For Richer, For Poorer
Throughout this summer, we’ve been discussing resources for premarital couples, including my devotion, “Preparing Your Heart for Marriage: Devotions for Engaged Couples.” This is the last excerpt we’re running. The book has three parts: general devotions for learning how to become one. Section two focuses on the words of the statement of intent, and section three looks at the traditional wedding vows phrase by phrase. A common comment I hear from couples months after their wedding is how much of a blur the ceremony was. Having thought about, talked about, and prayed about the vows ahead of time can make the wedding ceremony all the more meaningful, not to mention help couples understand what the vows they are exchanging truly mean. This entry focuses on what it means to pledge to your spouse that you will be with them “for richer or for poorer.”
Did you know that Jesus talked about money more than he talked about heaven and hell combined? Close to 800 scriptures discuss money. About one-fourth of Jesus’ parables are about money, and one out of every seven verses in the Gospel of Luke discuss money.
Here’s the real shocker, one that people can hardly believe: Jesus actually talked about money more than he talked about love.
Why do you think this might be true?
Money carries a spiritual weight that can lift you up or hold you down. It will bless you as a couple or it can become a deep divide.
Every one of us has a unique relationship with money that rarely gets discussed and that usually remains unconscious. Our feelings about money are visceral, deep-seated in the core of our being, and many of us don’t even recognize the way these feelings motivate us. Some of us deeply fear losing our money, and we react with panic and anger if it is threatened. Others of us are driven by greed to always have a little bit more, and we will sacrifice some of our most intimate relationships to make more time and energy available to procure more money. I have seen some literally sacrifice their health and peace of mind to bring “just a little bit more” into what already looks like an abundant pile of resources. For still others of us, we’re driven by a simple selfishness that insists “what’s mine is mine” and are robbed of the tremendous joy found in giving. A few blessed souls have found that generosity with money brings great freedom.
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