Dr Paul Allen

Balaam and the angel, painting from Gustav Jaeger, 1836. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal ; that ye may know the righteousness of the LORD.” ( Micah 6:5 ) Three New Testament writers have left us sober warnings concerning Balaam. Peter warned against “the way of Balaam”; Jude against “the error of Balaam”; and John against “the doctrine of Balaam” ( 2 Peter2:15 ; Jude 1:11 ; Revelation 2:14 ). God evidently considers these warnings necessary and appropriate for Christians even today. Yet Balaam, in his day, was a genuine prophet (note 2 Peter 2:16 ), possessed great knowledge concerning God, and even received direct revelations from God. What, therefore, were his way, his error, and his doctrine? “The way of Balaam” was a readiness to prostitute his high spiritual gifts and privileges for “the wages of unrighteousness” (v. 15); being willing to preach

‘Tis the season to test your treasure.  Not only are we on gift-expectation overload with Christmas , but then comes the year’s end and that one last chance for tax-deductible charitable giving. December bids us dig deeper in our wallets than any other season. Which may be a great annoyance for Scrooge — but it is a great opportunity for the Christian. It’s a time to check our spiritual pulse, and to open our hearts to blessings from God that money can’t buy. Here, then, are five truths to rehearse for Christmas spending and year-end giving. 1. Money Is a Tool Money itself is not evil. It is not wealth  per se  that is sinful, but the “desire to be rich” ( 1 Timothy 6:9). It is not money, but “the  love  of money” that is “a root of all kinds of evils” (1 Timothy  6:10 ), from which we should keep our lives free (Hebrews 13:5). It is “this craving” (1 Timothy  6:10 ) in our sinful hearts which is so dangerous. With all the strong warnings in the Bible about how we orien