2 Reasons God Wants Your Money

By / Leave a Comment / Death, God
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.

  2. 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?

By / Leave a Comment / God, Straight to Scripture
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.)

Chivalrous Flirting: An Oxymoron

By / Leave a Comment / Boy Crazy, Singleness
Chivalrous Flirting: An Oxymoron

You’ve asked about flirting. And asked. And asked.

I Can’t Hear You!

I’ve pretended not to notice. Not because I don’t care, but ’cause:

  1. I feel disqualified to answer. I mean, if you only knew. In high school, I remember leaning forward so my (male) biology partner would . . . (you can figure it out.) Yeah, I wish I had a do-over!
  2. As a teen, I’d regularly attend a summer camp where my aunt served as the cook. She’d watch my interactions with guys and accuse me of being a flirt almost every year. (I always denied it adamantly, by the way.) I’m a huge fan of being friendly and have always loved to make people feel welcome—regardless of their sex. So I dismissed her concerns.
  3. Flirting is foggy. How are we supposed to know when we’ve crossed the line from being friendly and having fun with a guy to . . . flirting with him? And is flirting even necessarily wrong?
  4. I fear making you feel paranoid about whether others (like my aunt) think you’re flirting or not. I want you to be yourself; I have no desire to make you feel self-conscious whenever you’re around a guy.

But it’s an important question. You want to know, and I want to know. Is flirting harmless—could it even be chivalrous—or is flirting . . . plain ‘ole wrong? There are a whole lot of different opinions out there. Click here to watch a few:

But Flirting Is Natural. And Fun!

Let’s face it. Flirting comes naturally (please tell me I’m not the only one!). And flirting is fun—especially when it’s returned.

Well, I should clarify. It’s fun in the moment. Afterward, it’s usually plain ‘ole depressing ’cause (let’s be honest) we did it to get a certain result and then . . . nothing. Nothing really changes.

And let’s be honest: Just because something’s “fun” and “natural” doesn’t mean it’s best. I mean, when you were little it was “fun” and “natural” to:

  • pull your little sister’s hair.
  • refuse to eat your peas.
  • stand on your chair.
  • say “no” instead of “please.”

But that didn’t make it right.

So today I’m taking the plunge. I’m going to get a conversation rolling about . . . flirting.

What Is Flirting, Anyway?

First, let’s make sure we’re on the same page when we throw around the word “flirting.” For the sake of this discussion, we’ll go with the Dictionary.com definition. Flirting is to:

  • toy or play with another’s affections.
  • deal playfully or carelessly.

Ouch. Sounds a lot like, It’s all about me, doesn’t it?

As fun and “natural” as flirting is, it’s also contradictory to who I now am in Christ.

Funny, though, how we can convince ourselves we’re actually building that guy up with our smiles, words, and playfulness. We can almost think our flirting is . . . chivalrous.

But based on this definition, here’s one conclusion I’ve reached about flirting:

Chivalrous Flirting Is an Oxymoron.

Huh? Come again, you ask?

Okay, let me break it down for you.

Chivalrous means “considerate and courteous.”

But based on Dictionary.com’s definition, flirting isn’t considerate of the other person; it’s completely self-centered. (If you’re not sure about that, read through the definitions again, and ask if you’d want a guy to treat you like that!)

That’s why “chivalrous flirting” is an oxymoron—it’s completely contradictory. And as fun and “natural” as flirting is, I’d have to say it’s also contradictory to who I now am in Christ. Why do I say that? Philippians 2:3–5, for starters:

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.

The next time you catch yourself flirting, I dare you to ask yourself why.

Why Do I Flirt?

I asked a few people why we flirt. Here’s what three people had to say:

Panic that no one will pay attention causes the urge to flirt.

While we flirt, someone is positively responding to us and accepting us, so we’re encouraged to continue.

I think part of it is the thrill of the chase. Flirting is not just to get a person, but to get a reaction. Sometimes girls flirt even with a guy they don’t really want.

How about you? Why do you tend to flirt? When you dig deeper, what’s really going on in your heart?

Hang in there—we’re just getting started! Come back next week for what Christian guys think about flirting.

Them’s Fightin’ Words!

By / Leave a Comment / Straight to Scripture

 

So What Are You Really Waiting For?

 

This morning my coworkers sat in a circle and shared a childhood adversity they had to overcome. Some were teased ’cause they were short; some were teased ’cause they were taller than the rest. More than one had to wear special orthopedic shoes that were UG-ly. One was bullied.

What do they all have in common? They were all wounded by fightin’ words. 

God’s “Fightin’ Words”

But these kinds of “fightin’ words” pale compared to the power of God’s “fightin’ words”:

The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Heb. 4:12).

God’s “Fightin’ Words” for You

Did you know that God’s Word is like a sword? Ephesians 6:17 tells us what the sword is:

Take . . . the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Eph. 6:17, emphasis added).

This is no plastic kid’s sword! After watching Robin Hood this weekend, I was reminded that swords are meant to kill. Pastor John Piper says we use the sword of God’s Word to kill our fears and cravings.

Have you been treating God’s Word like a kid’s play sword or like the sharp, living sword it really is?

For example, he says when he craves some illicit sexual pleasure, the sword-swing he often uses is Matthew 5:8: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” He remembers how great it is to see God more clearly and how oppressive the aftertaste of sin is, and with that, “God has killed the conquering power of sin.”

God’s “Fightin’ Words” for Others

You can also go to battle for others with God’s “fightin’ words.” I heard a true story this past Sunday from a missionary who visited my church. She told of a woman who was terrified to return home after a man put a curse on her because she didn’t accept his marriage proposal. Guess what verse the missionary had read in her Bible just that morning?

Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest (Prov. 26:2).

After sharing that verse with the woman, the missionary asked, “Have you done anything wrong to deserve this curse?”

“No,” the lady responded.

“Then God says the curse won’t stick,” the missionary assured.

With that, the woman’s fear lifted, and she returned home.

So how about it? Have you been treating God’s Word like a kid’s play sword or like the sharp, living sword it really is?

I know I’ve not been taking it seriously enough, so I think I’m going to download the “Fighter Verses” app on my phone and begin to sharpen my sword. Join me?

Oh, and if you happen to be a part of the too-short, too-tall, ugly-shoe-wearing bullied crowd, here are some real “fightin’ words” for you to take to heart from Psalm 139:13–14:

You [God] knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.