If you’ve found yourself thinking, “The church only asks me to give because they want my money,” you’re not alone. After all, it’s true that ministries need money to operate and be effective. But that’s not why Jesus taught so much on this topic.
Jesus spoke more about money and possessions than any other topic, including Heaven and Hell. He knew that when it comes to winning first place in our hearts, money is God’s top competitor.
Jesus explained to his followers that you can only serve one master, not two: “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.” Money has great propensity to serve as a false god in our lives. We cannot serve the one true living God and the false god of money at the same time. This is why Jesus taught about money and possessions- to protect our heart from this false god.
If we are to become more like Jesus, then we need to believe God’s word and not only learn to be givers, but to also learn why. Our human nature wants to hang on to our money, but God wants us to be willing to give. As we continue in this Bible Reading Plan, we’ll explore more of what the Bible shares about how to honor God with the way we handle our money.
Pray: Lord, my desire is to become more and more like you. My human nature has often replaced the desire for you with the desire for money, possessions, security, and status. Help me to recognize the false god of money in my heart and trust you and only you, because you love me more than anything! In Jesus’ name, Amen.