"I hate you...you're making money!!"

  “Money couldn't buy you friends, but you get a better class of enemy.”

                                 Spike Milligan

  She was in a full blown rage and spitting out her venomous words before I really caught was happening. It’s not very often I have someone tell me that “I hate you” to my face. That was accompanied by essentially being told that I was a scab, a slug and a host of other derogatory terms.

  It’s my opinion that this barrage of hate was really directed more toward my wife, after all, she’s the true offender. Unfortunately, this was not the first time nor will it be the last, we face such vitriol. We’ve encountered it so many times, I’m fairly calloused to it. But it really bothered the couple in front of me. They, too, were part of the intended target. The one lady couldn’t stop talking about it and lamented that it’d bother her all day. I attempted to encourage her to just forget it – it just wasn’t worth being bothered about.

  So what was this foul deed that we were doing that attracted so much abhorrence? Were we panhandling? No. Well, then we must have been part of something vile like torturing puppies or even pulling wings off of flies? Of course, not. Then, it must have been some misunderstanding. No, our intentions were very clear. Were we doing something illegal? No. Yet, the act we were engaged in, for many is considered vile, even evil.  We were there to make money! (Gasp!) Could anything be more evil?

  Many of you know Jane has an in-home used book business. To sell used books though, you must first buy used books. That particular morning, we, and several other used book dealers were quietly standing in line, waiting for the library to open and for the book sale to start…and that’s what incensed this lady. Book dealers buy books and then resell them to make a profit. Usually, we buy lots of books, perhaps books she wanted. Because we’re experienced, we tend to move fast and can choose quality books very quickly. We’re typically the first in line…the early book buyer gets the best books. We often arrive and wait around for an hour or more before the sale even opens.

  We’d already been there over an hour before Miss Spewing Hate arrived just before the sale opened. Our very presence so incensed her, that after giving us a piece of her mind, she left.

  Miss Spewing Hate represents a distorted, inconsistent worldview – that it’s somehow evil to make money or a profit. Think of how the media frequently caricatures someone successful in business.

  Shockingly, there are many, even in the Church, who think that making money, or at least making too much money is somehow evil and wrong. Usually, making too much money is making more money than the person who feels that making too much money is evil.

  The Bible never teaches that money or making money is evil. Probably the most misquoted verse in the Bible is 1Timothy 6:10. Money is not the root all evil, loving it is. Greed is wrong. Taking advantage of the poor and disenfranchised because you have the means to do so is wrong.

  But the Bible commends wise money making, industry, profit and stewardship. The Creative Mandate given to our first parents in Genesis 1:28, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” It’s a command to improve what’s already existing, to produce and profit from it. Jesus consistently commended wise investors (Matthew 25:14-30).

  Over the years I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve had book lovers (who only read or buy books) tell me I was essentially some kind of bacteria because I was buying books to resell at a profit. I’ve had libraries tell me that I could only buy so many books. On one occasion I was kicked out of a thrift store because I was buying books to resell them. One woman running a library book sale in the Chicago area told me that she was glad that there were not many people there to buy books that weekend because it made it more pleasant for the other shoppers. Yet, doesn’t the word “sale” seem to suggest that you want to “sell” something and make money? What’s missed is that if people don’t buy these discarded books, they’ll be thrown away, destroyed or sometimes recycled.

  Book buyers are also taxpayers who underwrite the very libraries they buy books at. If you do not sell books being discarded, ultimately either your library will shrink or you’ll have to raise taxes or seek more donations.  It’s also a well-known fact with the advent of email, Ebayers and used book sellers have helped underwrite the Postal Service and kept costs down.

  Please understand there’s nothing righteous about being poor or rich. There’s nothing wrong with making money and being a shrewd business person. God honors such things. It was Christianity that encouraged what is commonly known as the “Protestant Work Ethic” which emphasizes hard work, frugality and diligence as a constant display of a person's new life in Christ. It’s unjust to make the rich pay more taxes and penalize them for being more industrious. It’s morally wrong to take from those who have to give to those who refuse to work and take care of themselves. God’s Word is very hardhearted in our PC world, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat” (1 Thes. 3:10). Obeying that would take care of many of our current sociological issues.

  As believers, the Bible must be our guide for how our view of money, business and economics. Everything everyone has was given to them by God. They’re to use it wisely and be faithful managers of what He has entrusted to them. That’s a biblical worldview of money. Does your view of money and economics line up with God’s final authority? Have you diligently studied what God’s Word teaches about money and economics?

I can't stand people with an entitlement mentality....

“Generosity is impossible apart from our love of God and of His people. But with such love, generosity not only is possible but inevitable.” John MacArthur

If there’s any term that brings about disdain or anger, it’s “entitlement mentality.” It drives most Christians I know around the bend. There’s hardly any other attitude in our contemporary culture that can so frustrate and irritate folk. To be clear, an entitlement mentality is a state of mind in which an individual believes that privileges are instead rights, and that gfits are debts…and are expected. An entitlement mentality is frequently characterized by the following viewpoints: 

It’s a lack of appreciation of the investments and sacrifices of others. For example, those with an entitlement mentality will sometimes criticize the military—failing to acknowledge that it’s that same military who have died in the service of their country, that even ensures that they are free to make such criticisms.

It’s a lack of personal responsibility. Often those with an entitlement mentality refuse to accept personal responsibility for problems of their own making and expect others to solve their problems. Those with an entitlement mentality are frequently unwilling to acknowledge fault or error, and will often devolve into denial.

It’s seen in a refusal to accept that actions carry consequences. For example, addicts, smokers, overeaters and those who are promiscuous want to deny that their behavioral choices have dire outcomes.

It’s seen in a dependency on the assistance and intervention of others to resolve self-induced personal problems. For example, if an adult child gets into legal trouble, it’s assumed their parents will bail them out. If someone is fired for laziness, they assume the government will financially underwrite them, rather than taking responsibility for the job loss or having the initiative to look for another job.

It’s seen in an attitude of ingratitude for what is given. The recipient, with no basis, does not see a gift as a gift but rather as a debt from the giver with the expectation that there should be more “gifts.” Essentially, it’s someone who is focused on their rights and privileges, rather than their personal responsibilities and obligations.  

But the entitlement mentality is so much a part of contemporary culture that many of us are contaminated by it and don’t even know it. For example, every church and charity I know faces this continual scenario. Someone will call them up out of the blue that the church has never heard of and has no relationship with. Yet, due that the fact that individual is calling a church, they believe that the church should help them out, usually monetarily. They believe that the church “owes” them rent or food money, though they are strangers to the church. Add to that, the church has no way of knowing if it’s a legitimate need or if the money will actually go for rent or food…or if it will instead go for drugs or alcohol. Please understand that the Bible teaches that churches and Christians should have compassion and mercy on the poor and disenfranchised, but it’s grace, not a debt or a “right.” It’s not “owed” or should be expected.

So do you have an “entitlement mentality”? Most of us are very quick to answer, “No.” Yet, I believe that we’ve deceived ourselves. Most of us think that God owes us something. We probably would never be so forthright to say that, but our actions reveal our belief system. I have to shamefully admit that I know I’m guilty of believing that God owes me.

It’s not a conscious decision. Yet, I find it when things in my life are not going how I think they should go. If I have relational problems or computer or car issues or face financial pressure, I find that I can become frustrated with my circumstances. And in all honesty, my frustration is really with my Heavenly Father because who do I believe is ultimately in control – God. So the bottom line is that I somehow think He owes me and He’s not taking care of me like He should. When I get sick or just feel bad or am depressed or sad, I can become frustrated with God. Isn’t He supposed to make sure that I walk down Candy Cane Lane and have the minimal amount of issues in my life? I’m entitled, aren’t I? When I become frustrated in traffic or with slow service or shoddy workmanship, don’t I have a right to be angry? Doesn’t God owe me?

Please understand. I’m not suggesting that we “just take it” or be Christian doormats. And as Americans, under our Constitutional government, we do have certain rights. Yet, our exasperation, impatience and anger reveal our worldview that we somehow believe we “deserve” better, that God owes us a better life.

When it comes to God and His justice, God doesn’t owe me anything. Anything, anything that He gives me is out of His grace and mercy. He doesn’t owe me (or you) a great marriage, good kids or even a happy life. Those are just blessings that in His goodness He pours out on me because of His grace. And what He owes me is judgment yet His Son took all that for me and for you on the Cross.

We’ve missed it. We think that God owes us something, yet the biblical fact is that we owe God a debt that we’ll never be able to repay. Our response to God should be what we find in Luke 17:10, “We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.”

We don’t even begin to fathom all that our sin cost God and how repugnant sin is to a holy God. When we begin to see the hideousness of it and the love and grace of God, Romans 12:1 begins to finally make sense, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

It’s when I see my debt, my sin, and what I owe a holy God, I realize that I have no entitlements. Instead I am overcome with gratitude, awe and worship. How can I hold anything back when I have been graced with so much of which not a fraction I was worthy of? How can be anything less than overwhelmingly generous with my Heavenly Father when He has already been so generous with me?

Why do we talk about everything but Jesus at church...

“Communication is the art of expressing in godly ways what is in my heart and of hearing completely and understanding what another thinks and feels.” Tedd Tripp

Okay, I’ve got what you might consider to be a strange question. While I have some opinions on this, I honestly don’t have the answer. And just in case this ticks you off that I’d even bring this up, I’m “innocent.” A friend brought it up to me first. His question was triggered by a book he’s reading where the same question came up (So have I engaged enough layers of protection and deniability now to keep me off the proverbial hook? J)

  Here’s the question: Why is it when Christians gather in church to worship God, we essentially talk about anything and everything BUT God and worship? I’m not talking about formal or organized times, such as a Bible study or small group session. I’m talking about normal conversations when we see each other, like in the hallways or at the coffee bar or in the foyer. And in interest of full disclosure, I know that I’m guilty as well.

  What triggered this question was the testimony of a liberal lesbian who started seeking answers about God. She began visiting evangelical churches and was astounded that while they talked about God and the Bible from the pulpit and in small groups, there were rarely any other “God” conversations between those attending the worship service. Ouch!

  The very last thing I want to do is encourage us to become a bunch of Pharisees where those who engage in spiritual conversations are “godly” and those who don’t are “carnal.” Legalism is always enticing because it feeds our egos and tempts us to succumb to pride. Yet, on the other hand, if you think about it, this is a bit strange.

  Imagine going to a Packers game and no one talked about football, their opponents, Aaron Rodgers, Clay Matthews or even Mike McCarthy. Don’t you think there would be conversations about other historic games played there or previous experiences that one had at Lambeau Field? If you went to a political convention would you be shocked if people talked about…politics? At an auto show wouldn’t people talk about…cars?

  Obviously, when we gather together, there’s going to be some catching up and social interaction. The weekend services are the only time many of us see each other all week. Yet, shouldn’t there be some God conversations, some dialogues about what we’re learning as we study God’s Word, how God has been answering prayer or sharing prayer burdens we’re carrying, work that the Holy Spirit is doing in our lives? Shouldn’t there be some sharing of how we’ve shared with someone who didn’t know the Lord the Gospel and asking for prayer that the seed would take root and bear fruit? Shouldn’t there be some sharing of praises and blessings? Isn’t this the time, too, when we can easily live out those one another commands our New Testaments are peppered with: encourage one another, pray for one another, bear one another’s burdens, encourage one another, accept one another, comfort one another, confess your faults to one another, love one another…to name just a few? If there is a “spiritual” conversation, would it truly be considered godly? Aren’t they frequently about some “issue” or even a concern about the church, not exactly a spiritual conversation about how God is working in our church or lives?

  Yet, is there any other segment of our lives where we’d supposedly gather for one purpose and focus, but never even have a casual, candid conversation about the very subject we’ve gathered together for? Isn’t that strange? Even odd? So why is this often the case at church?

  I’m not sure. As I’ve contemplated this over, these are some of my random thoughts. Hopefully, this will stir your thinking and you’ll come up with other reasons why this is often the case, and we’ll all grow in this area together. Hopefully, too, it will challenge all of us to have conversations, particularly when we’ve gathered together with more spiritual substance and eternal significance. So these are some reasons I don’t think we talk about God even when we’ve come to worship God.

  We don’t want to come off as hyper-spiritual. While we have little concern about being perceived as a “fan” in nearly every other area of our life, most of us have encountered an obnoxious Christian who turned us  and everyone else off. As a result, we fear being caricatured as a fanatic.

  We’re so glad to see our friends we never get around to it. Sometimes the worship service is the only time we see some of our friends. There’s so much to catch up on that we never really get around to spiritual matters.    

  We’re just not sure how to start the conversation. It’s not familiar turf for most of us. In all of our other relationships, we talk about the weather, politics, sports, family, etc. Those are familiar subjects where we feel very comfortable. There are so few individuals we can have a spiritual conversation with so when we have an opportunity, we’re not sure how or even where to start.

  We feel very inadequate to talk about spiritual things. When it comes to God or the Bible, we feel that we’re over our head. So rather than say something dumb or off the wall, we just keep quiet.

  And this one is scary and I truly hope it’s not the case…We’ve come to the service because it’s a spiritual habit, not because we’re actually spiritually engaged in what’s taking place. Sadly, that’s the case with some. Let’s just hope and pray it’s unusual and not the norm…and let’s make sure it’s not true of us.

  So what can we do? Start. Begin having spiritually minded conversations. Come with your heart prepared to worship and you’ll find it’s easier to talk about spiritual matters. Maybe come prepared with something you’re comfortable opening with as a spiritual conversation starter. Pray and ask the Lord to lead you to the right person and to give you the right words. Then, look for those you can encourage and/or pray with. Honestly evaluate your thinking and focus as you come to worship. Are you in a spiritual mindset when you come? If not, why not? Honestly evaluate the conversations you’re typically part of. Could they take place with an unsaved friend or neighbor? If so, is it really how you want to use those precious minutes we have together each week with God’s family?

  At Grace, let’s all determine to have more family conversations about our Father, His Word and family when we’re together with our forever family.

A little about Scott Carson

The former slave-trader, Pastor and great hymn writer, John Newton said on one occasion, “I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am” I've echoed that in my soul since the day I became a Christ-follower some four decades ago. I've never felt that I was a runner after Jesus and sometimes I feel that I struggle to even walk. More often that I want to admit, like Jacob, I'm following Jesus with a limp.

Many of these thoughts have been shared with the wonderful church family that I've had the privilege of pastoring for over twenty-five years now in Burlington, Wisconsin...the Grace Church Family. They are a loving, gracious church that has patiently borne my often feeble efforts to be their pastor.

I have been married to my wonderful wife, Jane, for over thirty years and blessed with three now adult children, who all love Jesus. Often I think that I am the richest man in town.