BYM May 2007: "Where does money come from?" (Money, part 3)

Many children think money
comes from the ATM. Mom or
dad puts the little card into
the machine and "poof"
money instantly pops out.
For many of us, it comes from
hard work.
For many others, it comes
from credit or loans. Play now
and pay later.
For few others, an inheritance
or some other sort of windfall.
We often forget the true
source of our income. What's
that? According to the Bible,

There are dangerous mindsets
associated with attributing
wealth entirely to ourselves:

FEAR of lack: I have to work
harder or else I and/or my
family will not have enough.
PRIDE of self-provision: no
one gave me anything;
everything that I have, I
attained for myself.
ENTANGLEMENT to
materials: "whoever has the
most toys at the end wins".
ENTITLEMENT to spend
without responsibility: "I
earned it, and I can do
whatever I want with it."

Because each of these mindsets
leaves out God, it places one's
self in total control--that's a lot of
pressure. And it ultimately leads
to being bound by fear, pride,
and control (or the lack of). This
is far from any sort of freedom
or peace of mind.

I struggle with these mindsets as
well--for me, it's also easy to
forget about God and attribute
things solely to myself. However,
as I first remember "The earth is
the Lord's, and everything in it."
That everything belongs to the
Lord--He is the owner and
whatever I have is entrusted to
me from Him. This is where I will
indeed find true freedom.

As I wrap up this month's letter,
again, I know that I've barely
scratched the surface of this
vital topic. This month, I urge
you to set aside and invest an
hour to read this linked article
"The Steward and the Master."

Some of you reading this
newsletter may not be Christian.
However, I challenge you to say
a simple prayer from your heart
(especially before reading "The
Steward and the Master"), "God,
if you really own everything,
please reveal it to me. Help me
lay aside any preconceptions."
My desire is that you and your
family would truly discover and
experience God's riches!

Bless your marriage,
Brother Willie Quan

If you were to ask strangers
walking down the street, "what
does the Bible say about
money?" I think that many would
probably answer "that the Bible
says that money is the root of all
evil." A percentage of church
goers might even answer the
same. Actually, it's "the 'love' of
money is the root of all evil."

I believe that there has been
and is a lack of proper teaching
on finances in the church. In my
opinion this void has contributed
to the financial challenges I
mentioned last month.

Did you know the Bible contains
more than 2,300 versus dealing
with money and possessions?
More than 1/4 of the parables
that Jesus told dealt directly with
money and finances. He used
these practical stories to
illustrate spiritual truths.

Jesus went on to say, "So if you
have not been trustworthy in
handling worldly wealth, who will
trust you with true riches?"
(Luke 16:11) If we are to
achieve true financial freedom,
we must begin to understand
God's view on handling worldly
wealth. I also italicize 'true'
above, because one can be
extremely grossly wealthy but
NOT financially free.