On what do we set our affections? A simple drive to work each morning presents a multitude of options: houses, cars, certain kinds of relationships. None of these objects are bad in and of them self. However, there is a proper way for the Christian to view them, as Bonhoeffer explains.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906 – 1945), a Protestant pastor, was one of Germany’s leading scholars of the twentieth century. He courageously returned from Union Seminary in New York to oppose Adolf Hitler. His great desire was for Christians to follow Christ whatever the cost. It was a cost he knew only too well: he was arrested, imprisoned, and executed (just days before the end of the Second World War) for his opposition to the Nazi regime. In his most famous work, The Cost of Discipleship (1937), he urged Christians to throw off everything that hindered their wholehearted allegiance to Christ, including the accumulation of wealth.
“Jesus does not forbid the possession of property in itself. He was man, he ate and drank like his disciples, and thereby sanctified the good things of life. These necessities, which are consumed in use and which meet the legitimate requirements of the body, are to be used by the disciple with thankfulness . . . Earthly goods are given to be used, not to be collected. In the wilderness God gave Israel the manna every day, and they had no need to worry about food and drink. Indeed, if they kept any of the manna over until the next day, it went bad. In the same way, the disciple must receive his portion from God every day. If he stores it up as a permanent possession, he spoils not only the gift but himself as well, for he sets his heart on accumulated wealth, and makes it a barrier between himself and God. Where our treasure is, there is our trust, our security, our consolation and our God. Hoarding is idolatry.1”
Footnotes:
1 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship (London: SCM Press Ltd., 1959), 155-156.
Amen Chris…Bonhoeffer should be required reading for all believers.
Matthew 19:23-26, And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. “Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Jesus knew what he was talking about when he said these words–he taught that we had to rely on him and his power.
The same concept as that brought out by Bonhoeffer was also noted by Jesus’ brother James when he spoke of the rich, “For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away. (James 1:11) And again in 4:8 James reminds all of us to draw near to God and to guard against being double-minded.
We should listen to James and pursue God (Matt 6:33 and 22:37) whether we have worldly riches or none. Be rich with God!
Thanks Jim! We need to get you in the pulpit brother.