“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.”

— 1 Timothy 6:6-7

Do you ever feel caught up in “keeping up with the Joneses”? Do you often feel a twinge of jealousy when a neighbor or friend shows off a new purchase, or are you content with what you own?

Many people are in love with this world’s goods whether they have them or not. I think of a man who started out well. He succeeded in business. He lived his life as John Wesley encouraged: “Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can.” This man tithed regularly, and God blessed him as he did so.

But as this man became more and more prosperous, he found tithing more and more difficult. One day he came to Peter Marshall, the famous Senate chaplain of decades ago, and said, “Dr. Marshall, I have a problem. I’ve tithed now for some time. It wasn’t too bad when I made $20,000 a year. I could afford to give the $2,000. But, you see, doctor, I now make $500,000 a year, and there’s just no way I can afford to give away $50,000 a year.”

Dr. Marshall said, “Yes, sir. I see that you do have a problem. I think we ought to pray about it. Dear Lord, this man has a problem, and I pray that you will help him. Lord, reduce his salary back to the place where he can afford to tithe.”

This man started out having mastery over things, but ultimately things had mastery over him. Maybe you know someone like this man . . . maybe it’s you.

Money makes a wonderful servant but a terrible lord. Yet many people are completely enslaved by it. They give all their thoughts to money. If they’re not thinking about how to get more of it, they’re thinking of how to hold on to what they have. That is a form of slavery.

Many people have lived in small cottages and managed to gain very little of this world’s goods. Yet their hearts were fixed upon God. Some Christians are poor; some are wealthy. The important thing is “godliness with contentment.” These two combined are “great gain.”

Are you the master of your money and possessions, or are they your master? If you find that the latter is true, pray that God will reverse that trend, and then watch as He answers your prayers.

“Own your possessions. Don’t let your possessions own you.”
Anonymous

“[Abraham] did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strengthened in faith…and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.”

— Romans 4:20-21

Are you fully convinced that what God has promised He is able to perform? If you’d like a surefire way to test the strength of your faith, then stretch your wings in the area of stewardship. Tithe as God has commanded, and watch Him perform as He has promised in Scripture. Paul tells us, “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” We need to trust God’s promise, go about our daily work, and know that He will supply all we need. God gives a second promise that goes beyond the first one. God has said, “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse…and prove Me now in this . . . if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it” (Malachi 3:10). And God makes yet another promise which goes beyond the first two. We find this promise in Mark 10:29-30, where Jesus says to us, “There is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time . . . and in the age to come, eternal life.”

You might consider today’s standard of living and balk at giving away some of your hard-earned money. But we all need to keep in mind that our God is not limited by inflation or other problems with the economy. The only thing that limits God is our unbelief. Stewardship and God’s fulfillment of His promises aren’t matters of money; they’re matters of faith.

Do you believe that God can and will do all He has promised? Then put your money where your mouth is. Exercise your faith by being a good steward of all He has given you. If you refuse to waver in the face of God’s promises, being fully convinced that He can fulfill them, you’ll find that He will abundantly bless you.

“We cannot serve God and mammon,
but we can serve God with mammon.”
Robert Speer

“For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.”

— 2 Thessalonians 3:10

Do you dread going to work or tending house, viewing labor as a curse on your life because of the Fall? Well, it isn’t. Before sin ever touched this earth, God commanded Adam to tend the garden. God created us to have meaningful employment and to earn our keep. And He created a context in which we could live and prosper.

God reveals that context in His Word. While the Bible isn’t an economics textbook, it does say a great deal about how we can thrive. The Bible says that if a person does not work, that person shall not eat. (Of course, this principle doesn’t refer to a person unable to work.) The Eighth Commandment, “Thou shalt not steal,” makes it clear that we can own property, ruling out certain economic systems such as communism. In fact, I believe free enterprise is a Biblical principle. Most people didn’t understand this until 1776, when Adam Smith wrote his famous book on economics, The Wealth of Nations. This book sparked the worldwide spread of capitalism. Before that time, most people lived a hand-to-mouth existence, spending about ninety percent of their income on food. But between 1800 and 1850, wages quadrupled as people pursued scriptural economic principles, and from 1850 to 1900, wages quadrupled again. This was especially true in America, where free enterprise had its freest reign.

But in this century, we’ve turned from some of those Biblical principles. A misapplication of the concepts of justice and charity have created in our nation “social justice” (in other words, welfare). Public welfare is neither just nor charitable, because it forcibly takes money from one person and gives it to another. Public welfare also tempts people to take advantage of public money and to fight for as much of it as they can get. It destroys private charity and creates vice and laziness.

I challenge you to apply Biblical principles of economics in your life and to cultivate a responsible work ethic. Resolve today that whatever task comes your way, you’ll work for God’s honor and glory. As you do, He will bless you for your obedience.

“America will last until the populace discovers it can vote for
itself largess [gifts or handouts] out of the public treasury.”
Alexis De Tocqueville

“. . . God is love.”

— 1 John 4:8

In the beginning, God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” As He did so, He made us able to give and receive love in relationships with each other and with Him. He created us in His perfect love.

But now we bear few signs of that love. In our sinfulness, we have distorted His kingly nature and have all but destroyed the image of God in us. And with that, we have distorted and destroyed our experience of love.

How can we love again as God created us to love? On our own, we can do nothing to restore God’s image or His perfect love within us. No effort or striving can perform the task. A little child can take an egg in his hand and crush it, but all the skill in the world could never restore it. All the knowledge, power, and technology that can split atoms and place man on the moon cannot restore that egg to its original form. How much less can we, by our own wisdom or strength, restore God’s image—His perfect love—to our souls.

But in Christ, love is restored. Christ pours His love on humankind as He poured out His life in atonement for our sins. Though we’re unworthy, Christ’s sacrifice lights the fragile flame of love in our hearts, making it burn strong and clear. As the flame of Christ’s love ignites each of us, those around us will catch the fire, and Christ will restore His love to the whole world.

Today let God fill your heart with His love, and as He does, let His love flow through you to those around you. One by one, as He restores His love to each of us, He’ll restore His love to the whole world.

“From heaven [love] came, to heaven returneth.”
Robert Southey

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

— 2 Corinthians 5:7

Have you ever said to yourself or to someone close to you, “I just don’t feel that I have faith”? Have you ever doubted the steadfastness of your belief in God because you didn’t feel happy or excited about your relationship with Jesus Christ?

Many Christians confuse faith with feelings. They think that if they really have faith, they’ll feel certain emotions. But faith isn’t based on feelings. Feelings are like the waves of the sea, in constant motion and continual change. Our feelings change from day to day and from hour to hour. But faith underlies all of that like the rock beneath the waves. Faith is about trusting in Jesus Christ, who never changes.

One day Martin Luther, that great man of faith, experienced one of his frequent periods of depression. While in this depression, Luther’s arch-enemy, Satan, came to him and asked if he felt his sins had been forgiven. Luther responded that he knew that his sins were forgiven because God had declared that truth in His Word. The Scripture does not say, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, then thou shalt feel saved,” but “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” And so, even as he felt depressed, Luther had faith based on scriptural truth.

Charles Spurgeon tells us that a good illustration of faith is the limpet. The limpet is a small creature that dwells by the sea and clings to rocks. If you manage to sneak up on one and strike it with a stick, it falls from the rock. But if you hit a neighboring limpet, the first limpet becomes aware of potential danger. At that point, you can hit that limpet until you break your stick, and it will never fall off because it clings to the rock for its life. “That,” said Spurgeon, “is an illustration of faith.”

Faith is clinging to Jesus Christ, not some fleeting feeling. So no matter how you feel today, tenaciously hold onto Jesus Christ. When in doubt, don’t gauge your faith by your feelings. Go to God’s Word, and read His promises. Stake your faith on God’s promises, clinging to them for your very life, because when the waves of your emotions roll over you, God’s promises will remain steady beneath you.

“Often our feelings have more to do with
our digestion than with our religion!”

“Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.”

— Genesis 11:9

Have you ever visited a foreign land and tried to get directions from a native? Perhaps you’ve felt the relief of finding someone who speaks a tongue you both know. Or perhaps you’ve experienced the uncertainty and confusion of getting nonverbal directions from someone who doesn’t speak your language.

All that confusion began with the Tower of Babel. Until the time of the Tower of Babel, all people spoke the same language. Because they could understand each other, they could collaborate to build a spectacular tower that would reach the heavens, a tower intended to be the center of civilization.

People of all civilizations have built magnificent towers, but the builders of the Tower of Babel caught God’s attention. Why? Because of their motive for building this tower: making a name for themselves. The builders of the Tower of Babel didn’t want to build the City of God; they wanted to build the City of Humankind. All was for the glory of humanity, for dominion over others, and for the glory of self. God recognized that because these people had one language and were united, they would accomplish not only this project but also anything else they decided to do. So God intervened. The problem, God said, was that the people were unified. That has a strange ring to our ears. Why? Because we’re always told to seek unity, not division. And yet God divided these people. He saw their unity and decided it could mean only harm. God knows that the heart of humankind is sinful and that the unity people create among themselves always inclines toward evil. So God confused them. He diversified their speech and scattered them.

But in Christ, all curses are reversed, including this one. On the Day of Pentecost, what do we see? People speaking in tongues previously unknown to them. Through the Spirit of Christ we discover a unity that is holy and good. We see people from all nations, tribes, and languages uniting in Him, the head of the Church. Are you experiencing confusion and division between yourself and someone else? Perhaps you’re not speaking the “same language.” You’re experiencing the impact of our fallen nature. But you also know where the remedy comes from—Jesus Christ. Invite His Spirit to bring unity between you and others today.

“They that have despised the word of God,
from them shall the word of man also be taken.”
C. S. Lewis, “The Curse of Babel” From That Hideous Strength

“So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.”

— Luke 5:16

When was the last time you sat still and stared into space? I’m not talking about the short daydreams that float through your mind during the day. I mean true, relaxed, uninterrupted, peaceful nothingness. Have you had any of that lately?

We lead busy lives, and because of our many commitments, we tend to keep going and going. We look for results in everything we do, and if we do something that produces nothing, we view the time spent as wasted.

But we need that time of space, of nothingness. We need to pull ourselves away from the hustle and bustle to regroup, reflect, rejuvenate. Jesus, our great example in life, often withdrew. He had thousands of people to minister to and heal. He had disciples to teach and only three short years to get the job done. Yet despite His great mission of saving the world, He took time away, spending time alone with His Father.

Life is a pilgrimage, and as we travel, we need strength along the way. This journey is a struggle, a battle, warfare. And as good soldiers of Christ, we need strength to win that battle. We don’t gain that strength by continuing to strive. We gain it by waiting on the Lord. The prophet Isaiah declared the great truth that He who gives life can continually renew it. The Scripture reads, “Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:30-31). What a marvelous promise that is.

When we get physically or spiritually tired, we need quiet time with the Lord. A tree does not bear fruit always. It has seasons for blooming and seasons for growth and seasons for rest. So it is with us. We have times of service, then we need times to come away with God and allow Him to renew our strength.

Do you feel a little worn out today? Do you need strength to face the challenges before you? Then come away today. Spend some time alone with the Lord. Allow your Father to give you what you need—rest.

“Christians who don’t come apart for a while will just come apart.”
Anonymous

“Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.”

— Psalm 34:3

The doxology we sing in church summarizes well our true purpose in life: “Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise Him above ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.” The Westminster Catechism says that our chief end in life is to “glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”

Do you ever wonder how you can glorify God? First, we honor God by giving Him the praise and worship He deserves. When we acknowledge His greatness and His provision, we bring glory to His name. But we can magnify the Lord in everything else we do as well. I believe that if we determine to use our God-given talents, time, strength, and wisdom to glorify Him, we find ourselves involved in something exciting, something bigger than ourselves. As we do our jobs well, we glorify our Father. As we strive to cultivate loving and happy families, we glorify our Father. When we share the Good News of Christ and introduce men and women to His kingdom, we glorify our Father.

By doing all for God’s glory, we fulfill God’s purpose for us. Johann Sebastian Bach certainly glorified God in his life. Many musicians consider Bach the greatest musician who ever lived. On his music scores are phrases such as “Soli Deo Gloria,” which means “To God alone be the glory.” William Wilberforce, the great evangelical statesman, brought glory to the Lord as he strove to end slavery in the entire British Empire. While God hasn’t necessarily called you to be a Bach or a Wilberforce, you can bring glory to His name whoever you are and with whatever unique talents and gifts you have. Today, seek to glorify God in all you do. This focus will give your life a grand and magnificent purpose.

“In commanding us to glorify Him,
God is inviting us to enjoy Him.”
C. S. Lewis

“Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”

— John 12:21

Do you feel a little low, as if your spiritual gas tank is on empty? Has the fire of Christ’s joy within you dwindled to an ember? If so, you’re not alone. In fact, you’re in very good company. Many people in the Bible experienced the same weariness and loss of zeal. David cried, “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation” (Psalm 51:12). Solomon said, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Proverbs 13:12). Job lamented, “May the day perish on which I was born, and the night in which it was said, ‘A male child is conceived’” (Job 3:3). Moses entreated, “I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me. If You treat me like this, please kill me here and now” (Numbers 11:14-15). Paul explained, “For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life” (2 Corinthians 1:8).

What causes spiritual weariness? Often we find ourselves spiritually drained because we have unconfessed and unrepented sin in our lives. I once left my car parked at the beach on a windy, humid day. When I returned several hours later, the windshield was coated with a thick, salty encrustation. I could hardly remove the salty layer with the windshield wipers. Unconfessed sin does the same thing to the soul. It clouds it and takes away its sparkle. Do you have unconfessed sin weighing you down and tiring you out?

We also grow spiritually weary when we lead hurried lives. As we do more and more for Christ, we have less and less time to spend in private devotions, our time of spiritual rejuvenation. Our lives become like the bottom of a soda sucked dry through a straw. The Bible tells us, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Can you set aside some extra time today to rest in your Father’s arms?

Sometimes we lose our spiritual edge because we’ve taken our eyes off our Savior and Lord. As we walk across the sea of life, we can stay on top of the tumultuous waves as long as we focus on Jesus. But when we look away, the breakers come crashing in and knock us down. Do you need to refocus your spiritual sights on your Savior today?

“God, I pray Thee, light these idle sticks of my life, that I may
burn for Thee. Consume my life, my God, for it is Thine.”
Jim Elliot
(MARTYRED MISSIONARY)

“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.”

— 1 Timothy 2:5

Have you ever stood on one side of a canyon and marveled at the canyon’s depth and breadth? Can you imagine what it would take to bridge such a chasm?

Our sinfulness has created an unfathomable chasm between us and God, but Christ has bridged it. He is our Mediator, the One who connects us to God the Father. How do we know this? First of all, Jesus said so. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, but by me.” Jesus said this because He is God, the Creator of the world, the One who existed before anything else existed. He promised that one day He would come in the flesh to save us, and He did. He conquered the power of sin and death.

Second, no one else has the qualifications for the job. Sin separates us from God, and only a sinless mediator can remove it. Buddha, Mohammed, and Confucius all taught that certain behaviors would enable humans to reach God, but they themselves never promised to save anybody. And even if they had made such a promise, they could never have come through. Like us, they were sinful human beings. They had no power to save, and we can never save ourselves regardless of the number of good deeds we do. The Bible teaches that we are saved by grace, by believing in Christ. Christ promises to save all who believe in Him, and He can follow through on His promise because He is sinless and because He is God.

As our mediator, Christ exercises a three-fold office. He is prophet, priest, and King. As prophet, He saves us from our ignorance of sin. The greatest prophet the world has ever known, Christ seasoned His words with grace, and the common people heard Him gladly. As priest, He saves us from the guilt of sin. He was a perfect priest because, being sinless, He could offer Himself as a perfect and holy sacrifice, paying for our sin once and for all. As King, He saves us from the dominion of sin over our lives. He is the King of kings before whom every knee shall bow.

Today give thanks that Christ has become your mediator, building a bridge between you and God the Father.

“The devil would have us set
ourselves forth as our own savior.”