Take a look inside your wallet. Go on, take a look. What do you see? You probably see your driver’s license, a couple of credit cards, and a few receipts. You might even see some cash. How do you see that cash? If you’re like most people, you see your cash, or your money.

I’ve noticed that, whenever a pastor discusses money, finances, and giving, people get trapped into this kind of thinking: “The pastor and the church are just out to get my money. They’re just like the government. Instead of a tax, they try to charge a tithe. All they want is my money.” From this perspective, the offering becomes a tug-of-war: the pastor is up there, pulling with all his might to get your money, while the individual pulls with all his might to keep it.

But the fact of the matter is, Jesus found the issue of finances very important. In Luke 16, He tells a parable about how to see “stuff” and how to manage money. It may surprise you to learn that Jesus talked more about these issues than he talked about heaven and hell. In the four Gospels, one out of every ten verses deals with managing money. One would assume that the Bible would discuss prayer more often than money, but while over 2,500 verses deal with money, only 500 verses deal with prayer.

Right now you might be thinking, “Wow! Jesus was obsessed with money!” But Jesus didn’t talk about money because he was obsessed with it. He talked about money because he knew we would be obsessed with it.

Most people make three assumptions: First, that their money belongs to them. Second, that giving at the church means giving to the church. Third, that the cost of giving outweighs the benefits of giving. That’s why most people don’t plan their giving. Either they don’t give, or they give as an afterthought. They reach into their wallet, pull out a bill, throw it in the offering plate, and move on.

We don’t have a problem with purses or pocketbooks. We have a problem with our perspective. But if we learn to see our “stuff” the way God sees it, we will no longer see our money in our wallets. We will see a way to invest in eternity. If we ever learn what God could do with our stuff, we will never, ever have a lack to do what He has called us to do.