Michael Blue

__I once heard a Canadian pastor, Carey Nieuwhof, say, “There are no inspiring stories of accumulation, only inspiring stories of sacrifice.” The comment arrested my attention. I pondered it, was inspired by it, but still wondered if I agreed with it.__

### Two Contrasting Examples

Howard Hughes – aviator, investor, film-maker, business tycoon, engineer, hotelier, and entrepreneur – was one of the wealthiest men in American history. He was both eccentric and troubled and during his life, he amassed a fortune of over $2.5 billion. Despite this tremendous wealth, he suffered terribly with his physical and mental health. He pushed everyone close to him away and became a recluse. By the time of his death, he was nearly unrecognizable as a result of his suffering and he died miserable, sad and alone. In many ways, his wealth had become his prison.

George Müller is one of the most well-known Christian missionaries. After beginning life as a deviant, he became a Christian and set out with a mission to serve God. He and his wife became affected by the plight of the orphans in Bristol, England and so they opened an orphanage. In this beginning, they determined that they were not ever going to ask anyone for money. They resolved simply to pray. The stories of God’s provision are legendary and the Müllers were able to care for over 10,000 orphans as God provided them with more than $1.5 million in donations during their lifetimes. Whenever an orphan would reach adulthood and leave the orphanage, George would sit down with him and place a Bible in his right hand and a coin in his left. He would tell him to cling tightly to what was in his right hand, and God would always make sure he had something in his left hand.

Howard Hughes is remembered as a man of great vision, wealth, and power. George Müller is remembered as a man of great faith and impact. I want to be remembered like George Müller, but too often live like I want to have the wealth of Howard Hughes.

### So why don’t I order my life to live like Müller?

This question brings me to what troubles me about Nieuwhof’s quote above. For, if Müller’s sacrifice inspires me, why don’t I live an inspired life? What I would add to Nieuwhof’s quote is that we are not inspired merely by raw sacrifice. The key to being inspired by sacrifice is understanding what it is that is inspiring us.

> __*“SACRIFICE ALONE CAN IMPRESS US, SURE, BUT NOT INSPIRE US TO ACTION. IT IS WHAT UNDERLIES THE SACRIFICE THAT INSPIRES US TO ACTION.”*__

Müller was inspired by God’s grace. Just like the Macedonians from 2 Corinthians, Müller was moved to serve orphans because he understood the grace he had received. The Macedonians were said to have received the grace of God and in it, “their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty…overflowed in a wealth of generosity.” Can you even fathom such a statement? Their “extreme poverty” overflowed into a “wealth” of generosity. I have a hard time even comprehending such contrasts. The only explanation is that they understood the grace they had received and out of it were able to sacrifice.

Howard Hughes did not know the grace he had received, and it ended up sentencing him to a life of loneliness. He had a lot of wealth, but he was not wealthy. George Müller knew the grace he had received, and it ended up leading him to a life where he experienced God’s miracles daily. He did not have any wealth, but he was wealthy. Müller’s understanding of God’s grace, which enabled him to sacrifice so much, is what inspires me.

### Defining Financial Hope

Recently, I had the privilege of writing an eight-week Bible study called *[Financial Hope](http://moneywise.org/products).* In this study, we explore stories of men and women who lived with an understanding of God’s grace and, as a result, were driven to live differently with their money. We then unpack truths of scripture with regards to our finances and ask how these truths should cause us to live with our money. The chapters are designed to generate discussion, and so it is encouraged that you go through this book with one or more people.

##### Financial Hope is broken up into the following eight chapters:

- __God Owns It All__
- __Content with What I Have__
- __Pursuing Faith in My Finances__
- __Aligning My Heart with God’s__
- __Using Money as a Tool__
- __Debt Mortgages Your Future__
- __How Much Is Enough?__
- __A Hope for Tomorrow__

If you work through these chapters, alone or with others, I pray that you will be able to better determine whether your life is marked by grace or by the allure of wealth. Are you becoming more like Müller or Hughes?

__None of us can fake stewardship, and the greatest revealer of our hearts is how we spend our money. I hope that many will join us on this journey to explore God’s truth and God’s riches as they are revealed in God’s word.__

FaithFi

Articles

I once heard a Canadian pastor, Carey Nieuwhof, say, “There are no inspiring stories of accumulation, only inspiring...

GIVING | Mar 2, 2021

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By: Michael Blue

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