With the Bible containing many verses warning about money and wealth, many Christians fear that accumulating wealth will allow them to fall into the devil's trap. However, Christians can be both good and wealthy if they comprehend how God wants money to be used, His purpose for their lives and His directions in using their wealth.
Amidst insurmountable social problems that surround the society, Christians always are the ray of hope for the needy. With their kind heart, they do everything they can to be of help and become instruments of God’s love towards His people. But their help becomes limited, when it comes to finances. Just imagine what great help can be done if these people are financially abundant to be of help! They can make more heavens on earth.
Wealthy Christians can make a difference
For example, somebody’s child gets sick. Christians usually offer prayer. A wealthy Christian offers prayer and at the same time, money to pay the hospital bills. It relieves the parents' concerns over money that they can focus on the healing of their kid. The same is true when the church needs some repair. While others pray for the repair to come, the wealthy Christian can execute it immediately.
A Christian who has wealth can prove his spiritual maturity when he can hurdle the temptations wealthy people face. The development of His personal character can be noticed by how a Christian determines his financial priorities and how he handles the excess wealth God gives him for stewardship.
A Christian develops stronger trust in God and recognizes that He is the sole source of security, not money.
God does not expect His people to be poor but He also does not encourage lavishness. Extra money is provided sometimes so that the needy can be supported and His works funded.
When money is used for hoard, lavishness and waste, this is not aligned with His purpose and plan. God will remove it. Wealth is not supposed to satisfy whims and desires but to help the needy and carry out God’s works.
God uses money
God uses money to gauge the trustworthiness of His people. If Christians can handle their wealth, then they can handle greater heavenly riches as well. God can see that in how they make money, spend money and use money. He uses money to unite His people in abundance to help one another. Extra money is given by God to them so they can help those who are in need.
Money is a just a medium of exchange which abuse and misuse is the one causing the problem. However, money is best maximized if it is in the hands of a good and kind-hearted Christian. It is because wealthy Christian can do more than just help in words, but most importantly, help in action.
Showing posts with label wealth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wealth. Show all posts
Friday, January 14, 2011
How Does God Look at Money?
The Bilbe says that money is a root of all evils that it is hard to enter the kingdom of God when you are wealthy.
However, money is important. It answers most of the basic needs we have such as food, shelter, clothing, education of children, healthcare, debts, etc. King Solomon prayed in Proverbs:
"Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me; lest I be full, deny you, and say, 'Who is Yahweh?’ or lest I be poor, and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God." Proverbs 30:8-9
Money is the essence of why we work in the first place. It helps us meet our obligations to our family.
God’s advice for using money
While others are content to sustain themselves, some are not. There are those who want to gain more money and wealth. God tells us to use money to gain friends and be worth the trust so we will deserve to have heavenly possessions. "I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings... If you are not 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 16:9-12 (NIV)
Being wealthy is not a sin in itself, God knows that. However, it is how one regards his money that matters. However, most of the wealthy people set their heart to their wealth. They are trapped to the temptations of their possessions, making money the culprit of grabbing their soul away from being good and kind.
For where your treasure is, your heart is there too. Rich people fall into a trap and are open to wicked and silly desires, destroying and ruining their souls. For loving money leads to all evil, and many in the struggle to be wealthy lost their faith and suffer untold agonies of the mind.
The Bible tells us to use money to show to our brethren that God loves them…through us, and we can use money as a tool to manifest that.
"But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more." Luke 12:48 (KJV)
Saving money and planning
”On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come.” 1 Cor 16:2.
God did not despise the idea of saving. He does not want His people to suffer. That is why He has rules set for His people to follow…for the good of everyone. However, many indulge themselves into breaking God’s rules and do vices that bring them insufficient money. Man’s fate is his own making.
The scriptures also tell us that God encourages hard work, earning, planning and budgeting, so that we will not experience poverty.
“Go to the ant, sluggard; consider her ways and be wise; who having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provides her food in the summer and gathers her food in the harvest.” Proverbs 6:6-8
“The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenty; but the thoughts of everyone who is hasty only to poverty.” Proverbs 21:5.
The Bible encourages to plan on things ahead so we will finish every endeavor that we undertake. God with all His wisdom, wants His people to use their heads, especially when it comes to money.
“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he may have enough to finish it; lest perhaps, after he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish, all those seeing begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build and was not able to finish.“ Luke 14:28-30
However, money is important. It answers most of the basic needs we have such as food, shelter, clothing, education of children, healthcare, debts, etc. King Solomon prayed in Proverbs:
"Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me; lest I be full, deny you, and say, 'Who is Yahweh?’ or lest I be poor, and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God." Proverbs 30:8-9
Money is the essence of why we work in the first place. It helps us meet our obligations to our family.
God’s advice for using money
While others are content to sustain themselves, some are not. There are those who want to gain more money and wealth. God tells us to use money to gain friends and be worth the trust so we will deserve to have heavenly possessions. "I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings... If you are not 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 16:9-12 (NIV)
Being wealthy is not a sin in itself, God knows that. However, it is how one regards his money that matters. However, most of the wealthy people set their heart to their wealth. They are trapped to the temptations of their possessions, making money the culprit of grabbing their soul away from being good and kind.
For where your treasure is, your heart is there too. Rich people fall into a trap and are open to wicked and silly desires, destroying and ruining their souls. For loving money leads to all evil, and many in the struggle to be wealthy lost their faith and suffer untold agonies of the mind.
The Bible tells us to use money to show to our brethren that God loves them…through us, and we can use money as a tool to manifest that.
"But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more." Luke 12:48 (KJV)
Saving money and planning
”On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come.” 1 Cor 16:2.
God did not despise the idea of saving. He does not want His people to suffer. That is why He has rules set for His people to follow…for the good of everyone. However, many indulge themselves into breaking God’s rules and do vices that bring them insufficient money. Man’s fate is his own making.
The scriptures also tell us that God encourages hard work, earning, planning and budgeting, so that we will not experience poverty.
“Go to the ant, sluggard; consider her ways and be wise; who having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provides her food in the summer and gathers her food in the harvest.” Proverbs 6:6-8
“The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenty; but the thoughts of everyone who is hasty only to poverty.” Proverbs 21:5.
The Bible encourages to plan on things ahead so we will finish every endeavor that we undertake. God with all His wisdom, wants His people to use their heads, especially when it comes to money.
“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he may have enough to finish it; lest perhaps, after he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish, all those seeing begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build and was not able to finish.“ Luke 14:28-30
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