I have a great pastor.
He is in his early 30s but has a wisdom and maturity well beyond his years.
Today he began a series on money.
In fact, I’m at bat in two weeks and you will probably see my message in advance in the form of a blog post series here.
At the end of his sermon today, my pastor asked three questions. He said it was a test to determine whether our heart’s treasure was Jesus or money.
As a veteran of 7 years of higher education, I’m familiar with tests. In a twisted sort of way I kind of like them. They cut through all the subjectivity and provide a semblance of certainty about one’s knowledge or ability.
The money test my pastor proposed came at the end of his sermon on the deceitfulness of money. He talked about how we try to find our security and significance in money. He also talked about how we break the power of money over our lives by ensuring that Jesus is the treasure of our heart.
Then he asked three questions. They are good questions. They are questions that, if asked honestly, can reveal much about one’s heart toward money. Here they are:
1. Do you love rich people? If you despise rich people, or judge them by thinking, “If only God would give me their money I would be so much more righteous in how I spent it,” you may have a problem with money. Being part of the 99% doesn’t give you the right to judge the 1%, and if you do it’s a good sign you have greed in your heart.
2. Do your respect poor people? If you look down on poor people, or judge them by thinking they only have themselves to blame, or think that God has rewarded you for your goodness by making you better off financially than them, you have a problem with money. Money doesn’t determine one’s significance or their holiness and it certainly isn’t a valid basis for comparing yourself to others.
3. Do you give generously and sacrificially? The best test of whether you have a problem with money is whether you can part with it. If you can’t part with money to bless others it’s a good sign you value money more than people.
Do you pass the test? GS