The reason for the
blessings
Nothing interferes more with Christians’ ability to serve God than their need to
earn, in order to pay and buy. An observer from 100 years ago would be awestruck by the
improvement in our living standard and by the amount of leisure time our technology now
provides us. In addition, we now live an average of 18 years longer than we did 100 years
ago and have at least one-third more disposable income per family. When all of these
factors are weighed, together with the fact that in America alone there are perhaps 20
million Christians, it seems clear that Christians ought to be spreading the message of
the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world much better than they are presently doing.1
The simple truth is that most American Christians are too busy to be involved in
fulfilling Jesus’ Great Commission, as recorded in Mark 16:15. We have grown
complacent and comfortable in God’s blessings and have forgotten Jesus’ mandate.
Since God asks for obedience rather than demanding it, many Christians have simply ignored
the very reason for God’s blessings: to glorify Him and to honor His commandments.
God calls each of us to fill the gap in order to spread His Gospel to all parts of the
world. Like Esther, every believer must decide either to be used of God or to be bypassed
and allow another to be chosen instead. Most American Christians would never refuse to do
God’s will; it’s just that the timing is not right. They allow the urgent things
of this society to overshadow the important things of God.
We have enough money in North America to fund all the Christian work in the world
if the people of God would just give. But although the desire to give may be there, most
Christians in America are so caught up in making money and buying bigger and better
things, and paying for the things that they already have, that they have lost their focus
on the unsaved world. They feel that they cannot give because they are so encumbered by
debt that they cannot see how they can give. In essence, the Gospel has literally become
shackled because money needed for worldwide ministry is tied up in personal debt and large
monthly payments.2
Seek first
His kingdom
The very best investment a person can make is an investment in the kingdom of God. The
Lord admonishes us to seek first His kingdom instead of worrying about material
possessions. “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things
will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). American Christians today have a greater
abundance available to them on a day-to-day basis than any previous generation. On the
other hand, there has never been a generation of Christians so caught up in worry about
possessions as this present day generation. However, it’s not the material things
that cause the difficulties; it is materialism, which is a matter of heart attitude.
Basically, materialism means that a person is more dedicated to accumulating material
things than in serving God. Without a doubt, the evidence of the lives of most Christians
in America shows that this generation’s dedication is to materialism. “For
where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21).
I believe that the admonition to “seek first the kingdom of God” is
given by the Lord as a contrast to worrying about material possessions. I am convinced
that the ministry of Crown Financial Ministries has been brought into existence by God to
teach God’s people God’s principles of finance so that they can be free of debt
and the worry that accompanies debt, in order to help fund the spread of the Gospel
worldwide. Once Christians become financially free of personal debt, he believes that they
will have a greater abundance for which to fund the Gospel’s outreach to the “remotest
part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).3
Ownership
or stewardship?
Although giving so that God’s servants can take His message throughout the world is
an outward material expression of a deeper spiritual commitment and is an indication of a
willing and obedient heart, making such a commitment is almost impossible unless
Christians take the first step in becoming financially free and transferring ownership of
all material possessions to God. This means money, time, family, material possessions,
education—even earning potential for the future. God’s Word says that we must be
willing to transfer ownership of every material thing in our possession to Him if we truly
want to be financially free.
When we recognize that God owns everything and all blessings come from Him, our role as
managers, or stewards, becomes evident. When we view ourselves as owners and not managers,
we’ll look at every other aspect of our lives the same way. Each of us will see
himself or herself as the person in charge, but that can change quickly in the face of
circumstances beyond our control. But if God is the owner and we are simply His stewards,
we need only to be concerned with how best to manage His possessions. In so doing, money
is no longer our possession, it is God’s possession, which we hold in trust. But
because we will have to give an account of how well we managed His material goods and
possessions, we must to the best of our ability use the money as we feel He would use it
and in a manner that is pleasing to Him.4
As stewards of God’s possessions that have been entrusted to them, Christians must
ask whether God would be pleased with their stewardship or with the way that they have
spent His money. Would God be pleased with His steward indulging in material excess, while
His servants who are striving to take His Gospel to the far corners of the earth, are in
need and in want? Would God be pleased with His steward using His money to satisfy
personal selfish desires at the expense of the unsaved? Would He be pleased that His
stewards all too often choose to fulfill their own directive rather than to fulfill His
Great Commission?
Conclusion
There is no greater investment than an investment into the kingdom of God. But today so
many Christians are so far in debt that they cannot even begin to honor God’s
mandate, although they might truly want to. But debt is a mountain that can be overcome—one
step at a time. Step number one is to give all possessions to God. Step two is to manage
His possessions in a way that is pleasing to Him, in accordance with His principles of
finance. Then once debt has been brought under control, the Gospel must be liberally
funded throughout the world.
1 Larry Burkett, Giving and Tithing, Moody Press,
1991, p. 5
2 Larry Burkett, Giving and Tithing, Moody Press, 1991, pp. 52-53
3 Larry Burkett, Christian Financial Concepts staff devotions, 2000
4 Larry Burkett, Giving and Tithing, Moody Press, 1991, pp. 25-26
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