Circuit Thoughts

It just amazes me how given enough time, things will change. They don’t always change for the better, sometimes changes can be for the worse.

For instance, take the scripture in Mark 10: 17-31. This passage tells of a rich man who wants to follow Jesus and inherit the kingdom of Heaven. Jesus tells him to fulfill the mission the rich man must sell all he owns, give the money to the poor and then follow Christ. It goes without saying, this person could not part with all he had.

Now, flash forward to the 20th and 21st century. Here we have preachers, teachers and T.V. Evangelists telling us that God wants us to be rich. Not only that, but they also give us a formula to gain riches through prayer. Where did we lose the message? Isn’t it odd that the more you pray, the richer they get?

Well, in Jesus’ day, there was a school of thought that if you were prosperous, God was smiling on you, and if you were in poverty, God was cursing you. In many parts of the world, this view still holds sway. It ties in with Karma and other pagan ideologies.

But repeatedly, the Bible has told us that prosperity and goodness don’t necessarily walk hand in hand. Consider the number of prophets that lived in abject poverty to share God’s word. There is fact that Joseph and Mary were not rich. None of the apostles were ever deemed rich. Paul had to take on jobs as tentmaker to support himself and others. Being blessed by God has really nothing to do with money.

You see, following Christ is not about what we get, it’s about what we are willing to give. The Christian walk is a walk of self-denial. It isn’t about money; it is about where we put our focus.

Being rich does not disqualify you as a Christian. Neither does poverty guarantee you a place in heaven. The kingdom of God is about the heart, not the possessions. It’s about what we deem important. As followers of Christ our primary focus is on God and neighbor. Thus, there is extraordinarily little room for possessions or selfish intent.

This is where so many of the multi-millionaire televangelists get it wrong. There is no magic prayer for prosperity. There is no blessing in getting all you “want” out of life. These are the ways of the world.

In Christ, we pray to be used as Christ sees fit. Our lives become his to use. Our neighbor becomes our primary focus. God becomes the center of our lives.

So, I encourage you to look at what is important to you. Ask yourself where your focus is, and if it isn’t on God, then maybe it’s time to rethink your commitment to the Kingdom of God.

Inheriting the Kingdom of God is about God and your neighbor. I wonder what would happen if we started living that way?

See you in church.