TRUSTING GOD OVER MONEY

Proverbs 11:28 says, "Trust in your money and down you go! But the godly flourish like leaves in spring." Money plays a significant role in our lives. With our money, we can buy food and the things that we need. It also allows us to have a comfort living. As a result, we work hard and invest to achieve greater financial security. The danger of experiencing the benefits of money is that we become dependent on it to the point where we want it more than we want God. Many Christians become weak in their spiritual walk because their priorities regarding money are out of order. They love gaining money more than God. 1 Timothy 6:10 says, "For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows." There is nothing wrong with having money, but it becomes sinful when it takes precedence over God, or when we place our trust in it more than we trust in God. Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money (Matthew 6:24)." 

One way to protect our hearts from the love of money is to continually remind ourselves that God is the provider of our money. When we trust that God is our ultimate provider, we rely on Him more than on our money. We flourish like leaves in spring, meaning that our lives become content because our trust is in God. We believe that God is the provider of our needs; thus, it frees us from the worries of money. Trusting God for our financial security means that we still need to work and invest to gain money, but we do not put our trust in them; our ultimate trust is in God. For us, money is just a tool to live a godly life and fulfill what God has called us to do. Another way to help us overcome the love of money is to give tithes, offerings, or support to the works of God. When we give to God, we are showing our God that He is our God, and we worship Him over all His provisions to us. 

There is nothing wrong with having money. The problem is when we value it more than we value God. God is our ultimate provider. Every penny that we have comes from God; therefore, let us worship God with what He has provided us. 

Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you.) Do I value God more than I value my money? What is the danger of loving money more than God? What are the ways to protect myself from the love of money?

Take a moment to write down all your worries today. Then, lift them up to God in prayer, surrendering them to His will and trusting in His guidance.

Prayer:

Dear Father in Heaven, I thank and praise you, for you are my ultimate source of provision. Every penny that I have comes from you. As a result, please help me to trust in you. Protect my heart from the love of money. Please help me to worship you with the money you have provided for me by giving tithes, offerings, or contributing to the works you do on this earth. In your name, Jesus, I pray. Amen.