Weather report from heaven: Sunny and bright with an abundance of light, and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Scripture: “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”-1 Timothy 6:6-10
“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
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”-Matthew 6:19-21
“One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”-Proverbs 11:24-25
“Two things I ask of you, Lord; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.”-Proverbs 30:7-9
“And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have. Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.”-2 Corinthians 8:10-15
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.” Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.”-2 Corinthians 9:6-11
“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.” – Luke 16:13
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”- Malachi 3:10
Insight: The Bible is a road map for our life and the only firm foundation of truth on which we can build our lives. However, one of the things I learned early in my 20 + years of reading the Bible and trying as best as I know how to incorporate its life changing message into my life in a way that can be a blessing to others is that there are many verses in the Bible that challenge every ounce of our being.
Tonight we will discuss what for many, including myself, is the toughest topic of all in the Bible. It’s also the one that Jesus spent the most time talking about. It is the relationship and expectations that the Bible talks about between God and money. Read the Scriptures above again, even a few times, and let the teachings sink in. They are a great starting place. Here are just a few of my high level thoughts on God and Money from the Bible: It is much harder to make than to keep, it goes out much faster than it comes in, and it can ruin your health trying to obtain it if you make it an idol. It can never quench the deep emptiness in your soul that exists when you put it before God, which 1 Timothy 6:6-10 discusses. It can be used for great good, or great harm. God is not against money or wealth, He is against hoarding and accumulation of it to the point that He gets left behind in the hierarchy of your life. Who is the owner of all things is a key question we must answer: If God is the owner, we can be good stewards and easily share His abundance for Kingdom causes and to help others less fortunate as we are instructed to do throughout the Bible. If we view ourselves as the owner, we will cling tightly to what we can never keep and it will erode our usefulness for God and His work over time, not to mention make us less attractive through greed and the anxiety it will bring into our life.
Jesus talked and taught about money more than any other subject. I wonder why? Jesus knew the importance money and wealth played in society. That is why he spent so much time teaching about it. He knew both the pluses and minuses of wealth. He knew if we control it, it can be used for amazing good, but if it controls us, it could cause great harm. That is why in 1 Timothy 6:10 it says “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” Notice it doesn’t say money is the root of all kinds of evil. God is not against money. In fact, some of the heroes of the Bible like Abraham and King Solomon are some of the richest people to ever live. Money has the power to destroy our witness for Christ, and to keep our salvation in shackles, if we mistakenly put our security in it, instead of in Christ. But it can also be used to bring glory to God and bring amazing benefits to those who see themselves as stewards of all of God’s abundance in the short time we are given on this earth.
Jesus knew money could buy a lot of things but not the best things. He knew with money you could buy a house, but not a home. You could buy sex, but not love. You could buy a position, but not respect. You could buy a Doctor, but not health. Jesus knew how much money would be at the center of our world. He taught out of love to put money in its proper place and to use proper perspective in where and how it fits into the hierarchy of needs. He knew the devil could use money as a way to entrap people into thinking they have security apart from Christ. I know firsthand it’s a false security, that can come and go as quickly as the wind. Trying to capture and hold on to wealth has caused me more anxiety than any other part of my life. I am constantly being taught new lessons about money, and learning to not cling too tightly to something that is not mine to keep. Money can be alluring or enslaving. It is up to us to follow Jesus’s teaching closely in order to keep it in its proper place. I have spent more time worrying about wealth than any other part of my life. There are many times it has robbed me of a sense of peace.
I have learned many lessons from God about money, but maybe the most impactful is that when you donate money to help others or build Kingdom Ministries, you don’t lose money, you simply move it from a temporary to an eternal status as Matthew 6:19-21 above says. God wants us to be generous, because there is no u-haul behind the Hearse and He wants us to be His good stewards of the time, talent and treasure He gives us in this life. When we are generous we glorify God who is the most generous of all. I have seen wealth and greed lead to quarrels and hurt feelings in my own family. I have experienced firsthand the despair and false promise of wealth that doesn’t provide tranquility or satisfaction, but rather leads to anxiety. I have also seen wealth used to save kids from starvation, keep kids out of orphanages, provide food for the poor and education for the needy. I have seen money used to provide the best medical treatment when it was most needed. I have seen huge generosity, and I have also seen shameful greed. The enemy has used money to move the goal posts in our world, and led many into not seeing their great need for the salvation only Christ can offer.
Many people measure themselves and others based on their net worth, and in fact tie their self-worth to their net worth. But in our last breath, our net worth is all reduced back to 0. Then the only thing that matters is did we believe in our hearts and confess with our tongues Jesus is Lord, as Romans 10:9-10 declares. The main conclusion you can draw is like almost anything, money can be both used for both good and for evil, to save and to destroy. Jesus knows what we need even before we do. That is why He spent so much time teaching us on this subject of money. Do we trust Him or not?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, your teachings on money are so challenging, but they are also so insightful and so constructive if we are willing to follow them. Help us in this area that we struggle in so much, to see You as the rightful owner of all abundance. Amen!
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