It Matters To God How You Spend Your Money (100 Days Of Discipleship — Day 61) by Apostle Emmanuel Iren: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

Jesus Watched How People Gave

Mark 12:41: "Now Jesus sat over against the treasury and saw how the people cast money into the treasury." In modern language: it was offering time, and He was watching. Not because money is the most important thing — but because how you handle money reveals what is most important to you.

If you want to know what you truly prioritise, print out your expenditure for the last twelve months. Not what you say matters — what you actually spend on. Those are your real priorities. And that is precisely why financial stewardship is not peripheral to discipleship. It is central.

Abound in This Grace Also

2 Corinthians 8:7: "But as you abound in everything — in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us — see that you abound in this grace also." Paul was writing to the Corinthians about the grace of giving, and he put it on the same list as faith, knowledge, and love.

The church at Macedonia gave beyond their power — out of deep poverty — because they had first given themselves to the Lord. That is the sequence. Generosity is always a demonstration that you have given yourself to the Lord. If you have given yourself to Him, your purse will follow.

Financial Stewardship Is a Mindset

Spend like someone who will give account to the Lord. That means:

• You are not the owner — you are a steward of resources God allowed to come your way
• There is a reason you were born into the family you were born into, attended the schools you attended, got the job you have — that is the providence of God
• Meticulous stewardship is one way of showing gratitude
• When you have more, the responsibility increases — not just the freedom to spend

Beware of societal pressure that pushes you toward validation through things. A good car is not wrong. But at the expense of your parents in the village, your giving, your savings? That is foolishness dressed as success.

A Sanctified Heart Leads to a Sanctified Purse

Luke 19:8: Zacchaeus, upon encountering Jesus, said: "Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold." Jesus's response: "Today salvation has come to this house."

One of the ways you know that Zacchaeus was truly converted was that without anyone telling him, he immediately restructured his finances. Genuine transformation changes the way money is handled. Money Randy Alcorn said is a spiritual stethoscope — it reveals the true state of the heart.

Have a Generosity Plan

• If you don't have a generosity plan, you are not truly generous — you are spontaneous
• Spontaneous giving without structure leads to being exploited or to inconsistency
• Set aside at least 10% to God, 10% to the poor and family needs — before anything else
• Prayerfully consider before exceeding that plan, except in clear leading from the Lord

Financial stewardship is not just about giving — it is about being meticulous with everything God has entrusted to you. That includes saving, investing, planning, and giving. It is a complete picture of a sanctified relationship with money.