“You are never rich until you have something that money cannot buy.”

The Beatles once sang, “money can’t buy me love”.  MasterCard commercials remind us that certain experiences are “priceless”. There are some things we simply cannot be expressed monetarily.

Recently, I attended a missions banquet where items were being auctioned off and the proceeds directed to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. The auctioneer reminded folks that the items they were buying were not really worth the price, but the cause was a worthy one. He reminded folks that they have something that money cannot buy and the Good News they have needs to be shared with others. His words words struck a chord within my American soul. As an American, I struggle with ingratitude. I know that there is more and I find myself wanting. It does not matter that I know how much less others have, my soul wants more. J. R. R. Tolkien described this condition as “dragon sickness”, a heart driven by “delusional greed” http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/how-to-fight-dragon-sickness.  In that article, David Mathis gives the following definition of greed:

Greed is our inordinate desire, our excessive love, for wealth and possessions, for money and the things money can buy — and even for self-esteem, security, status, and power. Greed’s object is money and things, but it is not to be identified with those things. Greed is a misplaced craving in the heart. It is good desire gone wrong. God made us to have and to hold, to desire possessions and things as his creatures in fitting relation to him. The problem of greed is not that we desire things, but that our desires are misdirected and out of proportion.

We desire success, even riches. However, many people feel they never  fully attain either. Why? Quite simply, the human soul seeks for that which cannot satisfy. Sin stained hearts are filled with misdirected cravings. It is only when human hearts find that which money cannot buy that souls find their deepest satisfaction. Saint Augustine famously wrote in the Confession, “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.” We were made to know God. He has placed us in this world.  Bishop J. C. Ryle says it well, “You were placed here to train for eternity.” This is the key to true joy in this world: find your joy in God, the Gospel, and the mission of God to All Peoples in All Places. If you do this, you will be rich. You will have that which money cannot buy. You will have joy in the God of the Gospel.

Live simply and give generously.

When you consider giving that makes an eternal impact, I would ask you to consider giving to the International Mission Board’s (IMB) Lottie Moon Christmas Offering (LMCO), http://www.imb.org/main/lottie-moon/default.asp. Your generous sacrificial giving to the LMCO is important for three simple reasons:

• The LMCO is essential. Funds from the LMCO are essential for Great Commission advance. Without these funds, the work of International Mission Board (IMB) field missionaries grinds to a halt.
• The LMCO is effective: 100% of LMCO funds are used for Great Commission ministry among the nations. No funds are used for administrative costs. The monies go to where the needs exist, among the peoples of the world.
• The LMCO is efficient: 100% of funds given go to fund ministry expenses for field missionaries. There is no administrative or organizational overhead. There is no middle-man. Administrative costs of the International Mission Board are paid for by the Cooperative Program of the Southern Baptist Convention. Your mission offering goes to directly support the work of missions and missionaries.

May this Christmas season your heart find joy in that which money cannot buy, knowing that lives are being changed for all of eternity.

Thank you for your support of the LMCO. From our family to your family, Merry Christmas!