Faith Expels Guilt, Greed, and Fear

The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (1 Timothy 1:5)

Paul is aiming at love. And one of the essential sources of this great effect is sincere faith. The reason faith is such a sure source of love is that faith in God’s grace expels from the heart the sinful powers that hinder love.

If we feel guilty, we tend to wallow in self-centered depression and self-pity, unable to see, let alone care about, anyone else’s need. Or we play the hypocrite to cover our guilt, and so destroy all sincerity in relationships, which makes real love impossible. Or we talk about other people’s faults to minimize the guilt of our own, which love does not do. So, if we are going to love, the destructive effects of guilt must be overcome.

It’s the same with fear. If we feel fearful, we tend not to approach a stranger at church who might need a word of welcome and encouragement. Or we may reject frontier missions as a vocation, because it sounds too dangerous. Or we may waste money on excessive insurance, or get swallowed up in all manner of little phobias that make us preoccupied with ourselves and blind us to the needs of others. All of which are the opposite of love.

It’s the same with greed. If we are greedy, we may spend money on luxuries — money that ought to go to the spread of the gospel. We don’t undertake anything risky, lest our precious possessions and our financial future be jeopardized. We focus on things instead of people, or see people as resources for our material advantage. So love is ruined.

But faith in future grace produces love by pushing guilt and fear and greed out of the heart.

It pushes out guilt because it holds fast to the hope that the death of Christ is sufficient to secure acquittal and righteousness now and forever (Hebrews 10:14).

It pushes out fear because it banks on the promise, “Fear not, for I am with you. . . . I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

And it pushes out greed because it is confident that Christ is greater wealth than all the world can offer (Matthew 13:44).

So when Paul says, “The aim of our charge is love that issues from . . . sincere faith,” he is speaking of the tremendous power of faith to overcome all the obstacles to love. When we fight the fight of faith — the fight to believe the promises of God that kill guilt and fear and greed — we are fighting for love.

John Piper 

When Money Takes Control

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” 1 TIMOTHY 6:10

Ponder This

Money is neither good nor bad. It's either master or servant—however we make it. But the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.

When a man says, “I will haste to get rich; rather than seek God, I will seek the things of this world,” it warps his life and distorts his values. It's amazing what the love of money and the things of this world will do to someone. Those who chase money lose their discretion. No matter how much they have in the bank, they are impoverished if the goal of their lives is to be rich and famous.

How have you personally experienced the danger of the love of money?

How can we guard against this each day?

Practice This

Prayerfully brainstorm ways you can guard against an improper love of money and seek to put some of these practices into action this week.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Faith Expels Guilt, Greed, and Fear

The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (1 Timothy 1:5)

Paul is aiming at love. And one of the essential sources of this great effect is sincere faith. The reason faith is such a sure source of love is that faith in God’s grace expels from the heart the sinful powers that hinder love.

If we feel guilty, we tend to wallow in self-centered depression and self-pity, unable to see, let alone care about, anyone else’s need. Or we play the hypocrite to cover our guilt, and so destroy all sincerity in relationships, which makes real love impossible. Or we talk about other people’s faults to minimize the guilt of our own, which love does not do. So, if we are going to love, the destructive effects of guilt must be overcome.

It’s the same with fear. If we feel fearful, we tend not to approach a stranger at church who might need a word of welcome and encouragement. Or we may reject frontier missions as a vocation, because it sounds too dangerous. Or we may waste money on excessive insurance, or get swallowed up in all manner of little phobias that make us preoccupied with ourselves and blind us to the needs of others. All of which are the opposite of love.

It’s the same with greed. If we are greedy, we may spend money on luxuries — money that ought to go to the spread of the gospel. We don’t undertake anything risky, lest our precious possessions and our financial future be jeopardized. We focus on things instead of people, or see people as resources for our material advantage. So love is ruined.

But faith in future grace produces love by pushing guilt and fear and greed out of the heart.

It pushes out guilt because it holds fast to the hope that the death of Christ is sufficient to secure acquittal and righteousness now and forever (Hebrews 10:14).

It pushes out fear because it banks on the promise, “Fear not, for I am with you. . . . I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

And it pushes out greed because it is confident that Christ is greater wealth than all the world can offer (Matthew 13:44).

So when Paul says, “The aim of our charge is love that issues from . . . sincere faith,” he is speaking of the tremendous power of faith to overcome all the obstacles to love. When we fight the fight of faith — the fight to believe the promises of God that kill guilt and fear and greed — we are fighting for love.

John Piper 

False Prophets for Profit

PRAY OVER THIS

“They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.” 2 Peter 2:15

 

PONDER THIS

False prophets never get enough. They are greedy. We all make mistakes. I’ve made plenty of them, and I’ll make plenty more, but false prophets are people who have rotten characters. They are not merely mistaken. They are willfully wicked, and every one of them once knew the truth. Peter said in this passage, “They have forsaken the right way.” It’s not that they’ve never known. It is that they have willfully, deliberately forsaken the right way. Peter went on to say in 2 Peter 2:21, “For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.” They know what’s right, and they refuse it. They willfully prostitute the Gospel of Jesus Christ for gain.

When is it important to spend personal time in the Word to discern God’s truth?

When have you been tricked into buying something that was not worth what you paid? How did you guard yourself from making the same mistake another time? How can this apply to being wise about those to whom you listen?

PRACTICE THIS

Pray and ask God to help you practice discernment with the voices and teachers to whom you listen.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Faith Expels Guilt, Greed, and Fear

The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (1 Timothy 1:5)

Paul is aiming at love. And one of the essential sources of this great effect is sincere faith. The reason faith is such a sure source of love is that faith in God’s grace expels from the heart the sinful powers that hinder love.

If we feel guilty, we tend to wallow in self-centered depression and self-pity, unable to see, let alone care about, anyone else’s need. Or we play the hypocrite to cover our guilt, and so destroy all sincerity in relationships, which makes real love impossible. Or we talk about other people’s faults to minimize the guilt of our own, which love does not do. So, if we are going to love, the destructive effects of guilt must be overcome.

It’s the same with fear. If we feel fearful, we tend not to approach a stranger at church who might need a word of welcome and encouragement. Or we may reject frontier missions as a vocation, because it sounds too dangerous. Or we may waste money on excessive insurance, or get swallowed up in all manner of little phobias that make us preoccupied with ourselves and blind us to the needs of others. All of which are the opposite of love.

It’s the same with greed. If we are greedy, we may spend money on luxuries — money that ought to go to the spread of the gospel. We don’t undertake anything risky, lest our precious possessions and our financial future be jeopardized. We focus on things instead of people, or see people as resources for our material advantage. So love is ruined.

But faith in future grace produces love by pushing guilt and fear and greed out of the heart.

It pushes out guilt because it holds fast to the hope that the death of Christ is sufficient to secure acquittal and righteousness now and forever (Hebrews 10:14).

It pushes out fear because it banks on the promise, “Fear not, for I am with you. . . . I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

And it pushes out greed because it is confident that Christ is greater wealth than all the world can offer (Matthew 13:44).

So when Paul says, “The aim of our charge is love that issues from . . . sincere faith,” he is speaking of the tremendous power of faith to overcome all the obstacles to love. When we fight the fight of faith — the fight to believe the promises of God that kill guilt and fear and greed — we are fighting for love.

John Piper 

Where Is Your Treasure?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

 “. . . for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Matthew 6:21

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

There are many people who think they are wealthy who are not. Many of us may remember the television series “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.” Some thought it should have been called “Lifestyles of the Rich and Foolish.”

When is a rich man poor? When he tries to find satisfaction in his money. Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, said, “He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver” (Ecclesiastes 5:10).

A man of modest income said to a man who was very rich, “I have more than you have.”  The rich man said, “How is that so?”  He answered, “Because I have all I want, and you don’t.”

ACTION POINT:

When you set your goal to be wealthy, then money becomes your master rather than your servant. What is your goal with your finances?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

The Emptiness Found In Greed

For many, money has become their God!

Their every waking moment is spent on how to "close the deal"!

Money gets them things!

But, do things really make you happy?

I'm not speaking of food, clothes, and shelter!

These are necessities!

Big difference between a want and a need, have you learned it?

When life is almost done and you are about to face God, will it be things you think of?

Will you want to go on one last shopping trip?

Will you want to close the last deal?

Will you want to drive your sporty car one more time?

The things we so often strive for simply will not matter!!!

But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah  - Psalm 49:15

17 For when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not go down after him. 

18 For though, while he lives, he counts himself blessed -and though you get praise when you do well for yourself- 

19 his soul will go to the generation of his fathers, who will never again see light. 

20 Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.  - Psalm 49:17-20

10 For he sees that even the wise die; the fool and the stupid alike must perish and leave their wealth to others. 

11 Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they called lands by their own names. 

12 Man in his pomp will not remain; he is like the beasts that perish. 

13 This is the path of those who have foolish confidence; yet after them people approve of their boasts. Selah 

14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; death shall be their shepherd, and the upright shall rule over them in the morning. Their form shall be consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell.  - Psalm 49:10-14