I’ll explain. During his time on earth, Jesus went to great effort to convince people that being a true Christian was more than just following a set of rules. This is evident in almost everything he said, but I’ll use as an example these excerpts from his famous Sermon on the Mount:

“You heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘you must not murder; but whoever commits a murder will be accountable to the court of justice.’ However I say to you that everyone who continues wrathful with his brother will be accountable to the court of justice…” (Matt 5:21-22)

The principle here is that Christians need to condition their hearts before any event potentially leading to sin ever comes along- they must work on shedding any anger or hatred that they harbor and develop peace and love within their hearts. This way, at times of trial, they will avoid sin because their deeply held beliefs have changed them from the inside out- not because they’ve successfully followed the “rules” by suppressing the murderous impulses in their heart.

Likewise, in verse 27:

“You heard that it was said, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone that keeps on looking at a woman so as to have a passion for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

So, we can learn from these passages that what Jesus demands of something more- true, heartfelt fidelity and restraint. Imagine how great a marriage could be where both parties literally only had eyes for one another, never allowing themselves to look outside of the marriage long enough to fall into an emotional or physical affair.

To some whose relationship has fallen on hard times, this may seem like a daunting standard. However, the Bible provides us with the solid principles we need to make this state of heartfelt fidelity a reality. This will be the subject of our next post.

It is often said that “money is the root of all evil.” Many Christians will recognize this phrase as a bible quote. However, like a bit of sensationalist celebrity journalism it has been taken completely out of context. What 1 Timothy 6:10 actually says is: the LOVE of money is the root of all evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” In other words, a useful and necessary thing can become a force for evil in a person’s life if they allow it to take an inappropriate place in their minds and hearts.

Wanting a life free of debt and financial stress is not evil. Wanting a decent car and a safe, pleasant home is not evil. Wanting these things so much that you allow a desire for money to take over your heart, overriding more important things like love, faith, and moral values? That could certainly become a toxic force in anyone’s life- an evil, as it were. As Timothy said, to “wander from the faith” and “pierce yourself over with many griefs”  is just not worth it.

In these troubled financial times, it is getting more and more likely that you or someone you love will be going through monetary difficulty. You or they may have had an excellent job previously, and that makes it even harder. This has happened to one of my dearest friends- she was used to relying on her high income (the ultrasound technician salary averages around $64,000 a year, very comfortable) but had not established a good savings plan, and found her quality of life dramatically changed almost overnight. Such a situation is distressing and sometimes embarrassing to deal with, so it is most important to be considerate and supportive of anyone in that situation.

Whether or not you are in a position to help your loved ones financially, at you can certainly offer them some strong words of comfort from the scriptures. In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus said, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his lifespan?” Later, he adds- “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So have no fear; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Mt 10:29-31)