Raising Children, Money

 We are dealing with money.

“Money? Oh, man. I stumbled into the wrong message. I don't want to hear some preacher tell me how to spend my money. Just wait, he is going to tell us that we have to give it to him and all that nonsense. Oh yeah, I will go out and work hard only to come to church and give it to him. Who is he, or any preacher to tell me how to handle money?”

I have heard all these. I have said some of them. I understand. Once some people hear the word money, these are some of the things they think about. Ever wonder why that is? That is world thinking.

"You better make money to survive."
"You have to work harder to make more money to be comfortable."
"He who dies with the most toys wins."
"Your money is your money. Do with it whatever you chose."
"You better store up as much as you can. When you retire and you will need this money."

Then you have very clear examples of preachers abusing the tithes and offerings that their faithful congregation does bring in. I remember seeing a Pastor of a church I once attended at a gas station. He was filling up his Sports car while yelling at someone on his phone. The church was so large that I do not believe he even knew I attended there. It later came out he was taking a large salary weekly. Not just him, but his wife and brothers as well. Then he preached a message that we should be tithing more than we pay in our mortgage to prove we are putting God first in our lives. Yeah. OK. We left that church.

I understand people being hesitant and even resistant to the concept of tithes and offerings. But we will be talking about much more than just that, so please stay tuned in. I promise I am not going to tell you to tithe more than you pay in your mortgage.

Let’s take these from the most common to the least. “You better make money to survive.” Well, that is because we, not God, set up the financial system we have today. We, mankind, said this shiny rock is worth this much and this piece of paper is worth this much, and you have to pay this much for this and that. Imagine when someone looked at a spitball in a clam and said, “That is valuable.” You get the point. We did this so God has to operate in this system as long as we are in this system.

Use to be if you had cows, and your neighbors had chickens, you want eggs, and you traded with your neighbor for milk. When the Bible talks about how rich Abraham was it says this.

“So he said, “I am Abraham's servant. The Lord has greatly blessed my master, and he has become great. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male servants and female servants, camels, and donkeys.” Genesis 24:34-35

We read often how the fruits of the land and livestock and land, and such were the measure of wealth. Yes, there was gold and silver and gems and such back then, but only the really wealthy had such. Just as a side note, we first read about them here.

“A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. The name of the first is Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there.” Genesis 2:10-12

However, for the most part, most people dealt with the things of the land and their trades. All the way up to the last book in the old testament, this was the common practice. Giving to the poor was actually feeding them. Clothing them. Giving them things they need to survive. Tithes were actually animals, food, and clothing. Today? You really cannot pay the electric company with eggs. You would have a hard time paying your TV bill with a gallon of milk.

“See? We have to worry about those things. We have to work to survive.” Well?

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:25-34

Did you know that you should be working for others, to begin with? It’s not about you. Look here.

“Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.” Ephesians 4:28

Read that again. “So that.” Say So that. “So that, he may have something,” Say money. “Something to share with anyone in need.” Why should we be working? “So that” we can have an abundance and retire? No. “So that” we can use it to do the work of the Father. This is why God commands us to tithe. Not so the Pastor can get rich. “But I’m not a thief. This does not apply to me." Are you sure?

“Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.” Malachi 3:8-10

This is why Jesus tells us to store our treasures in Heaven.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21

There is nothing wrong with working hard. There is nothing wrong with reaping the rewards. The Word declares this in Luke 10:7,1 Timothy 5:18, Matthew 10:10, and Leviticus 19:13 “The laborer is worthy of his reward” However, be careful that you are working for the right reasons.

God can and will bless you. Look what Jesus told Peter when Peter said that he and the others with Jesus have left everything to follow Him. Jesus said this.

“Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.” Mark 10:29-30

The world will teach our kids, “You go get a job. Work hard, pay bills, and save up enough to retire. All is good.” Is that really life? Working 40-plus hours a day for someone else, just to pay out most of your paycheck to another at the end of the week? Jesus said this.

“And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Luke 12:15

He tells us the truth that tomorrow is not guaranteed. When we die, who’s stuff that we have accumulated? Who’s stuff with that be? I have known people, and the world will tell you that this is a good thing, I have known people that spend most of their lives working. They sleep like 4 hours a day, They work hours and days on end. Then they fail to wake up one day. Or they drop because their body just gives out. They spend their life trying to stay one step ahead of the grave, sadly, that is what puts them in it. Now their children, who have never worked a day in their life do whatever they want because they now have their dead parent's inheritance. Some become famous just because they are rich and do whatever they want and others envy them and watch their every move.

Money is a tool. That is all it is. It is a tool that we need to use to operate in this physical realm. We must teach our children this fact. Money is really nothing. In the end, it means nothing. The rich man and the poor man both die in the end. What is truly important is their 401 E, not their 401 K. What is important is how much they have in their eternal bank account. Not how much they have in their earthly bank account when they leave. You can’t take it with ya.

“And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” Job 1:21

Teach your children this very important fact.

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” 1 Timothy 6:10

For the love of money, people will lie, cheat, and steal. People will murder. People will do many evil things, all in pursuit of more and more money. The world makes it seem so easy too. Make a video, sing a song, do a dance in your underwear, and put it out there for all to see. You may be the next “Big thing,” and make a bunch of money. Money for nothing. Just sell yourself.

Do you really want your kids selling themselves? The world will tell them there is nothing wrong with that.”Who cares if pedophiles are looking at you? They do not know where you live. Dance little girl dance. Dance around little boy. Sell yourself and get people to ‘follow’ you and you will never have to really work a day in your life.

Teach your children that money is a tool. God, as with all things, has a better way for you to use it. Teach them it is God who gives them whatever skills they have. It is God who gets them the job, to begin with. It is God that meets their daily needs. It is God who commands a tithe. He commands you to give a little back so the local church can do what it is supposed to be doing. “Feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, setting the captives free.”

Ever think about that? You may not be going down to the inner city and feeding the hungry. You may not be going into the woods and bringing clothes, blankets, and such to the homeless. But your church is. All that takes money. God does not require you to give all you have. All He requires is 10 percent. Teach your children that this is required. Anything more than that is love offerings and God will bless them for it.

Of course with this and all things, it all starts with Jesus. Teach them to pray this prayer. Right now. Wherever you may be. Say it in your own words, and do not doubt in your heart. God will hear you. He will send the Spirit of Life to you. Let us Pray.

"Oh heavenly Father, Lord God. I am a sinner. I know this. I know there is nothing I can do to change that. But I know you can. I accept Jesus's sacrifice for me. I believed He rose from the dead. I repent my sins. Please send the Spirit of Adoption into my life. Help me to get to know the real you. Save me. Please. In the name of Jesus, Amen!"

That's it. It really is that simple. Now go tell someone what you have just done. "That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in your heart that God hath raised him from the dead, You shall be saved." Romans 10:9. You need to find a Church that God leads you to and be Baptized the way Jesus said to be. You are now a Child of God. A New Creature. You "have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him."Colossians 3:10

May the comfort of the Holy Ghost, and the peace of our Lord Jesus, be with you all. May God bless and be with you, always.

Until next time, be blessed, be a blessing, and Jesus is Lord!