# True Riches

Only those who do not read their Bibles believe that there is a one-size-fits-all doctrine on giving.Barnabas’ generous contribution was so big that it was impossible to miss. Most of us do not have those kinds of resources to sell and give away. Though Paul was at pains to commend the Corinthian church for their eager promise to raise a contribution for their poor brethren in Jerusalem, they did not appear eager to get on with the job of collecting…

I read somewhere that Jesus answered 113 questions, 52 of which were his own, and 61 from others.If there was a guy standing on a corner in the first century selling a list of “Questions to be avoided when talking to Jesus,” I wonder which one would be at the top of the list?“Who is my neighbour?” (Lk.10:29) would surely be up near the top. No one around Israel would have been happy with Jesus’ answer to that one.Asking, “By…

It has always amazed me when popular Christian speakers and writers trace the roots of their ‘Successful Christian Living’ theology back to Norman Vincent Peale’s 1952 book: “The Power of Positive of Positive Thinking.” Curiously, Peale’s book was instantly accepted as the break-through ‘How-to’ handbook for self-help Christianity. It catapulted him to super-stardom, and thereby gave Prosperity Preaching the new Father-figure it seemed to have been waiting for. I say, “curiously” because ‘The Power of Positive Thinking’ is, believe it…

Of all the things that little Jewish boys dreamed about, becoming ‘the most hated man in town,’ was not one of them. There Matthew sat at his tax booth, collecting taxes for the occupying Roman army from his fellow Jews. This was a man that any ‘righteous Jew’ would have more sense than to associate with.But Jesus was disinterested in the opinions of others when it came to what was in a man’s heart. He walked straight up to this…

The term ‘Filthy lucre’ survives only in the minds of the old and those who use the King James Bible. Despite its archaic nature, the term invariably causes someone to quote: “Money is the root of all evil.” You have to smile, because at that point someone will always correct this misquote with: “The love of money is the root of all evil” (1Tim.6:10).You can do your own straw poll, but my guess is that it is only middleclass Christians…

Speaking generally, one thing that the average rich person knows that the average poor person doesn’t know is the exact state of his financial affairs. The rich make meticulous calculations of their assets and liabilities. Both sides of the ledger are poured over: They know that “Assets minus liabilities equals ‘net worth.’” This they build on. On his first road to riches, a brother told me that he was gathering money to invest in the ‘work of the Lord’s church.’…