Confession:
Some days I daydream about money.
It’s nothing TOO serious, just me imagining what I would spend the dinero on if it suddenly showed up in excess. Silly things, really. Fitness gadgets. Inky pens. Journals. A fancy, customized new Bible. Buying all of my friends their favorite lunch/flowers/gift just because it’s Thursday.
I recently saw a comic floating around on Facebook that had a person in a church praying. The speech bubble said, “Please Lord, let me prove to you that winning the lottery won’t ruin my life.” #UmYesPlease
I have never really been in a position of worldly wealth… and I am (mostly) ok with that. Sure, we often slide into pay day with gritted teeth and hands clasped in prayer… but He always comes through.
Why? Because we love Christ, we truly are living this RICH LIFE.
I am currently taking the Ephesians Bible Study on Tuesday mornings, led by my magnificent friend Alexis (Sidenote: Did you know that other than Revelation, Ephesians is said to be the hardest book of the bible to “get?” Yeah. Me neither. WOWZERS.)
Right out of the gate in chapter 1, Paul addresses the church at Ephesus with a powerful proclamation of God’s spiritual blessings: “In him we have redemption trough his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.” (Ephesians 1:7-8a)
I dug into that verse and listened to a commentary by my “buddy” J. Vernon McGhee. He told two (true) stories to illustrate how we react to these “blessings.”
The first was about a young man who was heir to a rather large sum of money. He had access to the cash, but instead chose to live as a homeless person… drinking, stealing, staying in run down hotels. His family wanted him home, so they went looking for him. They found him frozen to death in an alley, penniless and ragged, forsaking the riches that were well within his reach.
The other story is similar. A man is notified that he has now inherited a large sum of money in England. Immediately, he goes and buys a nice suit and a first class ticket to London to claim his inheritance. This man heard of the riches available to him, believed it and eventually claimed it.
Now. Let’s take a wild guess on how the Lord wants us to respond to the spiritual riches He has lavished upon us.
Which example resonates most with you? Join in the conversation and leave a comment.
Sisters, I want to challenge you this year, not to focus on the physical blessings of this world, but to tap into Christ’s REAL LOVE and seek a fuller understanding of the RICH LIFE that we are called to, both in this world and the next.
We have all we need in Him. And no lottery ticket required.
Abundantly Rich,
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” -Ephesians 1:18-19a
