BIBLICAL STEWARDSHIP TRUTHS-PART 1
By: Barry G. Allen
Week 3- My Testimony-Continued
I am one of those fortunate Christians whose parents began teaching me and holding me accountable at an early age about the importance and the role of Christian financial stewardship in my relationship to Christ and to other human beings. Most everything I know and do in the Christian discipline of financial stewardship can be traced to my parents’ examples. The Bible was their source, and God’s Holy Spirit was their strength and guide. This week I continue to share with you the Biblical truths that have made a difference in my life with the confidence they also will make a difference in your life, if you abide by them.
What does the Bible say about money and possessions? (continued)
Biblical truth #4: Contentment comes from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, not from money or possessions. The Apostle Paul gives us this perspective in Philippians 4:11-13: “…for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation…I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Also, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Heb. 13:5).
Biblical truth #5: We are not to love money; such will rob us of true riches. Wealth is temporal. 1 Tim. 6:7 reminds us “for we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” Beware of the trap about which the Apostle Paul warns us in verses 9-10, “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil….”
Prayer focus: Pray for an openness that God can use daily to help you find contentment by letting Him, not money, be your one and only God.
Next week: My Testimony (continued)