OUR ULTIMATE FINANCIAL ADVISOR
When Peter, Andrew, James and John left their fishing business to follow Jesus, their income stopped. They didn't go around speaking in synagogues to raise support for their ministry. When Matthew got up from his desk at the tax office to follow Jesus, they didn't send him off with a Wall Street bonus. His income stopped.
And what about our Lord himself? Until the day he took off for the Jordan River to be baptized at the age of 30, Jesus was making furniture and window frames, helping to support the family. When he left, his income stopped.
So who paid the bills as these men traveled around? In John, Chapter 4, we read how Jesus sat down at a well, while the disciples whet into the village to buy food. Where did they get the money?
Funny, we have no record of Jesus ever pitching for money. He didn't ask for pledges. He didn't send out prayer letters with envelopes inside for folks to send in their money. His mother never organized a bake sale. They always seemed to have enough. Never do we hear Jesus say, "Look fellows, we're running short. Do you think we should put out an appeal for funds?" No, Jesus simply practiced what he preached.
"Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well."
Jesus was serving his Father. He was not building a religious vanity kingdom. He was doing the Father's will. So, of course, the Father moved hearts to provide.
Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages preaching and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities; Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.
Luke 8:1-3
No fuss, no muss. These women who had been healed provided for Jesus and the disciples out of their means. Seek the kingdom. God provides, through people whose hearts are in tune.
And yet, while Jesus never had his hand out for money, never organized a stewardship committee, he had a lot to say about money. He taught, that if we're walking the walk of faith, the first place it will show is in how we handle money.
And he sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the multitude putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came, and put in two copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him , and said to them, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For they all contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, her whole living."
Mark 12:41-44
Jesus was watching people putting money into the Temple treasury --- not into his own pocket. Jesus understood that there was plenty of corruption going on in the Temple. But these people were putting in money as an offering to God. When Jesus sees this poor widow putting in her last two copper coins, he calls the disciples and wants them to learn a lesson.
"Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For they all contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, her whole living."
Remember, Jesus is not raising funds for himself. He is not begging. He is simply giving his disciples --- and us --- some financial advice.
Financial advice? Jesus giving financial advice? A lot of people have the idea that Jesus was too "spiritual" to deal with money matters. But Jesus teaches that how we deal with money is very spiritual. Money matters are spiritual matters. So Jesus lays out three basic lessons for the disciples and for us.
Lesson #1, God is our master, not money.
He calls his disciples over to observe what this widow is doing. He wants them to take it in, because there is no doubt about who is Master of this woman's life.
"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."
Matthew 6:24
This widow, making an extravagant gift of her last two copper coins, is demonstrating to herself and to God, that God, not money, is her Master. God has seen her through all these years, and she knows he will keep doing it somehow.
She's giving thanks. She's expressing her love for God in a way that makes no sense to anyone outside the kingdom. But she knows where her security lies.
My soul, wait thou only upon God,
For my expectation is from him.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
He is my defense, I shall not be moved.
Psalm 62
Lesson #2, Seek the kingdom first, and God will provide.
Whether we earned that check by putting in 40 hours of hard work, or whether it came in as a pension, that check is God's provision.
"But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' Or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well."
Matthew 6:30-33
You seek God's kingdom, seek to do God's will, and God provides.
This goes for churches as well. If our church is about the business of the kingdom of God, it will never have to beg for money. The money will come in without any pressure on anybody --- just as the needed funds came to Jesus and the disciples.
If a church has to beg for money to stay alive, it's already dead. Time to lock the doors and move on.
Lesson #3, Be faithful to God with your money, and God will give you something money can never buy. He will give you the riches you were meant to have.
"He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and he who is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."
The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they scoffed at him. But he said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts; for what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God."
Luke 16:10-15
"If you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will entrust to you the true riches." What are the true riches? The true riches come straight out of heaven into your life and make you rich the way Jesus was rich.
Jesus did not own a thing, and yet he was the richest man on earth. He had heaven's power at his disposal. When he asked, he received, when he commanded, it was done. You and I were meant to have those same riches --- not after we die, but in this life. God wants to give us the riches of heaven, so that when we ask, we receive, when we speak the word, it is done. Heavenly authority contained in the earthen vessels of our bodies.
But these riches are never given to us until we have demonstrated that they will be safe in our hands, that we will handle this heavenly authority with hearts in submission to God's will. We are not ready to receive this power from God until we have first proven faithful to God in the way we handle the unrighteous mammon.
"If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who sill entrust to you the true riches?"
Faithful to God with money.
Of course, there are a lot of people out there who will be happy to tell you how to be faithful to God with your money. They will even tell you where to put it.
"Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits."
Matthew 7:15
But you can be sure of this: if you want the Lord Jesus to show you how to be faithful to God with the unrighteous mammon, he will show you. Let him be your financial advisor.
He will show you how these three lessons apply in your life:
Don't ever let anyone tell you that money is not important. Money is important. It is important to you. And how you use it is important to God
These days the world is full of financial advisors. Some are helpful. Some are dangerous. But the financial advisor whose words are the wisest ever spoken is the Lord Jesus himself. If we take his advice, we'll never go wrong.
"But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' Or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well."