Money and Stuff: Money isn't everything

A little over a week ago 189 people died in terrible bushfires in Victoria. The people that survived the fires know all too well the true value of things. On TV I watched one resident exhorting an old lady whose house had burned to the ground – “This is nothing! This can be replaced!”. Another person talked about how relationships are the "real" and "essential" things in life. Similarly, Jesus said that “a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15).

What those people have learned remains true even when life is good and our possessions are intact. Money is Good and things are Good (1 Timothy 6:17), but they’re not everything. There are better things than physical riches. Relationships and spiritual riches are better by far.

Spiritual, eternal riches are also more secure than money. Money is unreliable and passing away (Ecclesiastes 5:13-14; Mathew 6:19; 1 Timothy 6:17). Anything can happen. Eternal riches are far more worthy of trust (Mathew 6:20).

And those eternal riches will include physical blessing. God has made us to be physical and to live in a physical world. Heaven will be a beautiful, abundant, peaceful, joyous, physical place and we will have physical bodies there (Revelation 21 & 22; 1 Corinthians 15). That’s what we have to look forward to.

But now is not the time for guaranteed physical riches. Being a Christian does not mean that you will have lots of money and stuff. It means you have something far better and more lasting (Matthew 13:44).

Think back to your life before you were a Christian. Were you happy? Did you feel secure? Did life make sense? Did you carry around regrets and guilt? Were you scared about dying? Did you screw up and disappoint yourself? Then think about what peace with God has meant for your life. Is this peace worth more than a house? More than sexy clothes? More than travel? The superiority of spiritual riches is not a trite platitude. It’s actually true: spiritual riches in real life, in lived experience, are actually better. They may not be visible but they are nonetheless real. “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?” (Matthew 16:26) But Christian, all is well with your soul.

Money and Stuff: Introduction

I’ve been having big struggles with money and with my attitude towards money for the past year. The situation and my decision making is all a bit complicated, so I won’t go into it. Suffice to say that, whether for noble or foolish reasons, I haven’t had quite enough money to live on - to live in (middle class) Australian culture that is. If I lived the way I do in most places in the world, I’d be considered very rich.

I’m sorry to say that, while I have some understanding of what a godly response to this situation should be, I've not reacted that way. My reaction has been one of regular moments of awful fear and stress and acute bitterness, envy, covetousness and discontentment. But I thank God that he hasn’t just left me to wallow in ugliness, but has enabled me to keep desiring to be better and to keep fighting.

One thing that has really helped me has been to look at what God has to say in some depth, thanks to the book Neither Poverty Nor Riches: A Biblical Theology of Possessions by Craig L. Blomberg (Illinois: Intervarsity Press, 1999). I have learned four main things – money isn’t everything; be content with enough; be generous with your surplus and don’t be greedy. I’m going to spend one post addressing each.

I'd also really appreciate your prayers as I keep on battling with this stuff. When something is taken from you, you learn the true measure of your attachment to it. I think greed is a big problem for Christians in rich countries, but we don't always realise it. So please let me know if I can pray for you too.

On Dangerous Ground

In a recent sermon Bernard Cane spoke about the shame we sometimes feel for being Christian. He described a typical spiritual conversation:

“Oh did you see that doco on SBS on Sunday night? It was really good!”

“Well I was at church on Sunday night actually.”

“ . . .”

“ . . .”

He went on to say that “It's a bit too generous, isn't it, to call those conversations sometimes. They're more non-conversations if anything. You know, there's such a stigma attached to being a Christian or being a church goer that, well you come within a bull's roar of Christianity and the pulse on the conversation just flatlines and you're waiting for the crashcart of any other topic of conversation to come along and, you know, give a bit of life back into things.”

I’m back in Tassie for the summer after a year at a Sydney Bible college, so this is a phenomona I’m very familiar with. It’s taken me a while to feel comfortable just telling people what I do, but I still find myself reluctant to speak any further. There's an almost palpable sense of approaching something taboo, something highly offensive, indecent and discourteous. These are some things that I find helpful:

• Recognise that, while good news, the Christian message is indeed profoundly offensive. At its heart, the Christian message is that whatever your efforts and successes, you and your listener are shot through with evil and are without hope in the world, heading for an eternity in hell. Christianity says there is only one solution to this situation – to sincerely confess your sinfulness to God so that he will forgive you, and to give your life over to following Jesus Christ. This is not the sort of thing we normally chat about.

• Remember that the Christian message is good news. We have been given the words of eternal life. However stupid or foolish or rude you feel, sharing the gospel is showing someone the way to life, rich and lovely and forever. You are doing nothing wrong by talking about your faith. In fact, you are being most kind.

• Remember that however confident, intelligent, kind or well adjusted your friends are, if they don’t know and honour the Lord Jesus, then they are acting with profound foolishness and sinfulness. They need to hear about and receive God’s mercy – just like you did and anyone does.

• As you talk to your friends remember to: fear God more than you fear their opinion, to be happy and proud to be God's child, to love and respect them, and to be humble.

• Pray at the outset and in the midst of conversation. You can just ask God to “Help!”.

• Even at its best, a spiritual conversation is probably going to feel awkward and a bit unsuccessful. Don’t retreat, stay with it. Don’t get hung up on failures along the way, persist with being friendly and aim for a generally clear conversation.

• If you can, think of one thing you’re aiming for in the conversation (eg that the person you're talking to would read Matthew/Mark/Luke/John, that you might outline the gospel, that you might explain how it is that people are not 'good enough'). Let other things pass.

• If you are worried about being discourteous, ask about their experience of church or their spiritual views.

• Remember that God is pleased to work through our feeble efforts. It doesn’t matter if you didn’t say something the best way. It’s not about getting it right, it’s about faithfully serving God.

• Pray for your friend after the conversation. Think back on how it went. If you need to get back to them about something, do so. If you need to apologise for something, do so. Work out how you might answer their questions better next time. You might want to get help from people who have the gift of evangelism.

• And be sure not to just hang about waiting for an opportunity to speak. Genuinely love your friends and acquaintances; get involved in their lives, care for them. Do the humble, undignified jobs that no one rushes to do (washing the dishes, entertaining the kids). Be there for them. Rejoice in their joys and mourn in their losses. Trust that God will give you opportunities to speak along the way.

The Creativity Within

"[T]he chief sources of variation in metrical composition reside within the norm itself. Indeed, modulation is possible only so long as the meter is respected. Only by adhering to the basic structure of the line can the poet achieve, within it, arresting or pleasing rhythms that point meaning and tone."

- T. Steele, All the Fun’s in How You Say a Thing (Athens: Ohio University Press, 1999) 39.

It’s within boundaries that we are most beautiful, creative and fulfilled, and, in a sense, most free. This is true in poetry, dance, music – and life. We have been made to live life under God and within his boundaries, and that is a beautiful way to live. It’s when we think that we will be happier free of his boundaries that we lose these things. It’s a discordant, degrading sort of freedom.

You Can Be Anti-Abortion and Pro-Women

Anti-abortionists are sometimes accused of persecuting troubled women. It's true that we do want abortion to be made a criminal act. This is because we think that aborting foetuses is killing new baby boys and girls. But it's about way more than criminalisation. We'd love to see Australia (and other countries) be the sort of place where newly conceived babies are actually treasured and protected; where Mums in crisis receive good support; where overseas travel, career advancement or buying a house aren't prioritised over children's lives.

People are against abortion because they care for the vulnerable. So the assumption that people who are against abortion don't care about distressed, confused, vulnerable Mums makes no sense. Of course, so much energy can be spent protecting babies that none is left for their Mums. This is bad and I'm sorry for it. But I don't think the answer is to forget the kids and focus only on their Mums, especially as having an abortion is often a profoundly traumatic and distressing experience for women.

Quiet Time Guilt

Thanks to Christine for this (facebook) link.

Wise Advice

I've received all sorts of wise advice, but here's some that sticks with me.

• Your relationship with God is like any relationship - you have to MAKE TIME FOR IT.
  
• Don't be modest about your godliness - for it's not your own work, it is God who is keeping and growing you.
• The key to not burning out in ministry is to have a narrow focus.
  
• It's better to be profoundly broken and weak than to put on a brave face.
  
• To die is to live!

I thank the people who God used to give me such good advice.

What advice has stayed with you?