It's all His

Over the past month, our Wednesday night study has been on managing life, and so far we've covered money and time. In our study we've learned that the key to managing these things is balance, to not go extreme in any area, but to find balance between it all. In managing time you are not to be a sloth or a workaholic, in money to not be a chronic spender, or a miser. In all this, the way to achieve balance is to remember this one thing:

It's all His

Psalm 24:1 "A psalm of David. The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him." 

We must remember that everything we have is on loan from God. Not just the tithe you put in the offering plate every week, but everything. Every penny, every breath, everything. Jesus tells a parable about a master giving talents in Matthew 25:14-30. The master was angry at the servant that just held on to his money. Why? He didn't invest. What does God want us to do with the money (and time) He's given? He wants us to invest in the Kingdom of God. That may look different for different people. Here is how it might look for a Saver and a Spender:

Spender

If you are head over heals in debt, can't go to a sale without loading your cart, or must constantly have the newest thing, you may be a spender! Perhaps you think you're in the clear here. You give generously to the church, and basically to anyone who asks! What does investing in the Kindgdom look like for you? If you are in a great amount of debt, would you be able to go to a new mission field if God called you? Since God has given you this money, are you being the kind of steward that He would want you to be? Part of being a child of God is being ready to answer His call, whatever that may be. Would your finances allow you to do that?

Saver

I know someone who is what I would call an extreme saver. He literally thought of the cost of everything. He never accumilated debt, and if he loaned you money, he made you regret ever asking in the first place.  If he didn't say anything to you personally, behind your back he would talk about how much it cost him. For instance, one time the pastor's wife called and asked if she could borrow 10 boiled eggs for a 'Minute to Win It' game they were doing at the church. He said yes, but as soon as he hung up, and went on and on at how much those eggs cost him and how he would now have to pay for more eggs for himself! (They were about a dollar!!) This guy is a very extreme case, but there are those of us who do have a hard time letting go of what we feel like is 'ours'. But the thing is, it's not ours to begin with, but only on loan from the Lord to invest in his work. Doesn't mean we can have vacations and nice things, but means that our hearts are in a giving mode. For a saver this means changing your mindset and giving God a tithe of what is already his anyway. This means proactively looking for chances to give to others, and when you do so to not stress over how much it cost you. 


For most of us, we may fall somewhere in the middle of these two extremes. Whatever the case may be, let's look at our mindset of money and view it from the standpoint that it never was ours. It's always been His. How are we investing what He has given us?