Utah's Hope

Ever play the telephone game? You and some others gather in a circle. Someone whispers a message to the first person, who whispers it to the second and so on. When the last person reveals what he heard, it’s obvious that the message got wildly distorted. Some people seem to play a game like that with their Bible knowledge. They rely on what they’ve heard the Bible says. Today on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie takes us to the source to discover some things people said it said that it never said.

—

Become a Harvest Partner today and join us in knowing God and making Him known through media and large-scale evangelism, our mission of over 30 years.

Explore more resources from Pastor Greg Laurie, including daily devotionals and blogs, designed to answer your spiritual questions and equip you to walk closely with Christ.

Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupport

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Money can tell you how much you have, but it makes a terrible answer to the question, “Who am I?”

Wealth is a gift to steward, but it was never meant to become our identity. Yet in a culture that often measures success by income, possessions, and financial security, it’s easy to begin defining ourselves by what we have—or what we lack.

Scripture offers a different perspective. In fact, some of Jesus’ most memorable teachings about wealth reveal what happens when possessions become central to a person's identity.

Have you ever noticed how Scripture describes certain wealthy individuals? There's the rich fool, the rich young ruler, and the rich man who lived in luxury while a poor man named Lazarus suffered outside his gate.

We know what these men possessed. We know how they related to their possessions. But we don't know their names.

Perhaps there's something worth considering in that pattern. These men looked to wealth for something it could never ultimately provide: security, significance, and even identity. And in the stories themselves, their possessions became what they were known for.

Consider the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16. Jesus describes a wealthy man dressed in purple and fine linen who feasted lavishly every day. Outside his gate lay a poor man covered with sores, longing for scraps from the rich man's table.

But Jesus introduces these two individuals with a striking contrast: the poor man has a name, Lazarus. The rich man doesn't.

The world may have known the wealthy man's name while overlooking Lazarus entirely. But in Jesus' telling, that distinction is reversed. Lazarus is known by name, while the other man is identified simply by his wealth.

There's something sobering about that. The rich man possessed the outward markers of earthly significance, but those possessions could not establish his standing before God.

Now consider the rich fool in Luke 12.

Jesus tells the story of a wealthy landowner whose farm produces such an abundant harvest that he runs out of room to store it. He decides to tear down his barns, build larger ones, and enjoy the security he believes his wealth provides.

He tells himself, "Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry" (Luke 12:19). Again, we never learn his name. We know him simply as the rich fool.

His problem wasn't that his farm succeeded or that he possessed an abundance. Scripture doesn't condemn wealth or enjoying God's provision. His problem was that his possessions had become the foundation of his security.

Notice his language: my crops, my barns, my grain, my goods.

His world had become centered on what he possessed. He had accumulated enough to convince himself that his future was secure. But God tells him, "Fool! This night your soul is required of you" (Luke 12:20).

He had plenty of possessions, but they couldn't provide the security he ultimately needed.

Then there's the rich young ruler, whose encounter with Jesus is recorded in Mark 10. 

He approaches Jesus asking what he must do to inherit eternal life. But when Jesus exposes how his possessions hold his heart captive, the man walks away sorrowful because of his great wealth.

Once again, we remember someone largely by what he possessed.

These accounts don't suggest that wealth itself is the problem or that those who have much cannot faithfully follow Christ. Rather, they reveal the danger of allowing wealth to occupy a place in our hearts that belongs to God alone.

When wealth becomes our identity, it can diminish our understanding of who we truly are.

Our culture constantly invites us to define ourselves through financial categories.

We're wealthy, middle class, homeowner

Resilience is a life skill we need for the inevitable struggles we will face in this life — but we must be intentional about learning this skill. Valorie has identified some key “rules” for resilience — like “expect the unexpected,” and “focus on the vision, not the obstacle.” And “control the controllable and accept the rest.” Prepping ourselves beforehand to learn and live more resiliently helps us be more confident, content, and successful when difficult situations happen.

Get "Rules of Resilience" free with your gift.

Overcome Anxiety -- You don’t have to be paralyzed by fear—Christ offers peace that no circumstance can take away. In this FREE video series, acclaimed Christian counselor and author Dr. Gregory Jantz will help you experience peace from anxiety with biblical hope and practical strategies for living in peace—even when the world feels like it’s falling apart.

Get More Episode Resources 

Do you have a story or comment on how Focus on the Family impacted you or your family? Leave a message for Jim Daly!

If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family with Jim Daly, please give us your feedback.

It's on mental replay—the way your own brokenness leaked into your parenting. Wondering how to forgive yourself as a parent when a redo isn't an option? FamilyLife Blended director Ron Deal joins Dave and Ann Wilson on FamilyLife Today for a painfully personal conversation about the parenting regrets we can’t simply undo.

Show Notes and Resources

• The Mindful Marriage.
• No Perfect Parents.

• Thanks to the Christian Standard Bible for sponsoring this episode. Learn more at CSBible.com.
• Follow us on all social platforms: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
• Find resources from our podcast at shop.familylife.com.
• Download FamilyLife's app!
• Help others find FamilyLife. Leave a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify.
• Check out all the FamilyLife's podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network.

See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy

Learn the right response to have when going through periods of conflict in the Christian life.

Donate: https://store.intouch.org/donate/general

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The field of behavioral economics has revealed something the Bible has been telling us for thousands of years. What is that, you say? It’s that we’re not nearly as rational as we think we are— especially when money is involved. On the next Faith & Finance Live, Rob West and Mark Biller show how biblical wisdom can help us overcome some of the behavioral tendencies that work against us as investors. Then, it’s on to calls. That’s Faith & Finance Live, biblical wisdom for your financial journey. That’s weekdays at 4pm Eastern/3pm Central on Moody Radio.

Faith & Finance Live is a listener supported program on Moody Radio.  To join our team of supporters, click here.

To support the ministry of FaithFi, click here.

To learn more about Rob West, click here.

To learn more about Faith & Finance Live, click here.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Topics: 

Forgiveness, Breaking Animal News, Pause for Joy, Dating Apps, Rockefeller


BONUS: Brant's Birthday Gift, Forgiveness Follow-up

Quotes:

"Forgiveness is not an option for believers in Jesus."

"Forgiveness is good for us."
.
.
.
Holy Ghost Mama Pre-Order!

Want more of the Oddcast? Check out our website!

Watch our YouTube videos here.

Connect with us on Facebook!

No matter who we are, what neighborhood we come from, whether we’re famous, infamous or unknown, we have something someone else wants. We have something someone else needs. We have a smile, and a kind word. It’s that simple. Maybe we don’t have a dollar in our pocket, but a moment of kindness may be just what someone needs to get through their difficulty. Today on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie helps us follow the Bible’s plan for the wise use of our words.

—

Become a Harvest Partner today and join us in knowing God and making Him known through media and large-scale evangelism, our mission of over 30 years.

Explore more resources from Pastor Greg Laurie, including daily devotionals and blogs, designed to answer your spiritual questions and equip you to walk closely with Christ.

Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupport

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.