“Wait, I just spent $50 to fill up my 10 gallon gas tank. Did they mistakenly charge me for each car at the station?”
“$8.65 for 18 eggs? Are you sure the decimal is in the right place?”
“Am I calculating that right? My IRA just lost 40% of its value and my retirement age just got pushed back to 80?”
Perhaps each of those questions have rolled through your mind this past year as your relatively healthy financial situation took a dramatic turn for the worse. And of course, when your financial situation changes like this, the angst slowly rises up in your gut. Your thoughts begin to be consumed by money and you can’t ever quite feel at peace. But of course, that’s not Jesus’ intention for you. Regardless of your financial situation, he wants you to be in a place of contentment and hope. Paul had to learn this from Jesus. In Philippians 4:11-12, he speaks of learning the secret of being content in “any and every situation.” He also speaks of the great gain of godliness with contentment in 1 Timothy 6. He was somehow able to find peace in every set of circumstances he found himself in.
Of course, that’s easier said than done. When it comes to money, it’s easy to be consumed with anxiety and longing – anything but contentment. And that’s why we need to talk about it. We need to constantly rediscover God’s intention for us and our money, and thereby rediscover Paul’s secret of contentment. That’s why we’re going to spend the next three Sundays talking about money. We recognize it’s not an easy topic to talk about, but it is a critical one. That’s why Jesus spent so much time talking about it. He knew that our hearts and our money would be inextricably linked, and he is jealous for our hearts.
So please join us as we talk about this difficult but essential topic. And as you come, come ready. Come with a willingness to offer your heart freshly to God in this area, and again experience the peace, hope, and joy that he longs to give you.
