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Posts Tagged ‘Does God need money?’

MONEY? NO. PARTNERSHIP? YES!

Posted in Movies & TV, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 18, 2024| 2 Comments »

Ah, Homer Simpson. That great thinker, philosopher, speaker of eloquent brilliance and general renaissance man has come up with another morsel of life-changing gold. Okay, maybe not. 😉

But this quote, from the long-running animated TV show, does open the door to exploring one of the contentious points often brought up by people opposed to God (and Jesus of Nazareth, who many people believe is God’s Son).

The creator and master of time, space and the universe is a money-grubbing ogre, these folks claim with mocking derision. So why would any thoughtful person bother with Him?

The answer is simple: God does NOT need money or anything else from His creation. He needs NOTHING. Zero. Squat. A cookie with a hole in the middle (i.e. 0).

For people like me, who regularly contribute to the ministries of my church and other Jesus-following charitable organizations, the idea of giving money is to partner with God.

God works through through these institutions – and, by extension, through ME – to reach out with physical and spiritual aid to suffering people. That’s exactly what my church does and what organizations like Samaritan’s Purse, LifeWater, World Renew and many more do every day.

Couldn’t God do all this on His own, without bothering with us quarrelsome, petty, self-centred human beings? Absolutely. But consider the parent who allows his/her three-year-old to help bake cookies. The parent could easily do it easier and faster without the “assistance”, but that’s not what it’s about. It’s about a love relationship that extends to almost every area of life. That’s why God partners with very imperfect people like ME.

This relationship also follows up on something Jesus told anyone willing to listen: “Whenever you saw a brother or sister hungry or cold, whatever you did to the least of these, so you did to Me.”

So, as Jesus followers act on His example of helping others, we show people who God is, what His Son is doing in this hurting world right now, and why it’s worth investigating what it means to follow Jesus.

You can get in on this action and partner with God anytime you like. Just decide, and then declare, that Jesus is your Lord, Saviour and best friend. Tell Him you’re sorry for the bad things you’ve done and the good things you’ve failed to do. Invite Him into your heart, mind and life, then get connected with other Jesus followers.

When you do that, God embarks on a life-long project to make you more like the person He created you to be. Even better, God sees you like He sees His Son: perfect in every way. And when this life ends, you’ll spend eternity with Him in Heaven.

Interested? Yes or no, post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

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WHAT DOES GOD WANT?

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 3, 2015| 9 Comments »

WhatGodWantsAfter reading this graphic, posted in an atheist internet community, I started thinking about the hundreds and hundreds of church services I’ve attended in my years on this planet.

I tried to find recall one occasion where a pastor or church leader “demanded” money from me or anyone else. Just one.

I’m still looking.

Am I saying it’s never happened? Not at all. I’m sure there are despicable hucksters out there, using “religion” (a nasty term that I would never use to describe a person of real, serious faith) to guilt people into financing their cadillacs and acreage estates. Indeed, turn on the TV any Sunday and you can watch some of them in action.

But let’s be realistic: these shameless fraud artists exist everywhere in this broken world. And it’s safe to write that some of them are atheists.

There’s another point being made in this graphic that can’t go unaddressed: the notion that somehow, tossing cash at a “religious” leader will somehow dispose of the “threat of eternal damnation”.

This makes sense only if you believe God is a greedy, small-minded, narcissistic hypocrite. And if that’s the case, why are you reading this essay?

Followers of Jesus of Nazareth — whom many people believe is the son of God — know that God doesn’t need us for anything. He WANTS us. And He wants us to:

  • Have wisdom. James, one of Jesus’s brothers, wrote “Do any of you need wisdom? Ask God for it. He is generous and enjoys giving to everyone. So he will give you wisdom.”
  • Live right. Another ancient writer puts it this way: “This is what He wants from you: Be fair to other people. Love kindness and loyalty, and humbly obey your God.”
  • Help those in need. An early Jesus follower wrote, “If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God’s love? It disappears. And you made it disappear.”
  • Come clean on all the wrong things we’ve done and all the right things we’ve failed to do. An ancient collection short sayings says “Whoever hides their sins will not be successful, but whoever confesses their sins and stops doing wrong will receive mercy.”
  • Prosper. An ancient prophet noted, “I [God] have good plans for you. I don’t plan to hurt you. I plan to give you hope and a good future.”
  • Have a relationship with him. There are many, many ancient writers who addressed this. Here are just a few:
    “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
    “God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him would not be lost but have eternal life.”

That last statement makes it clear how to have a relationship with God. Believe in His Son, follow His Son, trust in what His Son did for YOU (dying on a cross to make up for all the wrong things you’ve done and all the right things you’ve failed to do). Do that, and all the other things that God wants will start to come easier. And you don’t have to give anyone a single dollar.

Agree? Disagree? Post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

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