Bible Study
This is Part 6 of the series; The Road To Financial sufficiency in Christ. We have been considering how Jesus met Needs in the Bible, while aiming to find out if we can truly enjoy All Sufficiency in Christ?
There may have been a number of ways, however in this study I promised to share 4 of them. We have considered 2 ways; 1. He called forth the answer to His need. 2. He sent Peter to work.
Today I share the 3rd point….
3. He Performed A Miracle Of Abundant Provision
In my article ‘When Fragments Surpasses The Whole‘ we saw 2 instances where Jesus fed multitudes miraculously. Whether in the feeding of the 5000 or the 4000, Jesus showed that we can initiate a miracle of provision through giving.
What exactly did Jesus do? Whether it was 2 fishes and five loaves or 7 loaves with a few small fish, the process for having fragments/leftovers that surpasses the whole was the same with Jesus (Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 8:1-9);
-Have your supply of bread/fish (your seed), Bless it, Break it and Distribute it.
Friends, when you have 5000 or 4000 to feed but you don’t have the full resources to get this done, ensure to have your 2 fishes/5 loaves or 7 loaves/fish, then go ahead- bless it, break it and distribute it. And just like Jesus, you will have leftovers. I know it! Any time, the resource available to you is not enough to meet a desired outcome, find a way to sacrifice some of what is available to you for others.
When God gives visions, they are never small. Realizing early that it is impossible to have all the required resources to deliver on God-given visions, would help us key into this miracle of having more than enough.
Last Christmas, “Grace Obomanu Foundation” carried out an outreach to a Boys Home. We didn’t really have ready money for the outreach, however at one of our planning meetings, I announced to the team that we would have leftovers! From my perception, not everyone in the team believed it. My confidence with making that announcement was that we were embarking on a similar project like Jesus feeding 4000 and 5000. So if we follow the process just like Jesus did, we would end up with similar results like Jesus.
A few days to the set date, some funds had come in but I didn’t think it was sufficient, and truly, I had no intention of making up the balance from my purse having given what I’d proposed in my mind. This either works or not. Now before this time, we had met with the Home management, identified and agreed on the activities for the day. They even had to adjust their field time which coincided with our chosen date of visit. This means we were being expected, and here I was, few days to go and yet not enough funds. But just before any form of discouragement set in, the Holy Spirit started pointing out to me that actually we had sufficient supply to start preparations. And that was how we started…
Friends, I am glad to inform you that we had leftovers on everything we budgeted. We were even able to do extra things that were not in our initial budget. And at the end we had some money left. Halleluyah! God’s Word is true.
Now it would seem that these miracles of feeding multitudes are similar to the widow of Zarephath’s experience with Elijah (I Kings 17:8-16). So what do you think? If we commit to always sharing what we have with others and also to participating in God-ordained causes, we would be setting in motion a process of continuous harvest for ourselves. Praise God!
On Giving & Receiving
Now to answer a part of the question that informed this study- Is Giving the way to financial increase for a Christian?…..
In Luke 6:38, Jesus said….
“give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.“
Luke 6:38 KJV
So according to Jesus, when we give we set in motion a process for increase and abundance. In my article ‘God Shall Supply‘ we saw that the scripture is very clear on the principle of giving/receiving and that God is generous and liberal in His giving/reward.
God must occupy first place in our giving (Proverb 3:9-10). The Tithe is Holy and belongs to God. Here are some scripturally approved avenues to give with an expectation to receive; Tithes & Offerings (Malachi 3:8,10). Parents (Mark 7:10-13). True ministers and ministries of the gospel (I Corinthians 9:14; Luke 10:8; I Timothy 5:17). God-ordained projects (Haggai 1:9; Haggai 1:4). The Poor & Needy (Luke 10:33-35; Psalms 112:9; Acts of the Apostles 9:36-41; Deuteronomy 15:7-8; Deuteronomy 15:10; Ephesians 4:28). Widows (Acts of the Apostles 9:36-4; I Timothy 5:3-4). Brethren (I John 4:20; Galatians 6:10). Family and relatives (I Timothy 5:8).
We also know from scripture that our harvest comes in similar proportion to what we give. If we sow sparingly, we reap sparingly and if we sow bountifully, we reap bountifully (2 Corinthians 9:6). However, let’s not forget that God is the One who determines the form and manner of the increase that comes to us. If someone gives out $1million dollars, would the person get $10million in return? I don’t know, nobody does, only God determines exactly the form and manner of our harvest (1 Corinthians 15:38, Mark 4:27). Therefore we should not try to turn God into a vending machine where you put in a coin and a can of coke drops, neither should we approach our giving as though it’s some financial scheme. I believe that this is where frustration starts to set in.
Sometimes we might be led to publish a giving act or testimony; as a build up to something bigger in the future or as a faith boost for another person. Otherwise, Jesus admonishes us to as much as possible, keep our giving ventures private (Matthew 6:1-4). Let’s also be the cheerful givers that God loves (2 Corinthians 9:6-7). God is our Rewarder and the only One we are accountable to for our giving (Matthew 6:1-5). And may we be sensitive to recognize and take advantage of the opportunities the Father sends our way in order to experience the increase He intends for us (Ecclesiastes 11:1-6, 2 Corinthians 9:8).
Friends, Jesus said it is more BLESSED to GIVE than to receive, and He exemplified it by the gift of Himself. There is a Blessing in Giving. Let’s be sure to give to the right place, the right people, the right time and with the right motive. I personally believe that the primary motivation to give should be love; that’s what motivated God to give His best (John 3:16). Jesus also knew that if He didn’t give of Himself, if He preserved His life, not many other sons would be born to God (John 12:24-25). So He gave Himself freely so that you and I could become sons of God (Mark 10:45, Hebrews 2:10). The Bible records that there is no greater Expression of Love than what Jesus did (John 16:13).
Halleluyah! We can enjoy All Sufficiency in Christ.
I hope you join me next time as I conclude this session of this study by looking at another way Jesus met needs.
Remember that you can access previous parts of this study as follows;
I covered 9 key subtopics on biblical financial management in this series. You can start with the part that interests you most,
Part 1: The Road To Financial Sufficiency In Christ: Introduction
Part 2:The Purpose of Money from The Bible
Part 3 : We Have Been Delivered from Poverty.
Part 4: Benefits of Being An Heir of the Father.
Part 5: Did Jesus Really Have Any Needs?
