I've been working for Tradition Valet for a month or two now. I drive sweet cars around. Yesterday I was at Marquette Hotel. It was boring because we just stood around for the most part. I started talking to the doorman. Small talk at first, of course. He asked me about school and all that kind of stuff. I told him about YWAM this fall, and he thought that sounded cool, then he asked me what I wanted to go into as far as a career. I told him some type of ministry or music or both. I got an immediate response.
"Don't do either one!"
"Don't do either one?" I asked, inviting an explanation. He said exactly what I knew he would say. "Eventually you're going to have to make a living and provide for your family. You're not going to be able to do that with either one of those career paths."
I listened some more, and it was definitely understandable from where he was coming from. I'm sure almost everyone would agree with what he was saying. It was logical. It was reasonable. It was normal.
Is God calling me to be logical and reasonable?
Is He calling me to be... normal?
Is God calling you to be logical and reasonable?
Is He calling you to be normal?
I told him that if God calls me into ministry (as a career path - because whatever I do and wherever I go, I am called into ministry; we all are), I'm going to go. I said it's not all about the money for me.
"It will be," he said with a grin.
Will it? Is it?
"Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless."
- Ecclesiastes 5:10
"No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."
- Luke 16:13
"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."
- 1 Timothy 6:10
"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
- Hebrews 13:5
I only picked a few. Obviously, Scripture has a lot to say about the love of money. It's not hard to see that they are all sort of getting at the same thing - don't let it 'be all about the money.' And why not? What's the big deal? Because of this promise:
"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."
- Philippians 4:19
I want it to be about the riches in Christ Jesus for me.
Back to my doorman friend. I told him I disagreed, and explained why. He said that yes, I was young, and that I have many years ahead of me.
"Well, that's good. Do the Christianity thing for a couple years, then figure out how you're going to settle down and provide for a family after that."
Wait. 'The Christianity thing?' Is that what my faith is? A thing? A phase? So I should do 'the Christianity thing' for a few years, and then come back to normality and get a normal job and live the normal American life? So my faith and my life are two different things?
No. There is no 'Christianity thing' for me. That's it. My faith in Jesus Christ is my life, and without Him I have nothing.
So, doorman, I understand where you are coming from. It's logical and reasonable. It's normal. Wherever I go, though, I am not called to be normal. God calls us to be different. We live in this world, but not of it. That means seeking God before wealth - whatever wealth may be (money, status, love, etc.) Also, my prayer is that my faith is not just a phase. My prayer is that I would have the heart and the will to take Jesus with me everywhere.
Do you want to take Jesus with you everywhere you go?
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2 comments:
Chris, your talent for writing reveals itself once again! As you say, there are many more scriptures one could add to the list. One in particular that comes to mind is the story of the rich man in Mark 10:17-31 (you can look it up or read the NLT version at the end of this comment). Some of what I find interesting in this story:
1) Jesus looks with "genuine love" at this very earnest fellow.
2) Despite an encounter with the Living God, he walks away sad.
3) Jesus doesn't run after him - he lets him exercise his free will
4) The story ends with the promise that whatever we give up in this life for the sake of Christ will be returned to us times 100 - along with persecution - hmmmm, so perhaps not in ways we expect, or perhaps not at all in THIS life.
Keep 'em coming, Chris.
(17) As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
(18) “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. (19) But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’”
(20) “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”
(21) Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
(22) At this the man’s face fell, and he went away very sad, for he had many possessions.
(23) Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!” (24) This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard to enter the Kingdom of God. (25) In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”
(26) The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.
(27) Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”
(28) Then Peter began to speak up. “We’ve given up everything to follow you,” he said.
(29) “Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, (30) will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life. (31) But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.”
Thanks Jim! Yeah, that's definitely a good part of the Gospel that relates to this post. I like what you've written here. I especially like part 4, with the promise at the end. And I think in order to cherish that promise, we must not strive at all towards those blessings, but when we put that (and all our current blessings) aside and follow Jesus first and completely (I really want to see what that is like), that is when the blessings come, that is when God ultimately provides. And maybe not earthly blessings, maybe not material possessions at all. Maybe something greater. Could persecution actually be considered a blessing? Hmmm...
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