How Much You Got?

2 Cor 8:1 Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: 2 that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. 3 For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, 4 imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. 5 And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God. 6 So we urged Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also complete this grace in you as well. 7 But as you abound in everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us--see that you abound in this grace also. 

“How much you got?” is one of those implicit questions that begs no further question as to the subject being discussed. Yep – we’re talking about money.

“How much you got?” is one of those questions that is always on my mind, because, “how much I got,” has so much to do with how happy and well-adjusted I am.

There are very few substitutes for a sense of financial well-being. The question really is: How much does it take? (To have a sense of financial security, that is.)

I remember reading an article in the Naples Daily News a few years back when things were really rollin’ in the financial markets. The point of the article was to interview some local financial counselors to get their opinion about, “how much was enough?” The answers were fascinating.

Before reading the article, I had thought wealthy people would always possess a sense of financial well-being, even if they didn’t have much else. But the article revealed exactly the opposite to be true. Those who had a million bucks thought “about ten million” would provide security. Those who had ten million thought fifty million should do the trick. Those who had fifty million thought about a hundred million should do it…

I found out, with the little I had, (which really is very little,) that I had a greater sense of financial security than the wealthy guys in the article did. But here’s the thing that separates us even more - I think - and that is that my sense of security comes from God and not man. Perhaps it is easier to learn that lesson when you have little than it is when you have great wealth. Perhaps that is what the Lord is always encouraging us to be a very giving people, more intent on what money can DO than what it can’t.

-  Pastor Bill