We have come to the fifth and final week of our message series, “Right on the Money.” In this series we have acknowledged that money is a fact of life. We need it and we cannot escape it. We also have acknowledged that money provokes a lot of emotions within us; many of them negative.
Maybe it was a surprise to learn (it certainly was for me) that Jesus actually spoke about money and possessions more than anything else during his public ministry. Why? Because Jesus understood money and its place in our lives, and he wants us to get money right.
Over the course of this message series we learned the fundamental teaching of Jesus about money; if we get this right, everything else will fall into place. Jesus calls us to “renounce” money. By “renounce” Jesus does not mean to give all our money and possessions away, rather we need to make our relationship with Jesus the most important thing in our lives, and money at best, a distant second. We learned that we have all made mistakes when it comes to money, and that God is most merciful in his love. We learned that all the money and possessions that we have really belongs to God and we are just stewards of it. In other words we are God’s money managers, and he wants us to invest in people, leading to eternal life.
As we wrap up today, we are going to look to the future. Often when we talk about the future and money, there are two kinds of responses that can get us off track. One is filled with fear or anxiety about having enough. The other is just hoping everything works out. Neither is helpful. We need to both plan for our future and trust that God can be part of it.
God has a vision for our money, and we need to engage in that vision. The Book of Proverbs says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18). When we have no vision for our lives, we struggle.
We are going to look at a passage from our first reading from the Prophet Habakkuk. Habakkuk was a prophet who lived about 600 years before Christ. He lived in a time of great turmoil and under the threat of constant violence and unrest. Habakkuk looks at his troubling times and he complains to God about them. So our first lesson is that it is OK to complain to God; he can take it.
Habakkuk says, “How long, O Lord? I cry for help but you do not listen! I cry out to you, ‘Violence!’ but you do not intervene. Why do you let me see ruin; why must I look at misery? Destruction and violence before me; there is strife and clamorous discord” (Habakkuk 1:2-3). Habakkuk sees all these problems in the world and they bother him. We might feel the same. When we see problems in the world, we can get frustrated.
That’s the way Habakkuk feels, but he does something more than just complain. “I will stand at my guard post, and station myself upon the rampart; I will keep watch to see what they will say to me, and what answer he will give to my complaint” (Habakkuk 2:1; OK, for some reason we skipped this verse in today’s first reading, but it is there). Habakkuk complains, but then he positions himself strategically so that he can listen for God’s response and actually hear it above the clamor and chaos around him. He believes that God will give him direction about what to do with the problems he sees.
God has a vision for how he wants to use the resources he has given to us, but we have to believe that and take steps to lend ourselves to listen and learn. If we position ourselves to listen to God through a daily quiet time you will learn from him.
Habakkuk believes God speaks and so he hears him. “Then the Lord answered me and said: Write down the vision clearly upon the tablets, so that one can read it readily” (Habakkuk 2:2). Writing down the vision God sends us is important. By write it down we committed ourselves to it, we are less likely to forget it, and we can carry it with us wherever we go. And remember, since it is God’s vision, it will come about according to his time, we just have to have faith.
So what is God’s vision for our financial future? That could take on many different details and directions. Allow me to just suggests a few for our consideration.
One vision God might give you for your finances is to get out of debt. Maybe we are not giving anything to anyone because we spend all our money on ourselves. If that’s you, no worries, no fears, no judgment and no guilt… but maybe God’s vision for your future is freedom from debt and a solid financial footing. If that’s your vision, write it down. I know that Rich did a Bible study from Financial Peace University which is all about being better stewards of the money that God gives us. If you are interested, give the office a call. If we get enough people interested, we can offer it again.
Another vision God might have for our life, if we are on solid financial footing, is a desire to live a life of simplicity. Not poverty, simplicity. Maybe we have come to a point in our life where God is calling us to a different life style that is characterized by simplicity in how we approach the whole of our life. Or perhaps it’s a specific simplicity, in our dress, in our diet, in activities and entertainment choices. A simplicity that allows for greater service or giving. If that is a vision God has on your heart or that excites you, don’t be afraid of it. Write it down and ask God what he wants you to do with that.
Another vision God might have for our life is for people who are comfortable financially. They are good with money, theyknow how to make it, save it, spend it. If we are great in all those ways, we have the right stuff to be a great giver too. Think about what God is calling you to, what is God’s vision for you? To put another way, what is the legacy God wants us to leave behind? The very best way to do this, is look for what charities, especially faith-based charities touch our heart.
This week, ask God about his vision for your finances. Write down the vision God is giving you for your money and then put it somewhere you will see it. Write it down and then write down what it would feel like to see that vision come through, to make that vision happen.
The bottom line on this whole series and the guiding principle to getting money right is to place it in the context of our Christian discipleship, our relationship with Jesus Christ. How we follow Jesus goes hand in hand with how we handle money.