This is the fourth of a six-part blog series on “obstacles to obedience,” reasons we tell God, “No.” This comes to you courtesy of Ryan Doherty, the Summit’s North Durham campus pastor. Be sure to check out the rest of the series here: Introduction, Obstacle 1 (Not Recognizing the Call), Obstacle 2 (Time), Obstacle 4 (Safety), & Obstacle 5 (Lack of Training).
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth,” Jesus said, “where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt 6:19-21). Here Jesus exposes an area in our hearts that has become corrupt and tainted. He urges his followers to find their satisfaction and security in God rather than in anything else. Jesus urges his followers to find their ultimate security not in wealth (which soon disappears) but in God who will meet their needs.
Most of us say we believe that. But it’s surprising how often money stands in our way as God calls us to obedience. If money is your obstacle, then either you fear that God will not provide the funds for you or your pride is getting the better of you.
The life and ministry of Count Zinzendorf is an example of someone who set aside a life of wealth, politics, and privilege to follow God’s call to missions. He founded the Moravian Church, which triggered the modern missions movement. Zinzendorf felt “sure that they [who don’t know God] would embrace the gospel if only someone could share it with them.” Zinzendorf’s money reflected his heart: he leveraged all of his massive wealth to train, fund, and send hundreds of missionaries throughout the world.
If we see things as Jesus did, we won’t think of using our money for God’s kingdom as a loss. As Hudson Taylor, missionary to China learned, “God wants you to have something far better than riches and gold, and that is helpless dependence upon Him.” Experiencing first hand the rewards of obedience, he also knew that “God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply.”
Missionary to Ecuador (and martyr) Jim Elliot famously remarked, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” Elliot’s teammate Nate Saint, two weeks before they were killed reflected, “People who do not know The Lord ask why in the world we ‘waste our lives’ as missionaries. They forget that they too are expending their lives. And when the bubble has burst, they will have nothing of eternal significance to show for the years they have wasted.” In the end, it’s not a question of gaining or losing at all. We will all be spent. But what will we be spent for?
It can be frightening to trust in God at the expense of our riches. But we need to ask whether we really believe Jesus when he said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matt 6:33). Corrie ten Boom understood this. During the Nazi holocaust, she trusted God as she hid Jews and helped them escape to safety. Her fear was driven out by the certainty of her God. As she said, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”
Whether we understand this or not, most of us in the West are wealthy compared with the rest of the world. We shouldn’t necessarily feel guilt-stricken about that . . . provided we remember that it all belongs to God. We will use our wealth somehow, so why not use it for the service of something that will last? As Lottie Moon, the 4’3” missionary dynamo to China challenged, “Instead of the paltry offerings we make, let’s do something that will prove that we are really followers of Him.”
Money should never be an obstacle to our obedience. Having too much shouldn’t preoccupy or distract us, nor should having too little prevent or restrict us from being obedience to God’s call on our life. Take courage from the founder of the first orphanage in Egypt, Lillian Thrasher: “If God wants you there, God will get you there. So once you know it’s God’s will, get moving!”
What is God wanting you to do? What is preventing you from doing it?
