More is for me?

Three days ago, I received a check for $350 dollars. It was extra money that came in from an unusual source. I immediately thought about what I would do with my money. I have some debt that I’m aggresively paying off and I thought for sure that was what it would go to. Then I was also reminded of some financial challenges at the church. Then the wrestling match in my heart began. Do you ever have this happen to you? Do you ever have any extra money come to you? Is the extra always meant for you or does God sometimes want you to give to the cause of Christ? I also know of a single mom who is about to be laid off from her job for two weeks while the company does some end of summer repositioning. Is some of the money for her and her child?

I am learning that more is not always for me. I am learning that God provided it and He has plans for it. Sometimes it is for me and sometimes it is not. I must listen to His promptings in my spirit and live generously if I am going to be good at being rich.

Besides I think I will feel much more gratified by giving it to the Lord than spending it on my own self interests.

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. 1 Tim 6:17-19

Satan money trix

Satan has been discribed as the “great deceiver”.

So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Revelation 12:9 (NKJV)

He uses money more than anything else to hurt us and rob from us Joy and purpose. His power is the power of the lie. It is His greatest skill. For thousands of years, he and his demonic legions have studied the weakness of man and have found no larger vulnerability than our love for money. He is a master at exploiting this area-He goes straight to the root the human heart. His strategy is to get us to love money and have it actually replace God-even become god to us.
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

One we wander away from trusting God for our provision, we fall into any number of well-designed traps. They don’t look all that bad at first or we wouldn’t buy in to it but they are very cunning. Only after a period of time, do we realize (if we even do then), that we have lost our heart. Only after it is too late do we see we have hurt those we love the most. We thought we were chasing the American dream only to wake up in a nightmare of debt, divorce and depression. I have seen this. I have experienced some of it. Lost time. Wasted money. Grief.

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 1 Timothy 6:17

The challenge we face on a daily basis is to examine our heart, humbly direct it toward the hope that is found in God and the riches of His Son the Lord Jesus. Then recognize and appreciate all that I already have from Him and enjoy it.

Check your eye sight

19 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 "The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! 24 "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. Matt. 6:19-24

Jesus taught that money leads the heart. Our treasure indicates the direction of our heart. If I want my heart to be in a certain place, all I need do is invest in that place. Do you like where your heart is? Would you rather it be somewhere else? If so, put your money there and your heart will follow.

Be careful though. The human eye can be drawn to dark places. The lust of the eye has brought darkness into many a life. We need an eye examination now an then to see how healthy our sight is. When you look at the world what do you see? Do you see more and more for yourself? Do you see the possibilities of contribution to the Kingdom of God? What do you see?

The eye is the window to the soul. Look full into the face of Jesus today and let the brightness of His life shine into you. Let Him flood your heart with light. Let Him be your one and only Master.

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