“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.” – Luke 12:32-33
Notice the order. Does Jesus say, “If you give away your money and possessions, you’ll be given the kingdom?” No. “You have been given the kingdom, therefore sell your stuff and give generously.”
I know what you’re thinking, ‘what’s the kingdom?’ During his ministry on earth Jesus announced the kingdom is here. In a sense he turned to the people of that time and ours today and says, “Just watch. See if the blind are healed; the oppressed are liberated; the homeless are sheltered, and the poor are cared for.” When you know the riches of the kingdom, it’s incredibly difficult to be concerned with money.
Only when you realize this is what you’ve been given, will you be free from money sickness. Only when you realize how much you’ve been given will you be free from worrying about it, free from resentment towards people who have it, free from pursuing it; only when you realize you have the kingdom will you be willing to dip into savings and investments and give it away.
First Pet. 2:9 is such an incredible verse: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession…” Question: what did God spend, what did it cost him to get us? Answer: it cost him everything. He spared no expense to make us his own possession. Has that thought moved you? If it has, you’ve experienced God’s radical grace, so be free from money sickness and give generously.
