Hey everyone, and a warm welcome. I want to talk about that big conversation today: Money. It’s one of those subjects that Christians often avoid or they kind of tiptoe around it, but we shouldn’t be afraid about the conversation of money. Jesus talked about money a lot. The Bible says that it’s not money that’s the root of all evil, but it’s the love of money. Money in itself is neutral. It’s what we do with it. So can you share with us some advice and tips about how we use our money?
Absolutely. I think that’s so true what you said, that knowing that money isn’t the issue, but actually it’s our relationship with it. And actually God teaches us so much through His word about our relationship with money. And in particular, Jesus, in the Sermon in the Mount in Matthew 6 teaches us about our priorities in life. And He says that we shouldn’t store up for ourself treasures here on earth, but instead we should store up treasures in heaven. And then He goes on to say that we can only serve one God. We either serve God or we serve money. And as Christians, we’ve chosen to put God first, and He goes on to say, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all of these things will be added to you.” And so we know that when we put God first and we go by His teaching, that all of the other things will sort themselves out.
And that includes our relationship with money. And that gives us a great freedom then, because we don’t have to hold onto it. Generosity. We don’t have to worry about it. And so the Bible also teaches us about being generous. Proverbs 11:24 says, “One person gives freely, yet gains even more. Another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.” True! And it’s that upside down Kingdom of God, where we think that if we hold on to things, then we’ll keep them. But actually God says, the more that you give away, the more that you bless, the more that you will receive and the more that you will bless. And so we have this freedom where when we give away, not only are we being obedient to God’s word, but actually we’re allowing space for other people to receive a blessing by blessing us. That’s it.
And that also stops us from worrying, because when we trust God for everything, we don’t need to worry. And so we trust in Him fully when we’re generous with what we’ve got and knowing that He will provide for us.
Ah, that’s so good. I’m just reminded of that verse where it says, “Give and it will come back to you, pressed down, shaken together, running over onto your lap.” And that’s a desire that we have. So, can I encourage you as we finish this little broadcast, to be generous with your money. We talk in ministry and at home of money being seed. Look for good Kingdom soil and put seed into it today. Amen.