Our scripture this morning is 1 Timothy 6:15-19.
“For, at just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all Lords. He alone can never die, and he lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach him. No human eye has ever seen him, nor ever will. All honor and power to him forever! Amen. Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.”
If we are honest with ourselves, most of us could give more than we do, not just financially but physically and spiritually. Our tithes, offerings and donations are important to support the work of the kingdom, however, our outreach to the world needs to be more than just monetary. Throwing our cash at problems we are not willing to work to resolve is not what Jesus taught.
Paul warns against trusting our money when we should be trusting in God (v. 17). Too often our thinking is “how can I get and keep more money?”, when it should be “how can I use my money as God intends?” Jesus came to show us that having money doesn’t equal happiness, and we will find greater joy through using our resources to help others.
Having money is not a sin, but God cares deeply about what we are willing to do to obtain it and how we are willing to spend it. Even more important to Him is our willingness to go into the world to make a difference. Prayerful and honest financial support of outreach ministries is blessed by God, but we are called to go in His name to share our spiritual gifts as He enables us.
Loving Lord, help us to see that our discipleship requires more than our wallets. Bless us to bless others with the things we do and say, sharing the Good News of salvation with the world. Amen.