Day 17: Money—How We Can Do Great Good or Harm

Read Mark 10:17-31. What must the rich young ruler do in order inherit eternal life? Jesus
cuts to the chase: sell everything, give it all to the poor, follow Me.
The message here isn’t necessarily that every one of us is supposed to sell all that we
have and live as ascetics following Jesus. No, the message is that we are to love Jesus
more than our money and, if we are called to do so, that we would be not only willing
but joyous to sell all that we have to follow Him. We should not view our money and
resources as our own at all, but as God’s, and we should steward His resources
accordingly.
The following subsections discuss two key aspects of stewardship as they relate to your
partnership with AIM and your work in Cambodia.

Stewardship Part I
In Cambodia, how you steward your money
can lead either to great harm or great good.
After the Killing Fields (see Day 22 for more
information on the Killing Fields), an
organization with significant financial
backing went to Cambodia to bless and
empower the Church. For one month they
asked pastors to come and submit their
requests for funding. However, when people
realized that the organization wasn’t there for the long-term, wasn’t going to provide
accountability, and wasn’t going to check up on their stories, they began to invent
churches, orphanages and other ministries in order to get some of the funding.
Through this well-intentioned effort, people learned that they could manipulate wealthy
donors and get easy money. This practice is still a challenge in Cambodia today.
When you go to Cambodia, it may be that a pastor, staff or other individual will ask you
for funding. While the request may or may not be ill-intentioned, we do not want to ever
promote this type of behavior or create temptation for our staff or partner church
ministries. It is always best to have a structure of accountability through which to give. If
you want to promote the mission of AIM and the work that God is doing through their
staff, please give to AIM directly, trusting that the staff know how best to steward and
allocate your donations given their experience with the country and their work on the
ground.

Stewardship Part II
Now imagine that you are part of a small church in a rural community. Another church
from overseas contacts you and says you can choose between them sending a mission
team to put on a VBS at your church or giving you the money it would have cost to
send the team. It will cost them about $30,000 to send over their ten team members for
the two-week VBS. Your church has been praying for $20,000 to repair the heating
and air-conditioning unit that hasn’t been functioning properly for months, and the
remaining $10,000 would more than triple your typical VBS budget. What do you think
your church would do?
You have no doubt been raising money or have been paying out of pocket no small
amount in order to go to Cambodia. The above anecdote is not designed to make you
feel guilty about the cost to go and to serve, but it is meant to challenge you to
consider what this short-term experience will mean.
You have the opportunity to see first-hand what God is doing in the lives of
Cambodians through AIM’s ministry. You have the opportunity to serve alongside
practiced staff, to love children who desperately need to know they are loved and
cherished, and to give of your time, your energy, and your resources to live out God’s
call on all of our lives to serve the helpless and the oppressed.
Some people view short term missions as an unwise use of money. Some believe it’s an
appropriate use of money. It all depends on how you follow through after the two
weeks you get to serve in Cambodia. If your trip prompts you to consistently give of your
finances and time in prayer upon your return, then it was a good use of your time. But if
it is was solely for a two-week personal experience, it was an unwise use of God’s
resources.
The rich young ruler left Jesus disheartened because the wealth that he had was great.
He did not understand the promise of riches from which he was walking away – that
material blessing is worth nothing in comparison to the greatness of walking with and
following Jesus.
Spend some time in prayer in thanks for the blessings God has bestowed upon you and
ask how He may be calling you to steward His finances.