“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7 NIV).
God never closes his storehouse until you close your mouth and stop asking. God wants to help you, but if you don’t ever ask, that’s a problem. The last time you needed a car, did you ask God for it, or did you just go out and buy it? Before you decided on the best way to do something, did you ask God for wisdom? When you needed help in a relationship, did you pray about it first? Jesus says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7 NIV). When you need God’s help, remember to ASK: ask, seek, knock. God spells it out in this verse three ways so that you will get the message. Maybe you never see miracles in your life because you never ask for them. If you want to see God work in your life more, start asking! One of God’s principles for your finances is that before you pay for it, pray for it. Stop and ask God. Give God a chance to give it to you before you go out and charge it. If you depend more on your credit card than on Jesus Christ, then you’re not going to get God’s blessing on your finances. He wants you to pray about it before you pay for it so that you will have his wisdom and make a decision that pleases him. God wants you to ask for things in prayer because he’s a loving Father. Like any father who loves to give his kids good things, God loves to bestow gifts on his children. He’s just waiting for you to ask. “You have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy will be the fullest possible joy” (John 16:24 NCV). God wants you to ask so he can give. He wants to give so you can receive. He wants you to receive so you’ll be full of joy. He wants you to be full of joy because it’s a great advertisement for Jesus Christ. Joyful Christians show the world that following Jesus and doing what he commands brings joy, not dread. Stop worrying about your finances. Start praying about them! When you do, you’ll have a lot less worry and a lot more joy.
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“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much” (Luke 16:10 NIV).
Are you using your money in such a way that God says, “I want to give that person more”? Are you using your time that way? How about your influence? This principle applies to every area of your life. Here’s what Jesus tells us: “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much” (Luke 16:10 NIV). If God has given you just a little bit of talent, you can still faithfully use it for God’s purposes. Don’t think, “I’m not a superstar, so I won’t do anything.” If you use what little talent you’ve got, then God will increase your talent. If you’ve got just a little bit of influence but you use that influence for good and for God, then God will increase your influence. If you’ve just got a little bit of money but you use it wisely—the way God wants you to use it—then God will increase your material possessions. It’s true of opportunities; it’s true of net worth—it’s true of everything in life. Jesus said, “To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance” (Matthew 25:29 NLT). I want you to have that abundance in every area of your life. But you’ve got to use what you’ve been given for the good of others and for God’s Kingdom. Faithfulness in little ways produces fruitfulness in big ways. You might think, When I make it big, then I’ll really become generous. When I make more money, then I’m going to start tithing. But God has given you everything you need right now to be faithful to him and his purpose for your life. If you want God’s blessing on your life, do it God’s way. Start managing well what God has given you, and then God can trust you with more. “Each of us will give an account of ourselves to God” (Romans 14:12 NIV).
One day there’s going to be an audit on your life. On that day, you will have to answer for not only how you spent your money but also how you used everything God gave you. What did you do with what you were given—your talent, your relationships, your opportunities, your mind, your creativity, your contacts, your time? What did you do with what God gave you? God’s church is filled with people at every level of economic status—people who are very poor, others who are very rich, and everyone in between. But it doesn’t matter how much or how little you’ve got. What matters is what you do with what you’ve been given and if God can trust you with more. Your time as a manager on earth is going to end one day, and you will give an account for what was entrusted to you. The Bible says, “Each of us will give an account of ourselves to God” (Romans 14:12 NIV). You’re not going to live on earth forever. You weren’t meant to! But God has entrusted certain assets to you as a manager while you’re here. He is watching you and testing you and wants to see how you handle what you’ve been given. What are you doing with the mind he gave you? What are you doing with the health he gave you? What are you doing with the freedom he gave you? Are you spending it all on yourself? Do you believe the whole purpose of life is to live for yourself? You can decide now what you want your life to be about, and then start making choices that show God you want to live for what really matters. When you use your resources to make an eternal difference, you will hear God say to you someday, “Well done.” “Trust in your money and down you go! Trust in God and flourish as a tree!” (Proverbs 11:28 TLB).
God uses money to test you. He doesn’t just automatically give his blessings to anybody. He tests you first to see if you’re responsible. Before God gives you spiritual power, he gives you material possessions. If you’re not managing money well, then why in the world should he give you the stuff that really matters? God’s favorite tool to test you is your finances, and he’s looking for three specific things. Money shows what you love most. You’re going to give your most time and money to whatever you love most—and your calendar and bank statement will prove it. Jesus says, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth . . . Store your treasures in heaven . . . Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be” (Matthew 6:19-21 NLT). Wherever you want your heart to be, put your money there, and you’ll get interested in it. Money shows what you trust most. It shows what you have faith in. Are you trusting in money or God for security? Are you trusting in money or God for your happiness? Proverbs 11:28 says, “Trust in your money and down you go! Trust in God and flourish as a tree!” (TLB). Money shows if God can trust you. Unmanaged finances are a symptom of an unmanaged life. God is looking to see how well you manage material things before he gives you spiritual blessing. The Bible says, “If you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?” (Luke 16:11-12 NIV). There is a direct connection between maturity and money. There’s a direct connection between spiritual power and how you handle possessions. There is a direct connection between God’s blessing in your life and what you do with your bucks. Don’t miss the connection. How you handle money determines how much God can bless your life. “God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19 ESV).
If you want God to bless every area of your life, including your finances, then be bless-able. Show God that you will be responsible when he blesses you. Over the next few days, we’re going to look at seven habits that will help you understand God’s plan for managing your money. The first thing is to understand that God is your provider, regardless of where you work. He’s the one who supplies your every need, and he may do that through your employer. If you think something or someone else is the source, then you’re always going to be nervous, because you can lose your job, money, or possessions. But with God you never have to wonder if your needs are going to be met. Everything belongs to him anyway! Romans 11:36 says, “For everything comes from God alone. Everything lives by his power, and everything is for his glory” (TLB). If one water faucet is turned off, God can turn on another just as easily. If you lose one job, he can easily give you another. If God closes one door, he can open another. If all the doors are closed, he can open a window. When you understand that and you choose to trust God, you lose the stress of trusting in money and other people. The Bible says in Philippians 4:19, “God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (ESV). God will meet all your needs! And he knows best what those needs are—and how to meet them. Money management starts with this question: In whom or what do you place your trust? When you place your trust in God, you get up every morning and say, “God, it all belongs to you. It all comes from you. You are my provider, not anybody else, and I’m going to trust in you to meet my needs.” Not only will trusting in God lower your stress, but it also will allow you to begin to see how he wants to bless you. “Let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t get discouraged and give up” (Galatians 6:9 TLB).
If things don’t happen right away or when you think they should, that doesn’t mean you should quit. You need to be diligent and have endurance. The Bible says, “Let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t get discouraged and give up” (Galatians 6:9 TLB). Is there something you feel like giving up on? Maybe it’s your marriage. It seems like it’s just dead and going nowhere. Maybe it’s your career. You’ve tried and tried and tried to make a difference, and it just isn’t happening. Maybe you feel like giving up on a dream or a goal—or even yourself. Here’s an important thing to know. A thousand years before you were born, God knew that you would be reading this today, so God could have me say this to you as a friend: Don’t give up. The tunnel may seem extremely dark right now, but there is always a light at the end. It may be just around the corner! You are known by God, loved by God—and you have a purpose that God designed you uniquely to fulfill. Don’t think what you’re doing doesn’t matter. Don’t give up on doing the right thing. Don’t think anyone would be better off without you. Those are lies from the mouth of the Devil himself. Remember what God has said about you. Remember that he wants to bless you. Don’t give up. Look up to God. Find a spiritual family—a church and a small group—to help you through the tough times. Meditate on God’s Word for encouragement. Most of all, don’t give up on God. He will never give up on you! “Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did” (1 John 2:6 NIV).
The starting point for developing the character of Jesus is to care about what God cares about. For instance, God cares about the world, so we should care about the world. The Bible says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son” (John 3:16 KJV). That little word “so” adds an extra dimension to the verse’s meaning. God doesn’t just love the world; he so loves the world! And God didn’t just say he loves us. He acted upon his love. He said, in effect, “I’ll do anything I can to bring you home to heaven, even if it means my only Son dying on the cross.” God also cares about the church, so we should care about the church. Why? The church is God’s family, and he loves his family. God created everything because he wanted a family. Without that desire, there would be no universe, solar system, earth, or human race. One day everything else in the universe will be destroyed. There will be a new heaven and a new earth. But God’s family will last forever. It’s more important than anything else on the planet because it’s going to outlast everything else. To become more like Jesus, ask him to help you love the world and its people—and ask him to help you love God’s family, the church. “not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,” (Ephesians 6:6 ESV).
If you’re a believer, no matter who your boss is at work, ultimately, you’re working for God. Whether or not anyone else sees what you do, God sees—and he doesn’t want you to waste the time and resources of your employer. Maybe you hate your job. Maybe you think you’re underpaid. It really doesn’t matter. The Bible says to do more than just the minimum required. God calls you to give your best. That’s what integrity looks like. You may know someone who only works hard when the boss is watching. Or you may see someone who takes company supplies home from the office, which is a form of stealing. Or you may work with someone who takes extra long breaks every day—or consistently comes in late and leaves early. Would you believe God compares this kind of work ethic to vandalism? Proverbs 18:9 says, “Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys” (ESV). The Living Bible translates the verse this way: “A lazy person is as bad as someone who destroys things”. God considers it a serious sin when we don’t give a full day’s work for a full day’s pay. Even if no one else at work gives their all, followers of Jesus should. When you work as if you’re working for God, he will bless your integrity. Yes, your employer most likely will notice your commitment to the success of the company or organization, and that may lead to financial blessings. But more importantly, you will grow spiritually as you work in obedience to God. “Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.” (Proverbs 11:13 ESV).
Your relationships are one of the primary ways you show integrity. Relational integrity means you don’t talk one way about people in front of them and a different way behind their backs. In other words, you don’t gossip: “Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.” (Proverbs 11:13 ESV). What is gossip? Gossip is talking about a situation with someone who is neither the problem nor a part of the solution. Often, when we do it, it’s because gossip makes us feel a bit more important at someone else’s expense. We’re talking about their hurts and their problems to make us feel like we’re morally superior. That’s the danger and the hurt of gossip. The Bible says if you’re acting as a gossip, you can’t be trusted. Today, we see gossip run rampant on social media, even among Christians. We need men and women of integrity who know how to keep a confidence and not spread everything they hear through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and all the other channels we have to communicate today. Gossip, whether it’s on social media or in person, will tear churches apart. That’s why it's a good rule that what's said in a small group stays there. Everyone needs a safe place with a few friends where they can be real and not have to worry that what they say will go public. God says, “Anyone who spreads gossip is a fool” (Proverbs 10:18 GNT). No one wants to be a fool. Spreading gossip doesn’t just hurt the people you’re talking about. It also hurts you by weakening and destroying your relationships. You demonstrate integrity when you can be trusted to keep a confidence and to not speak behind someone’s back. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8 NIV).
Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount that you are blessed when your heart is pure (Matthew 5:8). What does it mean to be “pure in heart”? Today, we’d use the word integrity. God blesses you when you live your life with integrity. Having integrity doesn’t mean you’re sinless or that you don’t make mistakes. If that were the standard, none of us could be considered pure in heart. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (KJV). The Bible says that Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and Paul all had integrity. Yet none of them were perfect. God called David a man after his own heart, yet David committed adultery and arranged the murder of the woman’s husband—and faced the consequences for his sin. We can learn from these biblical heroes that you don’t need to be perfect to be a person of integrity. You just need a heart that is wholly committed to God. God is more interested in seeing your heart committed to him than he is in the sins you’ve committed. He looks at why you do what you do regardless of what you do. In 1 Samuel 16:7, God says, “People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (NIV). No, you’ll never be perfect in this life. You’ll never be sinless, but you can sin less. You can commit to living with integrity and to maintaining a heart that is pure and devoted to God. Will you make that commitment today? |
AuthorTaken from Daily Hope by Rick Warren. Categories
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