Category Archives: Money & Wealth

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October 1, 2026

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, God's Plan, Money & Wealth, Prayer, Temptation & Sin, Wisdom & Guidance

AGUR’S PRAYER (Part 2) CONTENTMENT

Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God. [Proverbs 30:7-9 (ESV)]

There is a burden of care in getting riches; fear in keeping them; temptation in using them; guilt in abusing them; sorrow in losing them; and a burden of account at last to be given concerning them. [Matthew Henry]

moneyLast Christmas Eve, people stood in long lines at gas stations and convenience stores to make a last-minute purchase, but it wasn’t for a Christmas gift; they wanted a Powerball ticket! Christmas morning, someone woke up to discover they won $1.817 billion and had become a billionaire overnight! By choosing the lump sum payout of $835 million, their status dwindled to multi-millionaire. Once taxes were paid, approximately $550 million remained which, in anybody’s book, still counts as a fortune!

Even though the odds of winning the Powerball are 1 in 292.2 million, Americans spent between $3.6 billion to $4 billion to get the jackpot to up to $1.87 billion. Those ticket purchasers certainly had a different perspective on wealth than did Agur—the man who didn’t want riches! After asking God to give him integrity and honesty, Agur’s second request was that God give him “neither poverty nor riches.” Instead, he asked for just what he needed.

We all understand Agur’s desire to be kept from poverty—no one wants to be poor. While I’m not sure I’d steal were I poverty-stricken, I suspect I’d complain, worry, and have difficulty believing in a loving God. Agur’s request to be free from riches , however, certainly is contrary to the American way. Wanting better, bigger, newer, and more, we strive for success, prosperity, and upward mobility.

Agur had good reasons for not wanting riches. With riches, there’s a temptation to self-sufficiency and pride. Wealth and poverty can be equal opportunity destroyers. Indeed, while their problems would be different, a person with too much could confront as many challenges as one with too little. For example, winning the lottery doesn’t buy you happiness but it does buy you “friends,” relatives, predatory “financial advisors,” and sham business opportunities! Financial windfalls tend to blow away. Whether they win $1 million or $500 million, within five years, between 30% and 70% of jackpot winners have lost or spent all their money!

Agur’s prayer doesn’t mean it’s wrong to be wealthy. His simple prayer is about what we desire. While none of us desire the desperation of poverty and need, we shouldn’t desire the power, possessions, status, self-satisfaction, and luxuries of wealth. Both riches and penury can lead us away from a relationship with God. Rather than wealth or poverty, Agur desired contentment—the ability to say that whatever God put on his plate was enough! Like him, we should desire a relationship with God that acknowledges and trusts in His daily provision—His manna or “daily bread.” Indeed, contentment is realizing that God has given us all we need.

There is nothing wrong with men possessing riches. The wrong comes when riches possess men. [Billy Graham]

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” [Hebrews 13:5 (ESV)]

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August 3, 2026

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IGNORING THE CRIES

So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him. Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it. And they sat down to eat a meal. [Genesis 37:23-25a (NKJV)]

Back in 2015, after their Washington, D.C., home was invaded, a family of three and their housekeeper were held hostage and tortured for nineteen hours before being brutally murdered and their house set on fire. During the family’s incomprehensible ordeal, their captor had a pizza delivered and calmly ate it. Ultimately, it was DNA left on a piece of that pizza that led police to the killer. While discovering his identity was an astounding piece of detective work, what most astonished me is that, while holding four people hostage—people likely crying in pain and pleading desperately for their lives—someone could calmly eat a pizza! How could anyone have an appetite while committing such an atrocious and cruel crime? Yet, Daron Wint did! Convicted of 20 counts of kidnapping, extortion, and murder, he was sentenced to four life terms in prison without the possibility of parole.

As shocking as that story is, Daron Wint is not the only person who enjoyed a meal while his hostage pled for his life. That’s exactly what Joseph’s ten elder brothers did. You remember Joseph, the favored son of Jacob, the handsome one with the coat of many colors. When his jealous brothers conspired to kill him, thinking he could rescue his younger brother later, Reuben suggested throwing him into a dry cistern and leaving him to the mercy of the elements. After tossing Joseph like a piece of garbage into a pit, Scripture tells us the ten brothers then sat down to eat a meal.

Boys being boys, perhaps Joseph thought it was just a mean brotherly prank and his siblings would soon let him out of the well. “Come on guys, I’m hungry and thirsty,” he may have pled. “Help me up so I can have some lunch. I’ll even share my coat with you!” But, when Joseph heard his brothers coldly discuss selling him into slavery to some Ishmaelite traders and plot how they would explain Joseph’s failure to return home, it began to dawn on the boy that he was in serious trouble and his brothers weren’t joking.

Can you imagine the cries of the terrified youth once he realized what was happening and the danger of his situation? While Joseph begged for his life, his brothers ignored his cries and ate their meal. Can you imagine how he must have pled for their mercy, much as that Washington family probably begged for their lives? Unlike the pizza-eating criminal, however, Joseph’s brothers didn’t plan an outright murder. They left their brother’s future up to the slave traders. But, like that killer in D.C., they knew their victim’s anguish and refused to hear his cries.

Even though we’re not likely to invade a home and kill its occupants or throw a sibling into a pit and sell him into slavery, we’re not as different from Daron Wint and Joseph’s brothers as we’d like to think we are. Although we’re not plotting murder and mayhem while eating pizza or pita, I suspect we’re all somewhat guilty of ignoring the desperate cries of those in need.

Are we like the priest and Levite who ignored the cries of the dying man on the road to Jericho? While we probably can’t hear them with our ears nor see them with our eyes, we know they’re there. While calmly eating meals in the comfort of our homes, do we turn a deaf ear to the voices of the hungry in places like Sudan and Gaza? While enjoying an evening in our safe and cozy homes, do we turn a blind eye to the suffering and the devastation in war-torn countries like Ukraine, Sudan, Palestine, and Myanmar? Do we ignore the plight of refugees, the victims of injustice, and those whose lives have been torn apart by natural disasters?  With callous indifference, have we turned our backs on our less fortunate brothers and sisters both here and across the globe? By ignoring their cries, do we condemn them to lives of strife, suffering, or death? How can we, as Christians, ignore the desperate cries of those in need? Let us remember that knowing the right thing and not doing it is as much as sin as is doing the wrong thing! [James 4:17]

I recently saw a sign on a church that read, “Be the Church—Fight for the Powerless.” We can’t do that for everyone but, chances are, we can do it for someone!

We must never minimize the suffering of another. Scripture’s mandate to us is, “Weep with them that weep.” [Billy Graham]

Then they said to one another, “We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; therefore this distress has come upon us.” [Genesis 42:21(NKJV)]

Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor Will also cry himself and not be heard. [Proverbs 21:13 (NKJV)]

And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. [Luke 6:31 (NKJV)]

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April 30, 2026

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SHE DID WHAT SHE COULD (Anointing – Part 3)

But some were expressing indignation to one another: “Why has this perfume been wasted? For this perfume might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they began to scold her. Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a noble thing for me. You always have the poor with you, and you can do what is good for them whenever you want, but you do not always have me.” [Mark 14:4-7 (CSB)]

walking irisWhile anointing people seems a bit strange to us in the 21st century, in Jesus’ day it was a tradition among the Hebrews to anoint a guest with oil as a way of welcoming them into your home. Anointing them with perfume like nard, however, was a costly and significant act of devotion and honor—one saved for exceptional occasions. A major economic sacrifice, it signaled wholehearted commitment. That twelve ounces of nard used to anoint Jesus in Bethany represented a full year’s wages!

Unlike us, the people at that dinner in Bethany didn’t have the benefit of the gospels—they didn’t know what soon would happen. Had you been at that dinner some 2,000 years ago, what would you think if you saw a woman use an entire jar of expensive nard to anoint Jesus? Would that have seemed wasteful to you? If she were so willing to part with it, couldn’t she have used less on Jesus and sold the rest to serve the poor? The Hebrew Scriptures are filled with commands to care for widows and orphans and it was Jesus who told the rich young ruler to sell all his belongings and give to the poor! The disciples’ indignation at such extravagance is understandable and I might have joined in their criticism of her actions.

Were the disciples surprised when, rather than agreeing with them, Jesus said to leave his anointer alone and then praised her? He repeated the first part of Deuteronomy 15:11: “For there will never cease to be poor people in the land….” but didn’t say the rest: “that is why I am commanding you, ‘Open your hand willingly to your poor and needy brother in your land.’” True, the poor always will be with us in this broken world, but Jesus’ words seem somewhat callous until we understand His point. He wasn’t denying the importance of charity and the opportunities for charity will never cease. Nevertheless, there would not be another opportunity to do for Him what had been done! Unlike the poor, He would be there only a little longer and any chance to show Him love soon would be gone.

Had this been anyone else, Jesus’ words would have been outrageous and self-centered. But, Jesus wasn’t a narcissist, He was God! The God who, for our sake, “Though he was rich… became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” [2 Cor 8:9] Let us remember that the first of the great commandments is to love God above all others and that is exactly what the woman did! Yes, we are to care for the poor but, first and foremost, we are to worship God! When she saw an opportunity to serve Jesus, she did and saved nothing for herself. That alabaster jar of nard, worth 300 denarii, might have been her dowry!

Genuine devotion never considers the cost; it simply does all that it can. When she anointed Jesus that night in Bethany, this woman simply did what she could. Jesus asks nothing more of us—we are to do what we can. In his Commentary on the Gospel of Mark, J.D. Jones said this about her: “She spent herself to the uttermost. ‘What she could’: and I confess that I feel a stab at my conscience as I read the little phrase. How many of us can say that?” I can’t; can you?

She has done what she could; she has anointed my body in advance for burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.” [Mark 14:8-9 (CSB)]

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January 29, 2026

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DEVOTED TO WHAT?

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. [Romans 12:2 (NLT)]

The man who does not know where he is is lost; the man who does not know why he was born is worse lost; the man who cannot find an object worthy of his true devotion is lost utterly. [A.W. Tozer]

A firm with whom we do business sends us a newsletter every month. After asking their associates what accomplishment in the last year made them most proud, January’s newsletter shared some of the answers. One man was proud that, after reading up on motors, he managed to repair the family boat by changing the starter motor, another was proud that he expanded his horizons by hiking and rock climbing in various national parks during the year, and a third man was proud that a case he pled had been cited in several law review articles.

The response that touched me, however, was from a man who had just been inducted into the Accounting Hall of Fame and named as one of the ten most influential people in his industry. While pleased by those honors, they were not his point of pride. This man was most proud of the fact that he’d made a positive impact on other people’s lives through his work—that people came to him with issues to clarify, problems to solve, or obstacles to surmount and he helped them. He shared that bettering the lives of others is the force that drives him to do what he does. After reading his response, I wondered how I would answer that same question. How would you? Of what are you most proud?

That question brought to mind A.W. Tozer’s words about a wealthy English aristocrat whose obituary read that he had “devoted his life to trying to breed the perfect spotted mouse.” While Tozer didn’t argue with the man’s right to breed spotted mice, he was troubled that a man of means and position would have devoted his entire life to such a task. Of this nameless man, Tozer wrote, “Made in the image of God, equipped with awesome powers of mind and soul, called to dream immortal dreams and to think the long thoughts of eternity, he chooses the breeding of a spotted mouse as his reason for existing.…Surely this is a tragedy.”

Apparently, breeding rodents is not as far-fetched as it sounds. There’s a National Mouse Club in England, the Rat & Mouse Club of America, and a Rat & Mouse Gazette. Every November 12 is Fancy Rat & Mouse Day and every April 4th is World Rat Day. While some people keep mice and rats as pets, I hope they aren’t devoting their lives to their rodent companions. Although mice are often bred and genetically modified to study genetics and human diseases, I hope that even the most zealous geneticists and researchers are not devoting their entire lives to that project.

We’re probably not trying to breed the perfect spotted mouse, but are we devoting our lives to its equivalent? People dedicate their lives to making money, becoming famous, getting frequent flyer miles, climbing mountains, having fun, setting or breaking records, shopping, going to casinos or playing the ponies, having a pristine house, decorating and redecorating, or building collections of art, cars, and Star Wars figures. While nothing is inherently wrong with those activities, none are worthy of our devotion! As Christians, Tozer points out that we have no right to dedicate ourselves to anything that can “burn or rust or rot or die.” We are not to give ourselves “completely to anyone but Christ nor to anything but prayer!”

Rather than having our obituaries tell of our commitment to breeding spotted mice, collecting Labubus, or attending every Grateful Dead concert, wouldn’t we rather have them speak of our devotion to God and of our love for His children? Rather than being remembered for the perfect spotted mouse or an immaculate house, I’d rather be remembered for making a positive impact on the lives of others.

One of the glories of the Christian gospel is its ability not only to deliver a man from sin but to orient him. … The spirit-illuminated Christian cannot be cheated. He knows the values of things; he will not bid on a rainbow nor make a down payment on a mirage; he will not, in short, devote his life to spotted mice. [A.W. Tozer]

“And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.” The second is equally important: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” No other commandment is greater than these. [Mark 12:30-31 (NLT)]

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December 15, 2025

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ON A SLIDING SCALE 

Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. [2 Corinthians 9:7 (ESV)]

In the midst of all the tedious and repetitive regulations regarding sacrificial offerings in Leviticus, we find evidence of God’s love and mercy. For several sacrifices, a distinction was made between offering requirements for the wealthy and the poor. Called korban oleh v’yored, there was a sliding scale for sacrifice based on a person’s economic position. In Luke’s gospel, for example, we learn that Mary and Joseph brought two birds as their sacrifice after Jesus’ birth. Had the family been wealthier, they would have brought a one-year-old lamb and a pigeon or dove and, had they been poorer, they would have brought only two quarts of choice flour.

We see Jesus applying the same principle in the gospels of Mark and Luke. While in the Temple, He watched people put their offerings in the offering box. The wealthy put in large sums but then a poor widow put in two copper lepta. The smallest of Roman coins, those two lepta were worth about 1/64th of a denarius (which was a day’s wage for a laborer). Put another way, those two coins were worth less than 10-minutes of work! Rather than commending the wealthy for their large donations, Jesus called over His disciples and told them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” [Mark 12:43-44]

While others certainly had given more than the widow, her gift was far more valuable than the gifts of the wealthy. The woman’s offering was greater than all the others both in proportion and in the spirit in which she gave. The wealthy gave from their abundance but they didn’t sacrifice any of their abundance, while the poor woman sacrificed all she had.

The purpose of the many tithes, offerings, and sacrifices in Leviticus was to strengthen man’s relationship with God, not to impoverish him. Our sacrifices are to be offered lovingly, humbly, obediently, joyfully, and willingly; that can’t be done if we can’t afford what we’re offering. Rather than suggesting we sell our homes, clean out our savings, 401(k)s, and investment accounts and give it all to the church, I’m saying our giving should be proportional to our gifts. Do we really give according to our income? What if God made our income proportional to our giving?

When a nearby church embarked on a massive building program several years ago, Pastor Ted asked the members to prayerfully reach deep into their pockets to pay for the new sanctuary. Each was asked to give only as he or she was able and the pastor reminded them that the amount given would vary considerably among his parishioners. For an elderly widow, an extra twenty-five cents a week might constitute a greater sacrifice than a $25,000 check from a retired CEO.

The Magi arrived in regal robes and offered expensive gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to Jesus. Neither the little drummer boy nor the littlest angel from Charles Tazwell’s story were at the nativity. Nevertheless, had they been there, the drummer boy’s best “Pa rum pum pum pum” and the littlest angel’s  “treasure” box with its robin egg,  butterfly, two white stones, and half-chewed dog collar would have been as valuable as those lavish gifts from the Magi. God in His grace does not discriminate against the poor or the rich. The ancient sliding scale of sacrifice God gave Israel tells us that the pleasing aroma of sacrifice has nothing to do with the size of the sacrifice but rather with the heart that accompanies it.

Not, how much of my money will I give to God, but how much of God’s money will I keep for myself? [John Wesley]

Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God that he has given you. [Deuteronomy 16:17 (ESV)]

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October 2, 2025

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COUNTING THE COST

But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, “There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!”… So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own. [Luke 14:28-30,33 (NLT)]

No sacrifice should be too great for Him who gave Himself for us. [Harry Ironside]

rose

Intrigued by the “starting from” price in the ads for a new community, some curious friends toured one of their model homes. Seeming to have every feature they wanted, the house appeared to be in their price range. It was only after sitting down with the salesman to go over the purchase details that they discovered the true cost. The granite countertops, energy-efficient stainless appliances, and pull-out pantry seen in the model home were not included in the base price, nor were the paddle fans, bar sink, under cabinet lighting, pool, pool cage, rheostats, recessed lighting, crown molding, or tray ceiling in the dining room. After adding their desired upgrades to the “starting from” price, the couple realized the “ending up” cost was too great for them.

When Jesus said “count the cost,” He wasn’t giving us a list of options with a matching pricelist. Although God’s grace is free, we must agree to certain terms if we’re going to accept His salvation. Counting the cost for following Jesus is like giving the builder unlimited access to our bank and investment accounts and then allowing him to determine the size, design, location, materials, amenities, and décor of our new house! Knowing the cost would be greater than the amount we were prepared to spend, that’s not a deal we’d make with any builder.

While we wouldn’t do that for a house, what is the price of a soul? Being a disciple of Jesus is giving Him unlimited access to our lives and assets. As the One who determines the finished product, He takes our old selves and rebuilds us as the people we’re meant to be (which may not be what we thought we wanted to be). Having given God carte blanche, we don’t have an option or upgrades list. We can’t say, “I’ll take the love and forgiveness along with church attendance and Bible study but I’ll skip the self-denial and obedience” or “I’ll keep my independence and pride and take a pass on sacrifice, generosity, and evangelism.”

Consecrating our lives to the Lord is not a decision to be made carelessly or thoughtlessly. Nevertheless, as costly as it may be, choosing to follow Jesus is an excellent value and the best investment we could ever make. Instead of a luxurious new house on earth, we get one in heaven along with a new identity, heart, mind, family, future, and purpose.

For God no cost is too high. Anything can be sacrificed if only we may please Him. Let us daily learn to be obedient children. [Watchman Nee]

Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” [Mark 8:34-37 (NLT)]

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