“Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it” (1 Timothy 6:6-7 NIV).
God is far more interested in your character than your comfort. He wants you to grow up and become more like Jesus. His focus is on your attitude, not on making your life easy. He’s watching to see if you think having more will make you happier or if you’ve learned to be content with what he has provided for you. The Bible says, “Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it” (1 Timothy 6:6-7 NIV). When you learn to be content, you are believing that God knows what you need better than you do and trusting that he will give you the necessary wisdom to make good financial decisions. Most people get caught into “when” thinking: “When I get this, then I’ll be happy.” When you get a certain job, when you retire, when you get the house paid off, when all the bills are paid—and on and on. But God knows that if you aren’t content already, you’ll always want something else when you get there. Somebody supposedly once asked billionaire Howard Hughes how much it takes to be happy, and he said, “Just a little more.” You can spend your entire life focused on money—trying to make it, earn it, save it, spend it, and use it. So God uses finances as the acid test of how much you trust him. When you have a need, he wants you to ask and learn to be content so that your happiness doesn’t depend on how much or how little you’ve got. Contentment is not something that comes naturally for anyone. It’s something you have to practice every day. You have to remind yourself that God is taking care of you and will provide everything you need. You have to choose to love and appreciate what you already have. If you don’t learn contentment, you’ll always want more. But once you learn to be content, you’ll find joy greater than anything on earth could provide.
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“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. “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. “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. |
AuthorTaken from Daily Hope by Rick Warren. Categories
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