The Four Biblical Principles of Money Management, Part 3
Part 3 of 4: The Amount Is Not Important (part 1, part 2, part 4)
His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”
When you look back to verse 21 and compare it word for word with verse 23, you will see that the same words were spoken to the slave with five talents as to the one with two talents. Both were reminded that they had been faithful with a few things, and both were promised something as a reward. You can draw the conclusion that the amount you have is unimportant, but how you handle what you have been entrusted with is very important.
There has been plenty of controversy over the past thirty years about whether an American Christian is more spiritual, on one hand, by accumulating much (God’s “blessing”) or, on the other hand, by giving it all away (God’s “martyr”). I believe that both are extremes and not reflective of what God says. He neither condemns wealth nor commends poverty, or vice versa. The principle found in Scripture is that He owns it all. Therefore, whatever He chooses to entrust you with, hold with an open hand, allowing Him to entrust you with more if He so chooses or allowing Him to take whatever He wants. It is all His. That is the attitude He wants you to develop, and whatever you have, little or much, your attitude should remain the same.
Faith & Finance Perspective:
How do your stewardship objectives align with what God has entrusted to you? Do you, like many, sometimes get sucked into the vortex of comparison? We, in our fallen humanness, tend to feel better–even prideful—about our charitable giving when we rationalize, I’m giving way more than my neighbor on the left. Yet, it’s equally precarious to be lured into shame by our enemy’s accusatory voice whispering you’re not giving nearly as much as your neighbor on the right.
God doesn’t play the comparison game but instead extends an invitation to give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion (2 Cor 9:7), establishing his children’s footsteps fairly and firmly on a level playing field. Where we choose to walk or wander from there is up to us.
Then he sat down opposite the offering box and watched the crowd putting coins into it. Many rich people were throwing in large amounts. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, worth less than a penny. He called his disciples and said to them, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the offering box than all the others. For they all gave out of their wealth. But she, out of her poverty, put in what she had to live on, everything she had.” —Mark 12:41-44
