Luke 12:13-21
There is a deception prevailing today, one so powerful it makes people risk their families, their health, and their integrity. The deception is that success is defined by our material wealth. Many of us decide we are a failure without it. And with it, we somehow believe we are automatically a success. To uncover the truth, we need only ask ourselves, What is God's view of us?
God observes that some of us have an idolatrous attitude toward money. Life centers around the topic of money—getting it, keeping it, having enough of it, and bemoaning our lack of it. A godly view of wealth sees money as a medium of exchange given by God so that we may provide for others and meet our basic needs. Riches are not to be worshiped; only He is.
The Lord warns us about our attitude toward treasure. (Matthew 6:24) The pursuit of wealth can set us adrift from God or choke off the power of Scripture in our lives. It can even enslave us as we try to gain "financial security." The Lord states that He is to be the center of our lives—not the pursuit of riches—and our security is to be found in Him alone. We are urged to take steps to protect ourselves against the temptations that come with desiring or having treasure.
None of us are immune from the lure to pursue wealth or the temptation to define ourselves as successful when we have it. Pray and ask God to reveal your attitude toward money and success. Then confess any ungodliness.
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Charles Frazier Stanley was born September 25, 1932, in the small town of Dry Fork, Virginia. The only child of Charley and Rebecca Stanley, Charles came into the world during a time when the entire nation felt the grip of the Great Depression. To make matters worse, just nine months later, his father Charley died at the young age of 29.
However, Charles refused to let the Great Depression or the difficulties of his life define him. Instead, like his father and grandfather before him, he clung to God’s Word and took up the mantle to preach the gospel to whoever would listen.
Dr. Stanley’s motivation is best represented by the truth found in Acts 20:24, “Life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about God's mighty kindness and love.” This is because, as he says, “It is the Word of God and the work of God that changes people’s lives.”
Dr. Stanley’s teachings can be heard weekly at First Baptist Church Atlanta, daily on “In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley” radio and television broadcasts on more than 2,800 stations around the world, on the Internet at intouch.org, through the In Touch Messenger, and in the monthly, award-winning In Touch magazine.