZ8NbnBmI/AAAAAAAAA0o/zR92tw4SMZ4K6o8wh871tCG-6e7GQ8MngCLcBGAs/s1600/Eye%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bneedle.png It is difficult, but not impossible **God Wants to Bless Us Financially Too.** I don't believe God wants us to remain poor. If he does, why did he save the Israelites from the Egyptians as described in the book of Exodus? I don't believe that God would limit his blessings to our spiritual life alone. But I believe he wants to bless us financially as well. Here is a verse which describes how God wants to bless us "The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of His bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none." Deuteronomy 28:12 NIV **Reflection** This is a beautiful verse. The Lord will open the storehouse of His bounty to bless all our work. **And how bountiful are these blessings?** More than enough so that we can lend to others but we no longer need to borrow money. Freedom from debts! Isn't that we all want? To be free from all our debts? **And how can we receive all these blessings?** As you can see, God will not pour out gold and jewels directly from the heavens (just imagine you got hit by gold bars in the head). But He will provide the resources so we can be productive in our WORK! That's the condition. We do our part, and He will bless us! (Sorry guys. God doesn't work like the Genie that your wishes will be granted instantly). Gather Money Little by little Here is a secret in growing your moNIV . "Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow." Proverbs 13:11
I have posted the image above with a short reflection in noisecash earlier. **https://noise.cash/post/1x9v88mk** But here is a more general short reflection on this verse **Reflection**. Don't try to earn money quickly by doing dishonest work. The money you earned will be more valuable to you if you worked hard for it. You don't want to waste every centavo of it. And you would even find ways to make it grow. Final Thoughts God wants to bless us financially just as He wants us to grow spiritually. And we will grow only if we work on it and have the right reasons. And as the Preached in Blue Jeans, Bro. Bo Sanchez would always say, "If you want to be blessed, be a blessing to others." **Thanks for reading and have a blessed Sunday!** Credits: This reflection is based on the 7-day study "**The Ways of Prosperity**" of the Bible App https://bible.com/reading-plans/22244/day/4?segment=0 The lead image is from Unsplash
17 comments
What I can say concerning those first parts of the scriptures about the camel and needle is that those who goes rich through illegal ways and want to earn more quickly are those ones that won't inherit heaven. God has blessed us with both hands to work and as you work hard, you must also save to become rich. No rich man who gathers his money in a wrong way would see the favor of God.
I totally agree with you. And that's the message of the verse from the book of Proverbs.
There's nothing wrong with money, as it is an instrument for sustenance. But, the love of money is the problem. As Jesus said, "What shall a man profit if he gain the whole world and lose his soul?" And again, He said: "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matthew 6:33, NIV). In other words, He will supply your needs when you seek Him.
Ma'am, to be rich is to have a great personal relationship with God. Jesus never said anything concerning how a person obtains money - legal or illegal. He is saying that th rich believe (wrongly) that they have it all and don't need Him. Yes, we should work to the best of our ability. But it is God, not us, who sustains us. Apart from Him, there is no heaven. All the money in the world won't buy one's way into heaven, legally gained or illegally gained. Jesus spoke repeatedly about the dangers of amassing money and material goods. Kindly search the Scriptures more thoroughly.
I can't but believe all these. You have just explained more to me and I am so grateful. Thanks for the enlightenment.
Thank you for sharing these insightful messages this Sunday. Life is not passive. It doesn't "happen" to us, rather we get out of it what we put into it. Effort is rewarded.
I do believe that God wants to bless us too..
Bro Sanchez, like many people, take the word blessing out of its proper meaning. Blessed means to be approved by God, not to be happy.
Won't you be happy if found approval from God?
Happy, somewhat, but joyful much more!
Of course God want us to be blessed financially .. He always bless more to those who return their tithes and offerings.. plus job , David, Solomon , Abraham, Jacob and all His followers were very very rich 😂
Does he? Perhaps a thorough reading and interpretation of the book of Luke is needed. Luke the physician continuously speaks about the poor and disadvantaged: women, the disabled, wretched sinners, prostitutes and tax collectors, all of whom are poor. You see, my friend, are person in dire need is more willing to pick up their cross and follow Jesus than a wealthy person who believes they have it made. Sure, a person can be rich and still serve God. What Jesus is saying, however, is that it is difficult.
That is true... But that is only part of the process. And there are some people who are chose to be poor for God. Like St. Francis of Assisi. He found his purpose in poeverty. And yes, people tend to follow Christ when they are in need. But what do some of them do when they got what they want? Abraham, Job, David, Solomon were among the richest people during their time. Joseph the dreamer was one of the best 'financial manager' as he was taught by God himself. The 20% save first principle was taught by God. But then again, accumulating wealth is not and should not be the final goal.
Thanks for this reflection. God's favour only comes to those who are upright in their ways.
A similar situation exists in Islam. They say poverty is a prophet's dedication, but those who say these do not have poverty in their lives because they are all rich anyway. Islam forbids the luxurious life, but each of them leads a luxurious life. I guess religion and beliefs are constantly being exploited by some smart people.
Put God first in your life and you will learn how to be content, no matter what your circumstances. Money is not the root of all evil. It's the love of money that is the root of all evil. Because it means that MONEY is your god. If you are rich, God has blessed you and you are to be a good steward of the manifold grace of God. If you were blessed with wealth, it is so that you can use it for good. “To whom much is given, much is required.” Material things are needful in this life. But you must always focus on your spiritual well-being and do whatever you can do to show the love of God to others. Whether you are rich or poor you are God's instrument and you can serve him faithfully. There are so many examples of faithful servants in the Bible ~ some had wealth, some did not. But they willingly humbled themselves and served God. Esther was a humble Jewish girl who became a queen. Job had wealth which was taken and then restored. Lazarus was so poor the dogs licked his sores; yet his reward was rest in Abraham's bosom. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God ...” It's not about poverty or riches, it's about priorities and a real treasure that is in heaven.
Hindi ko pa nabasa yung verse na yun sa Luke 6:20. Basta ang nababasahan ko pa lang yung parang kailangan maggive back not just toother people but also to God. 😇