It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God. – Mark 10:25
In case you have missed the recent, national news coverage, there was a troubling plea from a televangelist, a man of God. He requested from his flock 54 million dollars in donations to purchase a private jet for work. He claimed that God told him to get this new plane, because Jesus himself would not do his mission work by traveling on a donkey in these days we live in. He said, Christ himself would need the same, top of the line, private airplane to visit his people. The preacher’s friend, another televangelist shared similar views on television, claiming that using a commercial airline would torment him because he could not get into a tube full of demons and evils spirits, meaning he would not set foot among average people flying on a coach.
While we are yielded by our bible not to judge others, including people who possess more than we do, we struggle to live up to our faith. However, we know that Jesus loved genuinely everyone, even his enemies and especially sinners. Interestingly, just like in Jesus’ lifetime, it appears that today too, those who have less are those, who eager to give the most. They provide God’s rich blessings through their loving care and devotion in God’s earthly kingdom. They are gratified and they are in peace. Can you be like them? The Lord taught his disciples that it is not proper to live a life to collect or demand material things and seek the abundance of wealth because being rich will lead to a state of self-reliance, a selfish life. The person who has everything will void the spiritual, faith-based life that only God can provide. A rich person will seek even more of earthly things to gain and maintain power. His or her abundance and self-sufficiency will become his or her deficiency, the person will lack values that are important in life, such as righteousness, humbleness, simplicity and faith in God with servitude, which leads to eternal life.
Gracious Lord, grant us sincerity, faith and the power of Christ’s peace at all the times. Amen.
In case you have missed the recent, national news coverage, there was a troubling plea from a televangelist, a man of God. He requested from his flock 54 million dollars in donations to purchase a private jet for work. He claimed that God told him to get this new plane, because Jesus himself would not do his mission work by traveling on a donkey in these days we live in. He said, Christ himself would need the same, top of the line, private airplane to visit his people. The preacher’s friend, another televangelist shared similar views on television, claiming that using a commercial airline would torment him because he could not get into a tube full of demons and evils spirits, meaning he would not set foot among average people flying on a coach.
While we are yielded by our bible not to judge others, including people who possess more than we do, we struggle to live up to our faith. However, we know that Jesus loved genuinely everyone, even his enemies and especially sinners. Interestingly, just like in Jesus’ lifetime, it appears that today too, those who have less are those, who eager to give the most. They provide God’s rich blessings through their loving care and devotion in God’s earthly kingdom. They are gratified and they are in peace. Can you be like them? The Lord taught his disciples that it is not proper to live a life to collect or demand material things and seek the abundance of wealth because being rich will lead to a state of self-reliance, a selfish life. The person who has everything will void the spiritual, faith-based life that only God can provide. A rich person will seek even more of earthly things to gain and maintain power. His or her abundance and self-sufficiency will become his or her deficiency, the person will lack values that are important in life, such as righteousness, humbleness, simplicity and faith in God with servitude, which leads to eternal life.
Gracious Lord, grant us sincerity, faith and the power of Christ’s peace at all the times. Amen.
Könnyebb a tevének a tű fokán átmenni, mint gazdagnak az Isten országába bejutni. – Márk 10:25
Érdekes hírt közölt több televíziós csatorna is az elmúlt héten. Egy televíziós igehírdetőt mutattak be, aki a hívekhez fordult anyagi támogatásért. A pásztor 54 millió dollár összegyűjtéséhez kérte a keresztyének segítségét, hogy abból egy új, magánrepülőgépet vásárolhasson. Arra hivatkozott, hogy maga az Isten mondta neki, hogy erre gyűjtsön, hiszen ebben a mai világban Jézus sem járna már szamáron missziós útjaira. Az atya barátja, aki szintén televíziós prédikátor, támogatta barátjának kérelmét, sőt kihangsúlyozta, hogy ő maga sem ülne be egy közönséges repülőgépbe, hiszen az egy kellemetlen hely, ahol tisztátlan lelkek vannak összezsúfolva és amivel számára kínzás lenne utazni.
Hitünk azt tanítja, hogy ne ítélkezzünk mások felett, még olyanok felett sem, akik jó módjukban megbántanak másokat. Tudjuk azt, hogy Jézus Krisztus szeretete őszinte volt a bűnösök iránt, de még rosszakarói felé is.Érdekes az is, hogy úgy mint a Krisztus idejében, így ma is, úgy tűnik, hogy azok, akiknek a legkevesebb van, azok adnak a legtöbbet. Ők a legalázatosabbak. Róluk tudjuk igazán, hogy Isten áldása lelkük mélyén lakozik és gondoskodásuk igazi. Erre tanította az Úr a tanítványokat is és erre kér minket is. Tanítása úgy szólt, hogy ne törekedjenek életükben anyagi gazdagságra, hiszen a pompa és az anyagi jólét felfuvalkodottsághoz vezet, túlzott magabiztonsághoz. Az, aki gazdag, könnyen keres az életben minden problémára egy megvásárolható eszközt és a lelki nyugalom számára az anyagi jóléttel párosul. Az ilyen ember számára saját gazdagsága, fényűző élete lesz a gyengéje, hiszen kihal belőle a tisztánlátás, az igazság szeretete, a szerénység, az egyszerűség és az istenbe vetett hit, ami által másokat őszintén szolgálhat és ami által eljuthat az örökkévalóság kapujába.
Jóságos Urunk, áldj meg bennünket a Krisztus szelídségvel, hogy életünkben a szeretet és a szolgálat legyen a cél és ne a földi gazdagság. Ámen.
Copyright © 2018, by Rev. Tamas Devecseri, all rights reserved
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