Read Luke 3:12-13
Quit Cheating God And Others Out Of Money.
People continue to come to John the Baptist to be baptized and were asking him questions on how they were to live their lives in repentance. Tax collectors asked what they should do. John replied not to collect more than is required. In other words, “Don’t cheat people out of their money so you can have more money for yourselves!”
1st Timothy 6:10 says, “A root of all kinds of evil is the love of money. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
There is corruption all around us when it comes to money. Our government is corrupt. The are some evangelists that are corrupt. There are people calling others on the phone in order to scam them out of their money. There are businesses who take advantage of the elderly.
Perhaps we could say with great confidence, this is not a problem with us. We would never scam somebody out of money. Perhaps not! But perhaps we do our cheating in a different way:
1. Perhaps our love for money has prevented us from giving to others who are in need. We hold on to the very thing that God is asking us to use to help others. We cheat people out because we’re too busy buying stuff for ourselves.
2. We even cheat God. In Malachi 3:8-10, God makes it very clear that the people are cheating him when they don’t give with their tithes and offerings. Think of how much stuff we have purchased with God’s money. Money that was to be used for church ministry ends up being used for personal pleasures or gain.
Before we start talking about the scammers on the phone and the corrupt businesses or even evangelists, let’s take a good look at ourselves first. When God blesses us, do we give a percentage back to the church or even a percentage to help others in need?
I hope this gives you something to think about!
