God or gold: What are we professing
Jesus told his disciples: “Do not store up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moth and woodworm destroy them and thieves can break in and steal. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- It’s not a question of how much money a person has. It’s more a question of attitude. Some poor people worship money just as much as any wealthy miser. They pray to God night and day but all they really want from God is cold cash.
- It is not that you ought to relieve other people’s needs and leave yourselves in hardship; it is a question of balancing. Your surplus at present will help them in their needs, and one day they may have something to spare that will supply your needs.
Even when the majority of the population is Christian, never forget that statistics say little about how close we are to God. St John warned the people of Laodicea of this danger. It was a time when the Gospel was just beginning to spread. Some Christians became self-satisfied. They felt proud to say: “We believe in Jesus the Lord!”
They didn’t realise something was wrong. They didn’t see how, despite their willingness to proclaim their faith, they were really more interested in money. God held second place in their priorities. That is why St John wrote to them, in the Book of Revelation:
“You say to yourself: I am rich, I have made a fortune and have everything I want, never realising that you are wretchedly and pitiably poor, and blind and naked too. I warn you, buy from me the gold that has been tested in the fire to make you truly rich, and white robes to clothe you and hide your shameful nakedness, and ointment to put on your eyes to enable you to see.”
I am not saying that Christians who are rich have little faith. It’s not a question of how much money a person has. It’s more a question of attitude. Some poor people worship money just as much as any wealthy miser. They pray to God night and day but all they really want from God is cold cash.
Some Christians have lots of money. They know how to use it to help others. They practise the advice given by St Paul in Second Corinthians when asking Christians to help those in Jerusalem suffering from a drought: “As long as the readiness is there, a man is acceptable with whatever he can afford; never mind what is beyond his means.
It is not that you ought to relieve other people’s needs and leave yourselves in hardship; it is a question of balancing. Your surplus at present will help them in their needs, and one day they may have something to spare that will supply your needs. That is how we strike a balance. As scripture says: No one who had collected more had too much, no one who collected less had too little.”
If you have been blessed with the riches of this world, remember it’s not money that makes you a good. It’s not money that makes you holy in God’s eyes. As Jesus told his disciples: “Do not store up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moth and woodworm destroy them and thieves can break in and steal. But store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where neither moth nor woodworm destroys them and thieves cannot break in and steal.”
