Let The LORD Supply All Your Needs!
(Editor's note: The Hebrew notion of Salvation (Deliverance) included much more than forgiveness and eternal life. Salvation meant freedom from debt, worry, fear and sickness. Power over enemies, total victory and possession of a land was integral to the concept. Today many believers have been put off by hyper-prosperity teaching. This teaching may have been responsible for many believers retreating entirely from the True Gospel, which portrays CREATOR as SUPPLIER!
Have you heard about CREATOR'S Principles. HE has them, you know . . . I mean, there are patterns of living that trace themselves along the Word that will bring us success in this life and a great home for eternity. Many of them have to do with money (ungodly mammon). Sometimes we are afraid of money because of the verse that says it's the root of all evil. Ha! Caught you, not reading the Word closely. It says that the love of money is a root of all evil. Problem is the deep-down stronghold that the love of money creates in a believer. Actually, the love of money causes us to serve it like FATHER desires us to serve HIM. So if you are spending most of your time earning, spending, worrying about, being emotionally tweaked by and consumed with money, well . . . guess what is on the throne of your heart! GOD is not a respecter of persons, but HE is a respecter of principles! Learning how to use money JESUS style means learning HIS principles about it. Here is one. Respect Money! Depending on how you interpret the Scripture for today, how can you make friends with money? Most folk take that to mean that we should use money to make friends. Well, that will certainly work, but the permanence of such friendship is dubious to say the least and certainly not everlasting. Old saying I just made up . . . "Friends bought with money will quickly sell you out!" I understand that Scripture to mean that JESUS is telling us to make friends with money. Don't fall in love with money! Don't marry money! Don't be afraid of money! Don't worship and bow to money! Just be friends! Here is a way. If I want you to be my friend, I better treat you with respect. This is a first principle to becoming friends with money. Did you hear the word "principle?" Two ways to show respect for money. 1. Get comfortable with giving to the work of CREATOR. This you can do by doing so. I mean giving. Don't hurt yourself - don't rob yourself or your family, just give. Plant seed in a good work. 2. Set up a retirement plan. Ha! Bet you thought you would never hear that here! Really. Two things that will "show" money that you respect it is giving it to good work and taking care of yourself and your love ones. By the way, this principle is for young and old alike. If you are 14, 40 or 74 a retirement plan is a way of bringing the blessing of increase on yourself. This is because JESUS loves you and when you begin to show wisdom, integrity and direction with your finances (being faithful in little) HE will give you increase. It's a Principle! So here is an experiment . . . If you are not doing numbers 1 and 2, start with the next inflow of cash. Plant some seed, store some away. (IRA's are easy ways to start. Check with your bank). Do it for 30-60 days. I believe you will find that there will be a new additional income flowing into your life at an equal or greater amount then your seed and savings. Try me (or HIM rather). *Note: By the way, if you have a retirement plan at work, and are not contributing to the max allowed, go change that on Monday! Then you will be a part of this experiment too. Remember, nothing you do is etched in stone. If you don't see it working, change it back. Follow HIS Principles! Then you can really say that "My GOD has met all my needs!" |