God wants you to live the best life- A beautiful life with Food, Water, Comfort, Luxury, health and always being refreshed by His Word and Spirit.The devil stole this life from Adam, but God restored it in Christ Jesus.Go for everything God has already provided for you in Christ Jesus
A consciousness that we are human just like any other man. So that we do not overvalue or overestimate people OR undervalue or underestimate people.
The main problem with being like Hymenaeus and Philetus who were identified as ‘babblers’ and ‘chatters’ is not just that it limits an individual’s usefulness for God’s purpose, but this thing has the potency to spread fast (like cancer) through a section of the body.
But could it be that the manifestation of your long awaited hope is starring at you and yet you do not see it as such? We know that God is faithful; He will always come through. That’s how we know that the hope that is rested on Christ does not disappoint. We just need to LOOK with our spiritual eyes in order SEE it and then take it by faith
Jesus said when a woman loses one of ten pieces of silver coins, she doesn’t go ranting or become uncontrollably distraught. No, she calms down, puts herself together, lights a candle, picks up a broom, looks, searches, looks again, searches in every possible nook and cranny, until she finds it. And when she finds it, she rejoices greatly, calling on her friends and neighbours to come celebrate with her (Luke 15:8-9)
Child of God, make no mistake about it, there’s a devil out there whose sole agenda is to steal from you, kill and destroy you (John 10:10). He will never announce himself as a thief, destroyer or killer, rather he specializes in throwing deceptive schemes laced with lies at you. God doesn’t want us oblivious of his tricks, strategies, lies or manipulations. Being strong in the Lord positions us to recognize and withstand these devious schemes.
To trust God is to totally lean on Him. It means to be sure or confident of the Lord’s ability to bring a good end.
This is Part 9 of the study series; The Road to Financial Sufficiency In Christ. In this part, we consider what Jesus said about money. What Exactly were Jesus’ stand on money? Find links to previous part at the end of this article.
First let’s do an overview of scriptural view on money………..
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.’ I Timothy 6:10 NKJV
“As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labour—this is the gift of God. ‘ Ecclesiastes 5:19 NKJV.
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Matthew 6:24 NKJV
“And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home. He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Luke 16:9-11,13 NKJV
From Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:9-11, we can deduce some of Jesus’ thoughts on money…….
In some Bible translations, the word ‘mammon‘ is used interchangeably with money, deceitful riches, possessions. In both verses of Matthew and Luke shared above, Jesus uses the Word mammon in a personified sense; He attributes a personal or human character to it. In both accounts, ‘mammon’ is described as a master and Jesus mentions 2 masters in our texts- God and mammon.
A master is someone who has servants or slaves working for him. According to Jesus, a master demands to be ‘served’ in love and loyalty.
Child of God, here’s the good news; Jesus gave 2 options- God or Money. Meaning, you have a choice. God doesn’t impose Himself on anyone, money doesn’t either. However if you choose to serve God, then you must reduce money to what it is- a tool for intermediating the exchange of goods of services. Don’t let the love of money drive you to ruin.
“And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous mammon (deceitful riches, money, possessions), so that when it fails, they [those you have favoured] may receive and welcome you into the everlasting habitations (dwellings).” Luke 16:9 AMPC
“Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.” Luke 16:9 NLT
“I tell you, use the worldly things you have now to make ‘friends’ for later. Then, when those things are gone, you will be welcomed into a home that lasts forever.” Luke 16:9 ERV
Money/riches/possessions don’t last forever. Unfortunately, Luke 16:9 says ‘when’ your possessions are gone‘, not ‘if‘ your possessions are gone‘!
The security that money gives is transient. The list of ‘Top 10 Richest Persons in The World’ has never remained constant.
Money does not satisfy …….
“He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver, nor he who loves abundance with gain. This also is vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility)!”
Ecclesiastes 5:10 AMPC
See what Proverbs 23:4-5 says…
“‘Do not overwork to be rich; Because of your own understanding, cease! Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly away like an eagle toward heaven.’ Proverbs 23:4-5 NKJV
Riches CERTAINLY make themselves wings (and fly off).
Inspite of Luke 16:9 and Proverbs 23:4-5, Jesus tells us there is a way to give money an eternal security (see #4 below).
“The manager thought to himself, ‘Now what? My boss has fired me. I don’t have the strength to dig ditches, and I’m too proud to beg. Ah, I know how to ensure that I’ll have plenty of friends who will give me a home when I am fired.’ “The rich man had to admire the dishonest rascal for being so shrewd. And it is true that the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with the world around them than are the children of the light. ‘ Luke 16:3-4,8 NLT
………..”I know how to ensure that I’ll have PLENTY OF FRIENDS who will give me a home when I am fired“……..
Jesus’ Parable of The Unjust Steward in Luke 16:1-12 which we have been referencing in this study, narrates the story of a manager who was mismanaging his master’s money. And when his master asked him to give an account of his stewardship, sensing he might be sacked, he decided to first settle himself. He bought influence for himself with his master’s money!
While this man’s action may not totally seem like a good thing, see what Jesus said in verses 8-9;
“So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light. “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home.“
Luke 16:8-9 NKJV
……”make friends for yourself by the unrighteous mammon“…….
Money can buy Influence; use it to kingdom advantage.
Influence is about People.
“Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home. “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?” Luke 16:9-11 NLT
Money (in itself) has very low significance in Heaven. Jesus referred to money as ‘least’ or ‘little’.
Money is Not True Riches. Heaven’s True Riches are PEOPLE. If Jesus said we should invest money in people, then I choose to believe that people are Heaven’s True Riches.
Investing money in Kingdom work gives it eternal security. The more people we influence and win over to God the richer our heavenly treasure store (Luke 12:33, Matthew 6:19-20).
Little wonder God would give His Son to save PEOPLE.
Jesus put People above Money. Don’t reverse it!
“And He said to them, Guard yourselves and keep free from all covetousness (the immoderate desire for wealth, the greedy longing to have more); for a man’s life does not consist in and is not derived from possessing overflowing abundance or that which is over and above his needs.”
Luke 12:15 AMPC
………..a man’s life does not consist in and is not derived from possessing overflowing abundance………..
Don’t reduce your worth to money, riches and possessions. Your worth is not defined by money or your possessions… You were BOUGHT by the PRECIOUS blood of Jesus……
“knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” I Peter 1:18-19 NLT
Dear friends, we are stewards of God’s possessions in our care. Our possessions are gifts from God. We must learn to enjoy these gifts as well as put them to other good use-especially, Kingdom work.
Greed, Covetousness and the Love of Money are killers. Godliness with Contentment is great gain (Proverbs 1:18-19, 1 Timothy 6:9-10).
Praise God!
Well, thank you for joining me on this very enlightening study.
Remember 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?
Part 6: How Jesus Met Needs In The Bible.
Part 7: How Did Jesus Meet Needs?
Part 8: 5 Biblical Principles for Enjoying Financial Sufficiency In Christ.
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I was in a couples’ meeting not too long ago where the following question was asked; ‘what will you do if your spouse forgets your birthday?’ …… My response was; ‘It’s complicated!!?
Let me quickly say that, that is not the kind of ‘forgetting’ this write-up is about? . Staying committed to celebrating one another, especially our loved ones, is one of the ways we express our love for them.
I hear people sometimes say….”I forgive you, but I cannot forget”. Well, I personally used to think that it is difficult to easily get rid of bad memories (not that I am harbouring any hurt) but to just forget?….hmm..?
First Corinthians 13:5 has been popping up on my mind of late and this verse of scripture says (referring to LOVE)….
“…. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.“
1 Corinthians 13:5 NLT
“It is not rude; it is not self-seeking, it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered]; it does not take into account a wrong endured.“
1 Corinthians 13:5 AMP
If love keeps no record of evil or wrong done, it means love forgets such things.
Here is the thing, if people close to us never hurt us, chances are that they’re not being their best selves while around us. Meaning also that we don’t know such people so well, and so, we are not enjoying the best possible relationship with them?. Trust me, you don’t want total clones all around you….(kind of boring)
There is no doubt that our encounters with people is what helps us understand them better. Becoming offended or hurt is still part of the process (we’re getting to know people). My thought is that First Corinthians 13:5 is not necessarily saying we should not remember past experiences from relationships, if that were the case we would be making same mistakes over and over again and hurting people over and over again of same issues (selah). We will never learn how best to relate with different people and enjoy the best of relationships with them.
I believe that this portion of scripture is saying….. we are not to make a habit of recounting or rehashing negative experiences either to ourselves or to those who hurt us. We should not dwell on them because such practice could stir up impure thoughts, strife and hatred in us.
Love forgets. Love keeps no record of wrongs. Love is not overly-sensitive. Love is not easily hurt.
Brethren, we are of God (Galatians 3:26). God is love (I John 4:8), we should also declare same of ourselves.
Romans 5:5 says God’s love has been lavishly poured in our hearts… .it’s there, within us, let’s draw from it. …
“….. God’s love has been abundantly poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
Romans 5:5 AMP
God forgives and forgets….and so should we.
“bearing graciously with one another, and willingly forgiving each other if one has a cause for complaint against another; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so should you forgive.”
Colossians 3:13 AMP
Help us Lord!
