Being Rich, part II

  Wednesday, I was thinking about what it means to be rich toward God.  What does this mean?  How do we get it?

  First of all, I think we receive rather than obtain it.  The second we start to think that we can obtain it we do two things:  we become like the folks at Babel, certain that our own achievements or brilliance can work out our relationship with God, and we turn a relationship with God into a commodity, something to possess or obtain, as though we can put it in a safety deposit box and keep it there.

  So when we view wealth toward God as something to be received as a gift, we can change the way we think.  Rather than think about finding something to clutch, we can think about how we can open our hands to receive the gift.  What shape of life best enables you to receive the gift of wealth in God?  What patterns, habits and rituals will open your hands, your heart, your eyes and your ears, to receive blessing from God?

  Spiritual disciplines certainly come in handy here.  Prayer, solitude, quiet, meditation, fasting and other disciplines are all good for quieting the busy-ness of the human soul to the point where God can break through.  Spiritual disciplines are certainly old-fashioned, but there is nothing new under the sun, as we read in Scripture.  It's easy to wait for some new technique or pill that will revolutionize spirituality, but the fact of the matter is that we just have to buckle down and do the work.  We have to make time (We'll never find time if we just leave it to chance).  We have to set aside pockets of our day intentionally.  We need to decide ahead of time and stick with our plan.  God certainly is at work in all the things we do, in all the places we go, and we need to cultivate a mindset of awareness to pay attention to God throughout the day, but it's wishful thinking, I believe, if we think we can do that without also having intentional time to tune ourselves in, without distractions, to God's frequency.

  When we daily walk with God, we build the relationship and better learn the character of God.  In so doing, we recognize the wealth God is pouring upon us, and we stand in awe of the grace of God.  All of life is changed by this one relationship, and wealth, true wealth in God, makes other types of wealth pale in comparison.

  Also, wealth toward God changes the way we view these other kinds of wealth.  We no longer see them as the most important thing--they become tools that can enrich our lives and enrich the world around us, but each of them as a gift from God rather than the most important thing.

  So may we strive for wealth from God by opening our hands and hearts to receive the blessings of God.