In God We Trust?
Five Biblical Lessons on the Place
Money Should Hold in Our Lives
Lesson 1
God, not Money, is Our
Security
“We were so utterly burdened beyond our
strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed,
we felt that we had received the sentence of
death. But that was to make us rely not on
ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” (2
Corinthians 1:8-9)
When things are easy and prosperous, we tend
to rely on ourselves. But when crises happen
and our 401 (k)s evaporate, our self-reliance
and “security” are thrown into doubt.
There is really very little in life we actually
have control of.
God, not our resources , provides security.
Until about 100 years ago, retirement accounts and
government-provided social safety nets were not
common.
For most of history, people were dependent on God
and family.
Today, we tend to turn to ourselves or the
government for security. Financial seminars put the
emphasis on becoming totally independent and not
needing anybody-including God.
“At the bottom of every Christian heart-no
matter how advanced in faith and godliness –
there is the sediment of self-reliance. Then
God shakes our lives, sometimes to the
foundations, to show us our self-reliance and
clean it out with a new, deeper reliance on
Him.”
John Piper
Lesson 2
We are Stewards, not Owners
“ The earth is the LORD’S and the fullness
thereof, the world and those who dwell
therein.” (Psalm 24:1
Everything we have or think we “own” is not really
ours at all. It’s God’s.
When we look at our money in this way, we can’t
help be more conscious of how we use it.
Stewardship means that we fundamentally approach
money differently, as a tool that we are entrusted with
to use for God. It means living within our means and
viewing our money as God's, and giving faithfully
back to Him.
Giving averages for evangelicals in the United
States hover between 2 percent and 3 percent
of gross income, even while most recognize 10
percent as the biblical ideal.
Good stewardship: evaluating where our
money goes and being sure to get the biggest
R.O.I. possible.
Having an eternal perspective- seeing that our
role in the bigger picture of God’s plan is one
of stewardship and not ownership-frees us
from the bondage of money that enslaves so
many. And it also invariably grows our faith.
Lesson 3
Faith Grows in Tough Times
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about
your life, what you will eat or what you will
drink, nor about your body, what you will put
on. Is not life more than food, and the body
more than clothing? Look at the birds of the
air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into
barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds
them.” (Matthew 6::25-26)
God is great and He can and will do great
things, but it’s not just about the great big
things He does but also about the great little
things He can do. Money is a little thing, and
God is still taking care of it.
There are multiple stories of how God has
provided financially, sometimes at the very
last moment.
One way we can build faith is to remain
generous in giving during difficult economic
times, even if we don’t think we can afford to.
This is an important time to step out and
support individuals that are really having
trouble. It’s a great test for us. Do we trust that
God will provide for our needs?
When everything in the world says we should
worry more, what if Christians worried less?
Lesson 4
We Must Generously and
Lovingly Meet the Needs of
Others
“There was not a needy person among them, for
as many as were owners of lands or houses
sold them and brought the proceeds of what
was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it
was distributed to each as any had need.” (Acts
4:33-35)
What is described in Acts 4:33-35 is not a
form of Christian socialism, nor is it some
naïve utopian vision of communal living.
We might call what is described in Acts as a
“realignment of values,” in that everything the
early Christians thought they knew about
individual self-interest was undermined in the
call to seek first the kingdom of God.
The early church, willingly, became givers
rather than takers, stewards rather than owners,
other-centered rather than self-centered. As a
result, there was “not a needy person among
them.”
Compassion means that we reach out and help
needy people wherever we find them. It means
that we give away whatever we can, whenever
we can, to ease the burden of others.
American Christians are a rich group. Churchgoing
American Christians earn more than $2.5 trillion
dollars every year.
If all American Christians gave 10 percent of their
after-tax income back to the church, it would pump
some $46 billion into Christian ministry on an annual
basis.
We have been greatly blessed. There are many who
are in great need. It’s just a question of how much we
are willing to give up.
Lesson 5
We Can Learn to Live With
Less
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will
hate the one and love the other, or he will hold
to one and despise the other. You cannot serve
God and money.” (Matthew 6:24)
The primary reason that we are in a financial crisis,
and the thing that must be addressed if we want to get
out is our obsession with always wanting more.
On an individual and national level, Americans spend
more than we make, borrow money we can’t repay
and buy things we can’t afford. Obviously, this
pattern cannot be sustained forever; we have to “get a
grip” on our finances and live more simply.
In a capitalistic economy over-the-top
consumption is always going to be a problem
because capitalism is imperfect, and we are
fallen people.
It’s not unethical to spend money, but we need
to remember there’s more to life than
accumulating “stuff.”
What does consumerism mean in our lives?
Do we identify ourselves through the things
we buy, like clothing, cars, and music? How
much is enough? Is our thirst for “more” ever
satisfied?
When we look at other cultures, we can see
how priorities are different. We can learn from
cultures where it’s not all about us and what
we want, but where our identity is bound up in
others, moving through life as a group, helping
each other.