MONEY IS BOTH A TRUST AND A TEST FROM GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY MAY 16, 2023.

SUBJECT: MONEY IS BOTH A TRUST AND A TEST FROM GOD! 

Memory verse: "Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?" (Luke 16 vs 11.)

READ: Luke 16 vs 9 - 13:

16:9: And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home.

16:10: He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.

16:11: Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

16:12: And If you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?

16:13: “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

INTIMATION:

All we have are gifts from God. He has entrusted to our care and management all that we have. These include our time, energy, intelligence, opportunities, relationships, possessions, and what is more, are all gifts from God. We are stewards of all that God has entrusted to us. 

The greatest test and trust God put before us is money, hence one quarter of the teachings of Christ during His earth walk was on money. Most people fail to realize that money is both a test and a trust from God, and the greatest. God uses money or finances to teach us to trust Him. He watches how we use money, and also how trustworthy we are with the money available to us. 

God says there is a direct relationship between how you use your money and the quality of your spiritual life. How you manage your money ("worldly wealth") determines how much God can trust you with spiritual blessings ("true riches"). Let me ask you: “Is the way you manage your money preventing God from doing more in your life? Can you be trusted with spiritual riches?”

Our use of money is a good test of the lordship of Christ in our lives. It’s noteworthy that money belongs to God, not us; let us use our money wisely. Also money can be used for good or evil; let us use ours for good. Again money has a lot of power; let us use it carefully and thoughtfully. We must use our material goods in a way that will foster faith and obedience to God. If we use our money to help those in need or to help others find Christ, our earthly investment will bring eternal benefit. When we obey God’s Will, the unselfish use of our possessions will follow. 

Money is a trust and a test from God. Now, how do you treasure your money? The key to using money wisely is to see how much we can use it for God's purposes, not how much you can accumulate for yourself. How freely can you help others with your money? How much of God's love touches your wallet? If you can freely help others, and God’s love hugely touches your wallet, then you are storing up lasting treasures in heaven. 

The greatest lesson in the passage we read today is in Luke 16 vs 9, Jesus said, “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home.” The shrewd and unjust steward was even commended by the master, because he had dealt shrewdly by making friends with possessions entrusted with him. 

Jesus noted that “The sons of this world (the unbelievers) are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light (believers or Christians)” (Luke 16 vs 8). How? The unbelievers are a lot more better than Christians at making friends with their possessions. Philanthropy (goodwill toward mankind, voluntary promotion of human welfare) is far much practiced by unbelievers than Christians in our society. But this is an error; Christians, as followers of Christ, should be better stewards of the resources God entrusted them with. They should be selfless rather than being selfish. 

God blesses you so as to be a blessing to others. God said to Abraham, "...I will bless you; and you shall be a blessing" (Genesis 12 vs 2). This is a very important truth. How then do you manage the blessings God entrusted with you? Are you serving Him with them? Are you blessing others with your talent, money, possessions, etc., or are you greedy and selfish with them? 

Money has the power to take God's place in your life. It can become your master. We live in a materialistic society where people serve money. They spend all their lives collecting and storing it, only to die and leave it behind. Their desire for money and what it can buy far outweighs their commitment to God and spiritual matters. They become slaves to money.

It is also important to note that our integrity is often put in line in money matters. God calls us to be honest even in small details we could easily ignore. Heaven’s riches are far more valuable than earthly wealth. But if we are not trustworthy with our money here (no matter how much or little we have), we will be unfit to handle the vast riches of God’s kingdom. See that you maintain your integrity in all matters, whether big or small. 

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to properly and effectively manage Your resources entrusted with me, that I may earn Your approval, and enter into Your rest, in Jesus’ most precious Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!