It seems that as soon as a pastor begins speaking about money, some people get really defensive. Still, money is an important topic to explore for several reasons.
First, it speaks to God's sovereignty. Think about the earth. Whose stuff is it? That's easy. The earth, and everything on it, is God's. David, the king of Israel knew this. Consider what he says in 1 Chronicles 29:14.
Second, it speaks to the issue of world views. There are two ways of looking at the world. One traces back to the God of Scripture, while the other traces back to the materialistic desire to rule the world. These two world view war against each other daily for our minds, hearts and lifestyles.
And I have news from the front. The battle is not going well. Many who call themselves Christian live by a materialistic worldview. But if we will shift our thinking to a biblical perspective, we will live as true disciples of Jesus Christ. So let's go straight to God's mouth by reading Matthew 6:19-21.
Notice that Jesus doesn't say, "Don't store up treasure." No, he wants us to store up treasure. It's just that he knows the temporary treasure of this world will never satisfy us. He knows that if we spend our lives pursuing temporary treasure, we'll never live for Him. And he want's to free us from the bondage that comes from buying Satan's lie.
So keep these two vital truths in mind:
1. God is the owner. My stuff is not my stuff. My money is not my money. Materialism is a lie. And when I remember that everything is God's, I become truly free.
2. I am the manager. Whatever I have is a gift from God. He expects me to manage these things well, in order to accomplish His purposes.
Over the next five weeks, we'll discover how to live so that we can give God a great accounting some day.
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