Let’s be honest, even though it shouldn’t be, money is always a sensitive issue, especially when conversing about using it wisely—particularly for Jesus. Money is what we use to live, pay the bills, and entertain ourselves. However, the reality is that money is temporary; life after death is not.
In the story Jesus told about wealth being given and returned, it is easy to assume that He were talking about money, and probably was. But the wealth in that story is symbolic of more than gold. It represents the lives Jesus has entrusted to us here on Earth. The lives that need to hear about Him, and the lives who hopefully choose Him.
Jesus doesn’t need our money to do His job. Instead, He calls us to use what He has given us to increase His “wealth.” In previous blogs, I discussed time and skills. If it is money that He has given, no matter how much or how little, we must look at how we use it for Jesus.
I want to challenge you to take an extreme look at how you use your money. How do you value it in perspective to a life saved for eternity?
At the end of Schindler’s List, Oskar Schindler grieves because he might have been able to save a few more lives. If only he had sold his car, or done this, or that. Each life Schindler saved from death was able to be quantified in a dollar amount. What if you could actually buy a life and save that person from an eternity in Hell? What if you could make it so they could be in Heaven? (This is not possible) Would you put a cap on it? Would you say, “I’ll pay this much, but not this much?”
Even though it’s not possible to buy a life for eternity, you can apply it this way: Are you willing to cap how much you would give so others could hear the stories of Jesus? Would you limit the amount of money you would use to make a difference in the life of a friend or a family member?
Money is an asset we have been given to increase the wealth Jesus has entrusted us with. When doing this, there is power in that asset. There is no greater use of the money we have here on Earth, then to use it in a way to impact the eternal life of others.
Keith Sampson
Executive Coordinator – God of Hope