For the Love of Money

It's just money.  We all have it sitting around.  Right?

I know your heart lurched and you shook your head, No.  No way, we don't have extra money.  Not over here.  Look away.

The truth is we do.  We do.  The money to buy a new pair of shoes when we have ten.  The money to pay someone to cook our next meal.  The money to buy more television to be piped into our house.  The money to pay large phone bills--much larger than those we used to have.  The money to go on vacation.  The money to buy a three dollar drink.  The money to buy cars, houses, boats, equipment, toys.

At this age, I look back over my life and think of all the times I had this feeling that I HAD to buy something or my life would not be complete.  No, seriously, I had that feeling.  I had it especially with my kids.  Oh my goodness, they want this latest, greatest gadget--I must get it for them.  They want this latest style shirt--they must have it to look like everyone else.  Crazy stuff that later was either tossed aside, broken, or forgotten.

Money.

I admit I've always had a love affair with it.  I like it.  I like when I feel like I have extra.  It feels secure.  I hate it when I don't have extra and am skating by making plans to keep the bank account out of overdraft.

I took the kids out to eat last week.  Of course, they picked the most expensive restaurant we could go to and, of course, I took them.  Later, I looked at the charge in my bank account and shook my head at the extravagance.  Have you ever done that?  I think they call it buyer's remorse.  It's a real thing.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am happy to support people in their endeavors to earn a living.  That's how this barter system works, but sometimes I am faced with the reality that my blessings are meant to do more than provide extravagance for my family.  But are they?

I don't need to be trendy.  I don't need the latest jewelry style.  I don't need shoes just like yours because they look so cute on you.  I don't need to make sure my kids look like your kids.  I don't need to impress you with my money.  Those things are all distractions and they never fill the hole inside of us.  Why?  Because nowhere in the Bible does it instruct us to do any of these things.

Even in 1 ThElisa* it does not say, "Thou shalt buy a box of junk for $50 so each season you can have trendy stuff like sweet Sadie Robertson or Tori Spelling."

Nope.  Not there.  Do you know what it says?  Over and over.  Take care of the orphans and widows.  Love your neighbor.  Care for the poor.  Am I doing this?

Just recently I had the opportunity to give.  I wanted to do it.  However, I admit that my mind went to the long list of things I could do with the money.  I literally checked off all the ways I could spend the money I knew God was asking me to give.  I kept having to remind myself over and over that it was given money.  I finally wrote the check and stuck it in an envelope while I waited for the mailing address, so I would know that I did not turn back.  I wanted to give it and I was going to do it!  I was going to overcome the whispers of Satan to keep it.

I've wasted money and I am sure I will waste it again in my life, but my prayer is that I will be so close to the Lord that I will hear Him and ask Him before I spend my money.  After all, it's His money anyway.

I see us make social media posts selling things like we need money.  I know the jobs we have, the cars we drive, the houses we live in and in my mind I feel a niggle that tells me it isn't right.  You know we all have money.  You know we are wasting money.  You know we should be giving instead of taking. I encourage you to give it away. 

Are you gripped by fear of giving it away?  Don't be.  Over and over the Bible tells us that God takes care of us.

I have literally walked in my closet and said, "God, I really need some new clothes.  I don't have the money, but you know my need."  And I promise someone would come to me and say, "I was going through my closet and thought of you.  Would you take these clothes?"

I have done the same thing with shoes and I haven't done it just one time--I've done it multiple times.  Each time I would pray for this, the Lord would send someone to provide for my need.  Again and again.  The Lord provides.  The Lord Provides.

After all, it is one of His many names....Jehovah Jireh!


*P.S.  You can go digging through your Bible, but there is no 1 ThElisa.  But, if there was it would say things like, 1 ThElisa 1:9, "Thou shall not park in both lanes of a circle drive.  Thou shall not wear leggings with a shirt that doesn't cover your backside.  Thou shall read from a book every day.  Thou shall think a lot about everything!"