Luke 12:13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Rabbi, tell my brother to share with me the property we inherited.” 14 But Yeshua answered him, “My friend, who appointed me judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 Then to the people he said, “Be careful to guard against all forms of greed, because even if someone is rich, his life does not consist in what he owns.”
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Wesley famously said, “Gain all you can, save all you can, and give all you can.” That was why he included the question, “Do I pray about the money I spend?” To pray about the money we spend means that we go to God realizing that we do not possess any money of our own. Rather, we are simply holding God’s money for the purposes of God’s work in the world.
• What inner reactions did you have to Wesley’s statement, “Gain all you can, save all you can, give all you can”? Which dimensions of Wesley’s guideline most surprised or challenged you? How does this approach to handling money match up with advice you get from financial publications, web sites or advisers? In what ways does it differ?
• Evaluate your recent spending. How closely do your habits align with Wesley’s advice? Make a three column chart: Gain, Save, Give. In each column, estimate the amounts you have gained, saved, and given in the past year. How do you believe your spending habits, as they might be reflected in next year’s chart, might change if you prayed daily about the money you spent?
Prayer: God, I want to be a sensible steward of all you have provided. Protect me from an attitude marked by greed. May I grow toward faithful generosity, spending whatever money you entrust to me in a way that brings glory to you. Amen.
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Insights from Ginger Rothhaas
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Wesley famously said, “Gain all you can, save all you can, and give all you can.” That was why he included the question, “Do I pray about the money I spend?” To pray about the money we spend means that we go to God realizing that we do not possess any money of our own. Rather, we are simply holding God’s money for the purposes of God’s work in the world.
• What inner reactions did you have to Wesley’s statement, “Gain all you can, save all you can, give all you can”? Which dimensions of Wesley’s guideline most surprised or challenged you? How does this approach to handling money match up with advice you get from financial publications, web sites or advisers? In what ways does it differ?
• Evaluate your recent spending. How closely do your habits align with Wesley’s advice? Make a three column chart: Gain, Save, Give. In each column, estimate the amounts you have gained, saved, and given in the past year. How do you believe your spending habits, as they might be reflected in next year’s chart, might change if you prayed daily about the money you spent?
Prayer: God, I want to be a sensible steward of all you have provided. Protect me from an attitude marked by greed. May I grow toward faithful generosity, spending whatever money you entrust to me in a way that brings glory to you. Amen.
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Insights from Ginger Rothhaas
Ginger Rothhaas is a seminary student at Saint Paul School of Theology and is serving in Congregational Care at The Church of the Resurrection.A couple of years ago, I wrote a research paper on the theologian John Chrysostom. Today’s GPS reminded me of one of his sermons that could help us with Wesley’s challenge to pray about the money we spend.
Chrysostom was the child of wealthy parents and became a priest during the late 300s. He was known for delivering sermons that challenged the privileged, the patriarchy, and lavish lifestyles of clergy. His life’s work is brilliant and timeless, but as you can imagine, was not well received at the time.
In reading his work more than 1700 years later, I find his sermons to be thought-provoking words that challenge the reader to strive to live better, live in deeper connection to God, and be mindful about financial decisions. I think he would encourage us to reflect on John Wesley’s question, “Do I pray about the money I spend?”
Here is an excerpt from a Chrysostom sermon that may enrich our prayer practice of financial mindfulness:
“Do I possess the house in which I live? No, it is only on loan to me from God while I remain in that place. Do I possess the clothes I wear? No, they are on loan to me until they wear out, or until I give them away to someone in greater need. Do I possess this body that you see before you? No, it was lent to me by God when I was born, and he will take it back when I die. Do I possess the mind that is composing the words that I speak? No, that too was lent by God at my birth and will go when I die.
So do I possess anything? Yes, I possess the virtues, which during my life have grown and flourished within my soul. Inasmuch as I have grown in love, I possess love. Inasmuch as I have grown in faith, I possess faith. Inasmuch as I have grown in gentleness, I possess gentleness. These things are immortal; they are divine gifts, which God will not take away, because he wants heaven itself to be filled with virtue. And, of course, I possess my soul, in which these virtues have their roots.”1
And to that I say, Amen!
1 Van de Weyer, Robert. On Living Simply: The Golden Voice of John Chrysostom. Liguori, Missouri: Liguori/Triumph Publications, 1996.-------
"Do I give time for the Bible to speak to me every day?" for Saturday, 12 November 2016
Hebrews 4:11 Therefore, let us do our best to enter that rest; so that no one will fall short because of the same kind of disobedience.
12 See, the Word of God is alive! It is at work and is sharper than any double-edged sword — it cuts right through to where soul meets spirit and joints meet marrow, and it is quick to judge the inner reflections and attitudes of the heart. 13 Before God, nothing created is hidden, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.
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Wesley didn’t ask this question to create more for Christians to do. He wanted us to look at our efforts to daily engage the Bible as a way for God to speak to us to shape us into more deeply committed Christians. Bible reading is not a task to be completed. It is a habitual practice to shape us and mold us into who God invites us to be. Learning to listen to God through the Bible forms a
life foundation that helps us become more aware of other ways, such as music, prayer or the beauty of creation, in which God also desires to speak to us.
• Do you struggle with finding (or taking) the time to read the Bible each day? As with any other good habit, start small—even five minutes a day, and let the time increase as the discipline strengthens your spiritual life. Is your challenge more with understanding and interpreting what you read? Guides like this GPS can help guide your understanding—but you still need to reflect
and pray, taking in what you understand from each Bible passage. You can find more help in
understanding in a quality study Bible, such as the CEB Study Bible or many other fine options. If you know someone who has developed the discipline of daily Bible reading, ask them about their experiences and routine, and what helps them hear God speaking through the Bible.
Prayer: God, stir in me a passion to read the Bible daily, and meditate on what I read. Give me the ability to understand, so that I can put your teachings into practice. Help the words of the Bible to not be just words on a page, but passageways of mercy into my heart. Amen.
Family Activity: In this season of thanksgiving and time of growing in authentic faith, encourage your family to create a Thanksgiving jar. Decorate some type of small, simple container such as a basket, jar or bucket. Place a stack of index cards or strips of paper next to the container along with pens, colored pencils or crayons. Every day, from now until Thanksgiving, invite each family member to grow in faith by writing or drawing a picture of something they can thank God for specific to that day. You can do this together at the same time or individually throughout the day. If you wish, your family can share these aloud each night at the dinner table, or you can save them and read them all at once on Thanksgiving. Either way, continue to add to them as you thank God!
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Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer
Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
• Derrick Rieke and family on the of his mother GeGe Rieke, 11/1
• Susana Kokoruda and family on the death of her father Ruben Martinez, 10/30
• Monique Exposito and family on the death of her son Blake Exposito, 10/29
• Barbara Ostby and family on the death of her husband Fred Ostby, 10/27
• Neil Ostby and family on the death of his father Fred Ostby, 10/27
• Carol Walje and family on the death of her mother Betty Swope, 10/27
• Janice Walje and family on the loss of her grandmother Betty Swope, 10/27
• Ruth and Joe Ceule and family on the death of her son Terry Johnson, 10/25
• Scott Brandt and family on the death of his mother Mary Antonio Brandt, 10/23
• Kathy Demarest and family on the death of her sister Ruthelyn “Lyn” Neyhart, 10/14
• Lilly and Chad Atcheson and family on the death of their son CJ Atcheson, 8/12
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The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
913.897.0120
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