May 2014

2 Reasons God Wants Your Money

Two Reasons God Wants Your Money

Last week we asked the question, Why does God want your money? We made the important clarification that it’s not your money but God’s money. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s get back to the original question:

Why does God want your (er, His!) money?

Here are just two reasons from Matthew 6:19–21:

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (emphasis added).

When we go, we’ll leave everything behind. Everything except the money and stuff we’ve invested in God’s forever kingdom.

  1. God wants your money because He wants you to have treasures that’ll last. As in, forever.
  2. My sweet neighbor has let me watch two of her births. Elijah came out clutching a flat-screen TV, and Mercy came out with a sparkling pair of twenty-four-carat diamond earrings. (Kidding!) They both came out naked and empty-handed. No surprise, right? Paul says it like this in 1 Timothy 6:7:

    We brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world (emphasis added).

    Have you ever asked your mom what you brought into this world the day you were born? Probably not, because you already know the answer. Nada. Zippo. Nothing.

    But have you ever stopped to think about the fact that when you leave this world (whether it’s through death or through Jesus’ soon return for you), you will bring nothing with you? Nada. Zippo. Nothing.

    I like how John Piper says it:

    There are no U-Hauls behind hearses.

    In Matthew 6:19, Jesus isn’t saying it’s wrong to store up treasures; He just doesn’t want us to be stupid about it. We can’t take our favorite possessions or clothes with us (sorry to disappoint!). When we go, we’ll leave everything behind. Everything except the money and stuff we’ve invested in God’s forever kingdom.

    Randy Alcorn says it like this, “You can’t take it with you—but you can send it on ahead.” He continues in his fantastic little book The Treasure Principle:

    Jesus has a treasure mentality. He wants us to store up treasures! He’s just telling us to stop storing them in the wrong place and start storing them in the right place!

    God wants you to have treasures that’ll actually last—as in forever.

  3. God wants your money because above all, He wants your heart.
    There’s another reason God wants your (ahem, His!) money.

    “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21).

    What if God is really after your heart? And what if the way to your heart is through . . . your wallet?

    As I read The Treasure Principle, I learned that 15 percent of everything Jesus says in the Bible relates to money—more than His teachings on heaven and hell combined!

    Why does He care so much about money? It’s ’cause He knows that wherever our money goes, our heart goes.

    More than your money, He’s after your heart (Matt. 15:7–9). He wants you to share a relationship with Him that’s closer than any other relationship you have on this entire planet. (And yes, when that happens, He’ll also have your money.)

    Don’t get me wrong. This isn’t payback. God didn’t sacrifice His life for you so you could pay Him back (as if you could!). Your salvation was a free, lavish gift. Don’t pull out your wallet to pay Him back. Give out of joy and gratefulness for how He gave to you, and watch your love for Him skyrocket as you do. Because where your money goes, there your heart goes.
    You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich (2 Cor. 8:9).

PS: Not sure where to give? If you’ve already given to your church, would you consider supporting LiesYoungWomenBelieve.com? LYWB.com is an outreach of Revive Our Hearts, and ROH has a super-amazing deal going on for the next four days. Some generous friends of the ministry are doubling each first-time gift. Just have $2.50? Great! That’s $5 you just gave back to keep this ministry alive. Don’t miss this special opportunity!

PPS: Have you ever invested in God’s forever kingdom? Leave me a comment telling me how (by June 2) to win one of three copies of The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn. It’s an easy read!

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What if God is really after your heart? And what if the way to your heart is through . . . your wallet? (Be sure to include a link to today’s post.)

Why Does God Want My Money?

Why Does God Want My Money?

God wants your money. But not for the reasons you think.

He’s not poor.

He’s not a mooch.

He’s not looking to take, take, take from you.

He’s not anti-money, and He doesn’t think the poor are more holy than the middle class.

Before I tell you why God wants your money, I need to back up.

Something is terribly, terribly wrong with the subject line of this post. Read it again. Did you catch it?

Nope, I didn’t misspell any words or use incorrect punctuation. I did make a wrong assumption, though.

As much as it feels like my money, God teaches that the money in my purse, the money in my bank account, that paycheck I just received . . . is actually His money. Here are just a couple places we learn this from God’s Word:

The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it (Ps. 24:1, emphasis added).

If that’s not clear enough, how about this one from Haggai 2:8:

“The silver is mine and the gold is mine,” declares the LORD Almighty.

(I know you don’t buy things with silver or gold, but this passage is talking about currency. Substitute “silver” and “gold” with “dollars” and “cents.”)

Before we go any further, we need to ask God to reset our minds so we realize it’s not our money; it’s His money.

We don’t own the money stuffed away in our top dresser drawer; God has entrusted us with delivering His money to those who need it most.

Picture it like this: You buy a sweet gift for your friend’s birthday. Since she just moved across the country, you wrap it up and give it to the FedEx guy to deliver to her. But instead of delivering the package, he takes it home and breaks open the present for himself!

Obviously, this guy doesn’t understand his job. He’s just the delivery guy!

Did you know that you and I are like that FedEx employee? We don’t own the money stuffed away in our top dresser drawer; God has entrusted us with delivering His money to those who need it most.

Now that we’ve cleared that important misunderstanding up, let’s get back to the original question:

Why does God want my (ahem, His!) money?

First, though, I’d love to hear from you. Is this news that the money in your purse actually belongs to God? Or have you already been thinking and living like it’s His?

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God wants your money. But not for the reasons you think. (Be sure to include a link to today’s post.)