The Dangers Of Riches

[ayin jade]

7 hours ago, disqusnutchat said:

@Circuit

Worry is a natural part of the human mind. But as long as you have faith in God, you can let the worry exist within without reacting negatively to do it. Being rich does not have to mean that you will not know God within. And having access to a lot of money but spending most of it to help those who do not have much, will bring us closer to God. Using it to please ourselves alone, will also feel good but only in the physical sense. Physical pleasure is easy to access with wealth but it is nothing compared to the joy of knowing God within. And physical pleasure requires renewing since it is only temporary.

When we work to earn money, we can spend a good amount of it to help the Other also. Not too much money is needed to satisfy base needs for the Self like food, shelter, medical care and the occasional physical pleasure that does not require harming the Self or the Other.e.g. books, movies, eating out, technology. It is harder to sacrifice your physical rewards so that more can be given to the other than the self......but when we learn to do so, we connect with the greater strength of God within.

“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” ~Gautama Buddha

I am a bit concerned about you. I have seen you quote folks who are not Christians and you seem to follow philosophical people who are not Christian. I wonder if you know who Jesus is and why He died? Do you know what the gospel message is?

[disqusnutchat]

@ayin jade

I have read the New Testament and while I agree with much of what it tells us about Jesus, I dont agree with it's claim that Jesus was God made flesh and that Jesus rose from the dead. Those claims became the canon of the Christian Bible in the Council of Nicea when church fathers fought over whose beliefs and gospels should become part of the Bible and whose should be denied. The main topic of the fight was over whether Jesus was godlike or was he actually God. The fact that there was uncertainty over this implies to me that there was no actual proof of that issue. It became proof because some men decided 'it should be'.

For me, Jesus was a man who became godlike in his life and he believed that the path that led him to become a Son of God, could be taught to other people and lead them to the same destination. There is also some debate over the fact that most of the time, the gospels refer to Jesus as 'a son of man' or 'a son of god'....not 'the son of god'. And 'a' and 'the' radically change how we interpret the following phrase. Jesus died because he was willing to become a martyr to strengthen the faith of his followers. It is much more meaningful for me that a man chose to die.....rather than a god in the form of man. There have been later priests who have chosen to do the same. If you wish, you can see one in the streets of Saigon, who sits in the meditation pose and is set on fire. He sits calmly in that pose without a sound until his burnt corpse falls over. He was protesting the Vietnamese govt attempt to stamp out Buddhism. Type 'burning monk 1963' in Youtube. Or Google that to read the newspaper articles about it.

But I dont accept something as truth just because I become aware of something that is said or written by people I trust. Trust makes me willing to listen. Experience makes me accept it as truth. My current stance on God is based on the spiritual experiences I have actually gone through in my life.

Edited July 20, 2019 by disqusnutchat

[Worship Warriors]

20 hours ago, *Dusty said:

Maybe I read it wrong. but are you saying you think it wrong to have money? it sounds like a blessing to me.

Dusty, the problem is when you have money and you let it control your heart because you are not willing to give for kingdom purposes.  the wealth of the wicked is laid up for the just so that the just can give for kingdom purposes

1 Timothy 6:17

Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be generous and ready to share,…

[Nadjeschda]

21 hours ago, Walter and Deborah said:

James 5:1-20

Wealth is fraught with dangers and pitfalls for the man who is seeking to be rich, and for the man who is already rich. The dangers are many, so much so, that Christ makes a shocking statement as to the difficulty of a rich man entering into the kingdom.

Matthew 19:23-26 ²³Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." ²⁵When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?" ²⁶Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." 

The Dangers Of Riches 1-6, Faith Endures Awaiting Christ's Return 7-12, Faith Prays For The Afflicted 13-18, Faith Confronts The Erring Brother 19-20

James 5 - KJV Bible - Bible Study Tools

Finally someone understands me I follow a homeless person on facebook and he is really close to god. I can only dream of that strenth of believe.

[Nadjeschda]

 

7 minutes ago, Worship Warriors said:

Dusty, the problem is when you have money and you let it control your heart because you are not willing to give for kingdom purposes.  the wealth of the wicked is laid up for the just so that the just can give for kingdom purposes

1 Timothy 6:17

Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be generous and ready to share,…

 I think this is not just a question of entry of heaven. I see that whenever I think about money this closes my heart for spirituality.

[Walter and Deborah]

3 hours ago, Nadjeschda said:

Finally someone understands me I follow a homeless person on facebook and he is really close to god. I can only dream of that strenth of believe.

Amen

[Walter and Deborah]

2 hours ago, Nadjeschda said:

 

 I think this is not just a question of entry of heaven. I see that whenever I think about money this closes my heart for spirituality.

How you mean?

[Sower]

On 7/19/2019 at 9:49 AM, Walter and Deborah said:

Wealth is fraught with dangers and pitfalls for the man who is seeking to be rich, and for the man who is already rich. The dangers are many, so much so, that Christ makes a shocking statement as to the difficulty of a rich man entering into the kingdom.

From The Daily Citizen:    (Focus on the Family)

One year ago, I did something crazy. I left behind everything I knew, and I followed Jesus as he took me around the world on an 11-month mission trip—called the World Race—to 11 different countries. Throughout the journey, God showed me how He’s moving in the hearts and lives of people from different nations and cultures. That year forever changed me. Here are ten things I learned along the way.

    1. I am rich compared to the rest of the world.

I never thought of myself as rich — especially not with the salary I make as a graduate teaching assistant. But after traveling the world, I realized that more than 3 billion people live on less than $2.50 a day. As Americans, we live in one of the most affluent countries in the world. I don’t feel shame for living in America because I firmly believe that God intentionally placed me here. But I do recognize that God has abundantly blessed me, and my money and resources are not ultimately mine — they belong to God. Now that I am making a salary, I get to partner with God through my finances. It has been an honor to use the resources He has given me to further His kingdom.

"Content makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich men poor"
Benjamin Franklin.....
 

 

[BibleStudent100]

The Bible neither condemns money nor criticizes those who have it—even a lot of it. The point is not the amount a person has but his attitude toward what he has or wants to acquire. The Bible’s counsel regarding money is balanced, and it is as relevant today as when it was written. Note the following examples.

THE BIBLE SAYS: “Do not wear yourself out to gain wealth.”—Proverbs 23:4.
THE BIBLE SAYS: “Let your way of life be free of the love of money, while you are content with the present things.”—Hebrews 13:5.
THE BIBLE SAYS: “The one trusting in his riches will fall.”—Proverbs 11:28.
THE BIBLE SAYS: “Even when a person has an abundance, his life does not result from the things he possesses.”—Luke 12:15.

I have saved this chart that is to be used personally on how we individually view money:
□ Am I attracted to get-rich-quick schemes?
□ Do I find it difficult to be generous with my money?
□ Do I tend to make friends with people who constantly talk about money and the things they own?
□ Do I resort to lying or to other unethical practices in order to make money?
□ Does money make me feel important?
□ Am I always thinking about money?
□ Is my attitude toward money adversely affecting my health and family life?

Never allow the love of money to take root in your heart. Rather, keep money in its place—always subordinate to friends, family, and your emotional and physical health. By doing so, you will show that you have a balanced view of money.
 

BTW Sower, you said you learned 10 things in your round the world travels for Christ; I would love to read about the other 9!  Also, who sponsored it?  This sounds fascinating!

[Kristin]

Without riches we are slaves. If we could be wise AND have riches it would be great. But no we aren’t and don’t have them. Let’s face it.