Podcasts

The Main Thing

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

Keep the main thing the main thing. Stephen Covey popularized this adage to encourage us to get our priorities right. Our highest priority, the most important main thing in life as a Christian is our faith and trust in Jesus Christ so that we may have eternal life. 

The world–Wall Street and advertisers–tell us different. They bombard us with messages about what we need to do and what we need to have to be thought well of in society. They tell us that we don’t yet have enough of what we need to be happy and successful. We don’t yet have enough to feel secure. And so, we worry and fret and strive to accumulate more stuff and grow our bank accounts.

Jesus offers us an alternative approach to find security and satisfaction. He invites us into the kingdom of God where God promises us lavish abundance, inexhaustible treasure. The price of admission is to sell our belongings and give alms. We read about this in Luke 12:33-34. Selling off assets to then turn around and give the proceeds away demands that we be detached from our stuff. This frees us to give alms to supply the needs of the poor, thus honoring God with our wealth. Detachment requires trust. This is how we demonstrate our faith and trust in God. 

This is counter cultural. It sounds scary. But take courage. Jesus tells us in verse 32, “Do not be afraid any longer.” We can trust Him. Trust comes from faith, faith in Jesus–the main thing.. 

Are you ready to accept Jesus’s invitation to buy that ticket to that inexhaustible treasure? If not, is your hesitation that your heart is not really in it? That’s okay, give alms anyway. Put your treasure where God can use it to help the poor, because where you put your treasure, there is your heart.

Photo Credit: Robert Davis

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What Does It Take to be Rich?

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

We know rich when we see it. Wall Street and Madison Avenue do a great job of telling us what we need to have and what we knee to be out doing if we’re to be rich. They seduce us to want ever more and more. But, we are not what we own. Jesus tells us in Luke 12 to guard against greed. He tells us plainly that life does not consist of possessions. 

Why do we strive so hard to acquire more? You’ve heard those old sayings – “You can’t take it with you.” And “there’s no trailer hitch on a hearse.” These might be cliché, but they’re true. So why do we succumb to greed, to yearn for more stuff? It is draining. It saps us of our energy while increasing the stress in our lives. It is vanity of vanities to toil thus says Qoheleth (Ecc. 1:3).

When it comes to money, isn’t it that we often strive to increase our investment accounts because we worry that we will not have enough to provide for ourselves and our family in the future. That worry is our apprehension rooted in a fear of scarcity. But, we have a God of abundance who loves us and promises to provide for us. Our energies are better directed to seeking His kingdom, trusting Him that He will give us all we need.

Let’s be mindful of how much of our time and energy goes into acquiring possessions. Let’s recognize how this distracts us from putting God first in every area of our lives, striving to be rich in what matters to Him (21).

St Augustine said that “The superfluities of the rich are the necessities of the poor.” So think for a moment – does your spending honor God’s priority and authority in your life? Is your almsgiving a true blessing to the poor? How can you bring yourself and others closer to God by your generosity, by sharing more of your possessions to bless those in need?

Be generous. Give joyfully. 

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Persevere in Prayer

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

St. Luke shares how Jesus tells us how generous God is to those who persevere in prayer, “He will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.” (Lk 11:8) I know it can seem sometimes as if God does not hear our prayer, or if He does, He doesn’t answer–at least now how and when we want. But how many times have I looked back and, with hindsight, seen how He did, in fact, answer my prayer. And how often was His answer and timing way better than anything I could have imagined, or known to ask for? I am truly blessed! How wonderful are the blessings He gives. 

What do blessings look like? My “a-ha” realization of what a blessing looks like came when I finally ceded control of my budget to God. That made it easier to simplify my life. I prioritized spending and made God the first category of expense, which allowed us to redirect money to go to support charities that do Works of Mercy. That brings me joy. This obedience to God’s commands to gives us more freedom on how we spend the rest of our budget. This reduces stress and worry in our financial life. These are the blessings I receive, and more.

The more is – the truth that we can trust that God always hears our prayers. We can trust that He has our best interests at heart. He provides abundantly. We can trust that when we sincerely repent, He always forgives our sins. He lavishes us with His love and mercy. With these gifts of love, mercy, and forgiveness, confident in their availability to us for the asking in faith, we get His peace, His joy, kindness, gentleness, self-control, and grace – God persistently giving Himself to us. In other words –  Blessings! 

Receiving God’s blessings is not a tit-for-tat proposition whereby we give and pray and so are rewarded with earthly, material benefits. God may choose to provide those to us, or He may not. He is in control. We are to pray and trust.

St. Padre Pio said it this way, “Pray, hope, don’t worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayers.” Persevere in prayer and receive the best of God’s blessings. Pray, give, trust, hope, and find the peace of mind you truly seek. 

Photo Credit: Robert Davis

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What are you Steward Of?

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

We know how St Paul traveled all around the Middle East, Greece and Italy, preaching Jesus Christ. He described his work to the Colossians simply as being a minister in accordance with the stewardship God gave to him. God gave him the knowledge, wisdom, boldness, and fortitude to do that. Paul took ownership of the gifts God gave him. He stewarded those gifts using them to transform the world. What are you steward of?

God gives us gifts, too. He gives each of us unique talents and abilities, strengths and weaknesses, likes, drives, desires – everything. Everything we have is because God blesses us with His gifts. Like St. Paul, as stewards, we are accountable to God to receive these gifts gratefully, develop them as best we can, and use them in ways that build His kingdom. 

What gifts and blessings does God give to you? How do you steward them? How do you use them and return them with increase to the Lord?  One of the best ways is by engaging in the Works of Mercy. We read about those in Mt. 25:35-39 – feeding, clothing, and serving the poor. Using our talents and gifts this way is how we show our love for God and for our neighbor. This is how we give Him thanks and praise for all the blessings He gives to us. This is how we transform our world.

                                                                                                                                                                                     Photo Credit: Robert Davis

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Bible Sayings You Know by Heart

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

Here are some Bible sayings you know by heart:

  • Do unto others
  • Turn the other cheek
  • Better to give than receive
  • By the grace of God – which we find in 1 Cor. 15:10

We know these phrases from the Bible. They are in our minds, etched in our memory, and in our hearts, a part of us (Dt 30:14). As are the ten commandments, especially, the greatest commandments – to love God above all else, and to love our neighbors as ourselves – which we read in Sunday’s Gospel passage in Luke 10:27. These instructions are very near to us, in our mouths and in our hearts. How do we put them into practice?

We show mercy as the Father has shown us mercy in His forgiveness. We live lives of generosity in response to all the blessings God gives to us. We love and give and serve, even when it is costly or inconvenient as it was for the good Samaritan – the parable of the rest of our Gospel reading (Luke 10:30-37). And we obey God’s commands to put Him first in every area of our life, to give our first fruits to Him. We read these commands in:

Ex 34:26  The choicest first fruits of your soil you shall bring to the house of the LORD, your God.

Dt 18:4  The first fruits of your grain, your wine, and your oil, as well as the first shearing of your flock, you shall also give him.

Dt 26:2  You shall take some first fruits of the various products of the soil which you harvest from the land the LORD, your God, is giving you; put them in a basket and go to the place which the LORD, your God, will choose as the dwelling place for his name.

Pv 3:9  Honor the LORD with your wealth, with first fruits of all your produce.

Just as we know in our hearts to be obedient to God, we know intuitively that we need philanthropy. Generosity is good for our spiritual wellbeing. Obedience to God’s commands is how we gain true peace and enjoy happiness in our lives.

                                                                                                                                                                                   Photo Credit: Robert Davis

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