Army-Yo' Money

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Yo' Money
Or, being wise with your cash, time, and talent

Yo' money isn't yours, you know. Watch video by Pastor Miles

Neither are your time, your ambitions, your passions, or your skills. They all belong to God.

Think about it. Our Creator is the Source of everything. Everything! Who gave us our talents? God. Who created time? God. Who put into our hearts the urge to DO Something? God.

God is the Lord of our stuff.

What does that mean? This: Give up thinking you're in charge. If you're a member of the Rock A.R.M.Y., you serve a heavenly Commander-in-Chief who requires you to be a good "steward" of the resources He gives you. A steward is a caretaker of something, not its owner. (Even if you're not yet a member of the A.R.M.Y. --- if you're a Christian, that applies to you too!)

Remember, the Rock A.R.M.Y. is out to change the world. We've got spiritual battles to wage! That means marshalling all our resources and putting them under the command of the King.

Maybe you think you don't have a lot of cash, time or talent. You think, I can barely make ends me, why should I give away what I have? Or, maybe you're rich. You think, I worked really hard to get where I am; why should I make it easy for everyone else?

That's not A.R.M.Y. thinking. That's not biblical thinking. Kingdom of God thinking about money and resources means submitting everything to God's use and direction.

Thinking about Yo' Money

Being wise with your cash, time, and talents has nothing to do with your checkbook balance, your net worth, your debt situation, your income level, or how big your retirement portfolio is. Whether you are making $10,000, $100,000 or a million, you can be in bondage --- or you can be free.

God's plan:

• Frees you from worry. Matthew 13:22
• Frees you from the love of money. 1 Timothy 3:3, 6:10, Proverbs 10:22
• Frees you from the desire to get rich. 1 Timothy 6:9-10, Proverbs 23:4-5, 28:22
• Makes you eligible for true riches. Luke 16:11

So what is God’s will regarding your yo' money, time and talents? Freedom and service! A life without worry, and the heart to help. How do you get there? Here's the starting point.

Trust God.
If we don’t start by trusting God, nothing else we think or do will matter! Psalm 5:11

Know God's Plan.
We need to learn His timeless plan for financial freedom –- it takes time and effort, but it's worth it. (We recommend taking the Rock Financial Life Class: Adopting God's Principals for Handling Money, offered by Rock University. The next class begins Friday, April 4, and will be held from 7 PM to 9 PM in room 232.)

Be Content
We must learn contentment as the Holy Spirit changes us from the inside out. Do you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Give your heart to Him completely, and you will know peace. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:5-7

Do Not Allow Money to Have Any Hold on Your Heart
Reject the lies that the world and our fleshly nature tells us. Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. 1 John 2:15-17

Remember: Your checking account balance is not a reflection of your personal worth. Jesus already demonstrated your real worth: You are so priceless that He died to redeem you!

Thinking about the Kingdom of God

Using your resources properly will come when you align your intent, perspective and treasure within the Kingdom of God. Our intent will determine our perspective, which in turn will lead to our treasure.

Kingdom of God Intent

Say you have two bosses telling you to do two contradictory things. You're going to have to obey one and disobey the other. You'll probably end up disliking one and respecting the other. It's the same way with our resources. We cannot both serve God and ourselves. We have to choose.

If we choose to just please ourselves, we will collect stuff that does not last forever. (You can't take your Chevy Silverado or Honda Element or VW Beetle with you, can you? No one is buried with an iPod or a HD flatscreen TV, are they?) If we choose to please God--and use our stuff to serve others--we will build up eternal treasures.

Kingdom of God Perspective

Perspective is based on our world view, education, and experience. If we see everything through self-centered eyes, our perspective will be on What can I get. If we see everything through God’s eyes, our perspective will be How can I help or make a difference to others.

Check out a story Jesus told in Matthew 25:14-30, called the Parable of the Talents. (In this case, "talents" was a kind of money.) From this passage we learn that...

• God is the true owner of everything: the "master" in the story owns the money, possessions, even the servant
• God's will is authoritative, His decisions absolute.
• God has delegated assets and authority to us to manage; He has placed us in a position of trust.
• God has specific expectations of His stewards; they’re not easy expectations, but they’re fair.

Kingdom of God Treasure

Our treasure is our accumulated wealth, riches or valued things. But it can also mean whatever we guard with our hearts: our status or reputation; our career track; our relationships; our free time.

Remember, the Bible says, Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is there your heart is also. Matthew 6:19-21

To do this we must choose to not worry about things God promises to manage. Jesus tells us not to worry about what we eat, drink, and wear because our heavenly Father knows what we need.