Public money

When writing about money it is like sharing about ones sex life? You don’t talk about it in public. What we do with our money is our business and nobody else’s and maybe if this attitude changed we would find spiritual release. If fellowship groups would allow members to express how they spend their money, how they struggle with what to purchase, and how purchasing may have become an end in itself, it may help us realize the struggle we all face. To spend money can quickly become an addictive means of satisfying us, but only for a temporary measure. A crime situation helped free me from what I owned. They wiped me out of all the usual things in the Pretoria manse and we had to claim from insurance to get all the appliances etc. back. Every item I replaced in that house I felt I would never be able to own. There was no saying when the next burglary would be, and when I would have to replace it all again. There are some positive things that come from a crime epidemic? To serve God or to serve money was the choice Jesus asked his disciples to make. To be disciples of Jesus one has to make this choice. 1 Tim. 6.9 speaks about those who want to be rich. This is a choice that is not exclusive to those who have lots of money. The don’t haves can just as easily place all their hope on material things and fall prey to the same temptation as the haves. The “kingdom of God” that Jesus warns is difficult to enter if we are money obsessed. This kingdom is not something that is realized only one day in ‘heaven’. It is a reality being realized everyday through our faith that can be experienced by the wealthy and not wealthy. That is if our focus is not on material possessions but on the God in whom we love and the people whom we are called to serve.

Balance

The rush of life has overtaken the sensible, quieter path of balanced ministry. The old fears, selfish ambitions, and immature thoughts of the past creep in like cockroaches returning at night. The kitchen, scullery and dining room have been dark for a few weeks and the inevitable crawling pests return. The joy of switching on the light and seeing things run. The happiness of sitting with my God and declaring nothing else. The wonder and mystery of walking with Christ alone. Nothing seems to crawl when you are humbly at the feet of your Creator, expressing the need alone to follow your God who is all and sufficient enough for every need, for fellowship, for reward, and every ounce of approval. The 'ifs and buts' fade with the sound of a worshiping heart, the weakness of soul is swallowed up by the presence and consistent mothering of God. To be accepted by God is all in all.

Weaning by Dr. J

A child is cherished when they are slowly weaned off their parents. The act is a moment of key-making, a twenty first celebration that marks the era of doing your own thing. Coming home late and not disturbing the folks. Taking yourself to work and back in your newly bought or pass-me-down family car. “Free to be me” at last, no teacher’s to infringe on my spare time. I am the manager of my life, to choose and imbibe all that I choose. It wasn’t so for the adolescent God-man. It wasn’t so for the middle-aged God-man either. The sign of his maturity was marked by the increasing dependency on his parent. He was given more because he listened more. Held more authority because he obeyed more. It is a weaning process the spiritual journey is, but not from one parent to oneself, but from one parent to another.