At NPBC, we're moving through a four week series called Money Lies. The title is designed to be a double meaning with the dual force of:

1) In our American culture, we have some deeply held beliefs about money that are patently false.

2) Money can be personified in the sense that it actually speaks seductively deceptive words to us.

In the first three weeks, we've explored the following lies:

• Accumulating treasure is wrong
• If you win, I lose
• Money is the root of all evil
• Godliness brings material blessing
• I could be satisfied if I only had enough money
• If I had enough money I'd be secure
• Generosity flows from surplus
• I earned my wealth
• Giving will impoverish me

If you're interested to listen to any of these, check out our Sermon page:

http://npberean.org/sermons-2/

For just a few moments, I'd like to highlight that second-to-last lie, "I earned my wealth."  In the previous post I referenced 2 Corinthians 8:9 that states, " For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Though He was rich, for your sake He became poor, so that by His poverty you might become rich."

The spiritual and material worlds often mirror one another and Paul's point is this - it was by the kindness of Jesus and his willingness to impoverish himself that we could receive any spiritual riches. What did we do to earn that spiritual wealth? 

Absolutely nothing.

Jesus did not save me on the basis of my righteousness (Titus 3:5). His grace is simply a free gift that I could not do anything to earn (Ephesians 2:8-9). Jesus bestows (isn't that a great word) his riches on all who simply call on him in humility (Romans 10:11-13)

And just like the spiritual world, we don't actually earn our material wealth. Yes, I'm sure you work as hard, if not harder, than I do. But who gives us the ability to work hard? Who gave us the opportunity to be born into the country where we could have our job? Who gives us the health to continue in our job? Who gave us the mind or body to face the challenges of our job?

The answer to each of these is God. And God anticipated we might think we're the ones creating our wealth. Check out Deuteronomy 8:17-18 for God's perspective on how income is generated.

And when we realize how much we've been given, we understand that every iota of wealth we currently possess is simply a gift. Without God's kindness, we would have nothing. 

And that's why we can be generous with any wealth we do have - it's all a gift from him to us. Now we have the opportunity to use that gift for Kingdom purposes. But we'll be ever-tempted to veer toward stinginess when we think we earned it with our efforts. 

Let's reject that lie.