Bible on Money part 3

When Chuck Swindoll started his job at his church, he had a special sign made for his office that said, "What is your motive?". That sign helped him examine himself when things weren't so clear, even after searching the Scriptures.

Look at the two pictures of money. If I offered you a choice to pick whatever stack you wanted and you got to keep the money, no strings attached, which stack would you pick? The stack of $100 bills, or the small stack of coins? This is not a trick question. Obviously you would pick the stack of Benjamins. I think the question that God wants to ask is: Why? Deep down, what is your core reason for taking the bills? What is your heart saying? When visualizing yourself taking the bills, do you have eyes that are so wide they are bulging out of their sockets, flaring nostrils, arms so wide you could bear-hug Goliath, and a grip so strong not even Sylvester could conquer in "Over the Top"? Or are you gladly accepting it with humility, thanksgiving, and a loose grip? Strong grips on money tend to cause it to grow wings and fly away (Proverbs 23:5), but loose grips tend to cause it to grow (Luke 6:38). What do you plan on doing with it? Do you love money? Do you plan to spend every penny of it on yourself? Is it to invest in a get-rich-quick scheme? Is it to give away? Is it to set aside in a bank somewhere to grow moss and rust on it? Actions don't exactly tell us the whole picture - it's about the heart. That's what Jesus did when He came and preached the Sermon on the Mount; He talked about adultery and murder and peeled away the mere outward action of it to reveal that even lusting in the heart is adultery and hatred is murder, without any outward signs of the sin.

God asks us, "What is your motive? What is your heart like?"

So, if after searching the Scriptures and asking God to search your heart you are clean, go for it. Why not? Your heart is clean, your motives are pure. So, go for the stack. Go for the college degree that will enable you to make more money. Go for the master's degree, or the PhD, or the certification, or the continuing education that will make you more marketable. But, go for it secondarily. This should be secondary to your one main goal: "Seek first the kingdom". Be careful to stay pure in every step of the way, and the only way to do that is to have a close, intimate relationship with your Creator so He can guide you through it all.

Bible on Money cont'd

Okay, I won't be posting the article because it's like a trillion pages long and I don't want it taking up my precious blog real estate. But, I will post a quote from the author which pretty much sums up what he's trying to say. Needless to say, there are many verses that say to save our money and prepare for rainy days and to support family: Proverbs 6:6-8, 21:20, Mark 7:9-13, 1 Timothy 5:8. But, Scripture has verses that seem to run counter to that idea: Matthew 6:19-26, Luke 12:33, 14:33.

The author makes his sharpest point here: "Most clearly, when sending out his disciples on their first missionary campaign, Jesus ordered his disciples to 'Take nothing for the journey - no staff, no bag, no bread, no extra tunic' (Luke 9:3); and yet, with the crucifixion looming, he gave precisely the opposite instruction (Luke 22:36). With the onset of persecution and hostility, a different attitude towards possessions was needed."

Jesus Himself gave conflicting orders to the same disciples in different circumstances. This is the biggest support, in my opinion, to examine our own circumstance and see where God has called us specifically. Has He called you to missions? Then, chances are you will not be managing your own personal portfolio of millions of dollars. You will be financed by someone else, who, in particular, has been called to make some money in order to finance your missions. A big cycle. The big question is: Does it matter to us which person we are - the poor missionary 'financee' or the wealthy CEO 'financer'? Both have it's ups and downs: the missionary will struggle with doubts on getting financing, he will battle demonic influence on his hearers, barring the gospel from being received, he will battle personal conflicts with other missionaries who want to do things their way, he will battle with language and cultural barriers. On the other hand, the CEO will battle long hours at the office away from his family, he will struggle with the immense responsibility of providing jobs for people and keeping people happy, and the responsibility he has to the missionary to fund his mission efforts, he will battle with workplace tensions, temptations, and taxes. Both have pros, both have cons. Each duty is to the Lord.

All the more reason to have a personal, daily relationship with Jesus Christ, so that He can direct you where you will be most utilized for His Kingdom, even when His own words in Scripture seem to be confusing sometimes.

Bible on Money

I’ve been really struggling with this subject for several months now. I’ve prayed, searched the Scriptures, and Googled so many times on this subject, but nothing seemed to satisfy my curiosity.

Lately I’ve been trying to resolve what I thought was a contradiction in the bible on saving money, investing, insurance, etc.

Here’s the contradiction:

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth ... Look at the birds of the air: they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. " Matthew 6:19, 26

"Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! ... it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest." Proverbs 6:6-8

So, here it seems like God is telling us to save money, but don’t save money! There are other verses that seem to say the exact opposite of each other: Luke 14:33 – “He who doesn’t give up all his possessions cannot be My disciple” versus the passage in Acts 5 where Ananias and Sapphira sell a piece of land to give to the church when Peter tells them they could’ve kept it. There is also the widow who gives her last two pennies to the treasury, and Jesus commends her for it – BUT, compare that verse to when Joseph saved 7 years worth of grain to feed people during the famine back in Genesis. Saving money vs. trusting in Providence – which one is it????? AHHHHHHHHH!!

Naturally, I struggled with it. I found an article that really helped me (after reading tons of other stuff) merge the two verses together. I hope it helps you find the balance, also. It will be the next post.

How to Win Souls Through Prayer

I read an interesting article called "Praying Effectively for the Lost" by Lee Thomas (I think that's his name). It gave some very good precepts on how to pray for the lost. Like most things, it got me thinking, and like most things I write, I jotted down my thoughts in very simple fashion. The following is what I came up with in regards to praying for lost people in our lives.

First of all, we need to be clear on how a person finds salvation. Professing Christians sometimes are so divided on this one simple, infinitely important matter, it’s a wonder that anybody ever gets saved at all – which is exactly my point. Salvation has nothing to do with a person’s efforts, whether it be the evangelist, preacher, or the witnessing Christian; it is “of the Lord”. Water baptism can’t save you, good works can’t save you, circumcision can’t save you, the “sinner’s prayer” can’t save you. Only God can save us, and He chooses to do so through “repentance and faith”:

“You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.
Acts 20:20-21, 25-27

"... Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."
Mark 1:14-15

Paul clearly explains here that the whole will of God – everything that “would be helpful” - is for us to repent and have faith in His Son. Jesus Himself said the proper and necessary response to the gospel is repentance and faith. So, repentance and faith (belief) are necessary for salvation. How do we get these two necessary components? Both are actually free gifts from God, as proved in the following two Bible verses:

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast”
Ephesians 2:8-9

“Those who oppose him [a servant of God] he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to the knowledge of the truth”
2 Timothy 2:25

Thus, the two conditions of salvation, repentance and faith, are both “gifts of God” that are “granted” to us. Therefore, salvation is really not conditional at all, since the conditions of salvation are given freely from the One who saves. Imagine yourself drowning in a lake and someone rescues you. You had nothing to do with your own rescue, right? It’s exactly the same when God saves you. This way, it is “not by works, so that no one can boast.” Nobody can ever brag about being a Christian, it is an oxymoron to say so. It’s like me bragging about my own good looks – I didn’t do anything to obtain them, they were merely given to me.

Now that we know that no one can save himself, and that even the faith and repentance that all Christians acquire are actually gifts, and that it is God who chooses who will be saved, then how can we see our friends and loved ones saved if it is not their choice to be? How can we get God to show mercy and save them? Well, why don’t we just ask Him to? 2 Samuel 21:14 says that God is “moved by prayer”. Here are some powerful verses on receiving answered prayer from God (I must admit I have not tapped into these promises nearly enough, but by God’s grace I will start):


“Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.” Matt 18:19

“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." Matt 21:22

"Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.” Mark 11:24

"Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” John 14:13

And there are many, many, many more verses on asking and receiving from God. Read carefully the things in prayer that God will give us: “anything you ask for”, “whatever you ask for”, “all things for which you pray and ask”, and “whatever you ask in My name”. Does that clear it up? EVERYTHING WE ASK FOR WE CAN GET FROM GOD IF IT IS ASKED IN HIS NAME. Is salvation for others included in “everything”? YES!!