NRBC Blog

Jesus warned, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Mt 6:24) Mammon is an Aramaic word that means wealth or money. Jesus made that statement in the context of where we make our investments; where we “lay up our treasures.”

I asked last week if God is a secure investment. In light of Jesus’ statement, the answer to that question is enormously important. You see, mammon represents more than the sum total of our checking and savings accounts. It’s more than IRA’s, stock portfolios, and bonds. Mammon represents the three “P’s”; power, position, and possessions. That’s what the average American dreams of today, and all three have one thing in common, self-gratification. It is a religion that places self at the center of the universe, and its worship is to “look out for old number one” and to “have it your way” regardless of the consequences. It’s “move up the corporate ladder” and get power; become the next American Idol and have position; get all the money you can and buy things. It’s all me, and God will not fit into that. O, we may say that He does. We brag that we are religious and that God occupies an important part of our lives, but the Lord of all creation replies that He will share His lordship with any one or any thing! In fact, He has a word for our materialistic lifestyle. It’s called idolatry.

The sad thing about all this is that the most significant proponents of this manmade and man-glorifying religion are not the Bill Gates and the Oprah Winfrey’s of the world. It’s the average church member who sits in the pew on Sunday morning singing “have thine own way, Lord” and then goes out to have it his way the rest of the week. It’s those who sing “all to Jesus I surrender” and then quickly pass or walk past the offering plate and deposit their five dollar bill, thinking they have done their part! Then, they stop at a restaurant, spend three times that for a meal and all the way home complain about the service and poor quality. It’s all me! Is God fooled by all this? Does He not know our hearts, those who are truly His? Yes, and He still hates idolatry!

Perhaps you recall the picture of the dead man with his fist firmly clinched around a silver dollar. Someone pries open his hand, takes the money, and the dead man is left with nothing. We all know, however, that the dead man had already left his money. What was in the hand of his corpse was just a symbol. He went to face God empty handed. And, so shall we if we do not place our treasures in the only place where they will be waiting for us when we get there. We cannot serve God and mammon.

Let me hear from you... what do YOU think?

Is God a secure investment? Our immediate response is probably “Yes”. Jesus taught, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matt 6:19-20) The emphasis is that heaven is the only place where investments are insured against all losses. Earth, on the other hand, is assured to be a loss since we must all eventually leave what we have managed to accumulate.

So, is God a secure investment? Again, the believer’s response is “Yes”, but then we must ask, “So, where are our investments?” Words are cheap. Just acknowledging something to be true is shallow. As a wise person once said, “What we do is what we believe. Everything else is just meaningless talk!”

Recently, a church hosted a major mission conference. Over 600 people received commitment cards on which to express their faith that God would enable them to give a certain amount towards missions during the next twelve months. It was a simple faith-step; not nearly as binding as paying with a Visa card or signing a note for a car or home. It was simply a step of faith that they would invest what God enabled them to invest. Twenty-two cards were returned! That’s 3.6%. Is God a secure investment?

It makes you think. What do we really believe? We say that we are saved “by grace through faith”, and we know that the Bible commands us to “walk by faith and not by sight”, but is that the way we live? Do we have such a passion for the God Who saved us that we are earnestly trying to fulfill our purpose for being here? Is God a secure investment?

How can we be so flippant about our commitment to God and our faith in God? How can we spend so much on things that rust and decay, that become moth eaten and taken away by thieves but not trust God to use us in underwriting a program that has eternal rewards?

What do you say to a church that doesn’t seem to think that God is a secure investment? Well, I don’t know, but you'll probably hear it when He tells me!

Years ago, I heard Manley Beasley preach on faith. His words still ring in my mind, “Faith is substance!” Of course, he was referring to Hebrews 11:1. There, substance speaks of a foundation; but, it also speaks of a persuasion that is firm and unmovable. Where there is real faith, there is endurance, consistency, and “finishing well!” That adds clarity to Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:13, “he who endures to the end shall be saved.” It is those who endure that show themselves truly saved and who will be ultimately saved.

Some might say, “Then that means we are saved by our ‘work of endurance!’” No, it is by grace through faith that we are saved, but faith is the substance and endurance is the evidence of that substance. If a building falls during an earthquake, it gives evidence that the foundation was weak. A sure foundation would have endured!

So, why is there so much vacillating in the 21st century church? People come in the front door and exit through the back. Today’s spiritual leaders are often tomorrows strongest adversaries. We begin, it appears, trusting God for the miraculous and end up trusting human logic, fleshly abilities, and checkbook balances. Where is the faith? If it didn’t endure, it never was there.

Sometimes I hear people say, “I lost my faith.” Could a building lose its foundation? We may lose something, but faith is substance. It’s the thing that keeps you going when everything around you seems to contradict, question, or attack your resolve. It’s your motivation when life is filled with aggravation! It’s your encouragement when all you can see is discouragement. It’s to say, “I may not understand. I don’t like it, and I think if I were God, I would do things differently. But, this is the way God has led me. I have committed myself to Him and to His way, and nothing… no, nothing is going to make me quit, turn aside, or back up. I may die in the process, and I may die alone, but I am in for the duration, and I will not be deterred!”

It is to say with Martin Luther, “I cannot, I will not recant… God help me!” That is the substance that is faith!

The unchurched world is saying that they don’t see relevance in the church today. Perhaps what they are really saying is that they don’t see any substance in the church today. It’s time to take an in-depth look at our ecclesiastical institutions and looked deep… all the way to the foundation! Have we departed from the faith by departing from faith? We can examine ourselves or God will do it for us. He will shake the pretenseful church until all that is left are those with a sure foundation. After all, “without faith, it is impossible to please God.”

Well, I missed posting my blog last week. It was Sharon and my forty-first wedding anniversary, so we went to the mountains for a couple of days. I know it sounds trite, but those years have literally flown by. It seems like yesterday, that we stood at the altar in Norview Baptist Church and pledged our life-long devotion to each other. Now I look back and see the hand of God as He has blessed me with a great wife, two fine children, and a wonderful daughter-in-law. (I suppose that I should also add: “And, Hannah, our faithful Pug!”) I am a blessed man for sure.

One of the benefits of enjoying a lengthy and rewarding marriage is that you come to a point where you can speak somewhat as an authority on what it takes to have a happy marriage. In my tenure as a pastor, I have counseled many who have been unhappy in their marriages, and I have seen more than a few marriages end quickly and with little or no love lost! At the same time, there have been the pleasant experiences of celebrating with senior couples who have enjoyed sixty, seventy, and more happy years together. What makes difference?

Well, from my vantage point, I must say that a good marriage is a lot of work! They don’t just happen. Like an athletic event, the goal of a successful marriage must be to win and never willingly accept a loss. Are there problems, struggles, and challenges? Of course! Marriage is “life”, and life is never a constant state of smooth sailing. Rough seas come but then without them, the result might be monotony. Every good marriage needs a challenge.

I have heard people say, “I’m not happy in my marriage.” Well, that’s not the voice of a champion. That’s the whine of a looser who is not having his or her expectations met. Great marriages do not come from getting but in giving. It’s not my expectations that are most important but fulfilling my purpose as a husband in meeting my wife’s needs. Of course, the reciprocal is also true. Jesus said, “Give, and it will be given to you…” That’s the principle which fosters a rewarding relationship.

I need to add that Sharon is my best friend and has been since that evening we left the church in 1966. There is no one I had rather be with, and I am sure she would say the same about me. We are best friends because we have chosen to be. O, the feelings are there too, but the choice came first! Could we have spent more time apart and had our nights out with the boys or girls? Certainly! But, we chose to be together, and now that choice has proven to be an investment that has reaped untold rewards in satisfaction, fulfillment, and just plain liking each other!

Forty-one years is a long time, but it is not yet long enough! You see, I have read the inscription on the sundial, “Come grow old with me; the best is yet to be,” and that is the desire of my heart. The best is yet to come, and I think my Lord that in His sovereignty He has chosen to give me the best with whom to enjoy it.

Yes, I am a blessed man, and I pray that you will find that same blessing.