Money Is Important — Morning Devotions

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But do you know that money causes loads of trouble in personal relationships, in marriage. Many couples break up over this issue of money. So we really need to say money is important to us. Someone once said money talks. It says bye bye. I’m sure there’s truth in that statement that we feel we’ve probably heard the words goodbye as we’ve spent our money. It’s gone. But do you know that money talks in other ways as well?

Money talks

And this is what I want to think about this morning, about how money talks – about our relationship to God and what we value.

What does it really say to you now? What prompted me to think about this is that in Mark’s Gospel chapter 12 we read an intriguing story, an unusual story, about one day Jesus was sitting near the temple treasury, and as he was there, he watched the people as they dropped in their money. Many rich people dropped in lots of money. Then a poor widow came along and dropped in two little copper coins worth about 1 cent.

Jesus called His disciples together, and he said, Look, I tell you that this poor widow put more in that offering box than all the others, for the others put in what they had to spare of their riches, but she, poor as she was, put in all that she had. She gave all that she had to live on, and that’s from Mark chapter 12, verse 41 to 44.

The question is also what was Jesus doing standing there or sitting there watching these people dropping their money into the collection boxes.

Because Jesus was interested in what the people were giving, and he is interested in what we give too, because, as I said at the beginning, money does talk. What does money say? If Jesus watched you give your money, what would his opinion be of you? I think that’s a very interesting question. And because of Jesus’ action that day of observing all these people as they came into the temple to give them money, I think it’s obvious that God cares about our giving.

What we see Jesus doing that day, God does all the time.

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He watches us in all things that we do. He sees our giving. He sees the way we live, and the point Jesus is making here is that he was observing the habits of people. So God is really interested in all aspects of our life, which includes our money. Now, of course this subject of money, this is, it’s a touchy one for some people. People say, well, that’s none of your business what I do with my money. But our money impacts all aspects of our life. And if we’re serious about following the Lord Jesus Christ, we must really take some time to understand what he’s saying. For example with giving – some people give, they tie their money to the church or to other organisations, Christian work.

If Jesus were to observe your giving to the church or to other Christian groups, what would his opinion be?

So Jesus watched that day, the people who gave to the temple treasury. He of course cares about that. And as we give, it actually displays our love for Jesus, because if we don’t give in the way that God wants, there’s a real sense in which our spirits dry up. In other words, our fellowship with God is broken, and it’s true that the people who give so much get so much. In fact, God promises us that if we give generously that He will open the windows of heaven and He’ll bless us in ways we had no idea.

So here he was, Jesus sitting watching, and in those days there were 13 brass treasure chests in which people dropped their money, and the more money of course it made the bigger noise. But it wasn’t the rich people he was interested in that day. He was interested in this widow, the poor widow who dropped in her two copper coins.

Let’s Pray

Well, dear Lord, thank you for that story. Lord, help us to be generous, not to be misers (hoarders, ungenerous), but to give and to give generously for your work. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.