When Mazarin, lord of France for a time, felt himself reaching the gates of death, he had all his treasures brought to him to see them for the last time. His camera became a jeweler of wealth and an art museum. Looking at everything with wild eyes, he clenched his hands on the clothes of his bed, and whimpered: And to think that I lose everything! And to think that I have to leave everything! And so the miser died.
Money has been put before the eyes of men as the panacea of life. But Solomon said,
"He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, and he who loves abundance will not be satisfied with profit." Christ added more bluntly saying that we could not serve God and money. -Ecclesiastes 5:10
Yet people live and die every day to lay their hands on this elusive idol.
Why? Because according to the world, "Money is power." That principle moves most of the world's cultures. People fight for wealth, often at the price of personal integrity, to acquire the power to live where they want, how they want, and have what they want.
In a culture that worships money, believers in Jesus Christ are in danger of doing the same. Some use their money to control their families, or they may threaten to stop giving to the church if what they want is not done. The common factor is selfishness; The "I". I want money to have power to serve myself.
How different from Jesus! He had power over disease and used it to heal the sick. He had power over the sea, and he used it to remove fear. He had the power to create, and he fed thousands. He had power over sin, and he forgave sinners. He had power over his own life, but he willingly renounced it to save everyone who calls on him (Romans 10:13).
Jesus possessed all power, but he used it to serve others. The disciples called him "Lord" in the Upper Room, and yet he was only a servant there (John 13: 2-17). He washed their feet! When Peter protested, Jesus replied, "If I do not wash you, you will have no part with me" (verse 8).
Instead of using money or anything else for selfish ends, use it to serve others. That is the correct way to use power.
THE MORE WE SERVE CHRIST, THE LESS WE WILL SERVE SELF.
(Proverbs 11: 4) Wealth is useless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.
Written by Nixon Colina