Living a Life of Love and Redemption: Embodying Universal Truths in Our Daily Lives

Each of our individual lives is meant to be built upon the overarching story of love and redemption that God is singing over his creation. In one way or another, our everyday lives should embody universal truths. I also have to realize that my little faithful deed, like contributing money to a church or ministry or volunteering for a worthy cause, is nothing less than my participation in the way the Lord intended the world to work.

Fundamentally, when our lives are centered around the life of God, we flourish. Learning and discerning what pleases the Lord should be our life's goal, and we should then make judgments based on that understanding. Servitude should become a regular part of our lives if God is delighted when we help our neighbors. If the kingdom of heaven is characterized by gentleness and meekness, then we ought to pray in the morning to the Lord for the gift of compassionate, kind hearts that we can show to everyone we meet. Lastly, in regards to the subject at hand, we ought to respond quickly to affirmative responses and take part in wealth accumulation if it is intended to be a vehicle for God's favor and plenty in the world.

Whatever you have, no matter how big or small, acquired through generations of riches or via years of arduous labor, is given to you to distribute to the underprivileged, according to St. John. As extreme as this may sound, he is shedding light on the murky recesses of our hearts where greed or the need for comfort reign.

God bestows prosperity on mankind in order for them to participate with him in the rebirth of everything. When we view the world this way, we praise him with our money. As 1 Chronicles reminds us, everything originates with him, and we offer him just that which he gave us originally, therefore in actuality, it is never "our wealth" (1 Chronicles 29:14). Today, make an effort to embody this truth and discover how to use your wealth to glorify the Lord.