The Simple Truth

Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you."
Hebrews 13:5 NLT

Money is not evil. The issue is when someone loves money, they can never get enough and oftentimes will compromise or altogether abandon their moral compass to gain more. The love of it is evil because it will corrupt one's life - greed, selfishness, envy - all leading to discontent. 

Having wealth is not evil. Keeping everything submitted to the Lordship of Christ keeps everything holy. It's that simple... and that difficult. The simple truth is God has promised that He will never fail us nor ever abandon us. He is I AM. There isn't anything money can buy that Jesus hasn't already brought to the table. Colossians 1:15-17 tells us, He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. Knowing this simple, yet extraordinary truth is why we can be more than satisfied with what we have. 

Prayer:

Father, 

          You are the Great I AM, Maker of Heaven and Earth. You pursued us, loving us so much You sent Your Son to pay the price to redeem us, and He willingly came. Help us to be submitted to You and Your will like Jesus was and is submitted - in all things, laying down our will and our desires for what You have ordained. In His Name we pray. Amen

Good or Evil

Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good.

Romans 12:9 The Message

In all of life, we pit good against bad in one form or another. Good versus evil. Good guys - bad guys. We may root for an underdog, but if we do, it's because underneath, he's really the good guy! We never want the bad guy to win.

I can't seem to get away from Chapter 12 in the book of Romans. But then...it's all about being the good guy in life. Read on from our text:

Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.

Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.

Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy; share tears when they're down. Get along with each other; don't be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don't be the great somebody.

Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. "I'll do the judging," says God. "I'll take care of it."

Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he's thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness.

Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good. Romans 12:10-21 The Message.

Prayer:

Father,

          We wanna be the good guys! We want to win, too! Keep our hearts and minds close to You, so that we can win in You! Cause us to overcome evil by Your Goodness alive in us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen