Lots of clicks this week from my Monday post. Several tied for the highest, so I picked my favorite to feature on Friday. It’s my blog and I can do what I want. You won’t be disappointed with this short quote:
http://www.challies.com/quotes/without-money-and-arms
A few comments:
1. How important is money to carrying out kingdom work?
I do think this is somewhat cultural. But I don’t think it’s a lot. Certainly Jesus had only a few supporters and no “Jesus stash”. If you remember, he turned down the offer to be in control of all the kingdoms of the world. And that wasn’t his chosen method to spread the good news of God’s kingdom. This should be a POWERFUL reminder to us as believers.
2. We should be careful how much we value education.
I’ll probably get some flack for writing that, but I think it’s true. God saw fit to bring Jesus into the world without some of the amazing advances the world would witness over the next couple thousand years. This should help us and remind us that worldly standards simply aren’t necessary for spreading God’s kingdom. Are they helpful? Yes. But we should value how much emphasis we put on education. Then we’ll only think God can move through highly educated people – which is far from the truth.
3. Jesus was stinkin’ poor.
This goes a bit along with the money comments, but I find it incredibly striking to see that Jesus had such wide influence without money. He wasn’t constrained by all the trappings of wealth and he appealed to people who weren’t wealthy at all. This should really affect how we view the poor. Reading Luke 4:14-21 could be a huge help in understanding exactly why Jesus came.
Be challenged!
Have a great Friday everyone.