October 11, 2022

Money: Trusting God In Need and Abundance

Trusting God with your money is not easy, but it is necessary.

Let’s be honest, there are things in life that are easier to trust God with than others. Like you probably don’t sit awake at night and worry about if the sun will come up in the morning.

But what about the hard stuff?

A lot of people struggle with trusting God with their money. But here’s the good news: Jesus had a lot to say about money and we can learn from His teachings.

Check Out Matthew Chapter 6

Need Vs. Abundance

Everyone comes to conversations about money from a different place. We fall somewhere on a spectrum ranging from need to abundance.

But let’s be clear: no place on the spectrum is more “spiritual” or favored than any other place. Both ends of the spectrum have their challenges, and both are opportunities to trust God.

Trusting God With Your Need

Maybe you’re in a place of need right now. When you read, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,” (Matthew 6:19)  you might think “what treasure?!” We get it.

Need brings with it anxiety, shame, and fear. Trusting God is hard. You might ask yourself, “What will happen to me if  God doesn’t come through?”

In Matthew 6, Jesus says do not be anxious. Your Heavenly Father sees your needs, and He wants to supply them. Check it out:

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? (Matthew 6:25-27)

In times of need, you learn to trust God with your fears, anxiety, and worries. What would it look like for you to place your needs in God’s hand this week? 

Trusting God with You Abundance

On the other end of the spectrum is a place of abundance. You can cover all of your expenses with some left over. Abundance carries with it the hope of security, satisfaction, and peace.

However, in times of abundance, we can easily begin to believe that God is not the supplier of our needs. Money creeps into places in your heart where God should be.

Money affords you the ability to say, “my will be done on Earth.” You have the financial means to get what you want. So, are your desires in line with God’s?

In Matthew 6, Jesus urges you to put eternal pursuits first. Check it out:

 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)

In times of abundance, you learn to trust God with your desires. What would it look like for you to let God shape your desires this week? 

Money is a heart Issue

Whether you’re coming to the conversation today in a place of abundance or need, Jesus is asking the same question: Are you willing to trust?

There’s no area of our lives not impacted by our experience and our attitude toward money. Money is neither good nor evil, but the way you interact with it is.

“WHERE YOUR TREASURE IS, THERE YOUR HEART WILL BE ALSO.

Money preys on our desires, which is why Jesus specifically connects it to our hearts. Matthew 6:21 says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

No matter where you fall on the spectrum of need to abundance, money is vying for a place in your heart, and you must wrestle with these questions:

So, how do we trust God with our money?

We have to change the way we view the world.

1. Reject a lens of scarcity

We often view finances, blessings, and opportunities through the lens of scarcity. We feel pressured to get what we want before someone else gets it.

Pitcher

Picture a pitcher with water in it.

When you view blessings like water in a pitcher, you get stuck thinking there’s only so much to go around.

As blessings are poured into someone’s life, that inevitably means there is less in the pitcher for you.

If it’s hard for you to rejoice when others succeed, it could be because you are living in a scarcity mindset.

2. See the world through the lens of abundance.

Blessings are not water in a pitcher. They’re not limited, they’re not running out.

Instead, picture a water hose, that doesn’t run out. You are connected to the source of it all. Instead of thinking woe is me in times of need, be faithful and do the things God has asked you to do and let God bless you when the time is right.

This picture changes everything.

When you view the world through abundance, you can be generous. You don’t feel afraid to pour out blessings because you know there is more than enough to go around.

You can be open-handed with your life, knowing whatever you have is not yours anyway.

So, how do you trust God? Believe that the source of security, peace, blessing, and hope is your Heavenly Father. He knows your needs, and He wants to supply them. Will you let Him?

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