Monday – Gospels and Acts

Reading – Acts 16

Highlight Verse:

“Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace.”
‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭16‬:‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

One way you can tell someone who is devoted to Jesus from someone who is devoted to themselves is their attitude toward money.

I’m not coming down on wealthy Christians.

The big question here is what happens when wealth is threatened.

In today’s reading, the masters of the possessed slave girl were quite upset when their livelihood was damaged by the girl’s deliverance. Their devotion was to their wealth.

I’ve also known a few Christians who, as they used to say, “lost their religion” when financially threatened.

But then, I’ve known at least one wealthy person who maintained his faith and giving attitude when his business collapsed and his circumstances were much reduced.

There are a lot of faithful people out there who use their wealth to spread God’s love in meaningful ways. Instead of maintaining a tight, jealous grip on their wealth, they recognize that it is truly God’s wealth that they are allowed to control for a little while.

I can guarantee that type of wealthy person has far more joy than the one who tries to keep an iron grip on their wealth.

Have you known people who were stingy with their wealth? What about someone who was generous?
Which person was happier?