The Danger Of A Dollar Series

I think this is the thought that prompted Jim Elliot, the great missionary that lost his life in telling the Auca Indians about Christ, to write this in his journal: “He is no fool to give what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.” Randy Alcorn, in his incredible book on generosity The Treasure Principle, addresses the foolishness of living apart from an eternal perspective when it comes to money and possessions.

“Imagine that you’re alive at the end of the Civil War and you’re living in the South, but you are a northerner. While in the South, you have accumulated lots of Confederate currency. Now, suppose for a fact that you know the North is going to win the war and the end is imminent. What will you do with your Confederate money? If you’re smart, there’s only one answer. You should immediately cash in your Confederate currency for U.S. Currency, the only money that will have value once the war is over. As a Christian, you have inside knowledge of a worldwide upheaval caused by Christ’s return where Earth’s currency will become worthless. To accumulate vast Earthly treasures that you can’t possibly hold on to for long is equivalent to stockpiling Confederate money even though you know it’s about to become worthless.”

You may have memorized the great verse in Romans 12:2 that says, “Be not conformed to this world…” Do you know one of the evidences that we can give to show that we are “NOT conformed to this world?” One of the ways is when we live counter-cultural to how the world views money and relationships. The world loves money, and uses people…whereas the Christian loves people, and uses money…money to care for our families, to bless the needy, to further the gospel, and to even enjoy the good gifts that God has given us. But those who are conformed to this world use money and riches as the basis of their value and identity.

But in the gospel, our value and identity comes not from our performance or the wealth we’ve accumulated, but from our position in Christ. And if I believe that, I don’t have to hoard anything, because his supply and provision is unlimited! The promise of temporal riches cannot compare with all that we receive as our own spiritual inheritance with Christ. I am not consumed with getting rich because I am already rich in Jesus.

Let me quickly address two practical questions before moving on to the last principle. The Bible talks a lot about the foolishness of not financially planning for the future. So how do we distinguish between the wisdom in saving and the folly in hoarding? The difference is in our motive. In saving, I am living by faith that God is trustworthy when he says, “Steady plodding leads to prosperity.” Hoarding is the absence of faith. It sees me, not God, as the ultimate source of my provision. Hoarding says, “I can’t trust God to meet my needs” so I have to take extreme measures.

And here is the second question: How do I avoid being one of those people who would never admit to greed even though the Bible talks about it all the time? I have a very clear answer that you are not going to like. Giving is the antidote to greed. If you are worried that you are becoming a hoarder of wealth, it’s really simple… give it away. Hoarders live with closed fists…givers live with open hands. Do you want to think less about yourself and more about Jesus? Do you want to love Jesus more? Then give him the very thing you’ve been hoarding…give him your wealth.