Managing Mammon

In 2 Peter 3:8, the apostle Peter writes: "But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord, one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like one day."

John Ortberg tells the story of an economist who read this passage one day, and was quite amazed. He prayed to God about it, saying "Lord, is it true that a thousand years for us is like one minute to you?"

The Lord said yes.

The economist said, "Then a million dollars to us must be like one penny to you."

The Lord said, "Well, yes." Then the economist said, "Will you give me one of those pennies?" The Lord said, "All right, I will...in a minute...."

Well, we all know that it really does help to have at least a reasonable amount of money. But like dynamite, we also know it must be handled carefully. It can build and it can destroy. It can be a marvelous tool and it can be a malicious master.

In fact, money is so much a part of our lives that no message series on lifestyle worship would be complete without giving some attention to the impact of money on our lives.

Today, let's talk about money, and in particular let's see what the Scriptures reveal about God's perspective on money.

The first thing for us to recognize is the God owns it all. Our money comes from Him as a gift. Ecclesiastes 5:19 says in part,

As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth,...his is the gift of God.

Not only does our money come from Him originally, it is also to be used for His glory 1 Peter 4:10-11 says,

As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God....that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever.

Have you ever heard other Christians talk as if 10 percent (or less) of their income is God's, but the rest of their income and all of their assets are their own? Wrong! It's all His. It may be entrusted to us to manage for Him, but the money is His to own.

The second thing for us to recognize is that money is a means, not an end. On any given day, your newspaper is likely to refer to the salary received by this athlete, that businessman or those actors. Some magazines publish surveys that tabulate incomes by occupation. Over and over, they draw our attention to how much money various people receive for various kinds of work. Interestingly, little is said about how they use their wealth.

The message is clear: Make as much money as you can. It doesn't matter how you use money, just remember to make as much of it as you can. God's perspective, not surprisingly, is 180 degrees away from the world's. He says to disregard money, except as a means of helping you honor, worship Him.

It pleases God when you show that money is not enshrined in your heart. It pleases God when you show that money is not your master, but that you are master of your money.

What are some ways we can do that? One way is to select your occupation based on how God crafted you rather than on how much it will pay. Choose your career based on how He gifted and equipped you on. In other words, worship God by using the very gifts and abilities He's given you.

Look at the godly perspective of Moses who, according to Hebrews 11,

"refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward."

Another way honor God is to share generously with others in need. In 1 Timothy 6, verses 17-19 say,

Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

Still another way to dethrone money in your heart is to simply give it away. Not out of guilt, but out of joy that you're able to do so. Such giving - especially when no one knows about it and when no tax deduction is expected - can be as personally refreshing as the jolt you get when diving into a cool river after a hot afternoon of outside labor.

Why? Because we tend to be so selfish (and selfishness the opposite of worshiping God). Why not, as Mary with her bottle of precious perfume, pour out an "I love You!" to God with no strings attached and with nothing in it for yourself? It may be just counter-cultural enough to remind you of what's most important.

So...all money is God's, not ours; and money is a means, not an end. "A means of to what end?" you ask. Money is a means of lifestyle worship. So we conclude with this observation:

Money reveals our values. You could easily tell what is important to my wife and me just by looking at our checkbook entries. By discovering how we spend our money, you could see what we think is important and what we think is not. We could do the same with yours. Money flows toward our interests, doesn't it?

God, of course, knows this connection between our hearts and our funds. Centuries ago, He said, in Matthew 6:19-21:

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20"but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

© 2007 John Garmo. If you would be interested in using this article, please contact us at Info@MissionToChildren.org.