The most often used item in our daily life is MONEY!
Last Sunday, we had a Church class conducted by the Pastor after worship service, talking about money. The big question of the class is: “God’s money or mine?”
As we broke into groups, I thought everyone wanted to play it safe and since the class was conducted by the pastor, we all unanimously agreed that it’s God’s money and we are his stewards to what He has given us.
Sure enough, the Pastor gave the following verses to support his view that the money we have is God’s money:
Psa 24:1
The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
1Chron 29:11,12
Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all.
12 Wealth and honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all.
One brother also quoted Deut 8:17,18
You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." 18 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.
Interestingly though, near the end, one sister, Mrs. Catherine Goh, spoke up: “After I give 10% to God, the money is mine. And I can use the money for shopping!”
Is she wrong?
Did the Bible specifically says that money belong to God even though you have it in your hand?
If you look at the verses – Psa 24:1&2 and 1 Chron 29:11&12 - the psalmist (who is David) is thinking in general terms that everything ultimately comes from God. I don’t think that when they said this, they are thinking about money belongs to God, but that you and I belong to God so He gave us strength to get it.
Last Sunday, we had a Church class conducted by the Pastor after worship service, talking about money. The big question of the class is: “God’s money or mine?”
As we broke into groups, I thought everyone wanted to play it safe and since the class was conducted by the pastor, we all unanimously agreed that it’s God’s money and we are his stewards to what He has given us.
Sure enough, the Pastor gave the following verses to support his view that the money we have is God’s money:
Psa 24:1
The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
1Chron 29:11,12
Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all.
12 Wealth and honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all.
One brother also quoted Deut 8:17,18
You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." 18 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.
Interestingly though, near the end, one sister, Mrs. Catherine Goh, spoke up: “After I give 10% to God, the money is mine. And I can use the money for shopping!”
Is she wrong?
Did the Bible specifically says that money belong to God even though you have it in your hand?
If you look at the verses – Psa 24:1&2 and 1 Chron 29:11&12 - the psalmist (who is David) is thinking in general terms that everything ultimately comes from God. I don’t think that when they said this, they are thinking about money belongs to God, but that you and I belong to God so He gave us strength to get it.
But there is a clearer verse that talk about God's money:
"The silver is mine, and the gold is mine," says the LORD of hosts (Haggai 2:8)
Jesus Christ has more to say about money (from the earthly perspective):
There’s a story about the Pharisees coming to ask Jesus a question:
Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"
But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax." They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?"
"Caesar's," they replied.
Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."
(Mat 22:17-21)
What do you think Jesus is saying?
Is money belongs to God?
Is money belongs to you and I?
Money belongs to Caesar!! --- the government of the country.
There’s a story about the Pharisees coming to ask Jesus a question:
Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"
But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax." They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?"
"Caesar's," they replied.
Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."
(Mat 22:17-21)
What do you think Jesus is saying?
Is money belongs to God?
Is money belongs to you and I?
Money belongs to Caesar!! --- the government of the country.
I take out my $50 dollar bill and I see the face of my former president. On it is the signature of the chairman of the monetary authority of Singapore. The dollar bills also stated: “This note is legal tender FIFTY DOLLARS”
So, the money I have belongs to the country of Singapore but given to me for transaction of anything that is legally worth fifty dollars.
Such is the power of money, the more I have, the more I can do anything of that’s worth.
And money has power that can be a god. Jesus Christ goes on to say:
"No one can serve two masters. 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 both God and Money. (Mat 6:24)
Here we see that Money is a rival to God for our servanthood. Either you serve God or serve Money. No other option is given to us. Matthew 6:24 makes it very clear that Money does not belong to God. In fact, it is evil (as stated in Richard Foster's book on Money, Sex and Power)and challenges God for our services.
“Fools serve money and leave it all behind. Shrewd believers serve God and invest in eternity.”
So, the money I have belongs to the country of Singapore but given to me for transaction of anything that is legally worth fifty dollars.
Such is the power of money, the more I have, the more I can do anything of that’s worth.
And money has power that can be a god. Jesus Christ goes on to say:
"No one can serve two masters. 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 both God and Money. (Mat 6:24)
Here we see that Money is a rival to God for our servanthood. Either you serve God or serve Money. No other option is given to us. Matthew 6:24 makes it very clear that Money does not belong to God. In fact, it is evil (as stated in Richard Foster's book on Money, Sex and Power)and challenges God for our services.
“Fools serve money and leave it all behind. Shrewd believers serve God and invest in eternity.”
Want to know how to invest in eternity?
What is your view about money?
PTL
PTL
5 comments:
Hi Uncle Mark,
After reading your blog, I couldn't help but want to comment haha but I've to prepare for my FYP presentation tomorrow, so I shall just leave a precursor here (:
Frankly, I felt relieved when you went up to voice your opinions on Sunday. Like what you said and probably how Aunty Catherine felt, I was about to go home that day feeling extremely burdened and was already preparing to go home and contemplate seriously what I'm doing with my money. Perhaps even giving more to missions and spending less on pleasures. In a sense, I felt guilty. But something like what you mentioned, God is not sadistic, He wants us to enjoy life as well.
And what Josiah said hit back at me. I felt humbled by what he gave as an answer to my question about tithing. I think I've been too legalistic (like the Pharisees!). I've been finding myself questioning my fundamental understandings about the faith more recently. And what he said is very true, that God loves a cheerful giver. In a sense, I think this applies to what you mentioned as well (about what we do with the 90%). At the end of the day, I'm convinced now that we've to be joyful in giving.
A word from God at a opportune time I must say!
Jia Lin,
Thanks for your comment.
I spoke up last Sunday because I felt that many of us were tense, especially when Catherine talk about shopping. I believe many of the sisters will be thinking. "What, so now, no more shopping."
Of course, I am not promoting impulsive or liberal spending as one brother spend me an email, accusing me of that. Use money to bless others and also re-charge yourself. If shopping is how you re-charge, do it but not going overboard. That is what I am saying. It is an earthyly thing.
I will keep it short here.
I have found the verse that specifically stated that money belong to God.
Haggai 2:8 "The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the LORD of hosts."
This is stated in the context that the Jews are living in comfort and the house of God is in ruins
Hi Mark
I was doing some thinking myself. As a parent I give my child allowance. How she spends that money is up to her, I've given it to her, she has the right. But if she makes the wrong decision, she has to suffer the consequence. E.g. if she overspends on unnecessary things then she has no saving or no money for recess etc. So drawing some parallel, I was thinking, God has given us the money,right, or else it will be quite senseless to say we "give" tithes when the money is not ours to begin with! I've always lived by the principle that it is ok to spend provided we live within our means and spend wisely. I also look at value for dollar rather than the absolute price of things.
The more I think about it, the more I feel that if we try to see from the standpoint of a parent, then I think we can begin to understand a bit more about God's heart. He certainly is no sadist, and He certainly does not demand we give at all cost.
That's my 2 cents.
Hi Luh Sy,
Thanks for your thoughts and I think they are worth more than 2 cents! :)
The big question "God's money or mine" hits me because I too feel that it is a wrong question to start with and it linger in me a long time. God is not that calculative that after giving us "HIS money", He still insist that it is HIS MONEY.
There is a verse that I have memorise since young:
Rom 8:32 - He who did not spare His own Son, but gave him up for us all, will He not also give us all things with Him?
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