Who’s Money Is It?
Remember that bank commercial
awhile back that showed various people shouting out, “It’s my money, and I want
it now|”.1 We live in a very materialistic culture in
which we demand what we want, when we want it, and in which we have a certain
sense of entitlement. As followers of
Jesus, we need to be careful that we don’t get caught up in this false world
view.
Last time I mentioned that I
preach on money every year. I do it
because it is important to our
discipleship that we develop and live out a world view founded on the
Scriptures which often puts us in conflict with the world view of the culture
around us.
When it comes to money, one
of the foundational principles every disciple must establish is, who is the rightful owner of the things
we possess. If we don’t firmly establish and fix that in
our minds, we will never have a right perspective on money or learn money’s proper place in our lives. The fact is that money is a spiritual issue
partly because it is God’s number one competition for the affections of our
heart.2
There are at least three
important things we must establish in our heart and in our attitude towards
ownership of the things we possess..
● God Owns Everything
The
earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein, (Ps 24:1)
The land shall not be sold in
perpetuity, for the land is mine. (Lev 25:23)
The silver is mine, and the gold
is mine, declares the Lord of hosts. (Hag 2:8)
For every beast of the forest is
mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. (Hag 2:8)
Yours, O Lord, is the greatness
and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in
the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you
are exalted as head above all. (1 Chron 29:11)
When we understand that God is the owner of everything, we establish
that we are not, and we understand that every spending decision is a spiritual
decision.
● We Are Managers
Though God owns everything, He has entrusted the things we have to use
according to His plan and purposes and that includes, spending, giving and
enjoying. 3 In the Scriptures, God has given us
principles for financial management so that we would know how He, our master,
would have us use His resources and He graciously allows us to even enjoy the
benefits of some of those resources.
In essence, we need to understand that God owns it, and we manage
it. You bank account is His. Your car is His. All that you have is His.
● Managers Must
Give An Account To The Owner
Jesus told the parable of the talents in which the master gives three
different servants various amounts of money to manage and then goes on a
journey. After a long time, the master
comes back and requires each servant to give an account of how he handled his
masters money.4
In the same way, just as the CEO of a corporation must give an account
to the Board of Directors, or a Bank Manager to his or her superiors, so every
follower of Jesus (every person for that matter) must be prepared to give an
account to God the rightful owner for the way we have managed His resources.
In a world often obsessed with
materialism, understanding this foundational principle gives a proper
perspective on money and possessions and frees us from bondage to the unbridled materialism of
our culture.. It will influence how we
use the resources God has entrusted to us and it will bring our hearts joy
knowing that we are honouring God.5
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