Proverbs 8:18 Riches and honor are with me, Enduring riches and righteousness.
The heavenly minded store enduring riches and righteousness in the vault in heaven, not on earth. Money is not evil, only the greed of money is. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10). It is not true that the heavenly minded should be poor or have a steady financial status (Proverbs 13:22). However, insatiable voracity to hoard wealth becomes a snare to the soul. The world offers ways to make quick money. Bribe, flattery and cheating are shortcuts to become rich but enduring wealth comes from the Lord.
The devil tried to lure Jesus to worship him in exchange for worldly wealth. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” (Matthew 4:9). His tricks haven’t changed for 6,000 years. He enticed Eve with the glamorous forbidden fruit but could not tempt Jesus with the glittering gold of the very world that He created! However, the trickster has blinded some to become workaholic, phony flatterers and greedy burglars who value currency more than character. When money becomes an idol, it automatically becomes their object of worship and adoration.
Jesus has taught us to be good stewards of money. We should rule over money; our wealth shouldn’t rule over us. “Wise people know that all their money belongs to God” – John Piper. It is not just the tithe (1/10th of our income) but the entire income package including the perks, belong to God. We are not the owners of our wealth, we are only stewards of our wealth.
Three truths to swap money with heavenly real estate:
1. Voluntary: Giving to God is voluntary, yet should be regular. On the first day of the week each of you should set aside and save whatever one can afford. (1 Corinthians 16:2). We must tithe before we spend the money on our needs or wants. Abraham tithed before there was a rule or law to give. God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7b), not a cribbing giver who thinks he is giving away his life savings. Give voluntarily and not out of compulsion.
2. Value: The unit of measure is the ‘value’ not the ‘volume’. $100 is 50% of the income of a man who earns $200 a week but it is only 1% for the one who earns $10,000 a week. God measures the sacrifice (value) not the amount (volume). Jesus commended the widow who put two very small copper coins in the offering bag. Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them (Luke 21:3). God measures the sacrifice.
- Vault: Store in the vault in Heaven not in the storehouse on the earth. Jesus called those who find security in their worldly wealth, “fools”. ‘Fool, tonight you will die. Now who will get the things you have prepared for yourself?’ (Luke 12:20). The barns in heaven will overflow with riches when we give sacrificially, selflessly and secretly. Generosity floods the secret vaults in heaven.
All our income, savings, shares, properties and possessions belong to God. Store up your treasures in Heaven.
Proverbs 13:22 “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children.”
Prayer: Father of Wisdom, Make me wise to invest my wealth as a good steward to build security in my vault in heaven. Amen.
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