““Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.”" (Matthew 6:19, NLT)
A church leader wrote the following words:
“Some years ago, I happened to have contact with two quite wealthy men during the same week. One was a former professor at a major university who through a series of investments made possibly a hundred million dollars. In the process, however, he lost his family, his happiness, and his peace of mind and had aged far beyond his years. The other man, a pastor, also made some investments and acquired great wealth but was not preoccupied with his investments. Because of his financial independence, he gave to his church over the years more than it paid him for being its pastor. He is one of the happiest, most contented, and most godly people I have ever met. The difference between the two men was not their wealth, but their contrasting views about wealth.” (from John MacArthur in Strength for Today).
For many people today, wealth is seen as something to be accumulated, hoarded, wasted, or used for manipulative purposes. Fewer and fewer people see wealth as something to be shared or gifted or used for the glory of God. Even among Christians, hoarding and the selfish use of money has been growing for decades. I’ve witnessed Christians using money as leverage to get their way in the church. I’ve seen Christians who hoard money while giving little or nothing to God’s work.
Two hundred years ago, Christian tithing (the giving of 10% to God as seen in Old Testament law) was seen as something to strive to achieve. Now, scholars and church people are saying that tithing is not a biblical concept to be lived out in modern times. Instead, Christians should just give “whatever they’d like to give”. Is that biblical? Is that godly? Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.” (Mark 12:30). Should Christians just give God “whatever they’d like to give” instead of all?
To show the weakness in faithful giving, one pastor from a church going through financial struggles sent out the collection plates during worship. When the plates came back barely carrying anything, the pastor challenged the congregation to give more to God and sent the plates out again. A little more came back to the altar. After this occurred, the pastor was criticized by the elders for being “greedy”. The pastor told the elders that the problem was not he was greedy but that the people in the congregation didn’t share God’s gifts. I knew that pastor personally. He wasn’t in it for the money. But the elders found it easier to shut the pastor up than deal with the selfish members that made up their congregation!
Let’s get more personal. How do you view giving to God? Do you find yourself holding back on giving to God in order to spend more money on your own favorite things? When someone has a genuine need, do you lack empathy and a willingness to share? Do you give away gifts or money with strings attached? Are you a miser or penny-pincher? When you think about the future, do you determine your fate depending on how much money you have accumulated instead of trusting in the providence of God? There are so many ways that wealth can interrupt and corrupt your spiritual life. What you may not realize is that the wrong view of wealth can actually poison your soul. Like the difference between the professor and the pastor in the first paragraph above, your view of wealth will determine the level of holy joy and love and grace you experience in your own life. The greedier you are, the more liable you are to be bitter and angry, resentful, and spiritually shallow. The godlier you are in sharing, the more you are likely to experience joy and peace and wholeness and grace.
In Matthew 6:19, Jesus explained the “right way” to view wealth. He explained to his disciples and followers that dealing with wealth means you are never to “store up treasure for yourself on earth”. When you store up treasure for your own use, whether to hoard it or to spend it selfishly, those possessions become idols. You will be committing idolatry.
I began this meditation with a story by John MacArthur. I will end it with some of his words on the subject:
“What about you? Are you consumed with extending God’s kingdom instead of accumulating possessions for yourself? Do you desire to invest in eternity and God’s causes, or are you being greedy and miserly? First Corinthians 10:31 says, “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Glorify Him by investing in His kingdom and living unselfishly.” (Strength for Today).
Don’t underestimate the power of wealth to wreck your spiritual life. Is it any wonder Jesus said it is easier for “the camel to pass through the eye of a needle than a rich man to gain entrance into heaven” (Matthew 19:24)?
“Some years ago, I happened to have contact with two quite wealthy men during the same week. One was a former professor at a major university who through a series of investments made possibly a hundred million dollars. In the process, however, he lost his family, his happiness, and his peace of mind and had aged far beyond his years. The other man, a pastor, also made some investments and acquired great wealth but was not preoccupied with his investments. Because of his financial independence, he gave to his church over the years more than it paid him for being its pastor. He is one of the happiest, most contented, and most godly people I have ever met. The difference between the two men was not their wealth, but their contrasting views about wealth.” (from John MacArthur in Strength for Today).
For many people today, wealth is seen as something to be accumulated, hoarded, wasted, or used for manipulative purposes. Fewer and fewer people see wealth as something to be shared or gifted or used for the glory of God. Even among Christians, hoarding and the selfish use of money has been growing for decades. I’ve witnessed Christians using money as leverage to get their way in the church. I’ve seen Christians who hoard money while giving little or nothing to God’s work.
Two hundred years ago, Christian tithing (the giving of 10% to God as seen in Old Testament law) was seen as something to strive to achieve. Now, scholars and church people are saying that tithing is not a biblical concept to be lived out in modern times. Instead, Christians should just give “whatever they’d like to give”. Is that biblical? Is that godly? Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.” (Mark 12:30). Should Christians just give God “whatever they’d like to give” instead of all?
To show the weakness in faithful giving, one pastor from a church going through financial struggles sent out the collection plates during worship. When the plates came back barely carrying anything, the pastor challenged the congregation to give more to God and sent the plates out again. A little more came back to the altar. After this occurred, the pastor was criticized by the elders for being “greedy”. The pastor told the elders that the problem was not he was greedy but that the people in the congregation didn’t share God’s gifts. I knew that pastor personally. He wasn’t in it for the money. But the elders found it easier to shut the pastor up than deal with the selfish members that made up their congregation!
Let’s get more personal. How do you view giving to God? Do you find yourself holding back on giving to God in order to spend more money on your own favorite things? When someone has a genuine need, do you lack empathy and a willingness to share? Do you give away gifts or money with strings attached? Are you a miser or penny-pincher? When you think about the future, do you determine your fate depending on how much money you have accumulated instead of trusting in the providence of God? There are so many ways that wealth can interrupt and corrupt your spiritual life. What you may not realize is that the wrong view of wealth can actually poison your soul. Like the difference between the professor and the pastor in the first paragraph above, your view of wealth will determine the level of holy joy and love and grace you experience in your own life. The greedier you are, the more liable you are to be bitter and angry, resentful, and spiritually shallow. The godlier you are in sharing, the more you are likely to experience joy and peace and wholeness and grace.
In Matthew 6:19, Jesus explained the “right way” to view wealth. He explained to his disciples and followers that dealing with wealth means you are never to “store up treasure for yourself on earth”. When you store up treasure for your own use, whether to hoard it or to spend it selfishly, those possessions become idols. You will be committing idolatry.
I began this meditation with a story by John MacArthur. I will end it with some of his words on the subject:
“What about you? Are you consumed with extending God’s kingdom instead of accumulating possessions for yourself? Do you desire to invest in eternity and God’s causes, or are you being greedy and miserly? First Corinthians 10:31 says, “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Glorify Him by investing in His kingdom and living unselfishly.” (Strength for Today).
Don’t underestimate the power of wealth to wreck your spiritual life. Is it any wonder Jesus said it is easier for “the camel to pass through the eye of a needle than a rich man to gain entrance into heaven” (Matthew 19:24)?