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by Rev. Fr. V.V. Paulose, Toronto, Canada
"If you can’t be trusted with worldly riches, then who will trust you with true riches." (Luke 6 :10)
Honesty in money matters breeds richness in
happiness. Is this true in your life?
Our integrity is often put on the side in money matters. God calls us to be
honest even in small details; things we could easily ignore. Heaven's riches are
far more valuable than earthly wealth.
Money can easily take God's place in your life. It can become your master. Money
is a hard and deceptive master. It promises power, happiness and control, but it
can't deliver these. No amount of money can provide health, happiness, or
eternal life. How much better it is to let God be your master. His servants have
peace of mind and security, both now and forever.
We live in an age that measures people's worth by how much money they make. God
detested the wealth of Pharisees because it caused them to abandon true
spirituality. Though prosperity may earn people's praise, it must never
substitute for devotion and service to God. Money may make a man happy with more
comforts but it cannot increase or make an unhappy man happy.
Thalkalai is the erstwhile capital of the Raja of Travancore, located in Tamil
Nadu, India. The king's palace is now a museum. We can see the King’s throne
placed on top of the treasury and the king used to sit on it. The king did it so
purposefully to show and teach his subjects that money is not the master of the
kingdom but the king.
Money was tight for John Wesley in 1700's. He had to budget to survive. With $40
as his income in an year, he managed to live with it and also set aside $4 to
give away to the needy. When his income increased to $2000 per year, he still
held his budget and lived on $40. He gave the rest of the money to people who
needed it or to charities that would help to tell others about God's love for
them.
How could John Wesley do this? All we do know is that at an early age John
decided to make sure that money would be a servant, not his master. "The thing
you should want most is God’s kingdom and doing what God wants. Then all these
other things you need will be given to you" (Mathew 6:33).
Jesus, let us seek thy kingdom first. Let a generation spring out who are honest in all matters of life, especially in money. Let us understand that we cannot serve money and God at the same time. Wean away those who are unhappy with piles of their wealth. Let the rich be gracious to the needy. Let us learn to live with the bare minimum. May pomp and show be cut off from our lives. May all the genuine needs of people be met. All we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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