God’s Money, Not Mine?

Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will

hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

Satan wants to distract us from the important things of life. Worship to God Family time

Ephesians 2:3-5 “All of us also lived among them at one time,

gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.”

Have you ever found yourself working too much overtime?

Have you worked overtime and missed church because of it?

Have you worked overtime out of necessity or out of greed?

1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters,

stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

God does not want us to be enslaved to money, possessions, or our creditors

God would rather that we be financially free as a way to honor Him and not ourselves.

Striving to be financially free so that we can spend more of our time giving back to God should be a goal for all Christians

The Bible has over 2,350 verses that talk about money and possessions. (More than God spoke about love or salvation)

God knew that much of our lives would be centered on its use

Greed and the lure of money cause people to sin

Money is a necessity but we should use it as such, and with great responsibility.

What things interfere with your worship and service to God?

Many people are OK with God being Lord of their life except for their money

John 15:4 “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No

branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”

God should be in every area of our life. Not just on Sunday but everyday and in every aspect

Do you allow God to be Lord of your entire life, or just Lord of parts of your life?

As Christian law enforcement officers we should be serving Christ through our profession and through the people that we come into contact with on our job.

We should use the gift of our job to God’s glory

The world tells us that our money and possessions are our own.

1 Chronicles 29:11-12 “Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power

and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. 12 Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.”

Does this Bible verse give you a different perspective?

Do you believe you can serve both God and money?

In what ways can you keep a balance between family, church, and work?

Debt is always a liability Romans 13:8 – “Let no debt remain outstanding,

except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.”

Debt contributes to slavery Proverbs 22:7 – “The rich rule over the poor,

   and the borrower is slave to the lender.”

Debt leads to poverty Deuteronomy 28: 43-44 – “The foreigners who

reside among you will rise above you higher and higher, but you will sink lower and lower. 44 They will lend to you, but you will not lend to them. They will be the head, but you will be the tail.”

Don’t live on credit Proverbs 3: 27-28 – “Do not withhold good from those

to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. 28 Do not say to your neighbor  “Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”— when you already have it with you. “

Don’t try to keep up with the Jones’s Ecclesiastes 4:4– “And I saw that all toil and all

achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”

Put God first in your finances Malachi 3:8 – “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob

me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings.”

Truett Cathy – Owner of “Chick-fil-a” Keeps all stores closed on Sundays to honor God

John D. Rockefeller First 10% of all monies went to God

Harry Truman Said – “I do not think that anyone can study the

history of this great nation of ours without becoming convinced that divine providence has played a part in it. I have the feeling that God has created us and brought us to our present position of power and strength for some great purpose.”

3 reasons to put God first in my personal and business finances It’s a statement of my gratitude It’s a statement of my priorities It’s a statement of my faith

How many of us would give up our life fortunes and possessions for God?

How can we honor God in our home financial practices just as these men have done in their business lives.