And here's Bob

Last evening I talked to a young man (who I will call Bob) about his finances. To be honest with you, I have not talked to him more than a total of 30 minutes in my life. I couldn't even tell you his children's name or for that matter how many children he has. But as a result of that brief conversation last night, I must say that I know him better than our neighbors who I met about a year ago and see pretty much every day.

Here are a few things that I know about Bob. I know that he is a very young Christian that is just starting out on his journey of living for Jesus. He wants to do what is right in God's eyes and not in the worlds eyes. He understands that part of this journey is handling money by God's economy and not the world's economy. He also understands how different God's economy is than the world's economy.

I also know that he loves his wife and his family. I know that he and his family have made some mistakes in the past that have consequences that must be dealt with in the present. Although some of the consequences are a result of debt and other bad money decisions, some are simply a result of living the last 30 years void of the Word of God. I know that he and his wife are struggling to live a life that is totally different than the Satan controlled world that he grew up in.

From our brief conversation, I know what is important to Bob by hearing what he has spent his money on in the last 30 years. Isn't it amazing how well you can get to know someone when you talk about their money? Doesn't that sound like Matthew 6:21? "Where your treasure is there will your heart be also". Perhaps this is why God devoted over 2,000 verses to money and possessions. How we handle our money really does reflect what is important to us.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not suggesting that the next time someone moves into your neighborhood, you show up at their house with an apple pie and ask to see their checkbook. But what I am suggesting is that our checkbook is a good place to see what is in our heart.

One more thing, Luke 16:11 says that we must be faithful with the use of unrighteous wealth (money) before we can expect God to bless us with true spiritual riches. So not only does how we handle our money tell us about what is important in our lives now, but also gives us a glimpse of the spiritual blessings God has in store for us.

Oh yes, back to Bob. His real name is....Bob. Pray for him and his family. Just like the message at Keswick or any other true life change; it is impossible without the power of Jesus Christ.