Asian Beacon

FIVE CRIMES CHRISTIANS SHOULD AVOID
Ultimate security lies only in Jesus Christ,
and that isn’t merely a Christian platitude but an eternal truth!
righteous indignation has its place amidst
worsening crime rates that fly in the face
of laughably doctored statistics that crime
rates are falling, I want to radically shift
focus to personal crimes Christians are
guilty of harbouring and nurturing in our
hearts.
Consider these offences:
1. Looking to our money for security
2. Looking to our profession for our
identity
3. Looking to our leaders for
promotion and favour
4. Robbing God of our tithe
5. Discontentment
I am not simply pointing an accusatory
finger at you; I have been guilty of all
five crimes!
Looking to our money
for security
Anyone who says money isn’t important is
either deluded or lying.
Money is important. Just ask a single
mother who has to decide between buying
higher quality milk powder for her toddler
or a pair of work shoes to replace her
current one with holes but no discernible
soles; or the ageing retiree of modest
means who has to choose between paying
for his own knee replacement or for his
grey-haired wife’s melanoma removal; or
the outwardly successful businessman who
inwardly contemplates suicide because he
is suffocating under a mountain of debt.
We all need some money to function
in this world. But ultimate security lies
only in Jesus Christ, and that isn’t merely
a Christian platitude but an eternal truth!
All the money in the world cannot
insulate us from all the problems in the
world. So we mustn’t look to our bank
balance or investment portfolio for
ultimate protection. We should instead
rely on Jesus for… everything always,
while acting on wisdom from His Word.
Looking to our profession
for our identity
I think more men than women are guilty
of this crime.
Speaking personally, a large part of my
self-worth and internal identity is fused to
my profession as a financial planner. And
right up to his death on April 4, 2008, my
father was a lawyer to his core. Are you
guilty of equating your personal identity
with what you do for a living?
I sometimes wonder if there are pastors
who fall into this same trap, looking to
their job title within a church or ministry
for their personal identity.
Whether we function economically
within the secular sphere or the religious
realm, our core identity should be –
yes, once again – centred on Jesus and
hinged upon our recollection of how
He lifted us from the miry clay. Paul’s
words in 1Timothy 1:15 remind us of the
attitude God deems appropriate: “Here
is a trustworthy saying that deserves full
acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners – of whom I am the
worst.”
Vocationally, Paul was a tentmaker.
He used his work skills to earn a living that
allowed him to focus on the bigger mission
of ensuring that in and through his life,
Christ increased and he decreased.
Looking to our leaders
for promotion and favour
Regardless of which country in Asia – or
outside it – you reside, it is likely your
newspapers and portals are filled with the
shortcomings of elected officials or, worse
yet, unelected despots. While Christians
aren’t called to be hermits who ignore
the realities of living in a (hopefully) civil
society, we should remember that on this
side of eternity, political leaders are more
apt to disappoint than inspire us.
Psalm 75:7 says, “It is God who judges:
He brings one down, he exalts another.” In
other words, God chooses to promote us
or to humble us. A close examination of the
life of Joseph shows the best we can do is
to work diligently and trust God to raise us
up in His time.
Robbing God of our tithe
To the best of my knowledge the
only time God says it is OK to test Him is
in Malachi 3, the most pertinent portion of
Scripture concerning the ancient practice
of tithing. I suggest you read its still relevant
words slowly, repeatedly, prayerfully.
Focus on verses 9 and 10:
“You are under a curse – your whole
nation – because you are robbing me. Bring
the whole tithe into the storehouse, that
there may be food in my house. Test me
in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see
if I will not throw open the floodgates of
heaven and pour out so much blessing that
there will not be room enough to store it.”
God honours His Word.
I urge you to bring your full tithe
(10% off the top of any income) into God’s
storehouse (the local church where you
receive your primary spiritual sustenance)
to meet its internal and external funding
needs.
Discontentment
It is difficult to strike a healthy
balance between ‘honouring God by
turning our backs on laziness by working
hard and smart to better our circumstances’
and ‘living happily and contentedly’. So I
won’t try to give you a framework for doing
so in case I cause you to veer too much to
one direction. Instead, I will end with two
familiar Scripture references for you to
work through concerning the crucial issue
of balancing diligence and contentment:
Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do,
work at it with all your heart, as working
for the Lord, not for human masters…”
1Timothy 6:6, 10-11, “But godliness
with contentment is great gain… For
the love of money is a root of all kinds
of evil. Some people, eager for money,
have wandered from the faith and pierced
themselves with many griefs. But you,
man of God, flee from all this, and pursue
righteousness, godliness, faith, love,
endurance and gentleness.”
© 2014 Rajen Devadason
Rajen Devadason, CFP, is
a Securities Commissionlicensed
financial planner,
professional speaker and
author. Read his free articles
at www.FreeCoolArticles.
com; he may be contacted at
rajen@RajenDevadason.com.
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