This Is What We Do预览

Money and Things

Maybe you’re like, “Okay, God’s a giver, He made us givers, this is what we do because this is who we are. I give out of the abundant life Jesus gave me. But still, why does God want my stuff?”  Here’s one reason: God knows that money and things are His number one competition for your affection. Here it is again, below, in bold. Just read it … a few times.

God knows that money and things are His number one competition for your affection.

That’s rough. Why do I not love my neighbor as myself? Well he won’t mow his grass, and that’s driving down the value (money) of my home (thing). Why did I just yell at the kids the other day? They took forever getting ready, I’m late to work, got a bad parking spot, got a scratch on my car (thing), and my boss told me if I’m late again I won’t get that promotion (money). What keeps you from loving God with all your heart, soul, and mind? What keeps you from loving your neighbor as yourself?

Why do money and things get in the way of Jesus’ two greatest commands so easily? Two reasons. One, this is how sin started. Adam and Eve put the fruit (thing) before God because the thief convinced them they had to look out for themselves. Today, most of us still think we’re the ones who provide for ourselves and our families. Two, they’re measurable and shiny, and we like things that are measurable and shiny.

Why do we like things that are measurable? Because we wrongly think provision is scarce. Hence, we madly measure what we get. But remember, we laid down this scarcity mindset when we entered the Good Shepherd’s sheep pen, where we’re surrounded by His abundance.

Why do we like shiny things? Because we were made in the image of a God who also likes beautiful things. It just goes bad when we place the created thing above the Creator of all things.

So, are money and things bad? No, they just need to know their place. How do we put money and things where they belong? Just like unruly thoughts, we take them captive and make them obey God. Instead of always asking God to give us more, we ask more of what we give Him. Maybe we start tithing. We stop spending everything on our passions and start passionately spending on Him. Maybe we give abundantly like He’s our abundant provider. We don’t work to get things, we get to work to give Him glory. Maybe we sell some things to start something He’s been asking us to do.

Ask: What would it look like for me to make my money and things obey God?