People are often surprised at how often the Bible teaches on money, our stewardship of it, and its power over us. There are more than 2300 verses related to money in both the Old and New Testaments. Roughly 15% of Jesus’ teaching was about money and 11 of 39 parables (1/4 of the parables!) are stories having to do with treasure, wages, MONEY and our relationship to it. We may be uncomfortable talking about money, but God has no problem with it.
I had a family member who never went to church because, as she said, “all they do is ask for money.” Her perspective was like the annoyance one might have if a pauper asked for a couple of bucks; she equated the church with a beggar on the street. Interesting that Jesus similarly imagined the same metaphor but with a very different take-away…(See Matthew 25:31–46.) The Bible presents an entirely different outlook on God’s focus and His instructions to His people…
Psalm 50 tells us that God “owns the cattle on a thousand hills.” God goes on to say, “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world is mine and all that is in it.”
God doesn’t need US to meet HIS needs. It’s the other way around. God doesn’t need the Hebrew sacrifices of bulls, cattle, and sheep. God doesn’t NEED our tithes and offerings. Rather, God has something much larger in mind – US. Not our wallets or budgets but our HEARTS. The commercial asks, “What’s in your wallet?” while God asks, “What’s in your heart?”
Jesus wants to instruct us about the Kingdom of heaven, but we remain focused on things of this earth. Join us in worship this Sunday as we review what the Bible teaches about giving and the REASON why God is so committed to our learning this. I look forward to delving into these scriptures with you!!