THE GAME OF LIFE – Part 2 of 2

Monopoly often rewards aggressive acquisition, but in real life, unchecked greed can destroy relationships and peace. Jesus warned, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions” (Luke 12:15). The game can be a playful reminder of how easily our hearts can be drawn toward “more” instead of “enough.”

Monopoly may be a game of strategy and competition, but it can also be a mirror for our spiritual lives. The real “victory” isn’t measured in property deeds or stacks of cash, but in a life lived with open hands, a generous heart, and an eternal perspective.

In Monopoly, one player’s gain is often another’s loss. But the Kingdom of God operates differently -- it’s not a zero-sum game. In Christ, we are called to generosity, lifting others up rather than bankrupting them. Imagine if we played life more like that -- offering mercy, forgiveness, and help instead of just trying to “win.” 

-- Mark A. Brady, from his blog

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 THE GAME OF LIFE – Part 1 of 2

At first glance, Monopoly might seem like nothing more than a competitive scramble for cash, property, and power. But if we look closer, this classic board game can actually serve as a thought-provoking metaphor for biblical truths about life, stewardship, and eternity.

In Monopoly, no matter how many hotels you own or how much cash you’ve stacked, the game eventually ends. When it’s over, everything goes back in the box. The Bible reminds us of the same reality: “For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it” (1 Timothy 6:7). Our earthly possessions are temporary; what truly matters is how we use them for God’s purposes. And at the end of your life, you, too, will go into a box.

In the game, you never truly “own” the board -- you’re just managing resources for a time. Likewise, scripture teaches that “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it” (Psalm 24:1). We are stewards, entrusted with time, talents, and treasures to manage wisely. Winning in God’s eyes isn’t about accumulation, but about faithfulness.

-- Mark A. Brady, from his blog

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VULGAR GRACE

The Apostle Paul wrote, “The Lord said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’”  (2 Corinthians 12:9a)

In my office at the church, I have the following quotation hanging on my wall, 4 foot by 3 foot. It has become a sort of life mantra for me. I made it so large because I tend to forget this simple yet profound message about my being going before my doing. It’s a quote from Brennan Manning’s book “All Is Grace.” This ragamuffin follower of Jesus penned this weighty reminder for hard-headed, performance-addicted people like me:

“My life is a witness of vulgar grace – a grace that amazes as it offends. A grace that pays the eager beaver who worked all day long the same wages as the grinning drunk who shows up at ten til five. A grace that hikes up the robe and runs breakneck toward the prodigal reeking in sin and wraps him up and decides to throw a party no ifs, ands, or buts. A grace that raises bloodshot eyes to a dying thief’s request – “Please, remember me” – and assures him, “You bet!” A grace that is the pleasure of the Father, fleshed out in the carpenter Messiah, Jesus Christ, who left His Father’s side not for heaven’s sake but for our sakes, yours and mine. This vulgar grace is indiscriminate compassion. It works without asking anything of us. It’s not cheap. It’s free, and as such will always be a banana peel for the orthodox foot and a fairy tale for the grown-up sensibility. Grace is sufficient even though we huff and puff with all our might to try to find something or someone it cannot cover. Grace is enough. He is enough. Jesus is enough.” 

-- Jorge Acevedo in “Everybody Needs Some Cave Time: Meeting God in Dark Places”

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MENDING A BROKEN HEART

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted.” “He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds.”  (Psalm 34:18; 147:3)

Let me suggest to you how we can deal with our woundedness and allow God to bind our wounds and heal our broken hearts. God will mend a broken heart, if we will give Him all the pieces.

Frist of all, we need to accept the reality of our wounds. Because God is with us, we can be realistic about our life. God empowers us to accept and face whatever it is that has wounded our life. Real wounds do not go away because we ignore them or suppress them; they only surface in more destructive and dangerous ways later.

Second, we lean on God’s power and strength. One of the things Paul learned in his struggles with his thorn in the flesh was that this wound and weakness made him rely more upon God. He said, “Whenever I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10)

Third, we can hold on to hope. Hope is a necessity for real living, but especially in a wounded [or broken] moment. As Christians, we can have the hope and expectation that life will be good again. It may not be the same, but it can be good again. Hope is belief in possibility. It is not unrealistic optimism that everything will work out and things will be like they were before. It is confidence and faith that however things turnout, God will be with us, will see us through, and will bring healing.

Fourth, we can get in or stay in a healing community. The church is God’s healing community. We are not created to be alone; we were made for community and family. The Bible speaks of the power and strength of community, especially holy community. We give and draw strength from one another.

Finally, we can give ourselves to a cause greater than ourselves and become wounded healers. There comes a time, if we are to be healed, that we turn our attention away from our wounds and focus on something greater than ourselves. Many wounds do not heal because we continuously irritate them by constant examination. If we want to be healed, it helps to forget about ourselves and our wounds for a while and lose ourselves in helping, serving, and caring for others. 

-- Excerpted from “Lord, Give Me Patience!... And Give It to Me Right Now!” by James W. Moore and Bob J. Moore

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WESLEY’S TEACHING ON MONEY

Jesus said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own… Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” (Luke 12:15,21 NLT)

In John Wesley’s sermon “The Use of Money,” he offered three rules for Christians: “Gain all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can.”

Gaining all you can means to earn all you’re capable of, provided you aren’t hurting yourself or others. Wesley specifically stated, “We ought not to gain money at the expense of life, nor at the expense of our health” (which is in effect the same thing). He also noted, “Our employ cannot be harmful to our neighbor, lest we violate the command to love our neighbor.”

Saving all you can means to set money aside before spending frivolously or on nonessentials, and specifically not to spend just to win the admiration of others. Of indulging our desires Wesley noted, “Daily experience shows, the more they are indulged, they increase the more.” He also warned those who had accumulated a vast estate not to give all of it to one’s children, particularly if the children would use it only to gratify themselves. Instead, he suggested giving enough to the children to keep them from poverty, then giving the rest in whatever way would glorify God.

Finally, giving all you can means to provide for the essential needs of your family, then for the care of those in need within the church, and finally for those outside the church. For Wesley, giving the first tenth of his income to God was something of a floor for his giving, not a ceiling. Even when his income was very small he sought to live in moderation and to give away the rest…

Wesley was teaching and modeling that holiness and a desire to serve God can be judged in part by looking at your finances. If Wesley were here today, I think he would ask, “What does your bank account say about your spiritual life?” 

-- Adam Hamilton in “Revival: Faith as Wesley Lived It” 

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