Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

I could hear the angry voices long before I knew where they were coming from. Names were being thrown and bitterness laced every word. The argument grew in intensity and I swiftly moved away from the radiating heat. I was literally witnessing two grown men arguing over another man’s garbage.

The perplexities of human behaviour never cease to amaze the innocent bystander. And by pressing into the Holy Spirit for wisdom, I knew that the argument was not over stuff, but out of a deep seeded need of survival. It was the fear of never having enough. Most often, those who struggle with this fear do not recognize it for what it is: a God-shaped hole in our soul. Only God can fulfill the security we all so desperately need.

We live in a culture that does not fully understand what insecurity in basic human needs truly feels like unless we are put into a situation where we must live it. I try to convey this message to my children when they complain about the food I have prepared, whine about their clothes, or- gracious– they get upset when the water bottle on their bedside table is nearly empty. But the only way to educate my children on these issues is to expose them to these issues… and to put my money where my mouth is.

Not everyone has the ability to fly across the clear blue skies to faithfully serve on a mission field, but not everyone has to for the mission field is also right in our own backyards. One of the best uses of our money and financial resources is to spread the gospel with our own two hands stretching out our pocketbook. We can sponsor children, provide fresh water to third world countries, and financially assist in the power of education. We can put a few extra groceries in our cart and drop them in the food bank bin by the front door of the grocery store, clean out our closets and provide clothes to a shelter, and provide a few boxes of cereal and some fresh fruit to a breakfast program.

Hebrews 13:5, Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,

“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.”

We have the power within us, the power of the Holy Spirit, to help others who struggle with the fear of never having enough. By not holding onto the one thing that the world values, and the one thing that makes us feel like we will never be enough, our money, we are able to experience true freedom and absolute security… in Jesus.

Father, help us to step up and step out, putting our money where our mouth is. Whatever little we think we have to give, it is a great abundance to someone who has a heart grateful to receive. In Jesus name, Amen.

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