What if? Money and Stuff

March 6 2011“You know that these hands of mine have worked to supply my own needs and even the needs of those who were with me. And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:34-35 (NLT)If you start thinking to yourselves, "I did all this. And all by myself. I'm rich.It's all mine!"— well, think again. Remember that GOD, your God, gave youthe strength to produce all this wealth so as to confirm the covenant that hepromised to your ancestors—as it is today. Deuteronomy 8:17-18 (MSG)When our kids were little they were inspired by TV advertising and theperennial Disney cartoon with all of its accompanying merchandizing to dream ofgoing to Disneyland. It wasn’t that we would not have loved to take our family ona Disneyland trip, no, the problem was that we simply couldn’t afford it, we werebarely making it. We told our kids that we did not have the money to go but thatthey certainly could ask God to provide. Not long after that conversation my littleboy proudly declared one evening, “We can go to Disneyland, it’s not a problem!”Our ears perked up. “And how is it not a problem?” we asked. “It’s easy Dad, allwe need is a Discover Card.”I am glad to inform you that since then we did go to Disneyland severaltimes, without the use of Discover Card, and that that little boy has grown up tobe a man who handles money really well. But I realized at that moment that ourkids acquire early on their attitudes and habits when it comes to money. The TVwas doing a good job trying to educate my children towards consumerism thatdoesn’t think twice about assuming debt, that shifts the question from, “Can Iafford this?” to “Can I handle the payments.We are living in though economical times, and literally millions are findingout how precarious, and if we are honest, how irresponsible that kind of financialapproach is (Although our government leaders still seemingly have not woke upto that reality. How I pray we will do right for the generations that follow us).So what would happen if we would apply God’s wisdom to our attitudes andhabits regarding money and things? What if we embraced the ways God blessesin this important area of our lives? What if made it our goal to become giversinstead of getters, to be dispersers and not debtors, to embrace charity insteadof consumerism, to save before we spend, to see in money and things as anopportunity for service rather than self? What if we start asking ourselves, “Howcan I manage my wealth (however much or little that is) so I can give more?”instead of simply asking, “How can I have more?” And what if we would realizethat the management of our money and stuff has eternal implications?When it comes to the management of money and things God literallychallenges us to try and see if that his ways, his principles, his wisdom not onlywork but are blessed (Malachi 3:9-12, Luke 6:38).To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans