How
many of you have heard of the American Dream?
Bibliography
It’s
not a dream that is limited to the United States. In fact, it’s a worldwide
phenomenon. It is the desire to pursue prosperity, success and upward social
mobility. While it is not wrong to be successful in life, the pursuit of the
American Dream can work against us. It interferes with our ability to find
contentment in what God provides for us. We seek more money, power, benefits
and so on, and that often forces us to miss the opportunity to pursue
righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
Since
the dawn of history, man has tried to be independent of God. It’s in our nature
to be self-sufficient and self-supporting. This does not bring us face to face
with our need to depend on God every day. True godliness means that a person trusts
God to provide for everything and learns to be content with what He gives. God
is not opposed to our having good things. In fact, every good thing we enjoy
comes as God’s gift. We must not confuse the gift with the Giver.
Growth
in godliness does not necessarily lead to material gain or wealth. The idea
that we are complete without having enough money or material goods is foreign
to us. The world tells us to get as much money or other goods as possible.
Contrary
to the popular saying, money is not the root of all evil. It is the love of
money that is the problem. The pursuit of money or all the things it can buy is
the problem. It shows that we are putting our faith, our sense of security and
our hope for the future in material goods. Instead, we need to put our hope in
God.
This
does not mean that we should not save money for retirement or other
emergencies. Accumulating wealth so that we are not a burden on others is a
wise move. From a spiritual point of view, Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:25-34 that
God will take care of our basic needs. God is our sole provider
and if we focus on the necessities of life, we can be content. Those who want to
get rich often fall into temptation.
Paul
tells Timothy and us in 1 Timothy 6:6-19 that true ministry is not motivated by
greed but by the reality of eternal life and an awareness of accountability to
God. True joy can only be found in a relationship with Christ. When we have
faith, we are no longer slaves to our circumstances. When we combine our love
for God with acceptance of His will for our lives, we will find great gain.
When we rely on him alone, we will experience our greatest happiness and
freedom.
The
subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) temptation of any culture is to disregard
eternal values for temporary gains. Yet no person takes his money with him when
he dies. That’s why you never see a U-Haul behind a hearse in a funeral
procession. This is why money is such a poor object for our affection and
trust. It does not last beyond this life. A far better plan is to put it to
good use here on earth by giving as much as possible to help others. Between
this life and the next, believers must trust God to provide.
Most
early believers were poor, but there were some rich believers. The rich were
given four specific commands.;
1.
Don’t be haughty.
2.
Trust God, not
wealth.
3.
Do good.
4.
Be rich in good
works, giving and sharing
Godly
people know what they flee from: the love of money. One of greed’s many dangers
is its ability to make people err in the faith and become unfruitful. The rich
are to give some of their money to the poor. The sense of accumulating wealth
for personal security or comfort is foreign to Jesus. The unchecked desire for
money leads to the love of money, and the love of money is the root of all
evil. The love of money is called greed. This evil is one of many evils that we
have to confront.
We
don’t have all of the skills or knowledge to fight every evil. Our efforts are
better spent focusing on only one or two issues. We are to fight evil, but we
must also recognize when it is best to flee from evil.
It’s
not wrong for Christians to have money-even a great deal of money-as long as
that money does not have them. According to Paul, the problem comes when
accumulating wealth becomes the focus of our lives. When money begins to rule
lives, people fall prey to greed. Greed is not only an obstacle to achieving
godliness and contentment. It is a gateway to all kinds of evil.
It’s
like the burglar who was caught in the act of breaking into a house. He was
taken to court and found guilty. Before he passed sentence, the judge asked the
burglar if he wanted to say anything in his own defense.
The
burglar said, “Well, Your Honour, its like this. The more a man has, the more a
man wants.” The judge replied, “Is that so. Well, I tell you what I’m going to
do. I’m going to sentence you to fifteen years in jail. How many more would you
like?”
The
godly are known not just by what they flee from but by what they follow after,
fight for and are faithful to. Paul used the active verbs pursue, fight, lay
hold on and keep. Believers should strive for these qualities as long as they
live.
Paul
calls Timothy a man of God. This term is found only twice in the New Testament,
but over 70 times in the Old Testament. It often refers to prophets-people who
spoke for God. For believers today, a man or a woman of God is someone who
belongs to God, is dedicated to God, finds true joy in God, and lives for the
glory of God. In Paul’s eyes, Timothy was such a man.
The
balance in a bank account does not determine a person’s ability to be rich toward
God. Those who are good stewards in God’s economy make investments in eternity
by sharing their earthly resources-whether many or few-with the church and
those in need.
Pride
is one of the dangers of being wealthy. Wealth brings a sense of achievement.
It also brings power and privilege. There is no room for pride in God’s
kingdom. In fact, there are some Christians who are adopting a simpler, less
expensive lifestyle in order to direct more money to helping the poor and
spreading the Good News.
A
willingness to share what we have with others is a mark of Christianity. When
we share with others, it breaks materialism’s hold on us. If we focus on giving
our resources (including giving tithes and offerings), the result leads to
worship and praise. We can take the treasures we have been entrusted with in
this life and invest them in the life to come. Jesus even tells us to store up
treasures in heaven.
Where
there is wealth, pride is often nearby. Believers can counter this temptation
to haughtiness in three ways:
1.
By concentrating
on good works.
2.
By giving
generously.
3.
By trusting in
the living God alone.
It
is more difficult for people to take pride in earthly possessions when they
realize that all they have comes from the Lord and is only temporary. Jesus
wants us to use the money God has given us to bring people to Christ. Godliness
will pay in both this life and in eternity. It makes sense to make the pursuit
of godliness a priority.
Faith
is a constant struggle that requires effort. We must always confess Jesus as
Saviour and Lord all the time. Confessing means speaking out in faith. As
Christians, we can enjoy life because our consciences are clear. We can enjoy
life. We can have fun and laugh in church. We can enjoy friends and family. In
the long run we are better off if we let the godliness of Christ within us and
contentment give us the greatest gains of all, moment by moment.
1.
Jeremiah,
David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, New King
James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; pp. 1711-1712)
2.
Demarest,
G.W. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s
Commentary Series, Vol. 32: 1,2 Thessalonians/1,2, Timothy/Titus (Nashville,
TN.: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1984, pp. 223-232)
3.
MacArthur,
J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, New
American Standard Version (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
4.
Stanley,
C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life
Principles Bible, New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles,
2005)
5.
ESV Study
Bible. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.
7.
Selwyn
Hughes, “God’s Four Purposes for Money.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com
9.
Pastor Rick
Warren, “The Best Financial Investment You Can Make.” Retrieved form connect@newsletter.purposedriven.com
11. Pastor Rick Warren, “How God Helps you Enjoy Life.”
Retrieved form connect@newsletter.purposedriven.com
14.
Pastor
Jeff Schreve, “Are You experiencing Life Indeed?” Retrieved from pastorjeff@fromhisheart.org
16.
Sandra Hermann, “The Power of Money.” Retrieved from https://store.sermonsuite.com/printer.php?i=788040809
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