Are you familiar with the concept of karma? Good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. Grace is undeserved favor, getting good things you didn’t deserve. Doesn’t that sound like a better deal than karma? Yet if you mention the two terms anywhere other than in a church you can expect a more favorable response for karma. The Biblical term for this is righteousness by works of the law. Why is grace offensive? There is something in human nature that wants to be deserving, that wants a reward for effort. A free gift seems too good to be true. But to accept it is to forever acknowledge dependence and the end of self-improvement projects by your own effort. The death that this involves is the only way to eternal life. 

Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Do you think of this as a statement with deep and dark meaning? You could also view it in a very simple sense, that where you spend your money is a true indicator of the condition of your heart. Some people are spendthrifts, but even those who are otherwise frugal tend to have an area in which they spend freely. What you value is an indication of your values. Your area of greatest spending isn’t necessarily an idol, but it is a good place to start looking for them. If your heart is in my Kingdom you will demonstrate it by generosity with your treasure. 

God's original intention was daily walks in the garden in the cool of the day where He would talk with mankind. Satan stole this precious relationship by planting the idea that we could skip these walks and become wise on our own. He deceived us into believing we didn't need God's voice: "YOU can be like God, KNOWING good and evil" (Gen. 3:5).

"You" became humanism (it is about me and my effort) and "know" became rationalism, it is about what I reason out. These are both lies, and the lies continue...

Do you think the Bible implies that it is better to be poor than to be rich? Do you see comfort there for the poor and warnings to the wealthy? Yet who is eager to be poor to be blessed? The real problem isn’t money, but the love of money, and the greed, pride, control issues, and idolatry that follow. Do you understand that everything you have is a gift from me, even your very life and existence? Don’t lose sight of this as your blessings increase and think you obtained them yourself. Maintain an attitude of humility and gratitude and my gifts to you will be a blessing rather than a curse. You can be poor in spirit even if you are rich.