What would you do if you won 500 million or even 1 billion dollar Powerball? I expect millions of Americans to play the Powerball by tomorrow 23Aug2017 because the estimated value is 700+ million dollars.
I expect a lot of you to say I will pay off loans or I will buy a new house or car or I will go on vacation or I will retire, etc. All of those things are great, but is that what God would want?
I know that my wife says she wants to buy a new car, pay off loans for us and our families, potentially buy a new house. I think all of that is great but to be honest I think that is wrong. I know she has heard me say it, but I am not sure that it has sunk in. God may allow her to win the money, but His will may be different than hers.
I am sure that some of you do not really care what God wants and that is your choice, but for those that do, you need to ask yourself that question. God’s will for your winnings may not be the same as yours.
I am reminded of John Wesley. John initially spent money on himself until he realized that God was not happy with his spending. You can read about him and what changed his life, but the man changed in one day. He did not just merely tithe, but figured out what he needed to live on and gave the rest away.
As I have explained in the past, I like to do a lot of different things such as work on cars, make wine, make beer, wood working, metal working, electricity, plumbing, carpentry, drawing, painting, programming, exercising, etc. Even though I have all these hobbies or knowledge gathering activities, I will help anyone the needs help. My wife and I have given money to people who were desperate knowing that we would never see the money again because we felt it was the right thing to do. I have helped people with construction or working on cars or welding or encouragement or loaning tools or you name it.
Will we play the Powerball? Yes! Do I believe that we will win the money? I do not care. All that I know is that I do not want to change if we do. If this money will change who I am, then I would rather not win it. I want to do God’s will with this money, not mine, but I need to start doing that with the money I already make.
I am currently doing 7 projects around the house:
- Working on my shop
- Working on my sons car, the head gasket blew again.
- Gardening and securing the area from pests.
- Replacing the Electrical Service Panel from Federal Pacific to Square D and bringing it current with the most recent codes.
- Painting the exterior of the house.
- Putting up guttering.
- Cleaning the garage.
Are any of these projects in God’s will for me and my family? I am sure the answer is “No”, but I feel that they have to get done. So I have spent a good deal of money on these and will spend a little more to complete them. However, this is what I feel needs to be done.
Could I have done something different with the extra money? Yes! Do I know what? Not really, but if I were to stop and listen to God, He just might tell me. So, what do I do now? Do I stop what I am doing or do I continue? If I stop now, then all these projects would only be partially completed and I am not sure that is a good thing either. So I will finish the projects and then re-evaluate. I just pray that God is not too upset with me for how the money that I have earned was spent. If you are curious, yes we give a minimum of 10% of our money to our church, but we do give other money or items to different organizations.
So I ask again, what will you do with the Powerball money if you win? I pray that you will seek God’s advice, but remember that He may not give you an immediate answer. I would say at a minimum tithe 10% of your winnings, then take your time with the rest. God may have a plan for you and that money that will bring Him glory.