1/13/14 - "MASTERING YOUR MONEY"

Matt. 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

When it comes to money have you ever thought about this question: Are you master over money or is money a master over you? When it comes to money and Christians they don’t usually like anyone talking about money, but Jesus addresses this issue many times in scripture and He did so for several reasons, but the most important reason He did so is because of the above verse of scripture. Take a moment and read that verse again and think about what it is saying.

There is not doubt nor question about what Jesus is saying here. If money has become your master then you are not serving God for you cannot serve both God and money. One of the first things that religion has done to deal with this incorrectly is to claim that we should be poor, for Jesus even told a rich young ruler to go and sell all that he had, give it to the poor, and come follow Him. But Jesus was dealing with what had become a god to him, and Jesus also declared that when you give it shall be given to you. There is no doubt that poverty is not of God. Poverty is demonic and will strip you from what God desires to do through your life.

On the other hand there are those who do teach it is God’s will to prosper us, and it is, but they clearly are out to take advantage of people going further to say things the Bible does not say. They will tell you that you must give only to their ministry to be blessed, or that you must give in the next 30 minutes a certain amount of money and if you do all your needs will be taken care of. Neither Jesus nor His disciples did any of this when it comes to dealing with money. But there is a clear truth revealed here in Matthew 6 that if you are serving money then you cannot be serving God.

God wants us to master money because if we do money will never master us. If you serve money then money is making the key decisions of your life. God is being removed from that equation even if you think otherwise for again as Jesus said you cannot serve God and money. God wants us to master money so that He is the one that has our heart, for it is through your heart that God is going to lead you, it is through your heart that you are going to receive from God, and it is through your heart where true life comes from. So what are some of the signs that our money is our master and we are in fact serving it? Jesus gives us some clues in our foundation verse for starters.

Those who despise or hate for a pastor or minister to ever ask of anyone to give to the work of God are serving money. As Jesus states here one of the things you will see in contrast to serving God or money is that you will love the one and hate the other, or you will at least be devoted to the one and despise the other. Most believers would not think they are despising God, but to despise here means to think little of. What you think little of you will invest little in, but what you think highly of you will invest highly in.

If you think highly of your kids you are going to invest much in your kids. If you think highly of your education you are going to invest much in your education. If you think highly of God you are going to invest much in the kingdom of God. Investing much is not based on amount but percent, but the truth is we all invest our money in something. Everyone beyond their basic needs invests or spends their money on things that are important to them. What we invest in reveals what our heart is set on.

Matt. 6:21 Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be.

When our heart is set on God, then God can give us the direction and guidance we need in life, for that is how He does so. When our hearts are set on God faith will rise in our hearts as we hear God’s Word, for faith is of the heart. When our hearts are set on God we will tap into the life of God within us, for that is where the source of that life comes from. Our treasure (which refers to where our money comes out of, bank account, wallet, etc.) reveals what our heart is set on. Many just don’t want to admit this is true, but in denying this truth from the Word of God we continue to live in deception and continue to have money as the master of our life instead of God.

Money is not a good master. It cannot love you when you hurt, it cannot heal you when you are broken, it cannot fix relationships, it cannot bring you true inner peace and joy, it cannot deliver you from the powers of darkness, it cannot get you to heaven, it cannot restore your relationship with God, and on and on you could go. God has never been against His kids having money, for He knows that it is what we need to not only provide for our families, but it is also what we need to fulfill His Great Commission to go into all the world and preach the gospel.

Mark 16:15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.Mark 16:16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

If God has called His kids to go into all the world and preach the gospel don’t you think He would provide us the way to do so? God would not call us to do something He would not provide us with the ability to do. One reason money is a master to many is because they are not thinking of fulfilling this Great Commission God gave us. They are just focused on trying to provide what they need and what they want. When our focus in life is not the same as God’s we are not going to see what He sees and we are not going to experience what He desires for us in this life. When it comes to our money do we look at a dying world where so many do not know the truth about the gospel and become motivated to do something about it? God’s desire for you is to not only see to it that you have your needs met, but that you have more than enough to help evangelize the world, but it begins with a seed.

2 Cor. 9:6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
2 Cor. 9:7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Cor. 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
2 Cor. 9:9 As it is written:
            “He has dispersed abroad,            He has given to the poor;            His righteousness endures forever.”2 Cor. 9:10 Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness,

Many may say that when God finally blesses me I will begin to give, but that is the same as the farmer saying I will start sowing when I get enough seed. Notice here in 2 Corinthians 9:10 the Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul states that God supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, and He will in fact supply and multiply the seed we have sown. God does not multiply seed sitting in our bank account or wallet. God does not multiply seed that we use to spend on other things instead of sowing that seed. When you finally decide to become the master of your money you decide to become a sower. You decide to invest in something that your heart becomes set on, the kingdom of God. When you become a sower you begin to recognize that you have seed to sow. You just have been using it for other things that are not eternal.

James 2:26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

How do you become a sower? How do you begin to master money? You must put action to your faith. People often think they don’t have any seed to sow, but in fact when you simply pray and ask God what He desires for you to give above the tithe and then do so, you will see God begin to multiply the seed you have sown. Scripture in the New Testament is clear that we should in fact be tithing and giving offerings. That is a whole other subject to teach on, but if you want to become the master over your money you must go to the Word of God, recognize what God’s Word says about money, then face any fears you may have by acting on God’s Word in faith.

As I recently heard my wife say, “If we trust God with our life (our spirit) which is eternal, surely we can trust Him with our money, which is only natural & temporary.” You cannot serve God and money. If we want to serve God we are going to have to master our money instead of our money mastering us. God’s desire is to prosper your life. Scripture is very clear about this, but you have to sow seed for God to have something to multiply. Don’t let money be your master, make God the master of your life and you will watch Him bless you and take care of you providing more than enough to do your part in evangelizing the world!

See You Again Next Week For More “Weekly Wisdom”

May God’s Best Be Yours!

Pastor Darryl Baker