Welcome to week six of this study. This week’s focus is money or rather the love of it. I am looking forward to this and what we will learn. As always remember to pray for wisdom and understanding and for the Lord to open your heart to His truth. Not so fun fact, Mammon is the name of the demon of greed and covetousness…

Scripture

Matthew 6:19-21
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Devotional

GOD AND MAMMON

The Bible tells us that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills, Psalms 50:10 For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills, but we can also know that He owns every dollar in every bank account on the planet. Stating it this way is less poetic perhaps, but maybe it hits a little closer to home. Isn’t it hard to remember that everything we have is His, and that we need to spend it in the way He would want us to?

We are not supposed to store up treasure here on earth for ourselves; we are to store up treasure in heaven. (see also Luke 12:33-34 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.) Warren Wiersbe has said we are to invest our money in “making friends” for the Lord (Luke 16:9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.) We are to use what God has entrusted to us to build bridges, develop relationships, display generosity, and extend a helping hand. He is able to take our measly mammon and multiply it by His magnificent might and amazing grace to bring many, many, many into His heavenly mansion.

What if you were to literally sit down with Jesus and have Him look at your checking account? What would be your percentage of giving to the Lord? How much did you give to your church, to world evangelism, to your neighbors who are in need, or to the poor. (Proverbs 19:17 He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.) As much as we may say that we are giving our ALL for Jesus, our checkbooks may say otherwise. Does He really have control and leadership in all of our financial decisions?

PRAISE HIM

The lovingkindness of God is more than any earthly or monetary treasure. He is our All in all.

Psalms 106:1-2
Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? who can shew forth all his praise?

ADMIT YOUR SIN

With a penitent heart, make your confession before Him.

THANK HIM

Thank you, Lord, for giving me everything I need. Thank you for giving me what is best for me and holding back the things that would hurt me. Thank you, Lord, for all of the riches and blessings you have given.

Psalms 95:1-5
O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.
The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.

ASK HIM

Ask the Lord to help you more fully see Him and His provision of Himself and his love for you. May He make you rich in Him.

Ephesians 1:18-20
The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

My Own Thoughts

I know many of us have had thoughts about attaining some sort of worldly riches at some point in our lives. If we had gotten it, would we have really spent it on the Lord or even on good things? I think for myself the Lord has watched over me in so many ways I never would have guessed. Little secret blessings that are not uncovered until later in life as you reflect over how the Lord had your back even before you asked Him too! Great and Wonderful is our Lord!

Until next time beloved, please have a wonderful remainder of your day and as always stay peculiar!