What does Jesus think about money?  Does he want us to be rich?  Does he want us to be poor?  Is money evil?  Is money a sign of God’s favor?

Jesus gives his perspective on wealth in successive accounts in the Gospels.

First, a man asks Jesus to tell his brother to share the family inheritance with him.  Jesus replies, “Be careful!  You need to be on guard against greed of every kind;  for true life is not determined by what a person has, even when he has far more than he needs.”  Luke 12:13-15.

Jesus then drove home this point with the parable of the rich fool, concluding,  “This is how it will turn out for those who stored up treasure for themselves but are not rich toward God.”  

Jesus then instructed his disciples even further, talking to them about worrying about earthly things.  Using the birds of the air and the flowers of the field as illustrations, Jesus points out how His Father takes care of His creation.  His point, “Make the kingdom of God your central concern, and God will provide whatever you may need.”

Jesus concludes, “The purse that holds your treasure should be your heavenly purse…  The important point is that wherever you store your treasure, that is where your heart will be.

The priority we place on money…  what we are willing to do to get it, what we do with it when we have it, how we view other people who do or don’t have it…  reveals the condition of our heart.  God is less concerned with the size of our bank account than He is with the size of our heart.

What does my perspective on money reveal about my heart?

The priority we place on money also reveals the condition of our faith.  Who, or possibly what, are we placing our faith in?  Is our confidence, our faith, in the size of our bank account or the size of our God?

What does my perspective on money reveal about my faith?

Father, may your heart continue to shape my heart towards money.   I want to be rich toward You, putting You and Your kingdom first, and by doing so, storing up treasure in heaven.

In Luke 9:51-56, Jesus sets out for Jerusalem to carry out his redemptive mission. He’s heading toward the cross.  Along the way, he invites some men to follow him, but gets what we would probably consider legitimate excuses.

“Let me take care of my dying father.”  

“Let me say good-bye to my family.”  

Jesus’ reply seems calloused.  “Don’t put your hand to the plow and look back.”  He knows what awaits them in Jerusalem.  Half-hearted or divided commitment will not do.  They are on a mission.

Right after this, Jesus sends out the 70, telling them the harvest is great but the workers are few.  Could these men with excuses have been on his mind when he spoke about the great harvest and the few workers?  Could they have been added to the 70 if they weren’t half-hearted with divided loyalties?  We read that the 70 returned with great joy.  They were used by God in a mighty way.  Could this joy and filling with power have been experienced by those potential followers?  What did their excuses cost them?

Jesus, what great adventure are you inviting me on?   I don’t want to miss it!   When excuses begin to creep into my thinking, help me to remember the joy that awaits when I unreservedly obey.

“Jesus, who for the joy set before him endured the cross…”  Hebrews 12:2

Jesus, for the joy set before me, I will take up my cross, deny myself, and follow you!

Where does mountain-moving faith come from?   Can faith be developed, or do you just “have it?”  Does God still move mountains?

Immediately after the Transfiguration (Matthew 17, Mark 9, Luke 9), Jesus comes down from the mountain with Peter, James and John to find the other disciples in what some would call “a pickle.”   A man’s son is demonized by seizures.  The disciples tried but failed to heal the boy.  Seeing Jesus, the boy’s father pleads with him to have mercy and heal his son.

“It (the demon) has often thrown him in the fire or water to kill him.  But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

I’m convicted by Jesus’ reply.

“If you can?  Everything is possible for him who believes.”

The father’s reply is how I too feel most of the time.

“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

After Jesus cast out the demon, healed the boy, and helped him to his feet, the disciples asked Jesus why they couldn’t cast out the demon.

Jesus told them, “Because you have so little faith.  I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move.  Nothing will be impossible for you.”

I want that kind of faith.  Don’t you?  Faith that moves mountains.  Faith that accomplishes the impossible.  But what’s the secret to that kind of faith?

And then Jesus said, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”

I had always looked at this account and thought that Jesus was telling them they needed faith-filled prayer to accomplish his work…  and I think that’s what he was telling them…  but not how I envisioned.   Jesus isn’t saying that prayer will be what unlocks the miracle. Jesus doesn’t cast out this demon with prayer.   So where does prayer come in?  Jesus had a rhythm and routine of prayer, going to the garden in Jerusalem or a cave on the mountainside in Galilee.  From his time with the Father, Jesus drew strength and received direction.

Here Jesus connects faith and prayer.   In our intimacy with our Father, our faith grows.  We learn to trust Him in everything and ask Him for anything.  We can ask Him to move the mountains in our life, the mountains in our ministry, the mountains of adversity.  And He will!

Where is our focus?  When we look at the size of the mountains, we say “it’s impossible!”  When we look at the size of our God, we say “nothing is impossible!”  We gain that kind of faith-filled perspective the closer we get to our Father.

“This kind comes out only by prayer.”  Not a magic bullet, faith-filled super prayer…  but from a heart full of faith because I’m spending enough time with the Father (in prayer) to know and trust His heart.

I like how Robert Mounce harmonizes the Gospel accounts of Jesus as the Bread of Life, the Feeding of the 4000, and Peter’s Confession of Christ.  He connects John 6:67-71 with Matthew 16:13-20.  First, we read of many deserting Jesus, following him no longer.  After Jesus tells them he is the Bread of Life and they must “eat his flesh and drink his blood,” we read that many of his disciples responded, “This is a hard teaching.  Who can accept it?”   Jesus then asks the Twelve, “You are not going to leave me also?”  Peter replies, “Lord, to whom would we go?  You are the one whose words give eternal life. We are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”

Flowing directly from Peter’s declaration in John 6 into Jesus’ conversation with the disciples in Matthew 16 provides a powerful amplification of Peter’s confession.  

Who was Jesus?  Who did He claim to be?  Who did others think He was?  What difference does it make?

Jesus ministry in Jerusalem, His interaction with the religious crowd, and the events surrounding the death of John the Baptist give us insight into Jesus’ true nature (Matthew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9, John 5-6).

Jesus’ words to the Jewish authorities in John 5 are some of the most powerful declarations he makes regarding his identity.

“I can do nothing on my own, but only what I see my Father doing.”
“The Father loves me.”
“I give life to those I choose.”
“The Father has made the Son judge of all, honor me as much as you honor Him.”
“He has given me authority to judge because I am the Son of Man.”
“I can do nothing on my own.”
“The miracles I do were assigned to me by my Father and they prove conclusively that I was sent by the Father.”

Jesus boldly declares his Deity.  He is the Father’s Son… He is the Son of Man…  He is to be honored equally with the Father…  His miracles prove the Father sent Him.

Jesus’ statements also poignantly declare his dependency and humility in being made fully human.  I do nothing on my own… I only do what I see the Father doing. 

Jesus Christ, sent as our Savior; sent as our Lord; sent as our Model.  Oh, to know Him personally and to pursue Him passionately…  to be a disciple of His like Peter, James and John.  To have a relationship with Him that’s as real, as personal, as my relationships with my closest of friends or even  my family.  To have a relationship with Him that inspires reverence, awe and worship that’s more profound than any emotion I’ve ever experienced with another human being.  To be an intimate of the Almighty.  That is my desire!

The Apostle Paul declared in Philippians 3:10 “I want to know Christ!”  Knowing the real Jesus changes everything!  My Past…  changed!  My Present… changed!  My Future… changed!  Knowing Jesus changes EVERYTHING!!!

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

It was evident to all who knew Jesus, to all who heard him teach, to all who saw how he treated people, that Jesus was “playing by a different set of rules.”

In  Matthew 13, Mark 4 and Luke 8,13 we find Jesus teaching with parables on the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven.  The parables of the Sower, the Seed growing in Secret, the Weeds and the Wheat, the Mustard Seed, the Fermented Dough, the Hidden Treasure, the Pearl of great Price, the Net, Gems of Truth…

The overall flavor of these parables seems to be the invitation to passionately pursue the things of God (His Kingdom), discarding distraction, because the reward is great.

What is the reward for those living by the principles that govern the Kingdom of God?  What makes the pursuit of this Kingdom worth it?  The reward in His Kingdom is HIM!!!  The reward IS the King himself!!!  The reward is God…  knowing God, being loved by God, loving Him in return.  In Him and HIM alone we find our Security, our Satisfaction and our Significance!  And He’s not just our King, He’s our Daddy!

Which Kingdom are you pursuing today?  What’s the reward you’re seeking after?  As you think about your priorities, choices, actions and words, is it evident that you’re playing by a different set of rules from this world we live in?

Do you and I understand the depths of God’s grace and the forgiveness we’ve received through Jesus Christ?  How has that understanding shaped our relationship with God?

In Luke 7, we read the beautiful story of a woman finding Jesus at Simon’s house.   Simon, a Pharisee, has invited Jesus to dinner and is put off by Jesus allowing “this kind of woman” to kiss his feet.  What kind of woman was she?   Could she have been a prostitute?  Could this be the same woman Jesus forgives and rescues from an angry mob ready to stone her for adultery in John 8?   Likely not.  The Feeding of the 5000 comes in Luke 9, after this story.  In John’s Gospel, we read this same story in chapter 6, before the adulterous woman account account in John 8.

How did this woman respond to being in Jesus’ love and acceptance for her?   She wept.  Her tears fell on his feet.  She wiped them up with her hair.  She took her expensive perfume and anointed his feet, and then she kissed his feet repeatedly.  Wow!  Such an overwhelming display of humility.  Such extravagant gratitude.

What is Jesus’ response?  What does He say?   This woman loves much because she has been forgiven much.   Simon is scolded by Jesus for nor demonstrating love and gratitude.   Simon doesn’t see the magnitude of his own sin.  Simon sees himself as righteous, as good enough.

Oh, how often I approach my Savior more like Simon rather than like this woman.  I forget the magnitude of my sin and the extravagance of God’s grace.  How about you?

“He who has been forgiven much loves much.”

Father, help me to see my sin for what it is so I can see your grace for what it is.  I want to love much!

As followers of Jesus Christ, we’ve been enlisted.

In Matthew 9-11 and Luke 7 & 12, Jesus continues his ministry throughout Galilee with the Twelve (and possibly others).  He tells them “the harvest is great but the workers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send more workers.”

Jesus’ words here remind me of the famous slogan:  The Few, The Proud, The Marines!  

The power of the Few…  those who are fully committed to the cause…  those who are equipped and deployed to the front lines…  those who charge the gates of hell confident they will prevail.  If just 10% are fully committed to the cause, they can effectively impact the other 90%.  Movements begin with the Few.

Immediately after this, Jesus commissions the Twelve, giving them authority and sending them out on mission to preach and to cast out demons.

Jesus shares the vision… the harvest is great.

Jesus shares the need… the workers are few.

Jesus gives the challenge…  I am sending you.

Jesus gives the caution…  rejection, hatred, betrayal and persecution await.

Jesus asks for commitment…  take up your cross and follow me.

Robert Mounce’s interpretation of Mt 10:23 is interesting. “You will not fulfill your mission throughout the towns of Israel before the Son of Man returns victorious from the grave.”  The NIV and others interpret it “before the Son of Man comes.”  I love the picture Mounce gives. Victorious from the grave!  The challenge is huge.  The cost is great.  But remember this.  Victory has been secured!   We WIN!

Now I’m pumped just thinking about that!!!

How differently would you and I approach the mission Jesus has given us- to proclaim the Gospel to all creation and make disciples of all nations- if we lived confidently believing that victory had been secured?

My faith is challenged when I read of Jesus’ healing ministry in Galilee…  the Centurion’s servant, the widow’s only son, the Gadarene demoniac, Jairus’s daughter, the bleeding woman, two blind men. (Matthew 8-9, Mark 4-5, Luke 7-8, Jonn 4)  My faith isn’t challenged by Jesus’ power to heal, but rather by those who dared to ask.

Yes, I’m struck by Jesus’ power to heal, his willingness to heal, and him inviting us to have faith.  In most of these stories, the person Jesus healed was not yet a follower of His.  We’re told that the Centurion and everyone in his family became believers.  We can only assume that the others that were healed also became followers of Christ.  Wouldn’t you?

Intellectually, I believe God can heal.  I know it is possible.  Maybe it’s my Baptist upbringing.  Maybe it’s my North American perspective (sad for us).  But the reality is, I don’t have faith like the Centurion.  I don’t have faith like the bleeding woman.  I don’t have faith like the two blind men.  I believe it’s possible, but I’m not willing to really believe that God will heal. We say, “If it’s God’s will,” but then never believe that God will.

What does Jesus think of the Centurion’s faith?

When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.”  Matthew 8:10

Jesus was astonished at the Centurion’s faith.  What does He think of my faith?  What does He think of yours?

Father, I want the faith of the Centurion, of the bleeding woman, of the blind man.  Faith like a child coming and asking their Daddy, who they know can and hope (not wishful thinking but confident expectation) will do what they ask.  I want you to be astonished by my faith.

Do you believe God can answer your prayers?  Better yet, do you pray believing that God will answer your prayers?

The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 contains many familiar themes to Jesus’ teaching in Luke 6, where he is with his disciples and the crowd on a level place.  Are Matthew and Luke describing the same sermon?  If so, is the “level place” a plateau on the “mount” where Jesus delivers the message Matthew records?

Each account contains a version of the Beatitudes, which offers this faith-bolstering promise:

“Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.”  Luke 6:22-23

Jesus spoke these words, knowing that it was exactly what would happen to him.  Am I willing to risk acceptance, reputation, comfort, even ego for the cause of Christ?

Jesus says, “Great is your reward in heaven.”  I wonder what that “great reward” looks like?  Whatever it is, it will be great enough to cause us to leap with excitement and joy.  Being in the presence of our Father, experiencing unhindered fellowship with the Almighty, is the greatest reward imaginable.  But  still, other rewards await us in heaven that will bring great joy.  It’s fun to let our minds run with that thought.

The reality for all of us who choose to follow Christ is this.  The closer we get to Jesus, the more of a target we become…  a target of this world and the Enemy who rules it.

What makes following Jesus- even when life is difficult or we’re under attack- worth it?  What makes following Jesus worth it for you?