Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Thursday, 13 November 2014 "You cannot serve God and wealth"

Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Thursday, 13 November 2014 "You cannot serve God and wealth"
Daily Scripture:  Luke 16: God Sees Behind Appearances
10-13 Jesus went on to make these comments:
If you’re honest in small things,
    you’ll be honest in big things;
If you’re a crook in small things,
    you’ll be a crook in big things.
If you’re not honest in small jobs,
    who will put you in charge of the store?
No worker can serve two bosses:
    He’ll either hate the first and love the second
Or adore the first and despise the second.
    You can’t serve both God and the Bank.
14-18 When the Pharisees, a money-obsessed bunch, heard him say these things, they rolled their eyes, dismissing him as hopelessly out of touch. So Jesus spoke to them: “You are masters at making yourselves look good in front of others, but God knows what’s behind the appearance.
What society sees and calls monumental,
    God sees through and calls monstrous.
God’s Law and the Prophets climaxed in John;
Now it’s all kingdom of God—the glad news
    and compelling invitation to every man and woman.
The sky will disintegrate and the earth dissolve
    before a single letter of God’s Law wears out.
Using the legalities of divorce
    as a cover for lust is adultery;
Using the legalities of marriage
    as a cover for lust is adultery.
Reflection Questions:
Israel in Jesus' day (like most countries today) had a few extremely rich people, and lots who were very poor. Jesus' message in today's reading was clear, and it was controversial. Jesus challenged the values of the religious leaders who were among the rich, saying it is impossible to serve God and wealth. Those who saw all their wealth as a sign of God's favor sneered. Jesus replied, "What is highly valued by people is deeply offensive to God."
Scholar N.T. Wright wrote of this passage, "Money is not a possession, it's a trust: God entrusts property to people and expects it to be used to his glory and the welfare of his children, not for private glory or glamour." The Message said the religious leaders thought Jesus was "hopelessly out of touch." Does Jesus' teaching about worldly wealth and true riches seem "out of touch" to you? Does it challenge you? Does it inspire you?
Jesus didn't say we "shouldn't" serve both God and money; he said we "cannot" do that. Our hearts can only have one ultimate master. The Greek word translated "money" meant all types of material goods. When you face ethical choices or career decisions, what determines your course: God's values, or the material and social payoffs you expect?
Today's Prayer:
Heavenly Master, your greatest blessing in my life is not my bank account, home or car. It is your eternal love for me. Help me to grow in my willingness to use all my other resources to bless others. Amen.
Insight from Phil Antilla
Phil Antilla serves as the program director for Young Adult and College Ministry. Before coming to Church of the Resurrection, Phil served as an associate pastor at a local church in Shawnee. www.cor.org/youngadults
I have been robbed twice in my life.
The second time happened a few years ago. Someone managed to get a key to our apartment, and they were coming and going at their leisure – as well as taking some of our possessions with them during each visit.
The first time, however, was the day after my wife and I got married. We were driving home from our out-of-state wedding, and while we stopped at a hotel for the night, someone unhitched our trailer from the back of the car and stole it. We were waiting to get home before we opened our wedding gifts, and unfortunately, every one of them was in the trailer, along with all of our clothes, furniture, and pretty much everything else you can think of. We had packed for a vacation, so we had travel-size everything and full-size nothing!
I have since come to believe that both of these occasions were opportunities to show whom I serve. Yes it is true that the one who is faithful with very little is also faithful with much. However, I do not believe that God was somehow orchestrating both of these events in my life in order to see how faithful I am, like some sort of faith-proving litmus test.
Instead, I believe that our lives are filled with all kinds of moments where our allegiances demand to be declared. Who or what comes first? What is of most importance? Whom do you serve?
In today’s passage, Jesus moves from a parable (16:1-9) meant to help you think, to direct teaching. It is not a suggestion or an idea to consider, but a time-tested fact – you cannot serve two masters (or three, or four, or five).
We may not realize it, but all too often we serve something other than God. Maybe we serve our jobs. Maybe we serve money. Maybe we serve busy schedules! Can we serve both God and work? Can we serve both God and money? Our passage today says “no”.
The truth is that, for a short-time, both my wife and I felt a horrible sense of invasion and loss. But that only lasted a few hours. It was not long after we were robbed that were forced to answer the question “Whom do we serve?” For us, this was not only a question of “Whom have we given our lives to?”, but “Whom do we expect to provide life for us?”
We serve a master because we hope it will provide life. Sadly, many of us are still waiting to receive life from the masters we serve – whether it is money, or work, or other worldly pleasures.
But in Christ, we find a master who will provide life that does not perish. The writers of the gospels called this “everlasting life”. Money will come and go, but Jesus Christ, our Lord, is the one who will be faithful to finish the good work that he began in us.
Thus, the question we ought to ask ourselves is not only, “Whom do we serve?”, but “Where are we trying to find life?”.
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