Financial Security and Peace of Mind
Without the
wisdom and perspective we get from God and His word the place and
position of wealth in life gets out of balance.
Your Creator
knows that money, wealth, and stuff are important to you. Actually,
He is very interested and has plenty to say about how we handle our
money, wealth, and stuff. God wants His children to prosper, work
hard, and be content. He offers lots of guidance to help make that
possible.
As with other
matters like, sex, law, worship humanity makes a huge error… we
think we can handle it alone. What does God know about slugging it
out day to day… trying to make a living… trying to make ends
meet? He knows a lot because: a) He created all things b) through
Jesus, God has lived it.
But humanity does
not give God credit for having the answers. We want to figure out our
own answers… cutting ourselves off from His favor, and His advice.
Today we are
going to review what God’s word has to say about financial
security, and peace of mind. I have 6 action points:
Guard Your Mind Against Materialism
Our brains are
wired to understand reality through what we can feel, see, hear etc.
We know there is a spiritual component to our minds but our first
instinct is to go with what it material, or physical.
That is why God’s
advice [which is oriented toward the development of the spirit] is
hard to swallow. Much of what God reveals to us is contrary to human
nature. He tells us not to make accumulation of wealth and goods our
top priority. While our human nature screams “no, gather as big a
stash as you can… its your ticket to survival, dominance, and
happiness”.
Matthew 6:33
God tells us to make spiritual development, building the mind of
Christ needed for success in the coming rule of God on earth through
Christ. He adds to that, saying that if you make this your focus He
will take care of the necessities of life [but that’s not a promise
of a life of ease and comfort… many aspects of your spiritual
development come only through perseverance in trial].
God’s warning
about the wrong mental outlook regarding wealth, money, and stuff is
actually one of God’s TOP TEN guidelines for living: Exodus
20:17 [also applies to sex, status etc.]
Covetousness:
intense/obsessive desire for more… “I’m not content with what
is legitimately mine… I want to possess yours as well”.
Hebrews 13:5
Remember That The Source of All Wealth is God
This is a subset
of remembering God as Creator. As creator of all things… they are
His to freely give to whomever He chooses… for whatever reasons He
chooses.
1 Chronicles
29:11-12 / Psalm 24:1
Here’s your
first TO DO item: acknowledge God for His gifts to you:
-
Say thanks
-
Put your money where your mouth is. Give back 10% of all your increase.
This 10% give
back to God accomplishes takes your thoughts and puts it into
concrete action. It also puts you in the position of participation
in, and support of, the proclamation of His truth to others so they
might also learn and benefit.
Abraham did it,
Jacob did it, all Israel was instructed to tithe, Jesus endorsed it!
This willingness
to acknowledge and obey God is the first step toward learning
important spiritual lessons, through the management of your personal
finances. Note: God also promises material blessings to those who
obey and acknowledge Him through tithing.
Putting God first
in your financial plans is a demonstration of intent and a
re-alignment of priorities Leviticus 27:30 the 1st
10th set aside for His purpose not your own.
Make a Conscious Decision What Will Be Your Highest Priority
Ecclesiastes
2:1-11 pleasure, wealth, stuff is futile
Ecclesiastes
5:10 it fails to satisfy [at some point you realize, you will
have to leave it all behind, worse, it will all be given to someone
else who didn’t have to work for it, probably will never appreciate
it]
Matthew 6:24
– You might think you can give equal focus to both God and the
pursuit of wealth… but you cannot have 2 top priorities. You need
to make a conscious choice.
Riches: God
acknowledges you need money to survive and promises to help. But it
can seem a lot more sound and secure to rely on a horde of cash,
property, precious metals. We can see those things. And they do have
some power to keep us from many troubles, trials… but not all. Like
the death of a child, or a divorce.
Riches are
vulnerable. They can be suddenly taken away from you… a stock
market crash, flood or storm, and of course your own day of death.
[Steve Jobs]
Luke 12:15-21,
32-34 – rich man’s wealth and accomplishments die with him
Serving God:
if you put your primary focus on building the mind of Christ in
you, then you are investing in something that will not ever be taken
away from you. Even on the day you die. It is there waiting for you
on the day of resurrection.
1 Corinthians
3:12-15
Matthew 13:22
if you do try to have them both, money will probably end up
choking out it rival.
Fulfill Your God Given Financial Responsibilities Toward Others
Pay your taxes
Romans 13:1-7. We are not exempt from government authority.
Matthew
22:17-21 pay your taxes but don’t neglect God.
Be generous and
willing to contribute to the needs of others. 2 Corinthians
9:6-15,
Ephesians 4:28
a God given rationale for the work ethic. We tend to think of
money as a way to satisfy personal needs and wants. Therefore, money
is a “me” thing. But in God’s eyes money is just one of life’s
many temporary experiences we can use to build Godly thinking. In
this case to not only take care of our own needs but have some extra
so we can help others in need.
Develop A Mindset of Contentment
Philippians
4:10-13 Paul is here presenting contentment as a form of mental
discipline.
Focus on your
genuine needs rather than the extras, the frivolous, the flashy
things you see on Facebook or that advertisers say you simply must
have.
1 Timothy
6:6-12 there is great spiritual danger in always wanting more.
Fulfill Your Personal Responsibilities Before God
Contentment does
not mean laziness. God’s plan and purpose for you involves working
hard, being self-sufficient, not taking advantage of others. The
mandate for generosity is not to create a haven for freeloaders. Its
to create an environment where people are given a way to get back up
on their own 2 feet and start becoming a productive person.
1
Thessalonians 4:11-12
2
Thessalonians 3:7-13
1 Timothy 5:8
families should take care of their own
Conclusion
Money itself is
neutral, neither intrinsically good of bad. Love of money, the
pursuit of wealth and stuff… that’s what is bad. If we have the
wrong mental outlook on money we can be guilty of covetousness, or
idolatry. If we have the right mental focus on money it can be a
wonderful vehicle for us to learn important spiritual lessons and
practice God like patterns of thought.
Money is merely a
tool.
Our challenge is
to establish our priorities and practice the financial principles
pleasing to God.
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