God Sees it All

What will you be remembered for?

Scripture:

Luke 16:14   The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they ridiculed him. ¹⁵ So he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of others; but God knows your hearts; for what is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God.

Observation:

Yes, Jesus was teaching the disciples, but also rebuking the Pharisees. He had been talking about the management of money, and what he could entrust to others. This love of money among the Pharisees was really a distrust of God. They hated what Jesus had to say and so they ridiculed him. Then, he called them out as hypocrites. Neale says, “The Pharisees appear righteous outside, but inwardly are disloyal and dishonest” (NBBC). God sees their hearts, he sees it all! They wanted to be loved by people and appear to be righteous when, in fact, they were much more interested in pleasing the people around them, and particularly those in power, than they were in pleasing God. 

Application:

Whether speaking of genuine repentance or stewardship, God sees it all. He is able to look into our hearts and see what really motivates us. 

Money continues to be a motivating factor in life. I have to confess, the closer that we get to retirement, the more that we watch our savings, the markets and what’s happening in the world. At the same time, we’ve lived through an experience where all of that was wiped away. When we moved to Russia in 1992 hyperinflation hit the local economy. Russians who had saved up for retirement suddenly discovered that their money was almost worthless. A savings account of 30,000 rubles, which had been the equivalent of $30,000 became the cost of a Big Mac at McDonald’s. Everything they had stored up became of no value, almost overnight. At one point, it was cheaper to use paper money for toilet paper, than it was to buy toilet paper. 

So, what do we prize? If we are to be Christlike disciples in this world, then we are to value the same things that Christ values. Christ values people who are created in the image of God more than he does the material things of this world. He values the unborn baby. He values the poor single mother struggling to raise her children. He values those whom we call enemies, for they are his children too who are in need of salvation. He values your friends. He values your family. He values your neighbor, or the person you meet at Starbucks. 

This week the town of Waverly, TN suffered from horrible flooding. As the things of this world were washed away by the water, what mattered most was human life. Sadly, there were many who died and the pain of this remains. It’s in these moments in time that we are challenged to remember that we are not to be lovers of money, or of things, nor are we to waste our times justifying ourselves in the sight of others. God does know our heart, and we are to follow him, living in dependence upon the One who wants to serve as our provider. 

Prayer:

Lord, I pray for our church family in Waverly today, that your holy presence would be very near. Help all of us who follow you to be dependent upon you and not what the world can provide. Amen.