March 23, 2017 – Luke 16
Jesus said to them,
"You justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts.
What people value highly is detestable in God's sight." Luke 16:15
The best way to
measure our true heart for God’s Kingdom is our money---make His Kingdom our
first priority.
Have you ever had a bad toothache? Ever had a tooth that was so sensitive to the
touch you didn’t want anyone to touch it?
Or maybe not a tooth --- but a splinter, or a painful injury, or another
problem? Every parent has had to deal
with a child who has a painful injury that needs attention, but doesn’t want
anyone to touch it (leaving the source of the pain in place).
Some subjects are like bad toothaches – they need to be
addressed, but are too personal to talk about.
Money is that subject in our culture. We’re glad to talk about what everyone else
is doing or not doing with their money, but feel the pain anytime someone wants
to talk about what we’re doing with our money.
In a culture that values privacy, talking about money can become a
personal attack, and raise blood pressure unlike anything else. These days, we can discuss hot topics like
sexuality or politics, as long as we don’t expect to dictate God’s expectations
about our money.
Why is our personal spending so sensitive? Simple answer --- it is the best indicator of
our heart condition. Addressing our use
of money is a direct hit on our vulnerabilities. That’s why we’re so quick to justify
ourselves when anyone challenges us about it, or just leave the conversation
and avoid the topic.
Jesus doesn’t have a personal vendetta against our
riches. He is more interested in our
values. What Jesus wants is for our
hearts to value what the Father values.
And money is not that high on God’s value list. The amount of money is only an issue when the
value we place on it becomes a problem.
Men value money because it provides them control, opportunity, and
enjoyment. Jesus isn’t against those
things, but it bothers Jesus when those things are more important than
Him. When was the last time you heard a
person celebrate that they were getting a raise and could give more to God’s
Kingdom? Or when did you think about
ways to spend less on yourself so that you can spend more on reaching lost
people? And when I get paid, is the
first check or bill pay a donation to my church?
These days, money has become a major problem in our life,
but it’s really not because of the bills in our wallet, it’s really the exposure
of the desires in our heart. Take an
honest look into our budget and make sure Jesus is the first value. Celebrate what we GET TO DO in supporting
God’s Kingdom financially. Relook at the
excuses and justifications coming out of our mouth, and compare them to the
promises of Scripture.
Don’t be sensitive about money – be strong and courageous
with it. God has got your back!
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