Spend Me

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Can anyone relate? You know you go to the store and you are blown away by shiny things. Here’s a word for you...

Squander

This is not a word that you will hear in any marketing campaign. Can’t you just hear the commercials now.

“Come waste your money here.”

“This is a great money-pit opportunity.”

“Give us your money and we will give you something that will break, become obsolete, or require even more money to maintain.”

That is not the kind of language that will sell a product, but as you know, that is usually what happens with most things that we buy.

Isaiah 55:2 NIV

2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.

God has a different invitation for us when it comes to how we use money. He tells us to spend it wisely. Money is not evil. It is okay to spend money, but the key here is to not overindulge or squander. It is so important that when we spend money we use discretion. This is a habit that goes against our consumer-driven culture.

A couple of weeks ago I gave you a quote from John Wesley that says, “Earn all you can, Save all you can, Give all you can.” That was his motto.

John Wesley grew up watching his parents struggle to make it and he was determined to not live the life they did.

He called early Methodists to spend only on the “basics.” When we think about the basics, that could mean different things for different people. It could be health, education, and investments for the future. Wesley’s hope was if early Methodists could spend money on their essential needs, they would have money left over to give. (Sounds like a preacher, huh.)

Wesley did not become a spiritual giant and benevolent man of God overnight. His outlook on finances was shaped by “memorizing the pain.” What do I mean by “memorizing the pain?” When a young child touches a hot stove, of course they will get burned, but something else takes place. A painful memory is created in that short instance. Memorizing the pain means humans will do anything possible to avoid the painful situation again. For Wesley, it was the pain of seeing what his family endured when he was growing up that he wanted to avoid.

Samuel and Suzanna Wesley, John’s parents, had 19 children, and experienced the pain of losing 9 of them at childbirth. Samuel Wesley did not earn a high income as a clergyman and had trouble keeping the household afloat for his 10 living children. As a result, the family was in a constant state of financial turmoil, leading to Samuel’s arrest twice because of his outstanding debts. The family situation was the picture Wesley ha of finances. It was enough to motivate him to pursue educational endeavors, which ultimately landed him teaching opportunities with Oxford University and Lincoln College. Wesley quickly accumulated money in his pocket but did not want to model the poverty of his family. But without basic budgeting skills, he soon began to squander his money on card games, tobacco, and brandy. it was these spending habits that set the stage for a chance encounter that would change Wesley forever.

There is a story that one day Wesley had just finished paying for some pictures for his room when one of the chambermaids came to his door. It was a cold winter day, and he noticed that she had nothing to protect her except a thin linen gown. He reached into his pocket to give her some money to buy a coat but found he had too little left. Immediately the thought struck him that the Lord was not pleased with the way he had spent his money. He asked himself, Will they Master say, “Well done, good and faithful steward”?

He was ashamed of himself for using all the money he had to buy pictures for his walls which meant he did not have any money to take care of the poor chambermaid.

Wesley never again wanted to experience the feeling of letting God or his brothers and sisters in Christ down. After this painful moment, Wesley began to develop a theology and practice around money that would change his life and early Methodism.

To begin, Wesley decided he would determine the bare minimum wages he needed to live on for one year. With an income of 30 pounds a year, Wesley determined he could live on 28 pounds and give away 2 pounds. Wesley’s steady pace showed him that he could take another leap of faith as his second year of living frugally began. Wesley’s income rose that second year, doubling from the previous year to 60 pounds. Though his income rose, Wesley kept his expenses the same at about 28 pounds, giving away 32 pounds that year. Year after year of Wesley’s income growth, he continued to live on the minimum he set for himself while continuing to give away the rest, until he was living on 2% of his income and giving away the other 98%.

Just like many of us have to do, Wesley had to fight the urge of squandering vs. spending. So, today we are going to look at what the Bible says about spending money.

Remember, everything that we have belongs to God. None of it is ours, it is all his. He just lets us live off 90%.

So, if all we have belongs to God, then how we spend money should glorify God, also. It is not just about tithing 10% back to God. If we are stewarding that money wisely, the way the other 90% is spent matters just as much as our tithe.

If the Lord is guiding you in your spending, some aspects of your spending will look similar to others who are also being guided by the Lord, but many things will be unique to the relationship you have with God.

If you have your bibles with you this morning, go with me to the book of Matthew. I want to read a passage to you from Jesus’ sermon on the mount, found in chapter 6. Financial worries is somethings Christians have been dealing with for centuries. The same was true for people during Jesus’ time.

Matthew 6:25–34 NIV

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Today, there are many people, maybe even some of you that have these very things to worry about. Some of you may be wondering where am I going to get my next meal.

By the way, none of you should ever worry about food. We have a food pantry. Even if it is just to help you through the month. You just see Pastor David and he will hook you up with food.

But with the economy the way it is, people are struggling. They are worried about where food or clothes or even shelter will come from. Others are struggling with the pressures our culture adds to having the right clothes, eating the fancy foods, or keeping up with those around us. People make choices every day to try and keep up with how our culture says we should live, and financially, we can’t do it anymore. The debt adds up, and the stuff does not make us feel any happier, any more important, or any more secure. But yet we still want more.

I like what Dave Ramsey says, “Stop keeping up with the Joneses because the Joneses are broke.”

So, the question for you this morning is...

“How can I, a Christ-follower, follow Christ in the midst of this consumer-driven culture?”

Think about it. You go out and you buy that new car. You are now the talk of the town. All eyes are on you and just when you think that you are the man. You look over your shoulder and somebody else has just got the newer model. It never ends. There is always someone there to take you down a peg.

We like to compare ourselves to others. We like to brag about what we do have. And we may even play the, “I don’t have what so and so has.” card. But I believe that we can learn to be satisfied with what God has given us and learn to live with the position that God has placed us in. So, here are three things that you can do to follow Christ in the midst of this consumer-driven culture.

1. Rejoice In What You Do Have

Contentment is not natural. We are born wanting more. Contentment is something that is learned. Paul says in Philippians 4:11-12

Philippians 4:11–12 NIV

11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

The British Author G.K. Chesterton says, “There are two ways to get enough. One is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less.”

Contentment is the key to this, but it is easy to get off track. We want more we desire more and so therefore we worry more that we aren’t going to get more. It’s a vicious cycle.

Look at our text in Matthew chapter 6 again. Jesus tells us, “do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

In other words, don’t worry about tomorrow because it may not even happen, so we would have wasted our time and energy worrying. Don’t add more to your plate today worrying about something that may not even happen tomorrow. The burdens that you carry today are enough, let God take care of them. And trust God for today without worrying about tomorrow. We have to learn to take each day one step at a time.

2. Return the First Ten Percent Back to God

This is called tithing. Matthew 6:33 again...

Matthew 6:33 NIV

33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Do you know what God asks us to tithe? God asks us to tithe so that we can learn to put our trust in Him. This is a way for us to learn to put God first.

God does not need our money. But, He wants your heart. He wants all of your heart. He don’t want whats left over, He wants all of it. Every part of it. Remember the scripture from last week, “where your treasure is there your heart will be also.” Tithing is a way to test our own hearts. Does our money possess us, or are we free to give it up?

Think about antidotes for a moment. What is an antidote? The medical definition of an antidote is a drug, chelating substance, or a chemical that counteracts (neutralizes) the effects of another drug or a poison.

Greed is like a drug. You get a taste of spending money and what do you do? You want to spend more money. This Friday is one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Many people will save up their money for this day. You can set up a budget to spend your money on this day. As you shop you see just how fast that money runs out. Spending can lead to greed. Giving is the antidote for that greed. Giving breaks the chains of materialism. Giving forces us to step out in faith and trust God. When you give you are defying the myth that more money will make you more secure and in essence you are saying, “God, I am secure in You. I trust you more than the number of dollars in my bank account.

But tithing can be scary. Especially in today’s economy. When each month can be a struggle to stretch a paycheck, making the leap of faith to seek God first and tithe sounds crazy. But remember the God we serve, the God who is a loving Father and already knows all your needs. We do not know what tomorrow holds, but God does, and He provides.

The enemy, who we know as Satan, would love to hold you back with fear, but do not let him. That is why it is so important that we rejoice in what we do have and all the ways God has provided are so important. Rejoicing is what allows us to step out in faith and return 10%. When we give we are rejoicing in the Lord for what He has given us. We are believing that He will take care of all our needs.

Next week we are going to close out this series by talking about giving in more details. But, when you plan your spending, it is important to first set aside a percentage of that income for the Lord.

And I don’t care what you hear out there. Some people will tell you that tithing is an old practice. But I promise you, not only is it biblical, but it is also something that has helped us live financially free and follow Christ throughout our marriage, even when our consumer-driven culture tells us not to. Tithing has been hardest int he times when we’ve been stretched thin. We had to keep remembering that God is faithful, and choosing to seek first the Kingdom of God.

That brings me to number 3.

3. Refocus: Hold What You Do Have With an Open Hand

Here are some questions to think about this morning.

What if in addition to giving generously back to God at least 10%, we gave Him access to the other 90% of our income and all our stuff?

What if the stuff we already have was dedicated toward doing good and went toward becoming rich in good deeds?

What if our home, our car, our tools, our clothes were available to God to bless others?

What if we were truly willing to share it all?

That is what happens when we give God our whole heart. Every single part of us becomes his as well. Our Time becomes his. Our talents becomes his. Our treasures becomes his. Every part of our life is His and we are putting our complete trust in his hands.

So, what is God saying to you today? What do you need to do to respond to Him? Where do you feel the conviction to change?

I believe that God is calling each of us to live financially free and to follow Him in a consumer-driven culture, but that call looks different for each of us.

Remember, you may need to stop trying to keep up with the Joneses. Maybe you need to stop a magazine subscription or maybe you need to cut down on the time you spend browsing Facebook or Instagram.

Maybe you know you need to start rejoicing and thanking God for everything He has blessed you with rather than focusing on what you do not have.

I didn’t give you any homework last week but I am this week.

Be sure to come back next week as we finish this series Money Talks. We are going to look at what God says about giving.

This week I want you to begin each day by thanking God for three things He has given you.

Maybe you have never taken that leap of faith to return 10% to God, start this week tithing. Put your trust in God and see how He provides.

Refocus and surrender the possessions to God that are possessing you. Make a list of the items you are offering up to Him as the owner to use however He can for ministry and the Kingdom.

Let’s Pray