Devotional Time with God

This weekend’s sermon by Pastor Rick and Tom Holladay is a very important one to me. It deals with money. It’s always been a problem in our family when it comes to dealing with the issues relating to money. It’s a cause for division, cause for arguments, cause for insecurities, cause of pain. In the message, the lack of money, or being in debt, is the focus of his sermon. God has a lot to say about managing my money. First and foremost, I must look to God when I have issues with money. I must trust God to provide for my needs. He gave me everything, in the first place, to glorify His name, as written in Romans 11:36

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever!

Then Paul wrote in Philippians 4:19

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

God will meet all of my needs! Not wants, not desires, not indulgence. Needs! He never lets me astray. He never lets me down. If He does take things away from me, it’s because He’s testing my character.

I have to ask myself: who should I look for to get more money? Everything on this earth belongs to God. It’s not by my own talent or luck that I get more money. It all comes from God because it’s His to give in the first place. He is trusting His riches on earth to me so I may use it to help others. Money is a tool to do good.  As long as I use money to do God’s work, He will always provide for me.

What would my family and friends say is the driving force of my life? What I want it to be?

The Purpose Driven Life, p. 35

Living in this world has a lot of pressures: friends, family, and sometimes self-imposed ones. When I grew up, I tended to find approval from my parents and friends. My parents would like to see me succeed in life, either in wealth, or in raising a family of my own. I was asking the questions: Do I make enough money to equal Dad’s success? Am I married to a woman that my mother approved? Will my friends still be friends when I’m in a less fortunate situation? Will others see us as bad parents if my child does not behave to a certain “standard”?

The stress that I put on myself are not necessarily in sync with God’s purpose for me. In fact, if it is God’s will, my life should be very easy! I had those moments where things look straight forward and simple. It felt like walking on a tight-rope; sometimes I felt in control. But as soon as I looked down, I lost my balance and fell.

This world also puts an emphasis on money as a measure of one’s success. I never forget the verse from 1 Timothy 6:10 (NIV):

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Money is not evil. It’s the love of money that is evil. It’s a verse that’s often misinterpreted and miscommunicated. Money is essential to survive in this world, but the drive to accumulate more of it is not healthy at all. I must teach my family that sometimes enough is enough. We don’t need expensive SUVs. We don’t need 100″ plasma TVs. We don’t need to travel every 3 months, etc.

Another concept that shows God’s favour is the act of giving. After providing for my family, I must also help others with my money. In Malachi 3:10 (NIV)

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.

This verse was given to us by my church friend, Sherry. I was on unemployment insurance, getting $300 per month. How could I give that away as tithe? It turned out that we could still give 10% to God and He still provided for my family! People helped us in our time of need. I received a substantial tax return. We stayed healthy. We were never short. Eventually, I got another job that paid more! God is that simple — give to Him, and He will give a lot more back to me!

Once I know that God is in control, my life is more focused and clear.