I have three kids. Although they are close to each other, they sometimes fight. One of the biggest reasons they fight is that they emphasize that their things are their own and say things such as, “This is mine!”👧 and “No, this is MINE!” 👦 Sometimes, I also join in their fight saying, “No. This is MINE.”

A lot of the fights that are happening around the world started with the line, “This is MINE!” For adults, most of those fights involve money and their minds being filled with thoughts of “their money.”

That’s why we need to be free from the riches of the world if we want to be a peacemaker in our community. When we say “free from riches,” it does not mean to live comfortably with plenty of money, but rather to live without being controlled by money. So, what I am going to write here is something that you can do whether you are rich or poor. Try to apply it in your life.

1. Know that your life is a gift from God
   No human created this world, no human created air, no human created water, and no human created your life. All of these things have been given and entrusted to us. If this is the case, then why do we keep pointing at things and angrily telling others, “This is MINE?” When we are given something, let’s say thank you and be responsible in handling it.
2. Know that it is more joyful to give than to receive
   Of course you’ll be glad when you receive something good, but you’ll also feel happy when you give something good. God has given us a lot of good things so we can share those good things with others. That’s why when we receive something, it is better to say, “This is good! Here you go!” than to say, “This is MINE.”
3. Know that you have a possession that no one can take away from you
   Even if you say that, it’s still worrying to not have anything right now, right? You kind of want to hold onto something, right? I think for most people, that thing they want to hold onto is money. In this world, money holds so much power. And if you kneel down to it, you can have peace of mind, fun, and a lot of other amazing things. But with that, you’ll unconsciously become a slave to money.

However, let’s admit it. Money is something that can easily be taken away from you. That’s why everyone is trying to protect it, even at the expense of human relationships.

If that is so, then what is this possession no one can take away from us that we can hold onto?

It is our relationship with God, who gave us all these things. This is an amazing possession that we can take to heaven. And if you choose this relationship with God instead of money, your life will even be better because you can build wonderful relationships with other people!

I think that is the definition of what riches are in heaven. So today, let’s value relationships more than money. Because in those moments, we make peace.

Jesus was sold and betrayed by his disciple, Judas, with money (30 pieces of silver).
But Jesus bought back our relationship with God (an eternal possession) by laying down his life for us on the cross. And because Jesus paid the price, this is free for us to receive! So, let us accept that gift, and say, “thank you,” and “here you go!” to others.

Nobuki