Money, Abilities, and God

“Okay, so I get it. I should give because Jesus is a giver, and money can compete with God’s position in my heart,” Charlie exclaimed without taking a breath. I immediately felt a “but” coming on, and no sooner did I think that when Charlie said “But look, it’s my money and I’m happy to give God some of it. When I have a little extra, I’ll give it to the church. God doesn’t want me to be late on my mortgage, right?” Charlie, feeling pretty proud of himself and the conclusion he came to, settled into his seat and blew over the steaming hot mug of coffee, not quite ready to sip it yet.

“Charlie, you’ve put some thought into this. I’m proud of you man. You are spot-on that Jesus is a giver and yes, money does compete with his place in our heart. This may come as a surprise to you, but did you know that it’s not really your money? It’s not anyone’s but God’s.” My turn to blow over my steaming hot cup of coffee. “Charlie, did you know that God owns literally everything?”

“Yeah, I guess. I mean he is the creator of the universe,” Charlie said, leaning back. “But I earn my money!” he protested. Charlie, seeming a little more agitated than before, went on to say “I work. I sacrifice. I paid my way through college. I studied while others were partying. I earned the degree, got the job, and now am settled into my career. I mean, come on, give me some credit here. I earn what I have. Are you telling me that God gets the credit for that and therefore owns what I earn?”

Sensing I may have struck a nerve, I take a deep breath and think through my response. “You made the most of what God has given you. That’s awesome. It’s not that God wants to take credit away from you for something you did. It’s more about acknowledging that he is the origin and source of what we have. He wants us to use what he has given us to the best of our ability. The Psalmist wrote in Psalms 24:1: 'The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and all who live in it;’ and Moses teaches in Deuteronomy 8:17-18: ‘You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the Lord your God for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.’ So, Charlie, God doesn’t just own everything, but he also gives us our abilities. Our ability to learn, earn and produce wealth. He wants you to know that He is your source for all things.”

Charlie, seeming a little more relaxed, took in the information and thought about it for a moment. “So, what does this all mean? I still feel like it would be a sin to not make my mortgage payment.”

“Right, he wants us to give AND honor our bills as well. It’s not either-or, it’s both. We honor God AND we honor our financial obligations. God wants our first and best, not our last and leftovers. This shows God that he really is first.”

“So what do I do now?” Charlie asked.

“Acknowledge to God that he owns all things including our ability to earn money and that it really belongs to him, 100 percent of it. Ask him to help you trust him and help you to put him first. Ask him to start to change your heart.”

Charlie looked down at his napkin, contemplating everything we talked about. “Okay” he agreed, “I’ll pray and I’ll ask him to help me understand. Thanks for explaining it. I’m sorry if I got a little edgy.”

“No worries my friend. God understands and so do I. I was once in your shoes. I get it. See you next time?”

Charlie smiled, “Same place, same time”.