MONEY: WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO GOD?

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“The poorest man I know is the man who has nothing but money”. Who said this? It wasn’t Ghandi, Mother Theresa or Jesus. The words came from the American multi-billionaire and philanthropist John D Rockefeller, one of the richest men in the last century. Strange, that a man who had so much money should venture such a dictum. But he knew what money could and couldn’t do. C S Lewis put it in his own inimical way when he said “the man who has God and everything has no more than he who has God alone.”
It is true money alone is never enough to give perspective, purpose and value to life. It may make our lives temporarily more comfortable but it can’t provide the reason for our existence. Only something that outlasts money can. Only God can. So what has God to do with money? Isn’t God eternal and money temporal? Isn’t God spiritual & money secular? Many Christians think so. They see money and faith as separate compartments. So while they go to the bible for spiritual wisdom they turn to Fortune or Forbes magazine for advice and insights on investments and money! After all, the bible doesn’t deal with money right?
Wrong! God has a lot to say about money. There are twice as many verses on money in the bible than on prayer and faith combined! Jesus spoke more on money than on heaven and hell combined. Also, a staggering 15% of the bible is on the subject of money. Why is money so important to God? Because money has a very subtle way of creeping in and controlling our hearts. Our attitude towards money often tells God the state of our hearts.
When Zaccheus said he would give half his money to the poor and pay back four times those he had cheated, Jesus didn’t say “great idea”! He pronounced that salvation had come to the house! He equated the eternals of salvation with the externals of money! Awesome stuff! Why? Because the only way He could be sure Zaccheus had changed was if money no longer controlled him. To the rich young ruler pleaded Jesus had said: “Sell your possessions and follow me”. The guy turned away sorrowful. Had Jesus bungled Evangelism 101 and lost a potential convert? No. The young man’s heart was never ready for Him anyway. You see, money, not the law of God was what really controlling his heart. Money is important for God, not because He has perpetual credit crunch crises. Money is important to God supremely because our hearts are important to Him!
Ps Philip Lyn
Skyline: 2008 Year of the Sabbath
“The poorest man I know is the man who has nothing but money”. Who said this? It wasn’t Ghandi, Mother Theresa or Jesus. The words came from the American multi-billionaire and philanthropist John D Rockefeller, one of the richest men in the last century. Strange, that a man who had so much money should venture such a dictum. But he knew what money could and couldn’t do. C S Lewis put it in his own inimical way when he said “the man who has God and everything has no more than he who has God alone.”
It is true money alone is never enough to give perspective, purpose and value to life. It may make our lives temporarily more comfortable but it can’t provide the reason for our existence. Only something that outlasts money can. Only God can. So what has God to do with money? Isn’t God eternal and money temporal? Isn’t God spiritual & money secular? Many Christians think so. They see money and faith as separate compartments. So while they go to the bible for spiritual wisdom they turn to Fortune or Forbes magazine for advice and insights on investments and money! After all, the bible doesn’t deal with money right?
Wrong! God has a lot to say about money. There are twice as many verses on money in the bible than on prayer and faith combined! Jesus spoke more on money than on heaven and hell combined. Also, a staggering 15% of the bible is on the subject of money. Why is money so important to God? Because money has a very subtle way of creeping in and controlling our hearts. Our attitude towards money often tells God the state of our hearts.
When Zaccheus said he would give half his money to the poor and pay back four times those he had cheated, Jesus didn’t say “great idea”! He pronounced that salvation had come to the house! He equated the eternals of salvation with the externals of money! Awesome stuff! Why? Because the only way He could be sure Zaccheus had changed was if money no longer controlled him. To the rich young ruler pleaded Jesus had said: “Sell your possessions and follow me”. The guy turned away sorrowful. Had Jesus bungled Evangelism 101 and lost a potential convert? No. The young man’s heart was never ready for Him anyway. You see, money, not the law of God was what really controlling his heart. Money is important for God, not because He has perpetual credit crunch crises. Money is important to God supremely because our hearts are important to Him!
Ps Philip Lyn
Skyline: 2008 Year of the Sabbath
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