God and Money
Scripture Reading — Ecclesiastes 5:10-20
Those who love money never have enough; those who love wealth are never satisfied with their income.
Ecclesiastes 5:10
Grandma came home from church just as happy as a little girl with a new doll. “Oh, that young new preacher is wonderful!” she said. “What did he preach about?” asked her adult children, as they shared Sunday dinner together. “He preached on grace,” she explained.
The next week grandma was exultant. “That new preacher of ours is so good; this time he preached on faith.”
The following week, grandma came home in a rage. She let off more steam than the mashed potatoes.
“Mother, what happened today with that nice young preacher?”
“That young man quit preaching and started meddling; today he talked about money!”
Though this is a made-up story, the ugly truth it reveals is not. We can comfortably hear and talk about “spiritual things,” but when the talk turns to our money, we can get quite sensitive. We think money is a private matter that ought to be kept between us and our banker, and we want no meddling.
But the Bible talks more about money, wealth, and poverty than about faith or grace. God keeps a close eye on the way we earn and spend his money. This month we will look at a number of passages that instruct believers how to gain and use the resources God gives us.
Giver of all good gifts, please open our hearts to your counsel and will about all the resources you have given us. Detach us from service to them, and free us to serve you. Amen.
About the author — Kent Van Til
Kent Van Til was a missionary in Costa Rica. He taught theological ethics both there and in the USA. He is the author of four books. The most recent is a spiritual biography of his grandmother entitled, "A Name for Herself: A Dutch Immigrant's Story." Kent likes to fish, hunt, make music, and entertain his grandchildren.
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