“No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Money.”
~ Luke 16:13
Hi James and Ellen,
When your grandmaa and grandpaa were the South America Mission field missionary team leaders in Bolivia and the OC International field missionary team leaders in Guatemala, your grandmaa and grandpaa found out that there were two things were off limits – how they raise their kids and how they spend their money, to discuss with a missionary unit on their field missionary teams. Ask your dad and/or ma how they feel when a suggestion is made to them as to how they should raise you. Ask your dad and/or ma how they feel when a suggestion is made to them as to how they should spend their money. Your grandmaa and grandpaa know that they could have done a lot better at raising your dad and Aunt Lynn. Your grandmaa and grandpaa know that were very fortunate to have a couple of kids in your dad and Aunt Lynn who were very well behaved compared to a lot of other kids. Your grandmaa and grandpaa know that they really could have done a lot better spending their money. Your grandmaa and grandpaa know that they are very fortunate to be in the financial position that they are in today. Why do you think that your dad and Aunt Lynn are today committed Christ-followers? Why do you think that your grandmaa and grandpaa today are sensing being financially secure? Why do you think that God – as God the Father, has been over the years so merciful to your grandmaa and grandpaa? Before God created the firmament and positioned planet Earth in it, God – as God the Father, ordained and hardwired your grandmaa and grandpaa to be who they are, to be blessed with two Christ-follower kids and to have the privilege for over thirty years of having a missionary vocation. Your grandmaa and grandpaa know that God has – not because of anything at all that your grandmaa and grandpaa have done, really blessed them in ways that your grandmaa and grandpaa know that they have not been worthy of being blessed. Your grandpaa especially knows that God has especially blessed your grandpaa (for almost sixty years as of the editing of this missive which was written and sent over sixteen years ago to your dad to read to you) with a wife who has been a true helpmate, a faithful companion and a patient friend to your grandpaa.
The first years after your grandmaa and grandpaa were married, issues surrounding money were real tensions between your grandmaa and grandpaa. Your grandpaa changed jobs several times. Your grandpaa worked parttime for a time at a Sunoco gas station and a short time at a Sears to help pay the bills. After your dad was born, your grandmaa – in order to help pay the bills, worked at Mullins – a clothing store in downtown Wilmington, Delaware. Your grandpaa is very thankful that your grandmaa was willing to work – even though it meant having to leave your dad with someone else to take care of him. Your dad’s Aunt Betsy was the first to take care of your dad while your grandmaa and grandpaa were working. When your dad’s Aunt Betsy could no longer take care of your dad, a good friend – Susan Dole, of your grandmaa and grandpaa took care of your dad. After Liberty Loan asked your grandpaa to transfer to Springfield, Massachusetts to manage their office there and after your grandmaa found a job to help pay the bills, your grandmaa and grandpaa left your dad while they were working at a daycare center that was in Agawam, Massachusetts. Your grandpaa knows that some sort of exchange medium – such as coins and pieces of denomination specific slips of paper, are a necessity in order to survive on planet Earth. Accumulating wealth for some guys and gals has become their god. In one of Jesus’ teaching messages that Doctor Luke recorded in Luke 16, Jesus spoke specifically on the subject on the potential, insidious influence of the money god. Verse 13 quotes what Jesus said, “‘No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Money.”’ Jesus used the example of a guy who was a money manager for a wealthy dude. When the wealthy dude found out that his money manager was apparently ripping off some of his clients, the wealthy dude told the money manager to turn in his accounting as he was about to be fired. The money manager decided that if he was going to be fired, that he would make deals with a couple of the rich dude’s clients that would make these clients indebted to him which . . . the money manager told an olive oil producer that his boss would settle for 400 gallons of olive oil – versus the 800 gallons of olive oil that he owed the guy. The money manager then told a wheat producer that his boss would settle for 800 bushels of wheat – versus the 1000 bushels of wheat that he owed the guy. The wealthy dude instead of becoming angry at the money manager for what he did, called the money manager shrewd. The thought is that the money manager settled these two debts at cost – which hints at the wealthy dude overcharging his clients. Jesus seems to be wanting to make the point that dishonest guys will bring out dishonesty in other guys while honesty will bring out honesty in other guys.
It was when your grandmaa and grandpaa began tithing the money that God – as God the Father, had ordained that your grandmaa and grandpaa would earn and the special gifts that God – as God the Father, had predetermined that would be given to them, that the tensions that your grandmaa and grandpaa had between them over money were muted. Tensions that have to do with money will invariably exist in a marriage but . . . when money becomes what is highly valued – which is how Pharisees valued money, God – as God the Father – Who knows the heart of every guy, gal and kid and to Whom all things belong to in the first place, will bring on a craving that cannot be satisfied.
Luke 16 (841)