Exodus 20:1-2: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall no other gods before me.
Most of us know the First Commandment, “I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods before me.” Of course, that is exactly our greatest problem. We like to have other gods. This does not mean that we worship little statues set up in the family room, but it does mean that we have “things or people” that we idolize. Most especially, the three culprits we idolize are related to money, sex, and power. The whole history of man is the story of making an unholy trinity of these things.
None of us can or should give everything we own away so that we can live under a bridge in bliss. Having less money does not mean that we love money less. But all Christians are called to give sacrificially of our time, our talents, our gifts, and our service. Lent has been considered a time to GIVE UP something we hold dear; but this Lenten season, let’s make it a time of GIVING instead of GIVING UP.
Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit, free us from our insecurity and fear of poverty. Enable us to give freely so that we, with empty hands, may receive You, the God of all true riches, which will endure forever through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Carol Kirven