Good day dear friends. A special prayer for all the spring breakers, especially the ones who left SM!
We studied Jesus' meaning of self-denial from Mark 8. Here is our study guide for today:
Monday: Just yesterday I mentioned a “new” gospel of Self-Satisfaction and Self-Love. Actually, it’s an ancient gospel, written and rewritten by those who feel they’re “entitled” to all things. Jesus mentions a man who said in Luke 12:13-21 words along the lines that we could find in such a gospel of self-satisfaction and self-love. Where do you find yourself living? In Christ’s land of self-sacrifice and self-denial or in the land of self-satisfaction and self-love (the roar of the crowd?)
The reference to a "new" gospel was made in my sermon. I said we have rewritten Jesus' Gospel of Sacrifice and Love with the Gospel of Self-Satisfaction and Self-Love with the major quote being, “If anyone would come after me, he must please himself and take up his couch and stay right where he/she is.” For too many, this is so true. Me first, right here, right now. Yet, as I've shared in the study guide this is an ancient thing dating back even to Jesus' day as we read about someone in the Luke passage.
Here is that passage: 12:13 Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." 14 But he said to him, "Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?" 15 And he said to them, "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." 16 Then he told them a parable: "The land of a rich man produced abundantly. 17 And he thought to himself, "What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?' 18 Then he said, "I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' 20 But God said to him, "You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' 21 So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God."
Oh, if this was the only reference to such a person in Jesus' messages. Remember the rich man and Lazarus? God has a thing against rich, self-centered people. God does not have a thing against being rich, but if someone chooses riches only to please themselves, then that rich person and God need to talk. The man in this story had a nice problem by worldly standards, of needing more room in which to store his crops. The solution was simple, he would tear down those barns and build new ones in which to store "all (his) grain and (his) goods." (v. 18). And his attitude then becomes one of complete self-centeredness as we read in verse 19. And in verse 20 the reality of life shows up; we're not always in control of our lives or our fate. And if you've spent your life storing up treasures for yourself here on the earth and not worried about treasures in heaven, then you will lose everything.
Jesus told this story not to lose anyone, but to invite everyone to realize how important it is to live with the mind of Christ. To live with the mind of Christ means having the love of Christ in our hearts and acting towards God and others in that same way. We put God first, others second and ourselves third. And we'll see that God always provides. Our Lenten journey is intended to show us such spiritual truths. It's up to embrace them and make them ours.
PRAYER: God of all treasures, help me today realize which treasure is best for me. Help me to look away from the treasures proclaimed here, to the treasures that you offer to me, the treasure of Your love and grace. Help me to share that with others. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
