Great Wealth
Who is Your Master?
Paul said in Philippians 4:11-12 “…for I have learned how to get along happily whether I have much or little. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything, I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need.”
What is it that Paul learned? That God is sovereign. That God would supply all our needs from his glorious riches (Phil. 4:19 & Matt 6:33). He learned that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose (see Romans 8:28). We may not always understand and we may not always agree with the direction God has for us, but He is a good Father and we can always trust Him because He loves us. Faith is simply trusting our heavenly Father, even through the storms…and resting in Him. Being content no matter the circumstances.
Jesus was giving us the best advice ever when he taught us to not seek after ‘these things’. He was aware of the temptation to seek after money instead of God. In Luke 12:15 Jesus taught us by saying, ‘Beware! Don’t be greedy for what you don’t have. Real life is not measured by how much we own.’ Jesus knew that we couldn’t serve two masters (Luke 16:13). We can’t seek after money and all that the world has to offer and still seek to be pleasing to Him. When the rich young man who had fulfilled the letter of the law asked what else he must do to have eternal life, Jesus’ response was for him to sell every thing he had then give it to the poor and follow Jesus. The young man left sadly because he had many possessions. Jesus knew that this man’s possessions were more important to him than God. This is the reason Jesus said it is so hard for a rich person to get into the Kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 19:16-24) Jesus also knew that seeking after money would leave us empty. The only thing that can satisfy our hearts is the Creator of our hearts.
Being Content
Being thankful for what God has blessed us with, however much that may be, will keep us in the position to be content. Being happy with what we have instead of running after what we don’t have will produce the element missing in many hearts—peace. We need to realize that chasing after ‘these things’ is like chasing after the wind. There is so much peace in resting and being thankful in the blessings that we have instead of constantly striving for what is out of our reach.
I know Christians who, instead of being grateful for what they have, are taking these teachings full of error and waiting for that big expensive house, not happy with the one that God has given them. These same people live in a fantasy world waiting for that supernatural jackpot because of the fairy tales being taught to them. Instead of persevering through tough financial times, trusting that God will always meet their needs, these people who adhere to this wrong teaching get frustrated because they are not seeing what they have been taught are the promises of God. If you need a bigger house because you have four kids and only two bedrooms, then that is a definite need and God is faithful to meet your needs. According to the scriptures we have just read, God promises to meet our needs–and He does. However, there are Christians who sit and wait for some great pie in the sky, in which case they are waiting for disappointment instead.
Category: Living the Faith
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