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John 12:24 “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels – a plentiful harvest of new lives.”

The greatest impact of Jesus’ life is the fact that he laid down his life. He gave up his life to save the world. Had Jesus not died on the cross, his impact would still have been great – but not nearly as great as what it is now. If Jesus had not died on the cross, he would have been counted as a prophet like Elijah. We would have listened to him, but not worshipped him. Had Jesus not laid down his life, he would have been counted as a good person who helped the poor – like Mother Teresa. We would have admired him, but not followed him. Had Jesus not suffered and died, he would have been counted as a miracle worker – like Peter or Paul. We would have sought his help but not his salvation.

But Jesus did more than prophesy. He did more than help the poor and heal the sick. He was more than a prophet, more than a good man, more than a teacher. He is the Savior of the whole world for one reason and one reason alone – he laid down his life. His greatest impact came from dying and rising again.

But the impact of that one act changed the course of history. From one seed falling in the ground and dying, a whole harvest is born. From one solitary life laid down for man, an innumerable multitude is saved.

And so it is for all of us. The greatest impact you will ever make is when you lay your life on the altar and surrender to God. When you give up control of your life, you suddenly move into a new realm of spiritual power and authority. When you lay down your life for Christ, you move to a new level of influence. Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus – and reap with him a plentiful harvest of new lives.

May you experience the purpose, the power, and the promise of Jesus’ death and resurrection this Easter season!

There are two very different views about money: the wrong view and God’s view.

1.    Wrong Views of Money

The world views money as an object to obtain. It’s something to acquire, something to get, something valuable that people think they need.

What exactly do people hope to obtain with money?

•    A way to gain possessions.
First of all, the world will tell you that money is valuable because it can help you gain a lot of possessions. People will say, “You need money so you can get lots of things – clothes, cars, houses, mobile phones, big televisions. All that stuff we buy with money.”

In Luke 12 Jesus tells us about a man in the Bible who had that view of money. He was very wealthy, and he made it his goal in life to get more and more money.

But Jesus tells us that when the man died, all the things he had bought with money couldn’t save him. He couldn’t take them with him. And that’s why Jesus said this about the man: “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

In another passage Jesus says the same truth like this: “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?”

People value money because of all they can buy, but you can’t take any of those things with you when you die.

•    A way to gain happiness.
Another thing the world values money for is this: they see it as a means to buy happiness. “If I can just get rich,” men say, “then my problems will be over. I’ll finally be happy!”

Listen to this powerful verse found in Ecclesiastes 5:10:
“Those who love money will never have enough.  How absurd to think that wealth brings true happiness!”

How absurd! How foolish! Money can buy a new mobile phone and a new big screen TV – but it can never buy happiness. Money can put you in a Mercedes Benz, or a house at Trasacco Valley – but it can’t buy happiness.

You know what the problem with this view of money is? It’s the word MORE. Because those who set their focus on money will never have enough. Those who set their focus on possessions will never be satisfied. They always want more.

But there is a danger in the more. In our lust for things we end up loving money and using people. God has called us to love people and use money, but in our pursuit of more we turn it around. And in chasing money we end up catching grief. Listen to 1 Timothy 6:10:
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

•    A way to gain power and protection.
The third thing the world values money for is they see it as a means to gain power. With enough wealth, man feels invincible. With enough money, man feels secure. But man forgets one simple truth – money won’t last. And all the power and security you gain from money will fly away.

Listen to Proverbs 23:4-5: “Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit. In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle.”

See, friends, the truth is that the world’s view of money doesn’t work. The world will tell you that money can bring you lots of things, and that it will make you happy, and give you security. But there are millions of rich people in the world who are miserable. There are millions of rich people in the world who hate their lives. They live in fear. They don’t know peace. And even if somehow they feel some satisfaction from their possessions, it doesn’t last. It takes wings and flies away.

So what do we do? Do we give up on money? Do we stop working and just sit around and say we don’t care about money?
Well, actually there’s another view of money that we need to consider. It’s God’s view.

2.    God’s Views of Money

God is not against money. Just because the world sees money in a wrong light doesn’t mean that God is against money. A lot of people misquote the Bible and say, “Money is the root of all evil.” But that isn’t true. The Bible says, “The LOVE of money is the root of all evil.”

Money is not bad or wrong. It’s only bad when we view money as something that will buy us protection or happiness. But when we see money from God’s view, we have the wisdom to know how to use money.

And God wants us to use it. He wants us to use money as a tool to do certain things. What does God want us to do with money?
•    God sees money as an investment: it is a seed to sow.
Genesis 12:2-3 “I will bless you…and you will be a blessing… and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

God says the reason he has blessed us is so that we might be a blessing. God sees blessing as a continuous chain. He blesses you so you’ll bless someone else and the blessing will go on and on. But when you take his blessing and hoard it to yourself, you break the chain. And God says, “I am not interested in blessing someone who is breaking the chain of blessing.” God doesn’t bless those who are working against his purposes and plans.
But when you see money as an investment, you’ll understand that God has a purpose for your money. You’ll be careful to make sure that purpose is fulfilled.

I’m not just working to earn a living – I’m working to invest and be a blessing. I’m not looking for money just to acquire things – I am multiplying my impact by passing God’s blessing to others.

•    Secondly, God sees money as a test: it is a way to grow.
Deuteronomy 8:16 “He gave you manna to eat in the desert…to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you.”

God provided for his people and the provision was a test. He wanted to know what was in them.

This is why David prayed, “Lord, don’t let me become so rich that I get lifted up in pride and forget about you. And don’t let me be so poor that I steal and cause shame to you.” David knew that money was a test – and that both riches and poverty would come to test our hearts.

Success can be a test. When God’s blessing comes, it tests our hearts. Will we begin to lust after more, or do we continually remember that all we have and all we are belongs to him? Do we allow that blessing to continue to flow through us to others?

Money is the test all of us will face. Sometimes we may be tested with blessings. Will our heart turn from God to lust after things? At other times we’ll be tested when we don’t have enough money. We’ll be tempted to cheat and lie and steal.

Third, God sees money as a revelation: it is a chance to show.

2 Corinthians 9:11-12 “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.”

Your gift is not just a gift – it’s an example of God. Giving brings glory to God because people will praise him for your generosity and they will praise him for his lavish gift to us.

God doesn’t need your money. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof! But God wants you to participate with him in blessing others. He wants you to show an example of how good he is. When we give, people will ask, “Why are those people so generous? What makes them give so much?” And our answer will be: “Because God is generous! He has lavished his grace on us. He has given us his best. He gave his only son Jesus Christ for us.”

Friend, I give not just to meet the need but also to show his glory. I give because he gave. I am generous because he is generous. I want to give sacrificially because he gave sacrificially. I want to be extravagant in my giving because God is extravagant in giving! Hallelujah!

My giving is a chance to SHOW – to show who God is.

What is YOUR view of money?

What is your view of money – do you share the world’s view or God’s view?

The best way to answer that question is to see how you are handling the money you do have now. For if you are a giver now, you will give if you became rich. If you are wasteful now, you’ll be wasteful with a million dollars.
If you are saving and investing now, you would still save and invest with a million dollars. If you are faithful now with the little you have, you would be faithful still with a large sum.

This is why Jesus said in Luke 6:10-13: “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”

Some of us think, “When I get rich, then I’ll give generously.” No you won’t. If you won’t give now when you have little, you won’t give later when you have much. It’s actually easier to give ten cedis than it is to give a million cedis.

How you are handling the money God has given you today is the same way you will handle vast wealth should God give that to you tomorrow.

If we value money as an object to be obtained, we’ll never find God’s truth about money. If we keep seeking money so that we may pile up possessions, thinking it will bring us happiness and power and protection, then we are blocking God’s favor in our lives.

But if we see money as God sees it – an investment, a test, and a revelation – then we are on the path to a life of greater riches, greater peace, and greater joy than we ever dreamed possible.

We all need to examine our view of money. We need to search our hearts and ask the Holy Spirit to convict us of any greed or covetousness, any deception or pride, any place where we have elevated money above Him.

God’s economy is not based on the world’s economy. The story of God’s people in exile in Babylon as found in the book of Jeremiah shows us that God can and will provide for us even in difficult times. However, there are certain principles we must adhere to in order to see his blessing.

It was a terrible and a dark time for the people of Israel. Their nation had been defeated by the Babylonians and they were carried away as captives. Their temple was torn down, and all hope seemed lost. Yet in the midst of this dark time, God sent a word of hope to his people through Jeremiah the prophet. His message is found in Jeremiah 29:1-14. And interestingly enough, God gave the people five specific actions they should take in order to prosper in the midst of their trials.

1.    Be faithful where God plants you.

The children of Israel were refugees. They arrived in Babylon with nothing. They had to start all over again.

But listen to what God tells them: he commands them to build houses and to settle down. (Jeremiah 29:5) In effect, he is telling them that even in the midst of this misfortune he is with them and he will take care of them.

Now, I’m sure many of the people would have been surprised by this message. They were hoping and praying for deliverance from Babylon. They were praying and believing God for an immediate breakthrough that would send them back to Jerusalem and their homes.

But this was not to be. God had lessons for them in Babylon, so he told them they would be there 70 years.

I can easily understand how this relates to you and I today. So many of us are anxious for instant miracles and instant deliverance. We want our blessing and we want it NOW. We are used to microwave and fast food. So we expect instant miracles and provision.

The problem is, if God gave many of us what we wanted right now we would not be mature enough to handle it. We would spoil the blessings because we haven’t learned patience and diligence.

Listen to Proverbs 10:4 “He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.”

Remember, Jesus himself said in Matthew 25:21 “‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.”
The Children of Israel had to settle down and be diligent where God had placed them, rather than always dreaming of something better somewhere else.

2.    Eat from your own garden.

God commanded his people to plant gardens and grow their own food. (Jeremiah 29:5) In other words, he was telling them to be responsible for their own provision, and not to be dependent on others to provide for them.

In the New Testament, we hear God clearly speak the same message to all of us in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.”
Obviously, there is a time and place to receive assistance from others. Yet God expects us to use what we have and pray for his blessings. It’s a joint venture. We have to work.

Work is not a dirty word. Genesis tells us God worked for six days and then rested. If the God of the whole heaven and earth can work, then it certainly is not too much for any of us to work.

When Jesus walked this earth, he worked with his hands. He didn’t have a fancy job – he labored with the talents his father had given to him.

3.    Plan for the future.

God told them to marry, have children, and even to prepare for grandchildren. (Jeremiah 29:6) In other words, don’t just look at the immediate needs and the immediate problems. Plan ahead! Prepare for tomorrow. God is going to see you through for many years and you have to be ready for his blessing over the long period of time.

Many people have an aversion to planning. But planning is a sign of faith! When I plan for tomorrow, it means I have hope in God. I believe he is going to allow me to live and be blessed for many years to come.

When I plan for my children and my grandchildren, I am declaring my faith in God that he will prosper me and give me a future and a hope.

Proverbs 21:5 “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.”

Everyone of us should practice the 10-10-80 rule. The 10-10-80 rule says, Tithe 10%, Save 10%, live off the 80%. Saving is a part of every believer’s financial plan. If you can’t save much, save a little. Save something every month. Saving is a sign of faith.

4.    Pray for the blessings of others.

This is perhaps the most interesting portion of this passage. God told his people to work for the peace and prosperity of Babylon. (Jeremiah 29:7)

The Babylonians were the enemies of God’s people. They were the ones who had burned down the temple and destroyed the city of Jerusalem. They were the people who had carried the Israelites away into captivity! So how can God now tell his people to bless them, work for them, and pray for them?

But see friends, God is very clear. He told his people that they would prosper when Babylon prospered. Listen to Jeremiah 29:7 “Pray to the LORD for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.”

What does this mean for us? If you are working for someone, you should work in such a way to make sure their business prospers. If you are employed anywhere, you should pray for God’s blessing on that employer. You should show up to work on time, work with all your heart, treat the company as if it was your own, and pray for the prosperity of the Lord on that company and your boss.

How many of us are guilty of doing as little as possible to help our employer? How many of us are unconcerned about the prosperity of our employer? How many even in the church are working to pull down our employer so we can overthrow him and start our own company and steal his business? But God says this should not be.

5.    Don’t listen to the lies of false prophets and deceivers.

Now this may seem like a strange command to tell God’s people in exile in Babylon. But you see, here’s the truth: there were a lot of false prophets who were simply telling the people what they wanted to hear. They were giving them messages to feel good but not to teach them the truth. And the people were flocking to hear the messages of breakthrough and blessing. But God said, “I did NOT send those people.”

Sadly, the church today is also filled with false prophets and false pastors. They tell you words that make you feel good but they don’t tell you the truth that will make you become good. They want to wave a magic wand and miraculously and instantly make you rich. But the Bible says you have to follow God’s word in order to get rich. It doesn’t come by anointing, it comes by obedience.

Listen to Proverbs 13:11: “Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time.”

Five interesting commands from God to his people in exile. It was a difficult time for them – but God gave them powerful promises of hope. It they would obey him, he would bless them once again. Listen again to his words in Jeremiah 29: “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the LORD.

Never doubt that God wants to bless you! Follow his ways and his words and you will see a bright future.