Don't Line Your Pockets With Pretense!

# 86 Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 1Ti 3:2,3 “A bishop (pastor) then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; 3 not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, Next on the list of qualifications for those who would serve in the office of pastor is he must not be “greedy for money.” The King James says “greedy of filthy lucre, ” and the idea is that the candidate for the office of pastor must not be one who is shameless when it comes to lining his pockets. The financial dealings of the pastoral candidate must be above board. Again, this is a benchmark for all followers of Christ. Jesus told us in Lu 16:10 "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. 11 "Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 "And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own? 13 "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." The “least” that Jesus is referring to here is “mammon,” and what makes mammon the least is in the end it rusts, moths eat it up, and it is burned up with fire on the Last Day! It is temporary! You cannot serve God and mammon. Only one can be your master. So, Christians and “pastors” ought to have an eternal view of mammon. One can see how important this is for the one who serves as overseer. There are many people who are hurting and some of them have money and it is easy for one serving as pastor to abuse this position of trust and use it to line his pockets. Jesus warned us of this in Lu 20:46,47, "Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, 47 "who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation." Wow! Who's got the greater condemnation? The one who lines his pockets by using pretense! Pastor! Be on guard for this one and constantly check your motivation for serving.

It Ought To Be the Love of Christ That Compels Us....Not the Love of Money

623 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 1Ti 3:3 not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, Next on the list of pastoral qualifications is the pastor must not be greedy for money. Again, one can see how this could be a problem in the cultures of the early church plants. In Acts 8, we read of a sorcerer named Simon whom we can assume made a pretty good living off of the supernatural. When Phillip came to town and preached the Gospel, and performed miracles and signs, Simon became a believer. Soon after-wards Peter and John arrived, and laid hands on the people and they received the Holy Spirit. Simon thought that the ability to bestow the Holy Spirit was something that could be purchased and who knows, maybe he wanted to have this ability to line his pockets. But Peter said to him, "Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! Jesus speaking in Mt 23:14, had something to say about those who used religion as a way to get rich. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. As the Gospel was preached in these new cultures, and is preached in new cultures today, one can easily see where someone might aspire to be a pastor because it could be an easy way to make a buck. These charlatans needed to be weeded out. Pastors are to tend the sheep, not fleece them. But it's not just “new church plants” that have improperly motivated pastors. We see it far too often in various media outlets, where men and women with a pretense of spirituality, will twist the Scriptures in an effort to line their pockets. The sad thing is, many people are snookered in by their false teachings because they too are often looking for “quick gain.”, and easy solutions. The call of a pastor is a very holy thing. And if someone thinks that entering a ministry of any kind, is simply a way to make a quick buck, I implore you....think again. Remember, it is the love of Christ that ought to compel us, not the love of money. I am thankful that God has called me into the Christian broadcasting field, and I pray that God will always keep my motivation pure, AND that as a ministry, we would never twist the Scriptures in order to twist the arms of those who give of their hard-earned finances! Father, guard our hearts from greed.