Trusting God for Provision

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. (James 4:13-16 NIV)

In our era an culture, this struggle for money is perhaps the greatest temptation and deception we face.  Our entire economic system tells us that we own what we have, we earn everything we own, and the more we own the better.  God's system tells us that God owns everything we have, we are entrusted what we have, and the more we have means managing more on God's behalf.  Our whole mindset and approach to money encourages pride (it's mine) and boasting (look at what I have).

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. (1 Timothy 6:6-8 NIV)

In God's system, more stuff simply means more responsibility before God.  Wealth is not a sign of success.  It's simply a piece of your ministry.  God gives you money do you can do God's work.  When you see God face to face, you won't be asked, "How much did you make?"  You will be asked, "How did you use what I gave you?" 

Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Timothy 6:9-10 NIV)

Money is a deeply spiritual issue.  If it were not, why would people be attacked so fiercely over it?  Talking about money in church immediately sends up defense systems.  People are convinced that churches only want their money.  We get angry, frightened, worried, defensive, controlling and a whole other host of other negative feelings when we think about finances.  We don't trust God.  We don't look at it God's way.  So, we pierce ourselves with many griefs.

But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (1 Timothy 6:11-12 NIV)

How about you?  Do you trust God for provision?  Do you pursue money as a goal or receive it as a responsibility?  Do you ask God how to use what God has provided?  Do you trust yourself and pursue money or do you trust God and pursue a walk with Him?

Thankful when Struggling for Provision

Often times work gets a bad rap in the church.  We think of work as a curse rather than a blessing.  Maybe that's because we're having a tough time getting a job or we just don't like our job.  Whatever the reason, we miss the fact that work is a part of our design.  God gave us work to have a sense of purpose in our days.  It helps us enjoy a sense of achievement and forward movement.  Work, as originally designed, is good.

The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. (Genesis 2:15 NIV)

It is not wrong to think of the curse side of work, though.  Adam ate the forbidden fruit after being clearly warned not to.  Once he did this, work got harder.  Adam was being punished in this life for his willful rebellion (sin) against God.

To Adam he said..."Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." (Genesis 3:17-19 NIV)

Cain had the same problem.  He murdered his brother.  This would make work even more difficult for him.  Adam had the ground cursed so he would need to work by the sweat of his brow.  Cain's punishment takes it a step further.

The LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth." (Genesis 4:10-12 NIV)

The best we can tell, Adam accepted his punishment.  Cain complained about his, but couldn't change anything.  He would struggle for provision the rest of his life.  That's because he was fighting against God.  Sometimes our struggles in life are self-inflicted.  If you come home after work and need to have a drink to calm you down and forget your day, you struggle is with more than just your job.  Perhaps you are struggling against God.

Think about this for a second.  Let's say you don't like work because you don't like your boss or the people you work with.  What does God say about people?  They are made in God's image.  When they sin, they are rebelling against God.  When they sin against us, our response should be forgiveness.  The person is not the enemy.  The person is taken captive by the enemy to do the enemy's will.  Your ministry to this person is to help set the captive free.  God has put you in a mission field for ministry.  God has given you a place for purpose.

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9 NIV)

You can be thankful because God is giving you time to work with the person or persons God has put in your path.  You can be thankful because God has give you a sense of purpose even in a place you didn't like going before.  You can be thankful because God was patient with you as God waited for you to see things God's way.  God didn't zap you right away.  Instead he patiently waited for you to turn around (repent) in this area and be faithful.  You can be thankful

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?" (Hebrews 13:5-6 NIV)

Work isn't about making more money.  It's about purpose.  In our era, the New Testament era, it's about ministry.  It is a part of our mission field for empowering one more to walk together with God.  We can be content with however much money we have (or don't have).  God will provide what we need...when we work for Him.

How about you?  Does sin get in the way of your walk with God?  Are your struggles for provision (at least partially) self-inflicted?  Do you need to turn around (repent) in your approach toward work?  Are you thankful even when you are struggling for provision?

Thankful for Future Provision

When we used to interview people for positions in the business world, we would ask for examples from the interviewee's past that matched with concepts relevant to the job for which they were interviewing. This was because past performance was a pretty good indicator of future ability and reliability.

Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." (Genesis 28:14-15 NIV)

Sometimes I wish we would learn this lesson with God. If past performance is an indicator of future ability and reliability, then the Israelites should have trusted God to bring them into the promised land. God set them free, provided for them and protected them in the past. There was no reason to doubt, then, that God would take care of them in the future.

We do the same thing. We are here because God breathed into us the breath of life. God takes care of firing the synapses in our brains. God pumps the blood through our bodies. God pulls oxygen out of the air around us. We don't know how to do these things. God converts food and water into energy for our bodies to work each day. Not only that, God provides that food and water. Why, then, do we trust ourselves more than we trust God?

"No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you--you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:24-34 NIV)

What about you? Do you try to serve two masters? Do you trust yourself more than God? Do you seek first God's Kingdom and God's Righteousness in your life? Do you trust God's future provision?

Thankful for Enough Provision

Give us today our daily bread. (Matthew 6:11 NIV)

Sometimes enough is not enough. We pray the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray, but we really wouldn't be happy if God provided just enough bread to get us through the day. I think about the Israelites living on that kind of faith. Each morning they would have to go out and look around the desert floor for food. Each evening they would go out and look for quail for meat. Fridays they needed to gather twice as much and prepare it for Saturday. On Saturday no food would be there. It was enough, but were they thankful? Were they content?

The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the LORD's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death." Then the LORD said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days." So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, "In the evening you will know that it was the LORD who brought you out of Egypt, and in the morning you will see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?" Moses also said, "You will know that it was the LORD when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the LORD." (Exodus 16:1-8 NIV)

The Israelites aren't the only ones who get tempted to complain. We can get caught up in thinking that enough is really not enough. I've listened to people complain about not having enough money for a place to live, food to eat, or clothing on their back. Yet, when they complain they don't look like they are starving to death. They are definitely wearing clothes. Most of the time, they drive in their car back to their home after our talk.

I'm not trying to pick on other people here. Three fingers point back at me. I've fallen prey to worrying about money and provision at a level far above "need." That's why I started saying, "Need is such a strong word." Every time I say it, I remind myself. Contentment is never achieved by having more money. Contentment is achieved by having contentment.

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:12-13 NIV)

How about you? Has God given you "enough?" Are you content with what God has give you? Are you thankful for having enough?

Thankful for Given Provision

Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. (Genesis 2:7-8 NIV)

I don't know if you think about this much, but you woke up today.  So did I.  I know that I woke up today because I am writing these thoughts to share with you.  You know you woke up today because you are reading these thoughts right now.  That means you are breathing.

When God formed Adam from the dust of the ground, God breathed into him the breath of life.  God provided the breath of life every day Adam walked the face of the earth.  God still provides the breath of life for you and me today.

The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground--trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. (Genesis 2:9-14 NIV)

Before Adam was placed in the Garden of Eden, God created a river that provided fresh water for Adam to drink.  This is important because the experts tell us that we cannot live without water.  We would dehydrate and die in as little as a week.  Instead, we have water to drink.  The water cycle gives us a continuous supply of freshly cleaned water to drink.  We have what we need to keep us alive.

Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. (Genesis 1:29 NIV)

God gave Adam and Eve plants and fruit from trees to eat.  They needed food for their bodies to function, so God gave them what they needed.  God still provides food for us to eat today, too.  I know you have eaten recently because, once again, you are reading these thoughts.  Without the energy that comes from food, you and I would not be around.

Do you ever stop just to thank God for the air to breath, water to drink, or food provided for you to eat.  You and I get these things all the time, yet we are constantly tempted to complain about the things we don't have.  How would our day go if we, instead, stopped to be thankful for what we do have.  God has provided for us in yet another day (which, by the way, God provides for us, too).

How about you?  Are you thankful for the air, water, and food that God provides in the day God also provides?  Do you stop to thank God for this provision?