"13 Someone in the crowd
said to him, "Teacher, tell my
brother to divide the
inheritance with me."
14Jesus replied, "Man, who
appointed me a judge or an
arbiter between you?" 15Then he
said to them, "Watch out! Be on
your guard against all kinds of
greed; a man's life does not
consist in the abundance of his
possessions."
16And he
told them this parable: "The
ground of a certain rich man
produced a good crop. 17He
thought to himself, 'What shall
I do? I have no place to store
my crops.'
18"Then he
said, 'This is what I'll do. I
will tear down my barns and
build bigger ones, and there I
will store all my grain and my
goods. 19And I'll say to myself,
"You have plenty of good things
laid up for many years. Take
life easy; eat, drink and be
merry." '
20"But God
said to him, 'You fool! This
very night your life will be
demanded from you. Then who will
get what you have prepared for
yourself?'
21"This is
how it will be with anyone who
stores up things for himself but
is not rich toward God."
(Luke 12:13-21)
"17He is before all things, and
in him all things hold
together." (Colossians
1:17)
Thought:
The Wu Tang Clan was one of
the most popular and influential
rap groups of the late 1990s. Wu
Tang produced a successful
single called C.R.E.A.M.--Cash
Rules Everything Around Me. This
became the motto for this
eclectic bunch and for all their
fans. Unfortunately, many
individuals in our culture have
adopted the "C.R.E.A.M."
philosophy as a lifestyle.
Wu Tang's motto is
C.R.E.A.M. However, it is clear
from Scripture that there are
some things in life over which
money does not rule. Salvation
cannot be purchased with wealth.
It is a precious gift from a
precious God. Peter captured
this thought in his first
letter: "It was not with
perishable things, such as
silver or gold that you were
redeemed . . . , but with the
precious blood of Christ" (1
Peter 1:18-19).
Another
gift that money can't buy or
control is good character--a
good name (Proverbs 22:1). We
develop character as we
persevere in a life of integrity
and faithfulness to God. In
contrast, the hard pursuit of
money can easily taint and
corrupt our good character.
The third gift on our list
is wisdom (Proverbs 3:13-15).
Wisdom cannot be bought; it must
be developed by knowing God's
Word and applying it to both the
pleasant and bitter experiences
of life.
Along with
these gifts is a final reality
called death. Death is not
impressed with a person's
wealth. It keeps its
appointments with people
indiscriminately-- young and
old, rich and poor. Read Luke
12:13-21 again. The rich man in
the parable lived as if he and
his money were in control and
that there was no God to whom he
would be accountable. His
financial status did not impress
God and could not control or
rule over death's appointment.
It's interesting that
everything money could not
control, God has either
fulfilled in Christ or has
brought under His rule. Christ
redeemed us with His precious
blood. He is the exact image and
character of God and He is the
wisdom of God (Hebrews 1:3).
Jesus Christ is Lord. He has
authority over nature, sin,
sickness, evil, death, and even
economics.
I like this
interpretation of
C.R.E.A.M.--Christ Rules
Everything Around Me! Let this
be the sacred motto of our
lives.
Questions to consider:
* What part of my life do I
need to submit to the authority
of Christ?
* In what way
have I brought my finances under
Christ's authority?
Money can't buy God's gifts.
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