You have won/earned $6,000 by doing exactly as God told you (good for you). God also told you that when you made the $6,000, you have to spend it. The instructions were that when you made the money, you must spend it in one of two ways: 1) You must take your spouse on a vacation, or 2) You must give it to a charity that helps the needy. No, you cannot keep it in a safe place until a rainy day. Having these two choices, which would you pick?

Let’s be honest: You are having a bit of a time making up your mind. So, you flip a coin. Heads you go on vacation; tails you give the money away. The coin lands heads up. You go on the vacation.

So now the question is: Did it make any difference which you chose? You are a Christian, and works do not save you. Giving to charity is a good idea, but taking your wife (or husband) on that long-deserved vacation is a good idea too.

Let’s narrow the question down to what God thinks about it: Does God care either way? Is one more preferable to Him than the other? Can we even know what God thinks about it?

Maybe we feel we cannot answer this question for God, so let’s ask ourselves what we think about it: Does our choice indicate anything about our spiritual condition before God? Can we judge ourselves? Should we judge ourselves? Will searching our own conscience be beneficial or destructive? Will we become legalistic? Will we become hard-hearted?

Does it make any difference whether we earned the money or won it?

Does any of this make any difference at all?

You may complain that in real life, there are more options than the two just listed. As true as this may be, the choices are pretty much the same. Can we choose and does it make a difference? Maybe you need to sit down and list these other options and go through your Bible and make up your mind about what you are going to do with the rest of your life. Or have you been caught up in this spirit of this age and won’t search the Scriptures? Will you count the cost?

Will you make a difference?

- Chris Simonson

We encourage you to email the author to prove or disprove, from the Scriptures, the intent, meaning, purpose or doctrine of this piece. email Chris