Jesus declared "you can not serve God and Money". Money can be our lord and master...but we can use money to give glory to our Master. This is the next red-letter words in my Bible
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, ...... But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, ...... For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also...... If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. ...... "No one can serve two masters... You cannot serve both God and Money...... "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, ...... Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ?... For the pagans run after all these things, ...... But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well..... Each day has enough trouble of its own. Mat 6:19-34
RG: Lord, what shocked me in this passage is You elevated serving Money with Serving God in the same level but in contrast. I thought the battle for lordship in ones life is only between You the devil and self, but here you are contrasting You and Money.
The Lord Jesus seems to say: Yes RG, I have to emphasize this because Money is a very strong driving force in the heart of man. Money continued to be the SECRET MASTER of many people who profess to know me.
RG: Lord if I examine my heart, yes, indeed in many instances I am driven by money. But isn't legitimate Lord to desire to have money? We have our needs that we know money can meet.
The Lord Jesus seems to say: "Needs that we know money can meet!" Do you hear yourself saying that RG? who then meets your needs?
RG: Oh oh, I know that you are the one meeting our needs. Now I got your point Lord, why money can be our Master instead of You, because money can also meet our needs and not just needs including our insatiable wants.
The Lord Jesus seems to say: You see RG, money is highly convertible to meet ones needs. Money can be easily converted to any forms of pleasure that you like, to comfort that to want, to power that you want to have, to almost everything that you can think of in this world. Most of the things that you ask of Me can be answered by money. That is why it is very easy to turn to money and make it your master.
RG: Lord, this is a very dangerous trap! Lord, please teach me how I should view money, I know that money is not evil but the love it can lead me to be enslave to it. How can I avoid making money as my master?
The Lord Jesus seems to say: First of all RG, you must reckon everything from the time when you trusted me for your salvation. You must trust me all the way including your basic needs, and your family's needs. Not only in the present but also in the future. If you cannot trust me for your basic needs, you will begin to worry and scramble yourself up to find more money on your own.
RG: Lord, this is exactly the description of me when I was pursuing a better and comfortable life, before you called us to be here.
The Lord Jesus seems to say: There is nothing wrong RG with living a comfortable life, but if your commitment to comfortable living goes beyond your commitment to follow me, then the love of money will start to crawl in your heart. And when you can not secure your future, you will try harder and harder until you have what you want. Once you started to have money, you want keep it all to yourself, after all its the fruit of your labor. But slowly your trust is now shifting from me to your money. And because you consider it as "your money", it become difficult to see Me in the picture, I don't have even a say where you should spend your money.
RG: Lord, please help me to sort this out, how can I put you clearly into the picture?
The Lord Jesus seems to say: You see RG, if you are fully trusting me for your needs. Its easy to see and acknowledge that everything that you have comes from Me and is part of the way I am providing your needs. I am the one who is blessing your efforts. I am the one who is giving you the ability and opportunities to earn money. If this is the way you view how you get your money then you will give me the freedom to tell you where you should spend it.
RG: Oh, Lord I am beginning to understand, thank you Lord for your assurance that you will meet our needs.
The Lord Jesus seems to say: That's too small for Me RG, in fact I am providing each of my children not only their needs, but a lot more so that they can invest them for eternity. I want them to store it in heaven by helping the movement of the furtherance of My Kingdom here on earth. This is good for your soul, for where your treasure is there your heart be also. You sometimes wonder why your heart is very far from Me, well, simply because your treasure is not aligned to what is precious to Me.
RG: What a beautiful picture Lord on how we should handle our money. So instead of making money as our master, we can actually use the money that you gave us to honor you and bring glory to your name.
The Lord Jesus seems to say: That's right RG, but I am so sad about the reality that many of my children, are wanting to put the control of money unto their hands, not because they wanted to invest for eternity but they wanted to satisfy every cravings of their flesh and everything that their eyes can see. I am sad RG that I have given many of my children the ability to earn money more than what they need, but instead of sharing it to the poor and spending it for the furtherance of the Kingdom, they spend it all for themselves and building more reserves so that they can sustain their lifestyle. Even the so called full-time workers are not spared. The commitment to a comfortable life of some of my workers is so strong that, money becomes the motivation even among the so called ministry.
RG: Lord, please help me to trust you. You know that I am a worrier, I am worrying, about my children, I worry about helping our relatives, I worry about our growing old and so many other things. I want to come and look to you alone as our provider...
The Lord Jesus seems to say: Here is my deal with you RG "seek first my Kingdom and my righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you as well" let me rephrase it "You take care of the things that are dear to Me and I will take care of the things that are dear to you"
RG: Oh Lord, this is too wonderful to behold!
