Do you remember those old commercials? Some intentionally pathetic looking person is facing a shortage of cash when suddenly, a strange old man enters the scene and becomes their financial guru about their cash settlement.
He urges them to realize that it's their money! Their needs command the need to adopt his mantra, "It's my money and I need it NOW!"
While I do not have a cash settlement with anyone, I often feel like my bills and financial duties have adopted the creepy grandfather's mantra in my life; they are my bills and they need my money NOW!
I then find there are people and causes who seem to have adopted the same mantra- they need my money NOW!
Then I read my BIble and find God saying (pardon the irreverence)- He needs my money NOW!
It is like it is all spoken for!!!
Is it a bad thing though? Certainly, it can feel taxing and grating at times but I want us to consider if it is a bad thing.
If God allows us to have any source of income or resources, that is an avenue of His provision- praise Him!
If God allows those resources to cover our necessities and even some wants- praise Him!
If God calls us to utilize those resources for the Gospel to advance- praise Him!
I fear this unhelpful, even unnecessary, attachment (my money) or attachment (something or someone always demands it) creates resistance to God's intended desires through the temporal system of goods and monies.
Let's remember:
God is a giver- Start in Genesis with God giving life and you find one of His continual attributes on display throughout the Bible.
God gives to everyone- Continue by recognizing God's undeserved care for the "just and the unjust".
God gives to His people- One of the GREATEST perks of being a follower of God is knowing what goods and monies are REALLY for- His glory, advancing His causes, and growing our trust in Him.
God changes us through giving- Our flesh rebels against giving SO HARD because God uses it to teach us about Him, eternity, love, trust, and contentment.
God confronts unbelievers through our giving- Without being braggadocious, our conversation and conduct should declare our involvement and outlook about Gospel giving, possessions, and financial goals; this is so antithetical to the unsaved that the Spirit can use that as a mighty apologetic.
As we kick off Missions Month, I am well aware of the difficulty each of us find ourselves in due to inflation and economic uncertainty. The call for each of us to consider giving sacrificially for the Gospel will not be given out of a tone-deaf echo chamber as gas is still almost $4 for me as well.
What I am asking for us to remember is the goodness of God, the help of His grace, the eternal impact we can have, and the resistance we will face from our own flesh.
Don't let the creepy strange man's philosophy on money thwart God's incredible journey He is calling you to embark on this month.
Pastor Paul