The Godly Use of God's Money

 April 30, 2024

Tuesday

It's funny to me that people who don't give anything to God will ask for prayer when they don't have enough to pay their bills. It seems that they don't believe He gave them what they have but want to believe He will give them more. Why should they?

Many otherwise mature Christians have trouble with money. They know the scriptures and follow the Lord in every other area of their lives until it comes to money. They spend it on their own desires capriciously. They prove that they don't believe it comes from God. They want to believe that they earned it without any help from Him. They think it is their right to keep it or spend it any way they please. They think they can win the favor of God by giving Him a tip every once in a while. They cannot see that they cannot walk with Him while being dragged backwards by a bag of gold.

Sometimes, but not often, someone will ask me what a tithe is. I have a very simple way of determining a tithe. You divide each check you receive as income by ten and give that amount. I know that there are people who want you to figure that out like you do your taxes but I don't think that was God's intent. There is no number easier to divide by in a base ten system than ten. Even those bad a math can do it. However, many people call the two dollars they give each week a tithe. That's like calling a tire a car.

The truth is that God doesn't really want a tenth of your money. It is all His in the first place. He wants the representation of a tenth to be your commitment to Him. This means that you must take care in all that you spend. We are just managing His money anyway.

I am much more careful when I manage someone else's money. I feel responsible for how the church spends money. I don't want to waste a cent of God's money. At the same time, I want to make the best purchases possible. Buying cheap will often mean repairing and buying again. That is much more expensive. God's money must be managed well.

Of course, that means that God wants me to enjoy His money too. There are trips I take for vacations that recharge me to do His work. There are times I will take my family out to eat. There are newer cars and lawn mowers and cooking utensils and just about everything that I need to live placed in the budget of God's money.

Then, if I have managed His money well, there is money for books that I give away, mission trips that I go on or support, and money to help others that are simply facing a tough time financially. When this happens I know that God has been so very good to me. He gave me all that I have. I just manage it.

God is truly my Lord. I serve Him. And I love Him more each day when I walk with Him without trying to drag a bag of gold behind me.

Luke 16:13 (NASB 2020) ¹³ No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”