18th day of 21 days of Purpose Fasting and Praying God You are the owner of all gifts; help us to receive Your gifts gratefully and also give easily to others in Jesus name. Its all Gods money 1 Chronicles 29:14-16. But who am I [David] and who are my people that we should be able to offer as generously as this? For all things come from You, and from Your hand we have given You... all this abundance that we have provided to build You a house for Your holy name, it is from Your hand, and all is Yours. (). 2 Corinthians 8:1-7. Deuteronomy 15:10 Money is the currency of life that can disproportionately control our minds and distract us from God. But the answer is not to somehow stop thinking about money. We don’t need to feel guilty when money comes to mind, as if such thoughts are to be avoided like lust or hate or vanity. We don’t need to think about money less; we need to think about money differently. We need to think about money the way God thinks about money. An adjusted view of money and material possessions is part of the renewing of the mind that God intends for us as we grow spiritually (Romans 12:2). Financial decisions can actually be one of the most effective means of drawing close to God and glorifying Him. What other means is there that so effectively requires that we become dependent on God and evaluate our motives than our finances? Jesus’ model prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) seems to include all of the core elements of our relationship to our heavenly Father. His prayer did not only consist of lofty issues like worship, a coming kingdom and God’s will. Jesus urged us to relate to our heavenly Father by becoming reliant on Him for daily bread. Just as earthly children naturally stay close to their parents because they need food, we can also draw close to God as our Father by acknowledging that we are financially dependent on Him. The bottom line is that we are not owners of anything material; we are stewards. The sooner we realize that, the sooner we can be released from the tyrannies of both money worries and money ambitions. God’s desire for us financially is that we relax in the reality of His ownership. Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21). He is saying that what we do with our money and our possessions reveals our real priorities. It’s that simple. God is talking to us about a spiritual thermometer – a way to measure what is really going on in our heart with God. A good place to begin a study of the subject of money and material things is Genesis 1:1. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. We learn here as the Bible opens that God owns everything because He created everything David wrote, (Psalms 24:1-2) “The earth is the Lords, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; {2} for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters. If God made it, He owns it. God made the whole earth so it’s all his. He then put man in it and gave Adam the first job – to rule over the animals and to tend the garden. As their salary Adam and Eve could eat of anything in the garden – except one tree of course. Like Adam and Eve, we were also created by God. We have been given food by God. We have been given a place to live by God. We belong to God along with everything we think is ours. It’s all God’s stuff! It was a great garden residence that God gave Adam and Eve. The garden even had gold and other valuables (Genesis 2:10-12). But anything they “had” really must not have been theirs. We know that because when they sinned, they were driven from the garden and didn’t take anything with them (Genesis 3:24). Even today Money has wings! Prov 23:5 Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly away like an eagle toward heaven If we have ever lost our job, gone bankrupt, watched our portfolio shrink, had something repossessed, or ever been forced to down-size or sell off, we should have learned that everything belongs to God. He creates wealth and anything else He gives us to use, but none of it is really our possession. If it can be taken away, it’s not ours. If we don’t learn it by life experiences, there is something we should learn from every funeral. We don’t “own” anything because we don’t take it with us. Solomon, the wisest man ever, said, Naked a man comes from his mothers womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand. (Ecclesiastes 5:15). The apostle Paul concurred, For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. (1 Timothy 6:7). (Job 1:21) God didn’t stutter about how temporary material things are. We only have them for a little while. And with that in view, we must conclude that we are not owners. We are stewards. stewards manage the property of others. For example Joseph the Steward Gen. 39:4-6. Joseph is a prime example of a steward as Genesis records. Joseph didn’t own anything in Egypt at this point. He was a slave of Potiphar. But that didn’t keep Potiphar from entrusting to him all that he owned. Joseph probably bought all the food for the household of this important man. He probably managed his fields and work crews. He made sure the house was repaired. He seemingly even did the books, because a few verses later (Genesis 39:9) it is clear that he was in charge of everything except Potiphar’s wife. As a manager, surely Joseph was able to eat the finest foods and wear the best clothes himself. Stewards often can enjoy the things they manage. Joseph gives us a model of what it means financially to be a steward of God’s things materially. We manage what belongs to others. Stewards are much like bank tellers or portfolio managers. They handle or control a lot of money, but they better not start thinking of it as their own. Prayer points: • I receive the spirit of God is the owner, I am the Manager thus I give back everything to God. I am a giver in Jesus name! • God You are the owner of all gifts; help me to receive Your gifts gratefully and also give easily to others. • Lord, help me to hold Your gifts lightly knowing that the gifts will pass; the Giver remains. I am not stingy in Jesus name • Lord, help me to love You more than I love Your gifts, help me to grow in love for Christ in Jesus name. • Lord I ask that You entrust Your treasure unto me and give me wisdom to hold it according to Your wish in Jesus name!
Posted on: Mon, 27 Jan 2014 23:53:27 +0000
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