the deceitfulness of riches.

On my mind almost constantly of late has been this idea of loving this world.....

In Western society, I fear that most believers live in utter deception as to what is really most important. We live in plenty, in prosperity and actually dupe ourselves into believing that the true Gospel of Jesus is one of prosperity and abundance as we in the West define such things.

This controversy is burning in my heart and often I wake up in the middle of the night with this question on my lips, "Why, why do we love this life so much??"

It burns in me. It consumes many of my thoughts. At times I almost think I have gone crazy.

But here, I live, in Western society, in America no less. My day-to-day life is consumed with consumerism and shallow desires and "needs".

How then do I weed out what Jesus called "the deceitfulness of riches"? How do I live in a way where the comfort of this life and the soundness of my own body are not the foremost concern of my heart?? I have no grid for this in my flesh.

With the fall came the ability of man-kind to decide for themselves what is good and evil. What is important. Our feelings, our heart flow became deceptive in nature. The Word is clear that the heart is deceitful above all things.... (Jeremiah 17:9) In essence, we lost our ability to consider life from God's perspective. I have a feeling that most of what we think is important is, just not.

Jesus first sermon is meant to be a guide to life in the Kingdom.

Matthew 6

¹⁹"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also...

²⁴"No one 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.

²⁵"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? .... ³¹So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' ³²For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

I think sometimes this passage is taken way out of context in our society. We say, "But God wants me to have good things, He said He'll give me the desires of my heart"... mistakenly interpreting what it means to delight oneself in the Lord... (Psalm 37:4)

Again, I know it's because we just have no grid for what really is important.... we spend our time building great ministries, selling product, and keeping the Western Church machine running.

We have our iphones in our hands, our Rock and Republic jeans on, and our Starbucks in the drink holder in our BMW's.

I don't believe these things are innately bad. But, Jesus is clear in saying that the love of money, of things, of the treasures of this world will cause us not to love God wholeheartedly.

It also makes it impossible to truly receive the Word with joy and to really understand it.

Matthew 13

³Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁷Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. ⁸Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. ⁹He who has ears, let him hear."

¹⁸"Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: ...²²The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. ²³But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."

This means that when we let the thorns of life have any place in our hearts (soil), we have no ability to truly understand the Word. Wow.

My worldview is so skewed by this life I lead. My priorities are way out of line. I love this life so much, even though I am struck by it's vanity.

I have no power to live according to His word....

There is more to be said about loving this life.... about loving my life unto death.... but that is for another day. Today I simply ponder these things and pray for grace to till the soil of my heart and to be vigilant in keeping weeds and thorns from choking the truth.

Oh God, have mercy and deliver me from the love of money.