1 John 2:15-17
Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
We have been talking about people who have been living in close relationship with God. Walking with Him in the closest of relationships. One of the marks of each of those people are their lack of focus on the finances of this world. We have seen both those who were well off and those who were not. Paul says in Philippians 4:11-13 there is a secret to being content no matter our circumstances.
Yesterday we saw that Jacob’s wives knew their husband’s wealth and it seemed to matter to them. Money is a necessity in life but how much is actually necessary? There are those traditions which take a vow of poverty as a way of being closer to God, but is that extreme really necessary? Both extremes are focused on the money itself – one as a positive and the other as a negative. We have all heard people say, “Money is the root of all evil” but that isn’t what Scripture actually says. Paul told Timothy in his first letter to him, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1 Timothy 6:10)
Have you ever asked yourself what your real relationship with money is? Do you stress over it? That could show a trust in money over God. Do you spend it purely selfishly? What could that be saying about your relationship with it? But remember the opposite view of money – saying it is bad and you don’t need it – is not a healthy view either. Our question to ourselves should be who actually owns what we have? Are we the masters of our lives? As Christians we are warned about thinking of ourselves higher than we should (Romans 12:3) Who are we? What are we? Are we greater than God and can we provide for ourselves better than He does? Doesn’t that say that we don’t trust Him; that He isn’t the God we serve? Our dealings with and thoughts about money are a tight rope we are constantly walking. The thing about tight rope walking is that to stay upright, we need to look to our end goal not at where you are at. So where is our focus? Our focus tells the truth of Who or what we worship.
Making It Personal
How would you define your relationship with money? How much do you honestly trust God for your needs? What changes do you need to make in your life to keep on track to the desired end goal?
Making It Personal Kids
Do you have a board or something you like to balance on like a balance beam? Try walking it two times – one time with your hands held close to your chest and your head down looking at them and the second time with your arms out straight from your sides and looking forward to the end of the board. Was one way easier than the other? When we focus on ourselves it is harder to keep our balance.
Closing Prayer
Father, please help us see the truth about how we view money. Help us see it is a tool, not as our saving grace. You will always provide for our needs and we praise You for that. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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