Understanding God’s ultimate ownership means that we also recognize our role as conduits of his resources. We were not put on this earth to amass treasures for ourselves but to let treasure pass through us and back to a greater purpose. The “get all we can while we can” mind-set that most of us live with is what has driven our culture’s financial health off a cliff. In our ignorance, we have turned out perspective away from God and placed it on earthly things that will pass away.
Whether we like to admit it or not, most of us live under the impression that the most important thing we can do on this earth is accumulate wealth. But by clutching our material possessions as we constantly search for more, we are fighting a battle we’ve already lost. When John D. Rockefeller died, he left all his wealth behind–and so will you. Not only that, but you will be held accountable for what you did with it while you were on this earth.
By clutching our material possessions as we constantly search for more, we are fighting a battle we've already lost. Click To TweetPaul reminds us in Romans 14:12 that one day “each of us will give a personal account to God.” In 2 Corinthians 5:10, he reiterates, “For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.” That goes as much for how we handled our money as anything else. Perhaps more so, especially given Jesus’s affirmation in Matthew 6:21: “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”
God is examining where we are laying up our treasure while we are on this earth–or, to think of it in Jesus’s terms, where the desires of our hearts are focused–and we will have to give an account. In his great work on this subject, Money, Possessions, and Eternity, Randy Alcorn writes, “One day everyone must answer these three questions: Where did it all go? What did I spend it on? What has been accomplished for eternity through my use of all this wealth?”
And make no mistake, if you are reading this book, it’s a safe bet you are wealthy by the world’s standards. You may not feel like you manage a fortune, but if you are fortunate enough to have warm clothes, a roof over your head, and enough food to eat, you are extremely affluent in the grand scheme of things.
Alcorn illustrates when he says, “Take for example a man or woman who works from age twenty-five to sixty-five and makes ‘only’ $25,000 a year….This person of modest income (by our standards) will receive a million dollars. He or she will manage a fortune.” How will he manage it? How will you?
–Nelson Searcy and Jennifer Dykes Henson
The above excerpt is from pgs. 27-29 of The Generosity Ladder: Your Next Step to Financial Peace.
Help your people find financial peace with my best-selling book, The Generosity Ladder. Imagine a life in which you don’t struggle to make ends meet each month–a life with no debt, a healthy savings account, and solid plans for retirement. Imagine being able to help people in need and give to causes much bigger than your own concerns. This is how God wants everyone to live. And it is attainable. With the help of this practical and insightful book, your people will uncover their true level of financial health and discover a step-by-step plan to save, spend, and invest money in a responsible, godly way. Click here for more information on ordering in bulk for your church.
Your partner in ministry,
Nelson
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