Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Scripture- “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”- Matthew 6:24
Thought of the Day- God is after our hearts, but many times He has to go through our treasure to get to our hearts. God will not compromise though. We must put Him first and serve Him only. He wants to be in a relationship with us so badly, He wants our hearts to be so in tune with His, that when we put Him first and see money as a tool we can use to effect positive change and to help other people He will richly bless our generosity. Proverbs 11:25 says, “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” However, instead many times we set money up in the first position in our life and that can lead to very negative consequences in the long run. Let’s be real and admit it: we all have at one time or another found our security in our bank accounts, our “stuff” and “possessions” whether intentional or not. In the 21st Century, many today view money as their god. They are reluctant to trust in something that they can’t see, meaning the God of eternity, vs. finding their security in things that are tangible, things that can be acquired with wealth. Many people use wealth to manipulate others, to gain power, to buy things that bring luxury and comfort. However, many times those things are things that entangle them, and keep them from admitting their need or desire for God.
God knows how much of a role money plays in society, that is why there are over 2,000 verses dedicated to money in the Bible and why many of Jesus’s teachings through parables were on the subject of money. He knows the power it has to either set us free or enslave us. Here’s a good starting point: We must see all money as God’s and we are simply His stewards. When we are good stewards and we give back to God what is rightfully His to help other people, God blesses our giving and begins a virtuous cycle of blessing us even more. However, when we hoard money for ourselves and don’t use it to honor God, it is under the spirit of Mammon, and can be used to bring destruction on our lives. Matthew 25:29 summarizes the idea of God’s testing and reward system around our stewardship of money when he says “For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.” When we are grateful, we are generous. When we are grateful and generous, it means we have permitted God access to our hearts and He can do great things through us. God blesses us when we have an attitude of generosity and gratitude. We therefore should look at all abundance that flows through our lives as a test. We need to be a flowing river and not a dead sea when it comes to material wealth. Missionary Jim Elliott had a great line to live by when it comes to how we should view money and wealth. He said “ he is no fool who gives up what he can never keep, to gain what he can never lose.” Use your treasure to build God’s kingdom, and you will deposit treasure that never spoils or fades waiting for you on the other side in Heaven. Matthew 6:21 puts it so succinctly when it says, “ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
0 Comments