Depending on the employment and where the work is done, a month’s salary can range from minimum wage to much higher. The average wage in the city where I live is $5000 per month, with entry levels lower and experienced workers making at least $10,000 per month.
Judas sold out Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. That may not seem a huge amount, but for that time it was about four months wages, and a great deal of money indeed. Interesting that a simple Internet search shows the price of a hit man is about the same amount.
What is God saying to me with this information? It isn’t about the love of money. I might feel differently if I didn’t have any, but probably not. Way back more than fifty years ago, I was very poor when God taught me to trust Him regarding my finances. I had a bill for $100 and could barely buy groceries, never mind come up with the funds to pay it. I prayed. Then an order for a dog portrait came in the mail from someone I had never met. She sent me $105 in advance — enough to pay that bill and buy a canvas to paint a picture on of her dog.
I’ve never felt a need to do anything other than honest work and trusting God to take care of my finances. For this reason, greed for money has not been a problem for me. I love the saying, “Some people are so poor; all they have is money.”
However, I see what greed does for others. Some become workaholics or thieves. Some abandon care of their families trying to get rich. Some gamble for the same reason. On an emotional level, greed comes with stress, fatigue, worry, depression, and despair. It sidetracks the soul from trusting God to making an idol that can ruin their lives, even to making a Judas out of them.
Imagine walking with Jesus for three years and putting money ahead of His Messiah’s life. But that thought stops me. It may not be money, but what do I prioritize? What is more important to me than honoring and obeying God?
There are so many things that clamor for attention and devotion: jobs, kids, spouses, hobbies—the demands and distractions of life. Putting God first is the first Commandment:
You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God . . . . (Deuteronomy 5:8–9)
The list could be long. I could ‘worship’ my feelings if I allow them to control me. Or my family, or my church, or friends, or human ‘wisdom’ instead of trusting God, but He says:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. (Proverbs 3:5–7)
Faith in Christ is a gift. Gifts are never meant to be hidden on a shelf or as Jesus said, put under a bushel. Fear of rejection could be an idol that takes precedence over telling others about Him.
I’m also to honor Him with my wealth, appreciate His discipline, and seek His wisdom. To live any other way means trusting something other than Him and that is as much idolatry and greed as seeking gold and silver rather than God. Of all the folly ascribed to Judas, his root problem was not giving Jesus first place in his heart.
PRAY: The ability to put You first, Jesus, is learned. From infancy, I bawled to get my way. As legitimate as eating, drinking, and being dry might be, I was not thinking about You. How much of my day is involved in doing things and talking about personal interests and selfish stuff without You being my priority? Yet You are so patient. You called Judas “friend” yet also said, “You are my friends if you do what I command you.” (John 15:14) You endured the pain of betrayal and never stopped loving this one who did far worse than mere disobedience. I’m humbled that my sin does not ruin or block Your incredible love. How could I every want anything more than You? But at times, I have . . . and You always forgive and restore me. Thank You.
THOTS: Greg Beale wrote “We Become What We Worship” and says: “What people revere, they resemble, either for ruin or for restoration.” How can my focus change my life?
No comments:
Post a Comment