In
Your Bible Read This Out Loud: 2 Corinthians 12:14
Memorise
This Verse: Proverbs 13:11 'Dishonest money dwindles away, but he
who gathers money little by little makes it grow'.
Afterwards
Talk About This: Should we save for a rainy day or save to
invest into the Kingdom of God.
Something
To Do Before Next Time: If God has spoken to you, open a bank
account to save money that can be invested into the Kingdom of God.
Written
Diploma Work: Write one side commenting on 1 Corinthians
16:1-4
Meditate
Word By Word On This Verse: Mark 14:6
Mark
14:1-9 tells the story of a woman who came and anointed Jesus with a jar
of very expensive perfume that was worth a year's wages - Jesus himself
said that wherever the gospel is preached in the world this story would
be told in memory of her and it is from this story that we start to look
at the role of saving money for the work of God.
Doubtless
the fact that the woman was a giver and she gave a large gift was a
credit to her, but a further point of note is that John 12:7 shows she
had diligently saved up her money for the express purpose of ministering
to the Lord. You can tell what people are devoted to by what they save
up for, some save for a holiday, or a car or a pension - all of which in
the right context is quite proper. However, if we want to be lifetime
givers into the work of world mission and feeding the poor and we claim
that we are devoted to it should we not also be saving towards it as
well?
As we
have seen previously, whilst the bible is not completely dogmatic on
this point, it would appear that over and above the tithe, we as
believers should be open to the leading of Holy Spirit to give offerings
to certain people and projects as we feel led to do so. For example,
having given our tithe either on a weekly or monthly basis perhaps extra
money could be set aside each month for a project in a foreign country
or to support a missionary. Perhaps you could set yourself a goal to hit
by a certain period and join with others in giving into a common account
that could be sent to bless a person or a project in a different
country. This method will certainly require discipline and giving will
have to be done in a regular, systematic basis but the result of giving
a large financial gift at the end of it really makes it all worth it.
Due to
the society we live in you don't really have to teach people how to
spend their money in fact, spending money is the one area that most
people are highly developed in. However on the other hand saving money
is the one are that most people have problems with as it is much easier
and more enjoyable to spend our money than it is to save it. Through
saving money we can have a large financial gift to pass on to a worthy
person or project and earn interest on the amount invested as well.
Perhaps there is a person or a project that God has placed on your heart
to save up your money for why not start today to save up to invest money
into the souls of lost men and women instead of saving up for earthly
pleasures and possessions.
Perhaps
one of the saddest parables that Jesus ever spoke was the parable of the
rich fool in Luke 12:13-21. Here was a man who didn't save his money up
to use into the work of the Kingdom of God but saved his possessions up
for his own selfish purposes - even building bigger barns to lay up all
that he had. Can you imagine how this man would have felt on judgement
day when God Almighty called him a fool (verse 20?) it's one thing for
man to call you a fool, or an employer or a parent but how terrible when
it is God who calls you a fool. Perhaps you have you spent all your life
saving up your money just for yourself? saving is a great thing to do
but if it is all for yourself and not a penny is saved with a view to
extend God's Kingdom then you are in danger of being called a fool on
judgement day.
1
Corinthians 16:1 provides the best biblical example of saving here, Paul
exhorts the Corinthian churches to save up money for the poor Jerusalem
Saints until he himself came to the Corinthian church. 'On
the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of
money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come, no
collections will have to be made'.
Notice
that Paul's method was to save each week such that he expected people to
be regular and systematic in their saving. In fact this principle of
regularly saving money for the use of the work of God is further spoken
of in Proverbs 13:11, 'Dishonest money dwindles
away, but he who gathers it little by little makes it grow'.
In his
second book to the Corinthians, Paul further illuminates this idea of
saving money in chapters 8 & 9 which are the greatest text on giving
in the entire bible. From the scripture below we can draw 3 facts about
having what is referred to as a 'Store of seed' - namely a place where
our money is stored so that it can be distributed when needed.
1) God
wants us to have store of seed
2) God
will supply us with a store of seed
3) God
will increase our store of seed
2
Corinthians 9:10 'Now he who supplies seed to the
sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of
seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness'.
Finally,
once again in his second letter to the Corinthian churches, Paul brings
forth a further reason for believers to save money and that is to obtain
for themselves spiritual children and give towards their spiritual
growth. For example, 2 Corinthians 12:14 says, 'After
all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents
for their children. So I will very gladly spend for you everything I
have and expend myself as well'. Paul contrast the fact that just
as natural parents save for their children then spiritual parents should
also save and invest money in their spiritual children.
For
example, let us suppose that you desire to see orphans and abandoned
children cared for but you are not called to the mission field and as a
result you decide to save on a regular basis to send a gift to help
establish an orphanage. As a result of giving you become a partner with
the missionaries who run the orphanage and the children who get saved
now become not only the missionaries spiritual children but they also
become your spiritual children as well as your money helped in the
process of seeing them saved. Having seen them saved you could then give
on a regular basis for years to come and constantly give financially so
they may receive spiritual input and instruction.
Perhaps
you don't have children of our own? Why not start saving now and obtain
for yourself many spiritual children from around the world. Jesus said
that those who get saved as a result of our financial giving will
welcome us into eternal dwellings (Luke 16:9) if you catch a vision of
this then many spiritual children will one day thank you for investing
your money in them. Why not form a Partnership with a missionary or a
missions based project and through your giving and their labours you
help each other gather spiritual children under your care whom you can
spend many years investing into.
A
House of Prayer for the Poorer Nations
Pray for Haiti
8,222,025
people, 95% Christian - many nominal.
Country bound by voodoo and black magic,
church starting to engage these forces.
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