John Piper writes:
"Contrary to what the Prosperity Gospel teaches, wealth is not usually a blessing. It is usually a curse. Jesus said, “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” (Luke 18:25). Wealth is a mortal danger for those who have it. It does not make us generous and humble. It makes us buy more stuff, and it numbs our conscience because we have to blind ourselves to our inconsistencies with the Calvary road.
Paul said to the prosperity preachers of his day, “Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (1 Timothy 6:9-10).
The Problem: We Have So Much Money
No, it isn’t for lack of money that there are 1,568 peoples (people groups) with no missionaries. It’s because we have so much. The comforts of the West have made us soft and cautious and fearful and indulgent and self-protecting, instead of tough and risk-taking and bold and self-controlled and self-sacrificing."Let me ask you - if you had more money, would you be likely to give a greater percentage of your income?
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2 comments:
I agree with Piper the more money we have the more distracted by it we become. Although even those that aren't considered wealth in the states have this problem. I would say that the middle class is is very much distracted by wealth. Anyway, your topic made me think of a proverb.
One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.
Proverbs 11; 24
Great verse to consider guys. Thanks for your comment.
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