Give and Grow Rich!
A generation ago, an American evangelist, Oral Roberts,
preached ‘seed faith.’ The essence of
his message was ‘give to get.’ He took a Biblical principle that expressed
the law of the harvest- “Plant little, harvest little; plant generously,
harvest generously” – (2 Corinthians 9) and twisted it into something God never
meant it to be; a way to get rich. This
perversion of Christianity is going strong to this day. Religious empires are
funded by greed disguised as spiritual service. The Gospel is cheapened by hucksters who turn
it into a form of ‘Let’s Make a Deal.’ Their promise comes down to this: Give and God will make you wealthy. Live morally upright lives and God will keep
you from trouble. Some of you are
wondering, “Jerry, isn’t that true?” aren’t you? It is and it isn’t, really. God does
love to bless His people and obedience positions us to enjoy the fullest of
those blessings. I can’t argue with
that.
The Gospel of Christ is about entering God’s Kingdom, learning
to love, serve, and redeem the world from the sin and death. We make a mockery
of the Good News of the Kingdom when we turn Jesus’ message about an eternal, God-focused life into something
similar to the talks of Tony Robbins. Jesus
did not leave Heaven, become a Man, die on the Cross, and emerge on
Resurrection morning triumphant over sin so we could enjoy great sex, live in
bigger homes in suburbia, raise beautiful smart kids, and retire to luxury
condos in Florida. If that’s the essence
of what you’re hearing in your church, you are being misled; most likely by a
pastor who has been misled, too.
Christ calls us into
the Kingdom of God. He demands that
we not ‘store up treasures on earth where
moth and rust corrupt.’ Rather, He
says, that we should “love God with our
heart, soul, mind, and strength.”
The early Christians were encouraged to break the hold of wealth by
giving things away. The choice to give themselves and their resources to feed
the hungry, house the orphan, challenge oppressive powers, and make Christ’s
love known did make them rich, but not just in money. In The Message we read: "A devout life does bring wealth, but it’s the
rich simplicity of being yourself before God. Since we entered the world
penniless and will leave it penniless, if we have bread on the table and shoes
on our feet, that’s enough." (1 Timothy 6:6-8)
We should take a lesson from the people of Israel. When God called that rabble of ex-slaves out of Egypt to lead them to the Promised Land, He promised to be their complete resource. For their daily food He gave them "manna" - which was literally bread from His hand. Every morning He provided and they found white flakes on the ground, which they prepared as their food. The name, "manna" meant 'what is it?' They were told only to gather what they needed, not more. But were those people content? No! Some wanted MORE. The Bible says - “Do not keep any of it overnight.” But, of course, some of them didn’t listen and kept some of it until morning. By then it was full of maggots and had a terrible smell. And Moses was very angry with them. The people gathered the food morning by morning, each family according to its need." (Exodus 16:19-21, NLT)
We should take a lesson from the people of Israel. When God called that rabble of ex-slaves out of Egypt to lead them to the Promised Land, He promised to be their complete resource. For their daily food He gave them "manna" - which was literally bread from His hand. Every morning He provided and they found white flakes on the ground, which they prepared as their food. The name, "manna" meant 'what is it?' They were told only to gather what they needed, not more. But were those people content? No! Some wanted MORE. The Bible says - “Do not keep any of it overnight.” But, of course, some of them didn’t listen and kept some of it until morning. By then it was full of maggots and had a terrible smell. And Moses was very angry with them. The people gathered the food morning by morning, each family according to its need." (Exodus 16:19-21, NLT)
The Lord has promised to meet all of our needs,
and even to satisfy our desires, if we are walking with Him and those desires
come from a heart that is full of the Spirit. What we really need is a to have
our 'want-er' made holy! Instead of constantly telling ourselves, "I need
that; I want this." - we learn to say, "Yes, Lord, I joyfully receive
what You've provided." That is the
attitude of a person who has actually entered the Kingdom, not just ‘accepted
Jesus into his heart.’
The great paradox is that when we forget ourselves, God is
able to enrich us (not just with stuff or money) so that we are amply supplied
for the work. Meditate on this passage. "As
the Scriptures say, “They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their
good deeds will be remembered forever.” For God is the one who provides seed
for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and
increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.
Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And
when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God."
(2 Corinthians 9:9-11, NLT) What do you
desire from God, Christian? A better
life now, more money and stuff; or, the joy of life to the full, focused on Christ’s
Presence and provision?
Here’s the word from the Word, the song of the truly rich. "At the moment I have all I need—more than I need! I am generously supplied .... And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Now glory be to God our Father forever and ever. Amen." (Philippians 4:18-20, NLT)
________________
Be The Centre
Jesus, be the centre.
Be my source, be my
light, Jesus.
Jesus, be the centre,
Be my hope, be my song,
Jesus.
Jesus, be my vision.
Be my path, be my
guide, Jesus.
Be the fire in my
heart!
Be the wind in these
sails!
Be the reason that I
live!
Jesus.
Michael Frye
© 1999 Vineyard Songs (UK/Eire) (Admin. by Vineyard Music
UK)
CCLI License # 810055
No comments:
Post a Comment