Does Money Matter to God?

Being a Christian means following Christ in every aspect of our lives. So how does our faith translate into our spending habits? While Jesus never wrote a book about successful non-profit management, I believe his sermons and parables teach us a great deal about money management!

In particular I think of the story told in Matthew 25: 14-30. The story tells us of a wealthy businessman going on a trip. Just before he leaves he calls in three servants and gives each a portion of money to invest. Upon his return, the businessman meets with each servant. The first servant had received 5 talents and invested the money. He now had 10 talents to return to the businessman who was very pleased and promised to put him in charge of additional money. The second servant had received 2 talents and invested the money. He now had 4 talents to return to the businessman who was well pleased and promised to put him in charge of additional money. The third servant had received one talent and was fearful. He buried the money in the ground and had only the one talent to return to the businessman. This angered the businessman who not only took away the one talent, but also called the servant lazy and cast him out.

I have often wondered about this last servant who didn't invest his money, but instead hid it. Was he truly so afraid of losing the money that he choose to do nothing? This seems strange to me, as the businessman who gave him the money judged him to be wise and responsible enough to manage it. Or did he fall victim to comparing himself to the servants who received 2-5 times as much as he did, and decided his little bit of money was not important enough to invest. Either way, the servant lacked faith and his inaction resulted in the loss of all of his money and possibly his life.

All too often we are like the third servant. Instead of investing the money God has given to us, we hide it where the money becomes useless. Although most businesses aren't throwing money into a literal hole and burying it, many non-profit organizations I encounter use all of their resources to simply pay the bills with no thought for the future. In Matthew 25, we see that God is most pleased when we invest our money and take action to make our future years even stronger and better than now. Investing in your business may include capacity building by providing training for your board of directors or developing a plan to diversify your funding sources. Investing may mean embracing your vision to expand your services or purchase a building. Or investment simply may mean using your time and money to apply for grant funding and, like the wise servants, increase the money you already have. At some point in our lives, all of us have prayed for increased finances to meet our goals. And how many of us have wondered why God has not answered our prayers with increased funding? Perhaps like the wealthy businessman, God will increase our material blessings when we wisely manage what God has already seen fit to give us.

Jeffrey J. Rodman is the President & CEO of Here-4-You Christian Grant Consulting & Grant Writing providing consultation for grant writing and funding development nationally and internationally to Christian ministries and Churches. Mr. Rodman has a Master Degree in Education, is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), and is a Certified Grants Specialist (CGS). He is an experienced grant writer, nonprofit executive, and public speaker. Mr. Rodman has written hundreds of proposal to both government and private sources, has secured millions as a consultant, and has an 80% success rate in securing grants.