Dr. D's Devotional
Title: Finances 33
by Dennis Reschke
Finances 33
Beginning in Mk 10:17 is described the incident of the rich
young ruler. He missed out on a hundred fold (not 100%, but 100 times) return
on his giving (v.30) because of his wrong motives. God's intent for all
giving of offerings is a hundred fold return. We don't receive it because
we're not very good farmers (I will do an extended study on this subject
in the future). God is the only reason we have anything to start with, and
when he asks you to give, you can expect 100X return on it. So, next time
God asks you to give, JUMP ON IT! He's fixin' to get you 100X that amount.
It is God's intention to prosper His people.
Verse 21 "Then Jesus looking
at him loved him, and said to him, One thing you lack: go your way, sell
(not give away) whatever you have, and give (the sale proceeds) to the poor,
and you shall have treasure in heaven". Matt 6:19 "Lay not up for yourselves
treasures upon earth, where moth and rust corrupts, and where thieves break
through and steal: (20) But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where
neither moth nor rust corrupts, and where thieves do not break through nor
steal." We read into this, "And you can't get a dime of it till you get
to heaven". We "wrote" that; Jesus didn't say that. It's saying heaven is
our treasury and bank; this bank is not subject to depression or recession
or the economy or anything else. Matt 6:33 was talking about the here and
now on earth, not heaven. 1Tim 6:19 17 "Charge those who are rich in this
world, that they be not high minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but
in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy (on earth)"(Sounds
like Deut 8:18). (18) "That they do good, that they be rich in good works,
ready to distribute, willing to share". We give excuses about giving like,
"Well, I would like to give more but it's all tied up now - start untying
it"; or, "I'm giving all the government will allow" - no, they allow you
to give all you got, you just can't write it all off. (19) "Laying up in
store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they
may lay hold on eternal life". Verse 18 puts us in a position to receive
v.19: to lay up in store. When do we need to lay hold on eternal life, in
heaven? no, here and now when the destroyer comes against our business,
our family, our health. Eternal life in heaven is a given. God sees to it
that your giving lays up a store in your heavenly bank account that we can
draw from and satan can't touch it. There is no suggestion in the Greek
that 'the time to come' is heaven: it just means future (see AB, NAS, Weust,
Youngs). "Eternal life' is translated 'life that is truly life'. So how
do we do this? v. 18: through distribution of goods, money, doing things for
others. There are different forms of deposits and outgoes. None of us are
really in poverty, on a global standard. Someone who is in poverty has nothing
to give at any time. But God says He will provide seed for the sower to
start his heavenly account (2Cor 9:10). It's hard to go to a bank to withdraw
money without anything in your account. You can also have a bank full of
money, but if you don't know how to write a check, you'll never see any
of it. Faith withdraws it.
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