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Think about your greatest life accomplishment. Jobs, graduations, achievements, promotions, paying off your house. Where did all of that come from? Did you pull yourself up from your bootstraps? Are you self-made? No, your skills were given to you by God. Your job itself was a gift from God. Even the air you breathe and the planet you stand on is a literal gift from God. This doesn’t even begin to mention all the people God has placed around you to help you succeed. Your parents, your coaches, your teachers, your friends, and your spiritual mentors were all gifts from God too! For many of these factors, if you removed one, all your accomplishments disappear.
This last Sunday we talked about a mission project that the church in Corinth had let go by the wayside in the wake of church conflict. We saw that gratitude leads to generosity. The idea that we cannot stand on our own is at the heart of the Christian faith. We all fall short! The Church of Laodicea had this problem with pride and the love of wealth reshaping their heart. They saw their money and relied on it for security. Pride swallowed up their gratitude.
“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.”-Revelation 3:15-17
Jesus doesn’t want us to put our faith in stuff but in Him. Jesus lasts longer than the comfort of stuff. Instead we need to see that everything is a gift! There is no lasting joy in imagining all that you can do with next year’s money or how early you can retire. Instead, rest in the fact that God is the source of all good things.
The story of the prodigal son gives us another example of someone who put their faith in their resource. Quickly, those resources ran out, and he was left with nothing, but his loving father still welcomed him back. Interestingly enough the word prodigal literally means “financially wasteful”. This story is a comfort to all of us who have been financially wasteful in the past. We can know that despite our pride and despite our mistakes that our God is faithful to still take us back and forgive us!
So today, whether today you are full of debt or full of pride, God is welcoming you home. The bottom line is God doesn’t want your money He wants your heart. You could even do all the right things with your money and still not please God. God wants your heart and He has much more joy and peace in store for you than just blind duty. Moses warns us about our pride in finances and how it shapes our hearts in Deuteronomy 8:17-18, “Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth.”
Don’t let pride swallow up your gratitude. When we trade in our sense of self-importance for gratitude and begin partnering with God in His work we discover the peace, fulfillment, and generosity that has otherwise eluded us. Here is the first step… “We move from pride to gratitude and therefore, we see everything as a gift.” – True Riches