God Wants Your Money! Or Is It His Money?

It’s true. God wants your money.

Before you label me as a health and wealth heretic, let me offer three qualifications. First, God doesn’t need your money. Psalm 50:10-11 is clear, God owns all things. Thus, he needs nothing. And to be abundantly clear, even if God did need something he would not as you or me for help (Psalm 50:12).

Second, what God really wants is you to recognize his glory and his greatness. The problem is that no one can serve two masters (Matthew 6:24), and money is an alluring god (1 Timothy 6:10). That’s why God wants your money. He wants to remove a major temptation that stands between you and him.

Third, your money really isn’t your money! It’s God’s money. The question in your mind should never be, “How much of my money will I give to God?” Rather, you should always ask, “How much of God’s money am I going to keep?”

With those three qualifications aside, here are 9 important truths about stewardship, all taken from 2 Corinthians 8-9.

Giving is not only for the super rich (8:1-5). Jesus wants you to be faithful with whatever you have. That may be much, or that may be little.
Giving should be sacrificial and generous (8:1-5, 9:6). We often ask “what’s the least I can give and obey?” Instead, give sacrificially and generously.
Giving should be done with joy (8:1-5, 9:7). If you’re not joyful, give anyway and pray that God would change your heart. He will answer that prayer.
Giving flows out of a relationship with God (8:1-5, 9:12-13). Giving can never lead to a relationship with God. Rather, it comes from a relationship with God.
Giving follows the example of Jesus (8:8-9). Jesus humbled himself and left the riches of heaven to seek and save the lost. We give because he gave first.
Giving promotes healthy dependency (8:13-15). We need each other. Faithful giving promotes healthy dependency among the body of Christ.
Giving should be done responsibly (8:16-24). Paul lays out the credentials of Titus so that the entire offering is honest and above board.
Giving is a result of God’s grace (8:6-7, 9:8). When we give it is a response to the grace of God that has been poured into our lives.
Giving results in God’s glory (9:13-15). Ultimately this is why we give. We remove the idol of money so that we can focus on the glory of the One True God!