Thursday, June 20, 2013

Money

We have a tendency in Christian circles--particularly American ones--to link financial prosperity and godliness. Scripture warns us that those who teach such things are "men of depraved mind and devoid of the truth." One of the devil's greatest weapons to undermine a believer's faith is money and mammon--the things that money can buy. And he can destroy us by giving us money or by making us obsessed with a desire for more of it. Either way it's an effective Satanic weapon. Where your treasure is there will your heart be also.
Look at our nation as a whole. Did prosperity lead us to godliness? In the church do we have a generation of young people sold out for Christ or sold out--literally--for materialism, job security--as if such a thing exists, and fiscal independence? Jesus Himself warned His followers early in His ministry that they couldn't serve Him and materialism. It's one or the other. The danger has always been to take God's blessings and turn them into Baals.
What am I to do with the money and prosperity God gives me? Be content with whatever it is. Understand that the money isn't evil, but the love of it. (I think you can tell how much you love it by how much time you spend worrying about how much of it you have or worrying about losing it.) Give what you don't need away ("things you need" and "things you want" are not synonymous). Be generous in secret. Pray for God to bring the needs of other believers to your attention and for Him to show you ways to meet that need without them knowing it was you who provided it. Redeem that money. Turn one of the devil's weapons into a memorial of God's provision and grace in another believer''s life. Let the treasures of earth be turned into treasures in heaven--treasures of God's grace and love for His needy people.

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