I think a lot of believers have the wrong idea about money.
We read verses like Matthew 19:24…
… it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
and 1 Timothy 6:7-9…
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. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.
and we condition ourselves to not think unnecessarily about money.
It’s understandable… money definitely has a lot of worldly connotations - greed, jealously, hedonism - but I think having an aversion toward it because of those things is the exact opposite of how we’re supposed to think.
In viewing it this way, we’re letting the enemy take this one. We’re like a decathlete who doesn’t participate in the shotput because it’s uncomfortable for his arm, and he thinks he can still win by working hard in the other nine events.
It’s time to wake up & realize that in the game of money, Christians are getting destroyed. The work of the devil is exponentially better funded than the work of Jesus Christ in today’s world.
Look at how much more money is thrown at filth than good on your TV, in the movie theater, & on this computer screen you’re looking at right now.
It’s time to get smart about money and to WANT IT.
Folks, I want it. Bad.
I want to MAKE IT RAIN up in this mutha.
Before you close this page, get me straight.
I’m checking myself all the time to make sure money hasn’t become an end in itself. When money becomes the goal & not the means — or if it’s the means to the wrong end — that’s when it becomes easier for that camel to fit through the pinhole than for you to please God.
In my life, my ‘99 Ford Ranger will do just fine. I’m planning on driving that bad boy into the ground.
My “end” is freedom of time & money for my family and it’s the ability to put money toward it’s greatest Godly use, which is giving. Freely & often. When my friend asks me for $10,000 for a month-long medical mission to Africa, I want to write the check on the spot. And I want to go too.
But currently… my ability to give is limited by my ability to get.
That’s why it’s essential we learn about money. How to get it & what to do with it when we have it. Too many people want money but not education.
Start with Proverbs. Solomon was the richest man who ever walked this planet, and he hid a lot of his personal secrets in this book.
Learn from the parable of the talents in Matthew 25. What does that tell you about expanding the kingdom with what you have? About saving vs. investing?
As with everything else, different results begins with radically different thinking, and different thinking comes through an urgency to learn.
“Well done, good and faithful servant!” are words we should each be living & dying to hear. With your current thoughts & actions towards money, is that what you expect to hear?
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Posted in Faith, Life | Comments (2)
Posted on April 8th, 2008
Thank you for being so bold in your faith and letting people know that is not money but the love of money that causes trouble. God promises us not only life but abundant life. He wants to reward our labor as long as it is honoring to Him and what can honor Him more than to use our talents well and use the blessings He gives to “do onto the least of our brothers”.
Posted on April 9th, 2008
I see it as my responsibility to make as much as i am able because i am a good steward with my money. I tithe 10% and donate another 10% to charities that benefit the homeless, abused children, animal rescue leagues, the arts, etc.
i think for a lot of people it is easier to say money is trouble because deep down they are not being honest with themselves. if you won the lottery and refused the money it would be a sign of weakness - you don’t have what it takes to be responsible for the proper allocation of those funds in a healthy way.
get some help if you have an unhealthy relationship with money. it will change your life for the BETTER.