Last night's bible passages (see previous post) got us thinking about how we manage the resources we have. How might we do things differently if we start out knowing that all we have belongs to God and is just loaned to us for a time? It can be a challenge to live this way in a world that encourages us to see all we have in terms of reward, entitlement, accomplishment... But taking on that challenge can be truly rewarding, especially if we do it together. God reaches out to us through community. We share our struggles, offer each other feedback and insight, and give God's own encouragement to one another.
Studying what the Bible has to say about finances doesn't magically make everything alright. The Bible's not a direct answer book. It's more a book of questions actually, questions that stop us in our tracks and help us to see beyond the dead-end ways of living. When together we ask the questions raised in Scripture, we begin to sort out what fills us with spirit and energy, and what ways leave us drained and despairing.
This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you, God gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God... so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God. (from 2 Corinthians 9)
Robust in God... I like the sound of that. Living gratefully and generously: that sounds like real living to me. But I know I can't live that way on my own. I need God's people who will surround and fill me with God's passionate love for me and all creation.
Please consider joining us next Wednesday, 7:30pm, at Panera on 101A (near Target), for next week's chance to consider how life and God's word intersect.
~ Kari Henkelmann Keyl
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