Spending as a Disciple of Jesus
How valuable is the Word of God when we embrace the theology but miss its application? If you are reading this blog, there is a good chance you have a desire to know more about the relationship between money and faith. You may have a desire to understand what the Bible has to say about money, or you may already know what it says, and you need a reminder or to be validated that when it comes to managing money, you're doing it right.
I started reading a new book recently, and it has caused me to reevaluate my beliefs and actions related to money. It's been both good but also a bit uncomfortable, in a good sort of way. One morning after reading one of the chapters, a question arose in my mind: what does my spending reveal about my priorities? More specifically, does my spending show that I am investing and preparing to live in paradise with God, or does it show that I am trying to make this life here on earth my paradise?
I went to my budget app, opened it, and looked at the last 12 months of spending. The app I've been using for the past 11 years has a reporting feature that allows me to see all the spending in a pie chart format with percentages for each main and subcategory of my budget. There's no hiding the truth here. It tells it like it is to the smallest detail. I see what I've spent and how much I spent as a percent of income and the dollar amount. So what did it say about my priorities? Let's just say I've got plenty of room for improvement.
I've been working on managing money God's way for the past 28 years. As I reflect on how I'm doing, it's tempting to rate my performance by comparing it with most people because that shows me doing pretty well. However, that's not the standard I'm called to live by. There's only One who determines that standard, and I'm not as confident He would approve of my performance.
In Luke 14, Jesus turns and begins speaking to a large crowd that was traveling with him. He starts by saying, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." He then shares two examples; each meant to help his audience realize the need to count the cost before committing to something. The climax of the text is in verse 33, "In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples."
“Those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.”
If you consider yourself a follower of Christ, you've committed to doing things his way. Your life is not your own; it's supposed to be lived for Him. Does your spending show this to be true? That's the question I am wrestling with. Are my spending decisions showing my commitment to building God's kingdom or my own? How much of what passes through my hands do I use for my comfort and enjoyment, and how much is actively revealing God's grace and love to a broken world?
Jesus is still saving people today. He's still preaching the gospel to the poor, still healing the brokenhearted, preaching deliverance to the captive, trying to recover the sight of the blind, and to set at liberty those who are oppressed. He's doing all this through his disciples, through those who have counted the cost and have determined to give up everything to serve Him.
Are you a faithful disciple of Jesus? Have you counted the cost, and are you spending to please the Master?
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