“A faithful man will be richly blessed”
Proverbs 28:20
“The problem with money is that it makes you do things you don’t want to do”.
Wall Street, The Movie
Interesting Data
I read about a poll of eighty men who were asked if they were having financial problems. All eighty men answered, “Yes”. However, one of the men said, “I don’t have any problems more money can’t solve.”
Question
how would you rate your biblical IQ on money?
There are over 2,350 scriptures regarding money and possessions, but still many of us still have a hard time grasping what God truly desires when it comes to our finances. The challenge of money was summed up by Jesus when he said,
“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Matthew 6:24.
The definition of the word "serve" is:
“to be a slave to, literally or figuratively, voluntarily or involuntarily.”
It is not a question of advisability, “You should not serve both God and money.” That would be a priority choice.
It is not a question of accountability, “You must not serve both God and money.” That would be a moral choice.
Actually, it is a matter of impossibility. “You cannot serve both God and money.” There is no choice; we each serve one, and only one, master. We are either a slave to God or a slave to money!
The Bottom Line
Why was Jesus so emphatic on this point? Consider some advice from the richest man who has ever lived. Solomon said,
“Whoever loves money never has enough money; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.” Ecclesiastes 5:10
Jesus knows the need we have for money, he knows the pressure we can be under to make money, and He knows the allure that money has to draw us away from Him.
This is the Key!
So, how do we balance our need to make and use money to meet our needs without allowing it to enslave us?
We need to become a steward!
A steward is a caretaker, not an owner. A steward possesses everything, but owns nothing. A steward holds, invests, protects, and is sustained by the wealth of another. When a steward does well, the estate increases, and the steward enjoys the benefit. If a steward is foolish, the master reduces or removes the steward and reinvests with another steward.
Remember this...
When you’re tempted to stress over what you have, or how much more you think you need, remember...it’s all His stuff!
Larry Martin
MD5 Lab Facilitator