Learn God’s take on money
The Bible offers 500 verses on prayer, fewer than 500 verses on faith, and more than 2,000 verses about money!
In fact, 15 percent of everything Jesus ever taught was on the topic of money and possessions - more than His teachings on heaven and hell combined.
Now, to be clear, just because there are more verses about money does not mean that it is a more important subject than things like prayer and faith. Instead, it just shows us how interwoven money is into our everyday lives.
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Jesus warned us that you can’t serve both money and God simultaneously. You will end up loving the one and hating the other. You will be devoted to the one and despise the other.
I take that to mean there is a huge temptation to distort the role money has in life. Once it becomes a preoccupation and takes priority in your life, it really becomes your master. (See Matthew 6:24.)
When that happens, you are at risk of losing your soul.
“What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but forfeits his soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” (Matthew 16:26).
Jesus also taught that wherever your treasure is, that’s where your heart will be also. So if you spend yourself stockpiling your treasures here on earth, that will be the focus of your attention and you will lose it all in the end. You’ll never see a hearse pulling a U-Haul because you can’t take it with you!
Stop for a moment. Be brutally honest with yourself. Where are you at with all this?
• Are you spending more of yourself on building wealth instead of nourishing your soul? Why or why not?
• Is making money the driving force in your life, and if so, what is the present outcome?
• Does money dominate too much of your time, thoughts and priorities, and if so, why?
• Have you stressed yourself out trying to accumulate treasures here on earth? Homes, cars, toys, retirement funds?
• Are you serving your money?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, make a life-changing decision to start changing the ways in which you handle money. Commit to doing whatever it takes to turn things around so you don’t have to stay stuck in the same place. In fact, you must not stay stuck, for the sake of your soul and for the sake of those you care about.
As I’ve spent many years reading and studying God’s principles on money, I’ve boiled them down to this very simple summary:
1. God owns everything.
2. Whatever I have in my possession is gifted by Him.
3. Since it is all His, I am to manage it for Him and His purposes.
4. Owe no man anything but the debt of love.
5. Storing up treasures on earth will do me no good in eternity.
6. Because I can’t take it with me, investing in His work is the best way to lay up treasures in Heaven.
For a more in-depth look, get Todd Isberner’s new book “What Every Man Needs to Know: How to Master Faith, Family, Fitness and Finance” here.
Todd Isberner is a husband, father, business owner and author of “What Every Man Needs to Know”. As a result of his own life-altering conversion, Todd invested over 40 years learning to master the cornerstones of a man's life: faith, family, fitness and finances. His success is based on discovering the deeper meanings and impact each one of these has in life. A former business owner, professional media consultant and coach, today Todd invests his time mentoring other men along their journey to success. More at ToddIsberner.com
