The Posture of Our Hearts

The comments from the post a couple of days ago about the stewardship of resources have helped me continue to "chew" on the principles involved. Thank you!


It seems to boil down to this: Each of the challenging areas of this life offers an opportunity to examine and adjust the posture of our hearts before the Lord. For example: 

• the use of our time and what choices in that area reveal about our values, 
• the discipline and training of our children and how that process reveals so much about what is in our hearts
• our response to a difficult person in a position of authority over us and what our response reveals about the pride or humility in our spirits
• less than perfect health and how that tends to bring out the essence of what is in our souls

So in that context, the discussion of the stewardship of resources is bigger than simply the choices made in spending or saving money.

Those to whom many resources are entrusted are not necessarily "evil," as many of those in the current Occupy Wall Street protests would have us believe. Similarly, those who have very few resources are not automatically "righteous."


We live in a very affluent town and I know many millionaires. There are some who are selfish and greedy and some who are extremely benevolent and generous. Their resources simply magnify their hearts. Those who truly are loving and generous would still be loving and generous if all their money evaporated tomorrow. If, however, that sudden economic transformation changed them, the true posture of their hearts would be revealed as having placed their trust in the provision instead of the Provider. 


What if the Lord, in His Sovereign Wisdom and Purpose, asked us to simply walk away from the life we had "built" for ourselves? Would we follow Him? Wherever He led? Or would our houses and cars and stuff anchor us to this earth so that we chose to remain with those possessions rather than dwell physically in His Presence, when issued the invitation? Do our possessions possess us? If the Spirit asked us to give away more than we thought we could "afford," would we eagerly hand it over, viewing it as a challenge to step into an adventure with Him? Or would we wince and squirm, looking for some good excuse not to comply?


Mark 10:17 and following:
As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

    “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”

  “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

  Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

  At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

  Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”

  The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

  The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”

  Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

  Peter said to him, “We have left everything to follow you!”

    “I tell you the truth,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

The issue wasn't the man's money. It was how he felt about his money. 


Compare that story with the one about Ananias and Sapphira:


Acts 5:1-10
 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.

  Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God.”

  When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.

  About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”

   “Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”

  Peter said to her, “How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”

  At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

Ananias and Sapphira were generous enough to sell their property, but their motivation was personal glory. Their use of money revealed what was in their hearts.

Back to the story in Mark for a moment. When the Lord stated that it is harder for a rich man to enter the Kingdom than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, and the disciples asked who, then, could be saved, "Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

If He chose to bless us with great financial resources, does it have to bring a curse? Or is it possible to use it all for His Glory, just like an outstanding speaker or teacher or musician can use their incredible gifts for His Glory? 


And then there's the parable of the talents.

Matthew 25:20-21

“After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’

    “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’--Was the servant entrusted with more so that he would fall into the "money trap?" 


Or was it intended to further his growth and maturation so that he have broader influence and be able to bless a larger number of those around him? 


Doesn't more responsibility handled for His Glory increase what He can do through us? 


Still chewing on it all.