The Scriptures on Finances - Be thankful for what God provides

This week we will begin looking at some material from the book “Never Enough?” authored by Ron Blue with Karen Guess. The idea of the book is to teach us financial contentment by implementing Biblical principles into our lives.

What captured my attention almost immediately was when the author asked a pastor to share the biggest hindrance to the spread of the gospel in his part of the world. Without hesitation the pastor answered, “materialism.” The pastor went on to explain, “If a man has a mud hut, he wants a stone hut. If he has a thatched roof, he wants a tin roof. If he has one room, he wants two rooms.”

Materialism affects all people. We all struggle with issues of money-materialism, greed, envy, control, stinginess, impulsivity, fear, and comparison. Money can be a great revealer of the heart. Matthew 6:21 states “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

It is amazing to me how rich we are as Americans when we compare ourselves to the rest of the world. One recent statistic I read really impressed me. In the book “Managing God’s Money” by Randy Alcorn the author encourages people to enter their annual income into the wealth calculator at http://www.globalrichlist.com. Randy Alcorn states, “If you made $50,000 last year, you’re in the top one percent of the world’s wealthy. If you made $25,000, you’re in the top 10 percent. But even if you made only $1,500 last year, believe it or not, you would still have made more money than 75 percent of all people on Earth.”

I seriously wonder how many of us could provide for our families on $1,500 a year. We may have problems in America, but we still live in a great place.

As we learn God’s truth about money we will hopefully be empowered to make good financial decisions. The money that God has entrusted each of us with is a good training ground for our spiritual growth. I am thankful that God is gracious with us as He teaches us His ways. He provides rain for the just and the unjust.

When we begin to understand that God owns it all we can become free to see life as a great adventure with Him as we steward His resources for His glory.

Ephesians 3:20 reminds us that God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us. If you still struggle with some of the issues mentioned earlier in this article I would encourage you to confess your struggle to God and then ask for wisdom as to how to move forward in your walk with God.

Many who attend church struggle with jealousy or envy, a poverty spirit, selfishness, having a hard heart, or a lack of wisdom in financial matters. If we need wisdom we should ask God for it and then believe that He enjoys giving us His wisdom for our lives. Pretending we don’t have issues with money is not fooling God.

Every spending decision is a spiritual decision because it is all God’s money. Our faith requires action as we do not want to be just hearers of the Word. The Bible teaches us that our reward and our responsibility in eternity is proportional to our stewardship while on earth. God uses money as a tool, a test, and as a testimony. Money reveals our heart condition. God can use our financial situation to shape our hearts and grow us up in our faith, contentment, and gratitude. Remember that Paul learned to be content. Contentment did not come naturally.

This week, let’s work on being thankful for God’s provision in our lives. He still knows the number of hairs on our heads. He knows our circumstances and He is interested in our becoming more like His Son Jesus. Let’s allow Him to have His way.

May God bless you big.

——

This is the 11th column in a series by Kevin Barsotti, pastor at Ark Church in Havre, about financial matters and their treatment in the Christian faith.