Devotional--Money, Part I

2 Corinthians 8:1-7

8We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that has been granted to the churches of Macedonia; 2for during a severe ordeal of affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3For, as I can testify, they voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means, 4begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints— 5and this, not merely as we expected; they gave themselves first to the Lord and, by the will of God, to us, 6so that we might urge Titus that, as he had already made a beginning, so he should also complete this generous undertaking among you. 7Now as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you—so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking.

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We begin talking about money by not talking about money.  Any other way would have been so obvious!  We'll be talking about money soon enough, but first we need to talk about wealth, for we need to keep money in its natural place--as simply one thing among many.

It's easy to define wealth as simply having a laughable amount of money, which enables us to go and buy whatever and whenever we want.  When we do this, we are placing an uncomfortable emphasis on the importance of money in our lives.

Instead, let's look at wealth as being rich in any number of things.  Here, the church in Macedonia has extreme poverty but a wealth of generosity.  They give according to their means, and some beyond it, but they had generous hearts.  You can have a wealth of love to spend, or a wealth of knowledge to share, or a wealth of gratitude to give away.  You can spend more than money--the love and energy you invest in another person pays another type of dividend, one that cannot be measured on the stock market but is surely known in the halls of heaven.  

Accumulating wealth isn't simply about accumulating money.  When we begin to define wealth as broader than money, then money begins to assume its proper place, and we have defeated some of its power in our lives.  If you can be 'rich in good deeds', as it says in the verse from 1 Timothy below, then we are beginning to let God define what true wealth is, and we are open to pathways where God may lead us that may not be financially rewarding, but will allow us to accumulate and spend wealth that is not money.  In doing so, we see the world through new, Kingdom focused eyes, realizing what is truly important to God and how best to live serving God.

Blessings

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1 Timothy 6:17-19

17 As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.¹⁸They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, ¹⁹thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.