Multiplying Your LifeSample

Description

There is a lot of teaching out there on how you handle your money as a believer. We will, however, approach this lesson from a slightly different angle. Who are you at your core? On what, or Whom, do you base your identity? This, in fact, will determine how you view and use your money.  

Money is a commodity - a tool that we use to accomplish something. To begin putting finances in perspective, it would be helpful to think about your money orientation; how you use money to achieve something important to you.

Finances in Perspective

If one of your friends wrote a story about who you are as a person by looking at your last month’s expenses, what would they write? Think about the reasons why money can be attractive:  

• Money as Pleasure (The fun of buying things for yourself or the enjoyment of others.) 
• Money as Prestige (Maintaining a desired lifestyle in order to influence what others think of me.) 
• Money as Protection (Using savings and preparedness as a way of feeling secure.) 
• Money as Power (Using money to have influence and/or control over others.) 

Think about what this may be revealing to you on your primary money orientation. Think about how you introduce yourself: do you mention your job title, your marital and family status, the geographic region you are from? Everything from religious affiliation to favorite sports team to political leaning can be used as a way to identify us. 

However, as a follower of Jesus these don’t explain our identity. According to the Bible, the best identifier for us is found in the little phrase “in Christ”. The words used for this term can actually be interpreted as being “dipped” in Christ. You are totally covered in Him. We have already looked at a few consequences of this. We have Christ, in the person of the Holy Spirit, with us all the time. We have all of Him available to us. If we are coated in Christ then it means our relationship with Him touches everything in our lives; no piece is unimportant to Him and no piece is beyond His control. 

Now consider that this also means everything in our life is under His care. Even though we know everything is “under His care,” why is it sometimes difficult to let Him take control? If you are like many leaders, you may struggle with letting God control the resources at your disposal; especially time and money. For some of us that is because our identity is tied very closely to our position, status or even our portfolio. What may God be telling you about the meaning of money to you and how you use it that may need some re-calibration? We may believe with our minds that our time and finances should be under God’s control, but we struggle in our hearts to trust that He will truly take care of all things if we commit all of our life to Him. This robs us of the joy of being generous with all our resources and keeps us from the peace of knowing God has “everything covered." 

It is not until we truly see our whole identity as being “in Christ” that we will we be truly free to embark on the faith adventures He has for us. Viewing ourselves and all our possessions as “in Christ” is the first and crucial step in becoming a truly generous person. However, generosity actually started with God. There is a clear relationship between God's generosity toward us and our generosity toward others.