A Personal Money Manifesto

Matthew 6:33 (NIV)  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

In reflecting on the sermon I preached on Sunday, a number of thoughts have come to my mind concerning my relationship with money and all that it represents in life. Judas Iscariot, a disciple of Jesus who saw and heard everything Jesus did, ended up turning away from Jesus for the sake of his first love: money. And in the end his affection for money led to his destruction. He was not the last person who was ensnared and destroyed by money. As I’ve thought about his part in the Story, there are five things that I have considered in relationship of money and my own life. The following “manifesto” is an attempt to consolidate some of these thoughts in a personal way. This is my own response and is not intended to point a finger at anyone but myself. I share it with you because you may be able to identify with some or all of it. The five things are concepts that relate to money (what I think about it, how I use it, how it affects me, and what spiritual value it has). Each one is encapsulated in a single word that begins with the letter W – Work, Worry, Wants, Waste, and Worship. I will take them one week at time.

WORK – is a blessing and a gift from God that pre-dates the breaking of this world by sin (Genesis 2:2,15). It is part of a creation of God that is described as good. But work has been corrupted like everything else because sin entered the world. And work is one of the things that Christ is redeeming in the cross and in the establishing of His kingdom. Work is not inherently evil, but it can be made to be so. Work is not opposed to the things of God, but it can be made to be so, and whenever and wherever it does not bring glory to God it becomes an idol in my life. Work is the means for creating wealth, but it is loaded with dangers that can harm my relationship with God. Therefore…

-          I will seek to do all my work as unto the Lord… for His purposes and as a means of serving Him (Colossians 3:22-24). This includes the work I get paid to do and the work I don’t (like washing dishes or raking leaves).

-          I will seek to do my work with excellence, diligence, and faithfulness (Proverbs 22:29).

-          I will seek to work so as not to be a burden upon others - whether government, church or family. I recognize that as long as I am able, I am financially accountable for myself and work is one of the ways that God provides for me (Deuteronomy 8:18, 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, 2 Thessalonians 3:8-13).

-          I will seek to keep a proper, godly perspective on my work. I do not want my work to come between myself and God. I do not want it to rob me of time for worship and devotion, time for growth in fellowship and service, and time for my family. I do not wish to be a “work-a-holic” who obsesses over the making of money. Nor do I wish to be lazy and dependent upon others (Proverbs 6:6, 10:5, 20:13, 21:25, 24:30-31, 31:13,27, Ecclesiastes 10:18).

-          I will seek to serve my family’s needs through my work. My work is one of God’s means for caring for my family (1 Timothy 5:8).

-          I will seek to see my work as one of God’s means for meeting people’s needs in the world, insofar as my work is part of a greater system through which God blesses people (as participants in various kinds of work of their own and also as direct recipients of benefits that my work provides in their time of need).

-          I will seek legitimate work… work that is ethically and morally approved of by God and by the principles of His Word (Proverbs 21:6, Jeremiah 17:11, 22:13, Acts 16:16-20).

-          I will seek to enjoy my work, and/or to find ways to please God in it.

-          I will seek honorable relationships with my employer, my coworkers, and with those whom I serve through my work (1 Corinthians 4:12-13).

-          I will seek to be thoroughly honest in my workplace, truly earning my pay and treating the property of others with respect. I want to be trustworthy (Genesis 39:6, 2 Kings 12:15, Proverbs 11:1, 13:11).

-          I will seek to do everything I can to make my work God-centered, and to prevent any aspect of it from becoming a form of idolatry through which I worship money, myself, or anyone or anything other than Jesus Christ.

What would you add to my list? It certainly has room to grow and encompass other aspects of work as it relates to money and to God.

I seek these things in response to God’s grace to me in Jesus, and not as a means to gain His love or acceptance. My understanding of and approach to work is a form of discipleship – following the One who has saved me fully and completely by His great work on the cross. My work is just one means by which I acknowledge His Lordship of my life, including my attitudes about money.

NEXT WEEK – Money and Worry

Matthew 6:24 (NIV)  "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

Proverbs 22:29 (NIV)  Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men.

Deuteronomy 8:18 (NIV)  But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.

PRAYER:  Father, let me glorify you in the course of my work. It is easy to become discouraged in the workplace world, but I know you are there just as you are present in every place at all times. Help me to keep my eyes focused upon you in and through every aspect of my work. Thank you.  In the name of Jesus, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott