Dollars and Cents

"We are to 'take no thought' over money."

THERE IS A DESCRIPTION of the Holy City, the new Jerusalem in Revelation 21, which lists its foundations of precious stones. With gold like glass and gates made of a single pearl, it boggles the mind to think of such richness and grandeur. The God of heaven has vast resources, beyond imagination. He who made the earth also funded it, placing within its soil an abundance of treasure like unto that in heaven. From below the surface, we find all manner of riches, mined for the blessing of the people who live here. Yet, what was meant to sustain the earth has become endless grasping, hand over fist, with some seemingly overwhelmed while others live in penury.

Jesus made this observation of the widow who cast in the last of her coins. There were others who had more than enough and gave only a portion of it, but He said her gift was far more because she gave all she had. Much is made of tithing in the church, and although it is a part of Scripture, too much is made of when and where and to who. To take an Old Covenant promise and bring it into the New Covenant places it under grace, and grace operates by love. Both God’s love in us causes us to give (in faith and generously) and God’s love to us takes away the fear of financial things. He will multiply back to us what we give, whether that’s finances or time or talents.

Jesus removed the curse of the Law from us. What was said of cursing under the Old Covenant law of first fruits now falls away at the cross. This is not to say there is not moral and physical loss to anyone who chooses thievery, but that what stands firm on the New Covenant side of Calvary is the blessing. We can’t take the truth revealed by grace and return it to Old Covenant rule-keeping. At the same time we must give to those who are feeding us spiritually, in both the local church and, as the Spirit leads us, into people’s ministries. We should give to feed and clothe the poor. But we do so in the Spirit and without condemnation over pennies and cents.

Romans 8:1 tells us there is no condemnation to those who walk IN the Spirit. Our giving is to be made following the Holy Spirit. It is done in faith, but God sees the entirety of our heart. As He healed a man with little faith whose son was gravely ill, God will bless the one who gives, though they may have doubts. And He will provide for the one who doesn’t give if they believe in Him to supply a need. He isn’t keeping (back to the rulebook) a two-column chart. We either get a checkmark for being consistent and faithful or an “x” because we are falling behind. No, no, and no. He is love. He loves us. What He wants is that we will take all our financial needs to Him, place them in front of Him, and not worry about them again. He wants us to listen so that if we need to make a financial change, then we hear His instructions. But in reality, day-to-day, we don’t concern ourselves with a lack of money.

We are to “take no thought” over it (Matthew 6:31). An author on Amazon makes only 35 cents on a 99-cent book sale. Add that up and it doesn’t come to much. A worker at a fast-food restaurant gets minimum wage, most often, and has part time hours. It is hard to make ends meet, as the saying goes, in those circumstances. If you are relying solely on yourself, that is. We are to give our cares about money to God and to seek Him first, before anything. He needs to be in first place. We do not seek the money, nor whine about the need, nor fuss and fume because our neighbor has more than we do, not seek a way to cheat and steal, but we seek God. And our loving God, who we seek, is hope and peace and joy. That’s how we should feel when we give our care to God. We cast our care because He has our every need in His gentle hands.

We release all condemnation and judgment we feel toward others who have more than we do. We do not know a man’s heart to say if he uses what God has blessed him with wisely or not. Only God knows the intents of the heart. But when we fall into jealousy and envy, we are the ones who are hurt by it, not the other person. Money is not gained so that we can build a bigger barn. It is not to appease our selfishness. Or our fears. God blesses us so that we can give, and He blesses others with what we’ve given so that they can give into a greater need. We must trust Him with the blessing to the point where the ups-and-downs of the world around us do not affect us. Nor does our neighbor’s bank account. Nor the financial turmoil in the government. Nor any talk of pending financial collapse.

Our Father takes care of His children. He knows our every need before we are aware of it, and He is endlessly generous and kind. He knows the numbers of hairs on our head, the numbers of grains of sand, the names of the stars in the sky. Nothing is outside of His generosity toward us. We must set our faces toward Him and let all worries about money go. Instead, we choose to give from cheerful hearts, knowing every penny will be returned to us in even greater measure. And the love of money isn’t at the center of our giving, nor our saving, nor our attitudes. Where God’s Spirit is in us, there is liberty, liberty from any fear of lack, and instead, we have peace beyond our understanding.

“I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.” (Psalms 37:25-26)

“Every person should decide in their own heart what to give, and give it freely—without pressure or fear—because God loves it when hearts are healed to give gladly.” (2 Corinthians 9:7, Remedy)

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay


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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com