Money, money money

Money. It's such a powerful thing. Money makes us happy.  Money makes us mad.  Money makes life easier.  Money makes life harder. Money secures us. Money scares us.

As a nanny, I'm often given money to do activities with the kids.  I would never pocket that money or use it towards my own personal gain.  No, it's not my money, I've been instructed to use it in a certain way. 

In the same way, the money in your bank account right now, it's not yours.  The money you have invested, it's not yours either.  The twenty dollar bill I have in my wallet, not mine.


It all belongs to God.

We are just stewards, of HIS money.

As children of God, we're given money and instructed to use it in a certain way.  And when we use it in the way God asks, it comes back to us, really. 

So what if there was something you could do to stop focusing on or worrying about money?  Would you do it?

Proverbs 3:9 Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best.

Luke 6:38  Give, and it will be given to you. A good amount will be poured into your lap. It will be pressed down, shaken together, and running over. The same amount you give will be measured out to you."

2 Corinthians 9:7 You should each give what you have decided in your heart to give. You shouldn't give if you don't want to. You shouldn't give because you are forced to. God loves a cheerful giver.


The answer?

GIVE and GIVE cheerfully.

Everyone will have different ways of giving, and different amount of giving.  I can't tell you how to give or tell you where to give.  That's between you and God.  But I can tell you about my experiences.

In 2008, our family decided to start giving and following God's principles in that way. We give 10% of all our income to our church.  We trust our church to use the money we give to glorify God. We believe in the work they are doing. So we give. And we like it.

But you want to know what's cool.

As much as we give, we can't out give God.

He ALWAYS gives it back to us, and more.

I have so many cool personal stories about how I didn't know where the next dollar for groceries was going to come from, or how that bill was going to get paid, or how I was going to put gas in my car and yet I've never ever gone without. I've never had a late bill, I've never gone hungry, I've never been stranded on the side of the road without gas. Literally I've had checks unexpectedly show up in the mail.  Just this week I got a dollar an hour raise and I've only been working here 1 month.

God always provides.  And I'm confident it's because we give back to him what's already his anyways.

God even tells us it's okay to test him with this, to see if its true.

Micah 3:10 says "Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it."

So you want to stop worrying about money?

Give. Even if you think you can't.  Give God back his money. 

And watch what he does.