Honey, I Think I Need Another Wife

Suggested Reading: Luke 14:25-33

One television show that has always amazed me is this cable show that chronicles the lives of a man and his four wives. Apparently, there used to be just three but the husband decided they could use another and so he began searching out a fourth wife. Every time the show comes on I want to joke with my wife saying, "That sounds like a pretty good idea!" I resist the urge now because one time I actually said it to my wife and, even though she knew I was joking, the look I got wasn't pretty. See, my wife has this crazy idea that she doesn't want to share me with anyone. She wants all of my love and commitment directed toward her. If I were to seriously try to split my love and energy between her and someone else she wouldn't stick around long.

We understand this concept when it comes to our marriages but often fail to see the connection when it comes to our relationship with God. In Luke 14:26, Jesus said, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters - yes, even his own life - he cannot be my disciple" (HCSB). Jesus doesn't want to share our love and devotion with other people or things. He wants our love and devotion to him to be so much stronger than what we have for anyone or anything else that our love for those things looks like hate by comparison.

So, if you were to look at the time and energy you spend on your relationship with Jesus versus what you spend on, say, your significant other or your friends, what would that tell you about who is most important to you? If you were to compare the amount of money you spend on hobbies and interests and the amount you spend investing in Jesus' kingdom where would he think your priorities lie?

Jesus doesn't just want to be really important to us. He doesn't even want to be the most important in a tight contest. Jesus warned us that we should love him (and remember that love is as much a choice as a feeling) so much more than anything or anyone else that we appear to hate them by comparison OR we cannot be his disciples.

So let's take a good honest look at ourselves. How important is Jesus to us, really? Can you tell it by our choices and actions? Jesus doesn't want to be our favorite; he wants to be our one and only.

I Wish I Could Get Attacked For That...

During the last presidential campaign, I heard a commercial blasting one of the presidential candidates as someone who used to have a Swiss bank account. Aside from the fact that owning a Swiss bank account doesn't have any direct bearing on one's qualifications to be president, my first thought as I heard the commercial was, "I wish I had a Swiss bank account!"

Then I got to thinking about what I would do if I had enough money to warrant a Swiss bank account. Obviously I would be saving some of it (that's what Swiss bank accounts are for), but what else would I do? I would imagine that many of us have those fantasies from time to time. What would I do if I won the lottery? What would I do if someone left me a million dollars? How would I spend that kind of money? I've known a few people who suddenly came into money and I have discovered that the answer to that question is surprisingly predictable: they spend it on the same kinds of things they already spend their money on, just to greater extremes. People who already spend money on their family tend to spend even more. People who give to the church tend to give even more. People who waste their money tend to waste it even more.

As I was pondering this phenomenon I ran across this verse from Psalm 37:26 about the righteous person, "He is always generous, always lending…" (HCSB). When I read that verse, I immediately played the devil's advocate (not literally), asking, "Well what if he doesn't have much money?" But then I realized the verse didn't say, "He is generous when he has a lot" or "He lends money when he can afford to." The proverb says, "He is always generous, always lending…" The righteous person doesn't give because he can afford to; the righteous person gives because of who he is.

Jesus reinforced this principle in a number of parables, most notably the parable of the talents where three different men are given sums of money to use in their lord's name. At the end of the story, those who have been faithful with the little they have been given are rewarded with more and the one who did not manage for his lord's benefit had everything taken away from him. Jesus ends the parable with the master telling his faithful managers, "You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share in your master's joy!" (Matthew 25:21,23, HSCB). Jesus was teaching that what you do with a little, you will also do with a lot.

If you ever wondered how you would handle a sudden influx of wealth, look at the things you spend your money on now and you will find out. Be faithful and generous with the little you have and you never know when God might give you the opportunity to be faithful and generous even more.