Christian Crier
What are some of the top Bible verses that deal with money or financial problems? Which ones would you include?
Worry about Tomorrow
Matthew 6:31-34 “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
This is one of the most powerful verses that many have committed to memory. Most just quote “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” but what is left out is “all these things” which include anxieties about what we will eat, wear, and drink. In 1st century Judea, most people worked daily for their wages. That is, they worked and then got paid for that day. They had no guarantees about tomorrow’s work and wages, therefore it was much easier for them to be anxious about the next day (tomorrow) than it is for us today but anxiety is not restricted to 1st century Judea. Today we tend to be anxious about tomorrow when God only promises enough grace for today. That is why Jesus said that it’s a waste of time to worry about tomorrow because “sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Testing God
Malachi 3:10-11 “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts.”
This is the only place in the Bible where we are allowed to test God. God tells us to bring in our tithes and put Him “to the test” to see if He won’t “open the windows of heaven” for us “and pour down a…blessing until there is no more need.” He even promises to “rebuke the devourer for” us. That means that if we trust God enough to give offerings, He promises to pour our blessings that will, in a sense, overwhelm us to the point that we have “no more need.” Test God by being faithful and generous in supplying the needs for the work of the kingdom and He will pour out more than we could ever imagine.
Every Need Met
Philippians 4:19 “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Since God owns everything there is, is it too hard to trust Him to supply the needs for you or your family? Of course not, but why do we, and why do I, still worry needlessly over things that God promises to provide for. God supplies every one of our needs but not one of our greed’s. The key word here is “need” because He knows what we need today and will need tomorrow too so why don’t’ we trust Him and take Him at His word? The truest richest are already in our possession if we have repented and trusted in Christ. Everything else is secondary in nature to salvation, yet it is too easy to get wrapped up in our needs, even when God promises to supply every one of them.
The Birds Don’t Worry
Matthew 6:26 “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”
Have you ever seen a bird worry about their needs? Can they even consider tomorrow? Have you ever seen a bird depressed, with their head down, and stopped chirping? No, they don’t have to work and store up for tomorrow because God ensures that they are fed today and since we know that God values us above all other created things, why would He not do the same for us since we are “of more value than they?”
Pouring into your Lap
Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
I love the picture Jesus gives us of giving. When we give, “it will be given to” us but in what ways? God will give back to us in “Good measure, pressed down, shaken together” and “running over [to] be put into [our] lap.” Imagine that you live day to day for your family and get paid only each day that you work. That was the way it was in 1st century Judea for many. Now imagine that you are paid by coins in a bag. Since you have been generous in giving, you open your money bag to receive your day’s wages and it is given to you in good measure, then it is “pressed down” so more can be given. After that, your money bag is shaken so that the coins settle allowing more room for money to be put in. Then the employer pours yet more coins into your money bag until it spills over into your lap. That is the image I get in this verse because God promises that “with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
Honoring the Lord
Proverbs 3:9-10 “Honor the Lord with your wealth then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.”
Here, giving to the Lord is a sense of honoring Him because you trust Him. When you “honor the Lord with your wealth” what results from this? He ensures you that “your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.” Remember when this was written, there were no banks like there are today so barns were the only place to have excess food stored and to have “vats…bursting with wine” meant that both food and drink will never be in short supply but only if you honor God with your offerings. Wine is symbolic of joy so this could also mean that joy will be the byproduct of your giving to the Lord and when you give back to God, you honor Him by showing Him you trust Him enough to fill your barns and your vats.
Faithful in Little, Faithful in Much
Luke 16:10-11 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?”
Every one of us has been entrusted by God with the things that we have. For most of us in the western world, we are richer by far than most of the world, yet studies show that the richer give proportionately less than do those who are poorer. Jesus warns that those who have been given much, more will be required (Luke 12:48) and for those who have little and have been faithful in the little that they have, they will be given more. Someday when the saved receive their rewards, those who were faithful in little will be rewarded with much and they will be entrusted with more.
Conclusion
Why shouldn’t we trust God because He owns all that there is? Why not give back to God because all that we have is already His and we are only stewards. Why do we tend to worry about tomorrow today? Why don’t we test God in the only place that we’re allowed to and that is in our offerings to Him? He promises to meet every one of our needs, just like He does the birds of the air who could care less about what they’re going to eat or drink tomorrow. If you honor the Lord, He will give back to you in an overflowing way that spills over into your lap and even if you have little and are faithful in that, He will entrust you to be faithful in much someday. The question is, will you trust your eyes or will you trust God Who you cannot see with your eyes. Even our eyes can lie to us but God never does.
Another Reading on Patheos to Check Out: What Did Jesus Really Look Like: A Look at the Bible Facts
Article by Jack Wellman
Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Blind Chance or Intelligent Design available on Amazon
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