You Can't Serve Both | Crossroads Daily

Hi, everyone. We are back and my name is Kirsten. I'm Mika. I'm Chris. And I'm Debo. And we are going to be digging into Luke 16 today. Jesus is sharing parables about what reveals our hearts, like where, where are our hearts? And so I'm going to kick off with this question to really dive in. How much money is in your guys's bank account? Oh, wow. This has got real personal. Guys, you know, I already got like at least 10 mil in the bank. I got big bucks. No, but actually, like, why is money so connected to our heart condition? Like, why is that such a vulnerable question? And, and how do you guys wrestle with that? So how is money connected to our heart condition in your life? I think I can start. I struggle so much with money. I think it is gross. I hate it. Just not a fan. I didn't grow up with a lot of money. I just really saw money as like an evil in my life. I, my mindset grew to a place like, oh, as soon as I get it, how do I get it out? Which on the surface is like, wow, what a good place to be. Except then when I got married to my husband that grew up a little more well off, he was like, you know, money can be good if you posture it right and where it's places in your heart. Having a lot of money doesn't have to mean that your heart is like gross with it. It depends on how you're using it. Like if someone has a lot of money and they are using it to like bless people and share the gospel, like great. But I didn't think that that was possible. And this was even before I knew that scripture said this, I just saw it as like, oh, people with money are evil. If they really cared about people, they wouldn't have that much money. And so actually what I think that does for me is it makes my heart in a place of like not caring for the money that God gives me well. Like if I'm trying to get rid of it, as soon as it comes in, I am not using it how the Lord wants me to. I am just in an unhealthy way, putting it back into the world in not blessed way. I don't want to be too churchy, but seriously, I'm like, I feel like I just need to take a minute and be like, okay, God, what do you want me to do with this money? Instead of just being like, oh, well, I'll give a hundred to this person. This person needs groceries. So here's 200. And you know what? The rest can just go into food and we'll eat out every day because I don't want it in our bank account. So that's where my mind's at. Yeah. My thoughts. I honestly go to like, naturally, I think when you associate a person with a lot of money, that's the person that needs to be watchful of their heart when it

comes to money. But it also has that same impact on a person without it. You know what I mean? With the poverty mentality. So I don't think it's just like, you know, the rich ruler, but also the, you know, the person who doesn't, you know, didn't grow up with some of those same means. But now, you know, it just has, because of that, it just has this corrupted, you know, place in their own heart, which I believe that's probably what like I experienced a lot, just overvaluing it. I think there's still traces of that I recognize in my own heart, which is, it just makes me, I think now I'm just, I think I'm more cognizant of it. And then it's like, it's like, it's just really shaped my prayer life a lot where it's just like, okay, God, this is something that I recognize. It's there. You know what I mean? And it's like, now it's something to pray against. It's, you know, the, and to not like pretend like it's not there. You know what I mean? Whatever, however it shows up, like I'll recognize it, but just to not pretend like it's not there. And then, you know, pray about that with God. I think just the idea of excess, abundance, while in and of itself isn't bad, I think that there are still just traces of that tainted motive for it still in my heart. If I'm being honest. It's so dangerous. Yeah. Yeah. I didn't, I also didn't grow up with a lot of money. And so for me, I view money as stability where, um, like I was thinking about not too long ago, my husband and I, we, our car got hit. That was a hit and run. We were at a wedding and it was from, like we got hit by people who attended the wedding. We were both all going to the reception. So I was like, we're gonna find these people. I'm looking out. Cause I was like, I'm not paying for this. And I had the worst attitude, which I'm like, like that's, I mean, that's expected, right? Everyone would be mad, but my husband had this just like perfect attitude of just like, do we trust God? Like, if we even don't find this person,

like, do we believe that he's our provider? And I'm like, well, I don't want to pay for this. Like, I think sometimes- How dare you? Yeah, like how dare you? In this moment, right? Like, yeah. And he challenged me. He was like, do we believe that he's going to provide? If we actually have to pay thousands of dollars for this, do we believe he's going to provide for us financially? And I'm like, yeah, but like it challenged my faith. And so I find myself in the spot of like, when it comes to money, that sometimes I make it a God in my life of just like stability where I'm like, like if I didn't have this, would I trust God as much? Like, do you know that tension that I feel that sometimes I put trust in money? And if I don't have it, it leaves me in an opportunity to trust God, but it's hard for me to do that. So yeah, it's super challenging. I don't know about you guys, but my mood can be dictated based on what my bank account looks like. Like if I open the app and I'm like, it's a bad day today. But if we're a little more comfortable, I'm like, okay, we're all set.

But I instantly devote to what you were saying. Like I lose sight of God the second that I feel some security financially. I'm like, okay, well, like God, you're good. And then if a day I open up the app and it's a little lower, I'm like, all right, God, let's, okay. I need you now. I need the bread from you and this bread. I remember there was a verse that my wife and I had read at our wedding. It's so important. I forget what it actually said, but one line of it was in Proverbs. He was praying that he would not be given too much or too little that he would be in need, but not too much that he would forget who God is. And I'm just constantly in that spot where I'm like, I'm finding security and that is so easy. All right, if we were to pull up your bank accounts right now, what would it show about you? What would it show about your hearts? I spend way too much on coffee. Coffee. Did you get coffee today? I did, I did. Every day? Not every day. Okay, there you go. Coffee, okay. I eat takeout way too much.

I just left the doctor and that was a question he was asking me about my diet. How dare he? I'm right, like, excuse me. But nah, yeah, I definitely, I eat takeout. More than I eat at home, so. You know, I don't know. I think takeout's cheaper than eating at home. I mean, we need to have a talk about that. I've never pinched the numbers, but I really, I'm sure somewhere the math is mathing. I mean, I'm with you on that one. That's gotta be it. Mine would reveal some moodiness. Like, three days you'd see no purchases on something and then like three days in a row, it's like eight Amazon things. And it can just be very tied to like, oh, if I feel like I need to hit a dopamine. I was like, oh, I need that shirt today. Like, oh, I've been needing something like that. I can justify it in my mind. And then other days it's like, I'm dialed in. I'm like, God, this is your money. I will give it where you want. And it feels like it can be, just flips back and forth very often. Yeah. That's really good. I think I'm the same.

I'm also moody. I'm like, again, I tend to trend to just giving away money. So my husband and I, we always try to keep a big bucket because he knows it makes me happy to like, whenever we go out with people, we're the ones that are paying for our friends to eat. And again, on the outside, that's like, oh, that's so nice of you guys. Except when the bucket grows into like, your entire bank account and you're like, wait, we actually can't afford to just pay for everyone's meals and things all the time. And they're like, engineers in like science. Like, they could literally buy our house with cash. Why are we doing this? Like, okay, fine. But like, I think there is a balance that the Lord wants us to do. And there's this word of like, steward, like being a good steward of the resources you're given and taking care of it. That doesn't come from either getting rid of it all or hoarding it all. There is a sweet spot of like, being intentional with how you're stewarding your finances. So, all right. That's our money talk. We're so glad that you came.