Ps. Joshua –
In the bible there are 2350 verses that speak about money.
Jesus used money as an example and as a topic in many of his teachings.
Matt 6:24
24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
God and money seem to be in par with each other and they are in the sentence.
Money seems to be competing against God in our lives. In the world, the focus seems to be a lot on money.
Luke 16:11
11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?
God tests us with money. It’s not only about how we’ve lived, but also how we’ve handled money.
They say – money is a demanding master. It’s difficult to be satisfied when one’s pursuit is money.
1 Chronicles 29:11-12
11 Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, Lord, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all.
12 Wealth and honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all.
Psalm 50:10-12
10 for every animal of the forest is mine,
and the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know every bird in the mountains,
and the insects in the fields are mine.
12 If I were hungry I would not tell you,
for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
Deuteronomy 10:14
14 To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it.
Haggai 2:8
8 ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty.
Scripture says that God is the owner of everything. The earth and all that is in it.
Taking the example of Abraham, God is the one who provided everything. All possessions & even Isaac.
Abraham and Sarah knew when Isaac was the gift of God. When God asked him to sacrifice, Abraham knew God was asking back what He provided.
When we see that everything we have is owned by God, it makes decisions in life easier. This also does not link your happiness or sadness on material things.
Gen 22:14
14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
God is our provider.
1 Kings 17:2-6
2 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah:
3 “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan.
4 You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.”
5 So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there.
6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
As an example, God provided for Elijah everything for food.
Matthew 6:33
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Jesus makes a statement about what our perspective should be.
Taking about tithing:
Gen 14:18-20
18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High,
19 and he blessed Abram, saying,
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth.
20 And praise be to God Most High,
who delivered your enemies into your hand.”
Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
Heb 7:1-3
1 This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him,
2 and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.”
3 Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.
Melchizedek who was a precursor of who Jesus was & He received one-tenth of the spoils that Abraham collected.
Genesis 28:20-22
20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear
21 so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord[a] will be my God
22 and[b] this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.”
Here Jacob made a conditional vow – 4 ‘if’ conditions and one ‘then’ result.
Sometimes we barter with God. We keep conditions and when it is fulfilled, we think we will do our part. However, the Kingdom of God works opposite – Trust God and give; He will provide you in return.
Haggai 1:5,6
5 Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.
6 You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”
When we don’t have a Godly perspective on money, God had to teach them the hard way.
Haggai 2:18,19
18 ‘From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid. Give careful thought:
19 Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit.
“‘From this day on I will bless you.’”
From the day the foundations of Gods ways are laid in our lives, our lives get blessed. When we give to God what’s due to God, He blesses us.
What’s the difference between want & need?
Want is something that we can do without while need is the necessary requirements to survive.
We need to examine, in our lives, our wants and needs.
Philippians 4:19
19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
God will provide our need and not wants.
Stewardship:
In Greek, oikonomos means ‘household manager’ – manager, superintendent to whom the head of the house or proprietor has entrusted the management of his affairs.
Psalm 8:6
6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under their[a] feet
‘everything under their feet’ – this is talking about being a steward.
1 Corinthians 4:2
2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.
‘been given a trust’ – this is talking about of being a steward.
God has given us all things. We are stewards of all of that He is provided; not just one-tenth.
Whatever talent God has given, He will require an account.
It’s not about what God has given, but about how faithful we are with all that God has given.
Small things are small things; but faithfulness with a small thing is a big thing.
