DAY 17
Day Seventeen: Your Money Management Matters to God
Luke 16:10-11 (NIV)
Luke 16:10-11 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So, if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?”
In Luke 16 Jesus begins a conversation with His disciples about money using a parable about a dishonest manager who is about to be fired. When the manager finds out, he does everything he can to survive. His boss commends him for his savviness. He knew how to use money to gain what was most valuable to him which was survival!
The conclusion is simple: The way you spend money says a lot about what you value. And Jesus says the more money you have, the more difficult it will be to understand the importance of God’s kingdom (Luke 18:24). The more money you have, the more tempted you will be to use it for different things before you release it to God (Luke 16:13).
The Pharisees’ lives revealed that they served money and not God. Jesus was trying to teach them to stop serving money and in previous parables, He urgently called the poor, lame, and blind to be “together at banquets” because He was urging every person to inherit the Kingdom of God and acknowledging their precious worth (Luke 16:16).
God uses money to test you. He doesn’t automatically give his blessings to just anybody; He tests you first to see if you are responsible. If He can trust you with material possessions, then He can trust you with spiritual power. If you are not managing your money well, why would He give you the things that really matter?
What does your relationship with money reveal about you?
Money shows what you love most. If you really want to know what’s important to you, look at your calendar and your credit card statement. The way you spend your time and money reveals what you love the most.
Money shows what you trust most. Do you trust in your money for security, happiness, and for your identity? Or do you put your trust in God? Generosity reveals a heart that trusts God.
Our world creates a culture of coveting, versus contentment. When you find yourself wanting more, pause to consider how you could be more responsible with what you have. When you are trustworthy with very little, God will continue to trust you with more.
Heavenly Father, may You open our eyes to not prioritize money and possessions more than we value You. We pray that we will focus on eternal treasures instead of accumulating things here on earth.
Prayer Points:
Personal: That we would be trustworthy in our possessions and God’s provision for His people
Community: God’s favor over the Brea and La Habra city council members
