Do you want to know what’s really most important to you? Follow the money. Are you curious how close you are following the Lord? Follow the money. If you are wondering if your priorities are in order, well, you guessed it… follow the money. It’s easy to say we believe in something or hold some value important, but actions never lie. Neither does where we spend the money God has entrusted to our care.
How we spend our money always tells the truth about who we are. Your bank account has no hidden agenda; it only has the mission you give to it. As pastor Aaron Brockett recently said, “Your heart will follow your money so send your money where you want your heart to be.”
It never ceases to amaze me how people seem to have no issue separating how they spend their money from their recognized mission of serving Christ. Jesus spoke more about money than any other topic. How we steward the resources He gave us to manage truly matters to God. If you have been blessed beyond those around you, you have also been tasked with using those resources to further God’s Kingdom. Once you have taken care of the needs of your own household, you must take an honest and prayerful look at what to do with your excess. The parable of the talents shows us the more we have, the more we are expected to do with it (Matthew 25:14-30). We are not to hoard our wealth, but rather to put it to work building God’s Kingdom.
There is always the temptation to save for a rainy day, to make sure you are taken care of when you get older or in case something should happen to you. There is wisdom in this, but the question becomes how much is enough? Ultimately, how much is too much? If we’re honest, most of us would probably say you could never have too much money saved. Therein lies the problem. Generally, our only target amount for savings is “more”. Meanwhile, the world lies bleeding while we set aside funds to make certain we will be taken care of and no harm will ever befall us. As Pastor Brockett said, “There is no way to save yourself into safety.” There are no guarantees and if we try if we try to find them, we will miss the point of generosity, miss the point of love, and most importantly, miss the point of Jesus.
Jesus didn’t die so you might live in comfort and safety. He died so you might live! We love to spend and we (arguably if statistics are correct) love to save. But not nearly enough people professing to follow Jesus love to give. We must recognize all the money is God’s so we should spend it for His Kingdom. Those who crave wealth find themselves heading in the opposite direction from God (I Timothy 6:9-10). If you love money, you will never be satisfied (Ecclesiastes 5:10). Only Jesus satisfies. How you spend your money will dictate how closely you are following Jesus. Are you spending on yourself or spending for others? Are you saving for someday or building His Kingdom today? Follow the money and you will see where your true devotion lies.