Some time ago I was in church listening to a sermon that was (do I even need to say it?) very biblical. I wish it were true that all sermons, given from all pulpits and venues, were biblical. Unfortunately, in today’s church, sometimes politically charged and culturally infected sermons can veer from biblical truth. It’s not that biblical truth doesn’t change our politics or culture. It should. As long as that is the case and not the other way around. Politics and culture must not change biblical truth. That’s why Paul praised the Berean’s as having “more noble character” (see Act 17:10-12). The Bereans saw everything through the lens of scripture.
As I said, this sermon was very biblical, but that doesn’t mean it was comfortable. Isn’t it true that when we hear what convicts us, we become uncomfortable? Don’t we want to squirm a little? You can feel it down to your toes. You want to say “this doesn’t really apply to me” when you know it really does. And this sermon was about the granddaddy of all the things that make us feel uncomfortable: Money.
We do it all the time. We hear sermons about money and we shut off. We don’t want to hear it. We say things like, “all they want is our money.” Or, “they’re always talking about money.” Even those of us who think of ourselves as mature Christians can tend to turn off and become callous when the topic of money comes up.
So, what is it about money that makes it such a difficult topic for us? It’s simple, really. We think of money as ours. We earned it, after all! I worked hard for it! Mine, MINE, MINE! The truth is that money is representative of all that is self-centered. And it isn’t money itself that is bad. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” says the Apostle Paul. And it gets worse “Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs“ (1 Tim 6:10). There is good news though. What we tend to hold on to selfishly can be used for good.
Let me share a quote my pastor used in his sermon: “As base a thing as money often is, it yet can be transmuted into everlasting treasure. It can be converted into food for the hungry and clothing for the poor; it can keep a missionary actively winning lost men to the light of the gospel and thus transmute itself into heavenly values…Whatever is given to Christ is immediately touched with immortality” A.W. Tozer. (1)
Pretty awesome if you ask me. Money can be “transmuted into everlasting treasure” if we can loosen our tight grip on it. We have to decide, do we want to “store up treasures for ourselves on earth” or, do we want to “store up treasures for ourselves in heaven” (see Mat 6:19-21). Of course, we don’t have to give every last penny and live an impoverished life. God doesn’t ask us to do that. But we should consider the needs of the church, the spreading of the gospel, the needs of orphans and widows, and ask ourselves if we have more than we need. And yes, this should make us a bit uncomfortable. We should push our boundaries, test our faith, and re-examine ourselves, at least now and then.
Here’s something else. All this doesn’t just apply to money. Even if money may be a touch point for many of us, it is merely representative of our whole life. If we aren’t able to let loose of our money, we probably won’t be able to loosen our grip in other areas of our life either. Or maybe we think that money covers it. We give our share of money so we don’t need to worry about anything else.
My friend, God wants every part of our lives. Not just some of it, but all of it. It isn’t just money that “can be transmuted into everlasting treasure” as Tozer says. No “whatever is given to Christ is immediately touched with immortality.” That is amazing! AMAZING! Everything we do, everything we say, if it is given to Christ is immediately touched with immortality.
I was so struck by this short excerpt, “Whatever is given to Christ is immediately touched with immortality,” that I printed it in bold letters, on card stock, and put it in my wallet. Just to remind myself regularly of the simple concept that my actions, all that I do and say, have eternal consequences. With God’s help I impact eternity. So do you.
So, friends, let’s reevaluate what place money has in our lives. Yes, to the point of being uncomfortable. Are we giving what we should? Are we thinking of others? Is everything we have available to Christ? Even more than that, is everything in our life – what we say, what we do, where we go, how we live – available to Him. Is it touched with immortality?
(1) A.W. Tozer in “The Transmutation of Wealth” in The Alliance Witness (October 8, 1958).
Dave Foucar has a passion for teaching God’s word. His first book, “What Do I Say When Asked About Jesus?” is a conversational approach to helping people answer questions about Jesus. The book provides a layman’s perspective on personal evangelism and the basics of the Christian faith. Dave has been married for thirty-six years to the love of his life, Debbie. They have three daughters, two sons-in-law, and two granddaughters. To read more of David’s writing visit his Substack page.
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Books by David Foucar:
A conversational approach to answering the “what do I say?” question that so many people ask. Will we respond to our call to share the gospel with others? Or will we shy away from sharing because of fear? This overview of the basics of the Christian faith provides an easy to remember outline for sharing the gospel and the encouragement needed to include our own unique stories as part of the sharing. Full of anecdotes and examples shared from a life of service in the church, “What Do I Say When Asked About Jesus?” is a tool to help the everyday Christian share the gospel with others.
Yes Only what’s done for the Lord will last. As I had shared with you earlier, when I was in high school, I liked science subjects very much. I believed the word substance had almost the same meaning as matter. In fact, I thought everything was physical, and I had almost no faith in God. Several years later, I came to realize that what can be seen, heard, and felt materially cannot actually tell us anything about God or eternity.
I came to realize that “Substance is that which is eternal and incapable of discord and decay”. Truth, Life, and Love are substance .The real substance of each of us is not a physical combination of flesh and bones but the expression of Soul, Spirit, or God.
The Gospel needs money, money answers many things but money should always be a means and not an end. There is where the problem lies. When money becomes an end then the love of money is present and hence no love of God is available. It becomes mater, not substance. The real asset we have is not the money—not the house, not the car, not the physical tangible things—it is the anointing from God to produce wealth. The real asset is the favor of God.
Your friend – His servant,
Isaac Otieno