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I was out walking and contemplating and while I never play the lotto, I just got a funny feeling that gave me a grin and I decided to get a ticket and when I saw the numbers, I knew right away that I was really going to win. I used to be one of those numbers freak that saw patterns in numbers and colors all day but I stopped doing that a couple years back but when I had seen the Lotto numbers that the quick pick gave me, I KNEW it was going to win.
The problem being, what do I do with that much money?
Let's say that after I pay taxes I will have 6,050,000 left over and I figure to pay debts of maybe 50 thousand and so I am left debt free, own the house, and no debt. I have an humble job, an humble car, and an humble house.
Obviously a Christian with that much blessing is going to do great charitable works, but how much of it should I take just for myself?
Is 100,000 too selfish?
There is a story of one of the disciples who went into a kingdom and converted a king, and the king saw him as the wisest person there ever was and looked on him like he was a Joseph who had come into Egypt and made co-ruler of the land.
This king like many kings was a very wealthy king and he decided to put all his treasury in the hands of this disciple and he bid the disciple to build him the greatest kingdom he could have because he trusted the disciple. Many months past and the king brought him up to the court to see how the building was coming and the king asked the disciple what he had been doing, and the disciple told the king that he had built him one of the greatest kingdoms any man could have ever built, but the disciple had taken the king's money and he fed the poor and helped the widows and he told the king that he had purchased the greatest kingdom for the king that the king could imagine, a kingdom in heaven by doing good works for the needy.
How much money should I keep for myself when I have been handed 6 million dollars?
Jesus taught us to pray by asking "Give us THIS day, our daily bread," according to the earlier writer Matthew.
But then we read this by the later writer, Luke:
"Give us day by day our daily bread." Kind of stretching it out into Mike's suggestion of saving up so you can do more, because all of us tell ourselves we would be good stewards---at the appropriate time.
Eventually we come to John, who does not have Jesus teaching us to pray for bread, or even bread day by day, but rather Jesus HIMSELF is the Bread we need.
Hannibal you are fond of "secret" messages in Scripture. But doesn't this subtle change from a basically ascetic Jesus to one who is providing riches untold through His bread appear to be perhaps a moving away from the basic original message to one more expansive? If Jesus is the Bread, then I do what I do now, and save up my bread for the future all the while promising to do the right thing "then," whenever then is. It has a parallel in the OT, too. Could people save the manna God provided each morning? Or was each day new as were his blessings. In Exodus it states: Moses said to them, "Let no man leave any of it until morning."… And food was the ultimate survival in that wilderness--not money as we view it now.
What did Jesus tell his disciples to do as he sent them forth? Carry a lot of baggage? Or this:
Quote:
Take nothing for the journey,” He told them, “no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no second tunic.
Luke 9:3
Or how about this?
Quote:
Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns—and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Matt 6:26
Were these simply sayings not to be understood literally? Or did Jesus mean them with his whole heart?
I'm as guilty as anyone for "piling up riches for retirement" (although it is all but gone now), but Jesus' earliest message was to live in the now. Seek for today what you need. What we see here in me--and just about everyone else, is an eroding of the simplicity of living that Jesus taught, into a, "What the heck am I gonna do with all this" attitude.
I wish I could say I would have the guts to give every damn dime away. Sadly your question only points out how very tempted all of us are with mammon and how easy it is to stray from the narrow path Jesus taught.
I was out walking and contemplating and while I never play the lotto, I just got a funny feeling that gave me a grin and I decided to get a ticket and when I saw the numbers, I knew right away that I was really going to win. I used to be one of those numbers freak that saw patterns in numbers and colors all day but I stopped doing that a couple years back but when I had seen the Lotto numbers that the quick pick gave me, I KNEW it was going to win.
The problem being, what do I do with that much money?
Let's say that after I pay taxes I will have 6,050,000 left over and I figure to pay debts of maybe 50 thousand and so I am left debt free, own the house, and no debt. I have an humble job, an humble car, and an humble house.
Obviously a Christian with that much blessing is going to do great charitable works, but how much of it should I take just for myself?
Is 100,000 too selfish?
There is a story of one of the disciples who went into a kingdom and converted a king, and the king saw him as the wisest person there ever was and looked on him like he was a Joseph who had come into Egypt and made co-ruler of the land.
This king like many kings was a very wealthy king and he decided to put all his treasury in the hands of this disciple and he bid the disciple to build him the greatest kingdom he could have because he trusted the disciple. Many months past and the king brought him up to the court to see how the building was coming and the king asked the disciple what he had been doing, and the disciple told the king that he had built him one of the greatest kingdoms any man could have ever built, but the disciple had taken the king's money and he fed the poor and helped the widows and he told the king that he had purchased the greatest kingdom for the king that the king could imagine, a kingdom in heaven by doing good works for the needy.
How much money should I keep for myself when I have been handed 6 million dollars?
Jesus taught us to pray by asking "Give us THIS day, our daily bread," according to the earlier writer Matthew.
But then we read this by the later writer, Luke:
"Give us day by day our daily bread." Kind of stretching it out into Mike's suggestion of saving up so you can do more, because all of us tell ourselves we would be good stewards---at the appropriate time.
Eventually we come to John, who does not have Jesus teaching us to pray for bread, or even bread day by day, but rather Jesus HIMSELF is the Bread we need.
Hannibal you are fond of "secret" messages in Scripture. But doesn't this subtle change from a basically ascetic Jesus to one who is providing riches untold through His bread appear to be perhaps a moving away from the basic original message to one more expansive? If Jesus is the Bread, then I do what I do now, and save up my bread for the future all the while promising to do the right thing "then," whenever then is. It has a parallel in the OT, too. Could people save the manna God provided each morning? Or was each day new as were his blessings. In Exodus it states: Moses said to them, "Let no man leave any of it until morning."… And food was the ultimate survival in that wilderness--not money as we view it now.
What did Jesus tell his disciples to do as he sent them forth? Carry a lot of baggage? Or this:
Luke 9:3
Or how about this?
Matt 6:26
Were these simply sayings not to be understood literally? Or did Jesus mean them with his whole heart?
I'm as guilty as anyone for "piling up riches for retirement" (although it is all but gone now), but Jesus' earliest message was to live in the now. Seek for today what you need. What we see here in me--and just about everyone else, is an eroding of the simplicity of living that Jesus taught, into a, "What the heck am I gonna do with all this" attitude.
I wish I could say I would have the guts to give every damn dime away. Sadly your question only points out how very tempted all of us are with mammon and how easy it is to stray from the narrow path Jesus taught.
I couldn't have written it better myself, I hope I could give almost all of it away, it would be a hard thing though wouldn't it?
What did Jesus tell his disciples to do as he sent them forth? Carry a lot of baggage? Or this:
Luke 9:3
Or how about this?
Matt 6:26
Were these simply sayings not to be understood literally? Or did Jesus mean them with his whole heart?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hannibal Flavius
I couldn't have written it better myself, I hope I could give almost all of it away, it would be a hard thing though wouldn't it?
But then, while Jesus lived day to day, he did so on the good will of his wealthy friends who provided for him. The bible doesn't mention Jesus telling them to give all their money away to the poor.
As with most issues in Christianity you will get no clear path on this one. What bothered me for many years as a Christian was the constant self doubt as to whether it was a sin to have money and save for retirement. It never made sense that we were to not worry about our needs tomorrow and just believe God would meet them, which is just more of the rubbish I'm glad I left behind.
On your voting options list, you left out: "Give it all to poor ol' JRHockney"...I would have voted for that one!
...but seriously, I'd say follow Mikes advice unless you feel led to give it away quicker. Over time, that interest could amount to more money for the poor than just giving it all away anyways but if you know of a charity or cause that is important to you that needs money fast, now is your chance.
Last edited by Jrhockney; 09-09-2016 at 10:55 AM..
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