Deuteronomy 8:18-19 (NKJV) “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish.
Money can be a god in our lives when we allow the lust for money to become an idol. Scripture says that we cannot serve two masters because we will love one and hate the other. If we love money, we will never have enough of it. Therefore, as believers, we must choose to worship and serve God and refuse to let the love of money become an idol. God wants us to enjoy the pleasures of this world, but because He is a jealous God, what He doesn’t want is for the lust of the world and the things it offers to replace Him in our lives.
God wanted the Israelites to remember that He was the one who gave them the power to gain wealth and fulfilled His covenant obligations, but their hearts were drawn away from God after they had built beautiful houses and had an abundance. They thought that their wisdom and abilities had gained them wealth. Today, mankind also tends to drift away from God, become lukewarm or complacent towards Him when everything is going well and all our needs are met, become proud, and want to be independent of God.
1 Timothy 6:9-10 (NKJV) But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
When we are blinded by the love of money, it is easy to make wrong decisions and jeopardise the entire family’s savings. Therefore, a couple must decide what are some of the non-negotiables when it comes to investments or businesses, such as whether they agree to high-risk investments in the hope of high returns. Even if you are thinking of partnering with a Christian for business or investment, in addition to doing due diligence, it would be wise to pray first.
The couple should also agree that Christians should never enter any casinos or racecourses and bet on lotteries because all forms of gambling are harmful to the individual and the family. The deception behind it is the desire to win and recover the loss.
Therefore, a couple should sit down to plan their budget, decide to tithe, and make God their source. When we tithe and give freewill offerings, we will not worship mammon. We will always be ready to part with our money because we are convinced that we are stewards of God’s resources.
Sermon Series：Before You Say I Do (Lesson 11 Finances)
只侍奉一个主
申命记8:18-19 你要记念耶和华你的神，因为得货财的力量是他给你的，为要坚定他向你列祖起誓所立的约，像今日一样。你若忘记耶和华你的神，随从别神，事奉敬拜，你们必定灭亡。这是我今日警戒你们的。
当我们放纵对金钱的渴望而使其成为偶像时，金钱就会成为我们生命中的神。 圣经说我们不能侍奉两个主，因为我们会爱这个而恨那个。 如果我们爱钱，我们就永远不会满足。 因此，作为信徒，我们必须选择敬拜、事奉神，拒绝让贪财成为偶像。 神希望我们享受这个世界的快乐，但因为祂是一位忌邪的神，祂不想要的是我们让属世的情欲及其所提供的一切来取代祂在我们生命中的地位。
神希望以色列人记住，是祂赐予他们能力去获取财富，并履行祂的圣约义务，但当他们建造了美丽的房屋、变得富足之后，他们的心就远离了神。 他们认为是自己的智慧和能力为他们赢得了财富。 今天，当一切顺利、所有的需要都得到满足时，人类也倾向于远离神，对神变得不冷不热或满不在乎，骄傲自大，想要摆脱神。
提摩太前书6:9-10 但那些想要发财的人，就陷在迷惑，落在网罗，和许多无知有害的私欲里，叫人沉在败坏和灭亡中。贪财是万恶之根。有人贪恋钱财，就被引诱离了真道，用许多愁苦把自己刺透了。
当我们被对金钱的热爱蒙蔽时，很容易做出错误的决定并危及整个家庭的财务储备。 因此，夫妻双方在投资或创业时必须决定哪些是必须要保证的，特别是在做高风险投资以前。 即使您正在考虑与基督徒合作进行商业或投资，除了尽职调查之外，明智的做法是先祈祷。
这对夫妇还应该同意，基督徒永远不应该进入任何赌场或赛马场并投注彩票，因为所有形式的赌博对于个人和家庭都是有害的。 其背后的欺骗是渴望赢钱并在输钱时试图挽回损失。
因此，一对夫妇应该坐下来计划他们的预算，决定缴纳十一奉献，让上帝成为他们的源泉。 当我们缴纳十分之一并自愿奉献时，我们就不会崇拜玛门。 我们随时准备好放弃我们的金钱，因为我们确信自己是上帝资源的管家。
讲章系列：步向红毯之前（第十一课财务）
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