The four posts in this series were part of a church-wide devotional I wrote about wealth and money. The devotional was given out to aid the congregation through our church’s recent building campaign. It consisted of ten entries, each centered around Jesus’s teachings on money in Luke 12. These four were the main entries, written in a blog-article style format, which is why I post them here.
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Luke 12:32–33
[32] “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. [33] Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.
The first two words (“fear not”) cut straight to the point Jesus is making for us. Much of the discussion about money in Luke 12 thus far—both the Parable of the Rich Fool and the previous section on anxiety—has essentially been about fear. Why does the rich fool store up his abundance in his barn? Because he fears that someday his yield will not be as bountiful, that one day he’ll need to access his storehouse. Why do we struggle with being anxious about what we have? Because we fear not having enough money and resources.
We are a fearful people, especially when we consider our finances. This is why Jesus says to us, “Fear not.”
Yet our Savior doesn’t merely say, “fear not.” He addresses us tenderly: “Fear not, little flock.” We have not only a Savior but a Shepherd. We need not fear because we are his flock. Our God cares for us tenderly and guides us (Psalm 23). In the midst of our fears, we can take heart and “know that the Lord, he is God!”—he is the sovereign Father over all (as we saw in last weeks devotional)—and that “it is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture” (Psalm 100:3). “Fear not, little flock.”
But why? Why should we, God’s little flock, not fear? Thus far in Luke 12 we’ve seen that we don’t need to fear because we live in a God-centered, Fathered universe. Yet that’s not the reason Jesus gives in these verses here. Instead, he says, “Fear not, little flock, because it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Why do we need not fear? Jesus’s answer: Because the Father delights to give us the kingdom.
So the question then becomes: Why does having the kingdom lead us to not need to fear finances and instead be generous? As Christians, we are in the kingdom of God now, but Jesus most likely is focusing on the future kingdom, when we will enter into God’s glorious, forever kingdom. So how does being given that forever, future kingdom affect us and our money now? There’s at least three ways.
1. Possessing the Kingdom Impacts How We View Money’s Importance
First, when we truly grasp what we are promised when Jesus says, “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom,” we start to see how comparatively unimportant financial wealth is here and now. We as Christ’s people are heirs to the entire earth (Matthew 5:5, 1 Corinthians 3:21-23). One day, even soon, all this sin and sorrow will be done away with, all will be changed, and we will possess the forever kingdom with glory and splendor and unmatched joy—all because of what Christ did for us.
Compare that with possessing money. Money doesn’t bring happiness. Money cannot provide true security. And money will not produce peace (as most people with wealth prove). We have been given the kingdom, Jesus says. When we grasp this, and we begin to understand the global, eternal magnitude of what this means, we start to see how puny and unsatisfactory numbers are in a bank account.
2. Possessing the Kingdom Impacts How We View Money’s Relation to Eternity
Second, possessing the kingdom impacts how we view money in relation to eternity. We don’t only believe that the kingdom is much greater and more important than money (reason #1 above), but also that the kingdom is much more lasting than money.
It’s silly and foolish to think that possessing and holding money here and now is of any significant value. We live in light of eternity. And “eternity” is not just some religious phrase; it’s true. Eternity is real. We each will live around 70-90 years (Lord willing), and then we will pass on to thousands upon millions upon billions of years forevermore. This is what the Bible clearly teaches.
With this timeline in mind, the only reason we wouldn’t be more generous and loose-handed with our money is if we didn’t believe much what the Bible teaches about eternity. We might acknowledge it as a doctrine, but we personally may not believe it much. But Jesus taught it and so did the biblical authors: We will live on forever and ever; our kingdom is eternal. Once we believe this, it necessarily will impact how we view our portfolios now.
3. Possessing the Kingdom Impacts How We View Money’s Use
Which leads to the last reason why possessing the kingdom affects our view of money. If we truly do have a better kingdom (reason #1) and an eternally more lasting kingdom (reason #2), then it would only make sense to use our money with this better, eternal kingdom in the forefront of our minds.
We are Christians. We believe the good news—that we are saved by grace in Christ alone—is the best news the world has ever heard. More so, we believe God literally created all of creation so that he might display his grace in this good news (Ephesians 1:5). And we believe that in this short time until Christ returns, our goal is to get everyone possible in on this.
How then could we not use our money for kingdom purposes? When we understand that there is a kingdom coming, that we possess it, and that others can get in it, how could we not view money’s use differently?
A Radical Response
This is why Jesus taught that possessing the kingdom has a positive impact on our fears and finances, on how we view and use our money. And this is why, right after saying that “it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom,” Jesus teaches boldly and radically on how we should now use our money: “Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and not moth destroys” (Luke 12:33). In Jesus’s mind, because this kingdom is real and better and most lasting, the only proper response is to be radical (in the world’s eyes) with the use of our money.
May it be our motto in our materialistic world: “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Since what our Savior says here is true, we can never look at our money the same.
So ask yourself: What does this all mean for me and my family? I possess the kingdom forevermore in Christ, so how does this impact the way I view my money? How does this change the way I use, spend, and give my money?
Prayer: Jesus, thank you that you love me as my Shepherd, and that you tell me that I do not need to fear money and finances. Help me to trust in you. Also thank you for reminding me that the Father has given me the kingdom. I’m in the kingdom now, but one day you will return and I will live in the forever kingdom in a radically changed universe. I look forward to that day—to seeing you face to face, to living without sin and sorrow, and with love and peace and fellowship abounding. But until that day, help me now to view my finances and money in light of this coming kingdom. And then lead me to be generous in however you see fit. For your glory and my good, I ask. Amen.
