“But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself. Selah
Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases.” Psalm 49:15–16 Here’s a question for contemplation: Are you overawed by riches? In my youth, there is no doubt that I was. My mother cleaned the house of a young, wealthy couple in the thriving metropolis of Aurora, Oregon. Though by today’s standards this house would not seem so amazing—in the 80’s and from the perspective of a boy living on a gravel road—it was a mansion. But what truly impressed me, as a boy, were the cars that sat in the drive. Not so much the Jag, but the cherry red Ferrari parked next to it. And, of course, he didn’t simply pick one out at a local dealer, he flew to Italy to get just the right one. They were quintessential yuppies without kids. That might explain why they gave my brother and I the nicest gift we’d ever gotten for Christmas—matching boom boxes—quite a gift in the early 80’s. I would certainly experience other times where I was overawed by wealth in my youth—like when the father of one of my school mates drove up in a Porsche or when I saw my first boss’s BMW. Come to think of it, there seems to be a bit of a theme here—sporty cars. Maybe that is why I had an infatuation with Porches when I was young. Like Madonna said “we are living in a material world”…and I swallowed it, hook, line and sinker! But between my junior and senior year in high school, God got a hold of me. It was while on a Continental Singers tour when I came to find that faith was much more than just going to church camp and that Christ invited me to experience a personal, living relationship with Him. Very quickly, my passion for Porsches began to fade. And my life-long aspirations of becoming a wealthy business man were replaced with the sense that I was called to Kingdom work. Even so…even so, I wonder how much of a residue remains of this overt awe at wealth? It is hard not to be impressed by amazing cars and gorgeous homes. And we have quite a few of both in Seattle. But it isn’t just awe at the nice things others have, it is an over-appreciation for nice things for ourselves. The Bible doesn’t condemn having nice things. Job was never condemned for his wealth. But the Bible does condemn our proclivity to trust in wealth, to be devoted to nice things, to idolize temporary pleasures. Yet if I learned anything from my youth, it is that money can’t buy me love, or joy, or peace. The truth is, all of the examples of wealthy people I saw as a youth seemed to be conspicuously lacking when it came to love, joy and peace. But even more significant are the eternal questions surrounding wealth. How much wealth does it take to purchase a ticket to heaven? How much money do you need to be raised from the dead? The answer is simple—all the wealth in the world couldn’t even provide a down payment on eternal riches. This helps to provide eternal perspective on wealth—especially when combined with the fact that “you can’t take it with you.” As Psalm 49:17 says, “for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will descend with him.” To take it one step further, not only will wealth not be a help when it comes to heaven, Jesus declares it can be a powerful hindrance. All three synoptic Gospels record Jesus’ words, “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” (Matthew 19:24). But if you revisit verse 15 above, you find that Psalm 49 isn’t all negative. In fact, it contains a very powerful and positive revelation…the psalmist’s hope in life beyond the grave. We take this kind of a hope for granted in the New Testament, but the theology of the afterlife was not a well developed theme in the Old Testament. Yet this psalmist knew, he trusted, he hoped in life after death. “But God will redeem my life….” When it comes to the eternal perspective on wealth, we tend to respond like the rich ruler who “became very sad” when Jesus told him to give his money to the poor (Luke 18:18ff). We get discouraged by the thought of parting with our money. But what we need to remember is that the only reason our heavenly Father does not want us to live for such things is because He offers us riches that are inestimably greater. Like St. Peter said to the guy hauling a suitcase filled with gold bars to the pearly gates, “you brought pavement!?!” During this season in which we celebrate Christ’s resurrection, may we be mindful that this is where our hope lies. And may we be faithful not to horde this great wealth but to share it with those around us!
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Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Revelation 2:4
These are the words of Christ to the church in Ephesus—the first of seven churches Jesus addresses in Revelation 2-3. These words are actually found in the middle of Jesus’ message for the Ephesian church. And they provide a stark contrast to Jesus’ opening message to this church. Jesus begins by commending the church for their deeds, their hard work, their perseverance, “You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.” These words of affirmation make the next statement rather jarring. “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.” How is it even possible that a church doing so much good could neglect the most important thing? How do we know it’s the most important thing? Christ, Himself, told us it was in Matthew 22:37 (cf. Mark 12:30 and Luke 10:27). When He was asked about the greatest commandment in the law, Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’” These words are set in double quotes on purpose, because Jesus is actually quoting the Shema of Deuteronomy 6:5. And so, the Ephesian believers were neglecting what was most important, not only according to the New Testament, but according to the Old Testament. They were forsaking their first duty—to love God! I can think of few statements Christ could make more devastating than this one. Forsaken our first love? There is only one other instance in the New Testament where the word forsaken is found—and it is in the words of Christ from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This only makes Christ’s charge against the church in Ephesus that much more painful. How could we forsake the very one who allowed Himself to be forsaken for us? Unthinkable! Impossible! The shortened form of this word, forsake, is also found once in the New Testament, in Hebrews 13:5, where God promises, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Again, this only makes the idea of us forsaking Him all the more disturbing. How could we forsake our God, the only One in all of creation who will never forsake us?!? At first blush, I am tempted to think, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” (Think Judas in Matthew 26:25.) But I find that I resonate well with the Ephesians in persevering, enduring hardships, not tolerating wickedness. However, it is too easy for me to minimize time in God’s presence and still feel as though everything’s fine. What Jesus makes clear is that if I am neglecting my love relationship with Him, then everything’s not fine. To the contrary, if I am lacking in that department, then I need to “Repent and do the things you did at first.” What were those things? For me, they include more heartfelt worship, greater passion in communing with God throughout the day, more persistent gratitude for His grace in my life. Jesus says that the way to prevent this tendency to let our first love dwindle is by doing first things. Some might look at this and argue, “What, am I supposed to go through the motions? Is that really going to help?” Actually, Jesus says, “Yes, go through the motions!” It reminds me, years ago, of a conversation I had with a man who had only just come to faith in Christ. Following his conversion, he was growing in leaps and bounds. And he was having a profound impact on his family. It was inspiring. But one day, after a little over a year since his conversion, he came into my office and said, “Dan, I don’t have the passion for Jesus I used to have. I feel like I’m going through the motions in my daily devotions. Maybe I should just stop.” My response to him was simple…don’t stop! Keep doing first things! It’s true, if you want to foster greater love for something, oftentimes the key is to just do it. I have experienced this regarding exercise. I cannot count the number of times I’ve planned a hike, but then I wake up in the morning and find I lack the desire. Yet, if I will actually just do it, just go…I find that the desire shows up—and usually in short order. In the relational sphere, any marriage counselor will say the same thing. You want to grow your love for your spouse? Then do love. Serve, do romantic gestures, go on a date. It’s true, there are times when our feelings might waver—but our walk with Jesus is not ultimately based on feelings, it’s based on faith! More specifically, our walk is based on faith in Him—the One who “is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb. 13:8). And so, in those times when we feel weak, isolated from God, discouraged—those are the times when we need to, by faith, repent and keep doing first things. Let us live by faith, actively seeking to keep the main thing the main thing—seeking and serving our First Love. |
Dan GannonDan has ministered at Renton Bible Church, with his wife Debbie, since 2003. Archives
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