How I spend my money doesn't matter.

Your relationship with money says a lot about the kind of person you are. There are people whose state of mind is determined by the amount of money in their pocket.

Many people desire to be rich, if this is you, have you ever stopped to think about why having a lot of money is so important to you?

I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with wanting to be rich or being rich but what are your plans for the money? Is it to buy the best phones, live in the biggest houses, and wear the most expensive brands?

If the answer to the questions above is yes, then ask yourself why it is important for you to have the best of everything.

Do you just want to show off and let people know you have a lot of money?

In church, on Sunday my pastor said “There’s a way you spend money that shows you plan to stay in this world forever”

This statement to me was so profound because as a Christian it begs the question “If this world is not your home, why are you so set on acquiring riches that you’ll end up leaving behind”.

Is it greed? Is it fear of missing out? Is it the desire to be looked upon as rich by men?

How many of us, when we receive money, first ask God how we should spend it?

A habit of mine now is to pay my tithe immediately I get paid because there have been times when I have talked myself out of paying tithe. After all, “I need the money for other things”.

I have now come to the understanding that God is my source and everything I need, he will provide, and that the greatest thing you can do with money is to give.

Let's not just take my word for it, let's look to the bible

Take a look at Proverbs 3:9 it says “Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce”

Do you honor the Lord with your wealth? How often do you give towards the prosperity of the gospel?

Earlier I mentioned how you can tell what’s important to a person by what they spend their money on. If you check your account statements and see where most of your money goes, will the gospel be high on that list or even on that list at all?

If it isn’t, you have to reevaluate your spending as a believer.

If you can afford to spend money on things that you do not need but you can’t spend money to advance the gospel then something needs to change.

Matthew 6:21 says “ Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”

What does this verse mean?

Simply when something has a lot of value to you, you can’t hide it. It will show in the words you say, the things you do, the trends you follow, etc.

If you don’t consider something valuable, you will not be willing to spend money on it, or you won’t be willing to spend more than a certain amount.

Take as an example a platform like Netflix, which some people think is valuable enough to spend money on every month, some are even willing to pay for a more costly plan because it’s more valuable to them.

Meanwhile, some people do not see the value and would rather spend that money elsewhere.

If we spend more money on other things than the gospel is it then bad?

Of course not, money is meant to be spent but we’re now talking about how you spend that money. Are you more eager to spend on other things than you are on the things of God?

When money comes into your possession what's the first thing you think of spending it on?

How you answer this question will probably tell what your priority is at the moment.

I’ve seen scenarios where people would criticize Christians for paying offerings and tithes and spending money on the gospel.

These same people are willing to spend an unreasonable amount of money on things like concerts.

To them, that’s what's valuable.

As a Christian, you should be willing to spend money(and other resources) on the gospel.

The keyword in that sentence is willing.

You shouldn’t have to be guilted into spending money on something that matters so much to you, it should be done willingly, from your heart.

My point is, how you spend your money does matter, and it matters a lot. Try to make a conscious effort to monitor what you spend your money on and why you spend money on the things you do.

Written By Seun Ojo