Honor the Lord with your wealth (Proverbs 3)
Is the Lord the Lord of your bank account?
Would someone looking at your checkbook be able to surmise that you are a Christian?
When people say to me "Pastor, don't be talking about money and religion, they don't mix" I laugh and say, "Well, tell this to the Bible, because Jesus and the Hebrew scriptures talk about how you are to spend your money in righteous ways all the time?"
Look, I am not asking you to give all your money away or to give exclusively to the congregation I serve. What I am asking you to do is recognize that how you spend your money and how much of your money you spend on others does matter to your spiritual health.
Generosity of time and talent is important, if not more important. But generosity of wealth is important as well, because generosity in all things shapes our lives of faith toward a spirit of self-sacrifice and love of neighbor/others. This matters in our life as sin is often understood as the self-turned-in-on-self. Generosity helps us live as God would have us live.
Prayerfully consider how you are using your wealth to build up others, build up the kingdom, and return to God what God has first given you.
Peace,
Pastor Dave
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