Money and God

God is the god of everything, doesn't that make Him the god of money too?

I recently did a sermon for the End of the Matter Ministries' YouTube channel titled "Parable of Blessing Greed" that begins with a puzzling story about the dishonest manager from Luke 16:1-9, "He also said to the disciples, 'There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.'"

Doesn't God bless those he is pleased with and curse those that are against his people? In America today shouldn't that equate with having money and material possessions as being equivalent of God saying to those that have them, "Good and faithful servant."?

When I read that scripture, I get confused. It sounds like the dishonest manager got paid. I believe this is the point Yeshua (Jesus) made. People of this world know how to treat each other and benefit each other. They are "shrewd in dealing with their generation," and the sons of light are not doing a good job. OK, that makes sense, but the advice after that is confusing.

"make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth," --Jesus

"And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings." Christians need to be using the wealth of this world to help each other because this invests in friendships in eternity.

The wicked help each other, but it only goes as far as this world. Yeshua is telling us this is what God wants for his people. He says in verses 10-12, "'One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own?'" This puts your wealth in this world on the line. If God has blessed you with financial resources, think about why.

Luke 16:13 "No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

After Yeshua speaks to another rich man in the Bible, he explains to his disciples in Luke 18 verses 24b and 25, "'How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.'” Tradition teaches that we are blessed financially and with good health because we follow God, but the scripture here suggests something different.

God wants all of us, and when we start relying on ourselves, it gets hard to turn that security over to do His will. God may have blessed your work, but don't treat it as though you have crossed the finish line. When Paul was talking about running his race and crossing the finish line, he was talking about his death.

We should all want to become like Christ. Whatever our circumstances or because of our circumstances, we should be asking God what we need to learn and how he can use us.

I encourage you to keep praying for discernment and keep reading your Bible.

May God bless you.