What Should You do When You Get Wealth? Psalm 62:10

What would you do if you had a million dollars?

We all say something like, "If I only had a million dollars I would do..." and then we describe something that fulfills a dream, a longing, or creature comfort.  But what does the Bible say you should do if you did inherit or win a million dollar? Here is a suggestion from the Bible.

"Do not trust in extortion or put vain hope in stolen goods; though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them." Psalm 62:10.

WHAT?
Do not set your heart on it. That sounds lofty and ideal but what does that mean?
To set your heart on something means:

• That thing is the object of your affection.
• You dream about it.
• You see that thing as the fulfillment of your hopes.
• That thing is essential to you.
• It begins to define you.
• Your identity and the thing you set your heart on start to become one and the same. 
• It becomes your motivation and the basis of your choices.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THAT
The list above is not bad if your heart is set on something wise and healthy, like family, God, church, and community. But to set your heart on wealth for the sake of wealth or to serve only yourself is not wise. Our hearts should be set on loving God, family, and serving our community. To set our hearts on wealth puts wealth in competition with God, creates selfishness, puts at risks the best things in life and opportunities to serve and know God, ultimately you risk eternity and the blessings of heaven.

THE ULTIMATE AUTHORITY
This Bible verse is not just a proverbial saying. The Holy Spirit moved the patriarch to pen these words so this is not merely some advice that you can take it or leave it.

Scripture addresses the issues of your heart in many places because God has a right to it and everything you are and have. As a loving Father, God cares for our wellbeing and knows a heart set on wealth for the sake of wealth is unsatisfactory to meet our deepest need. Even Jesus affirmed this when he said,  "Where your heart is there your treasure will be also." Matthew 6:21.

DEVOTION
The scriptures do not say to refuse wealth or deny your inheritance. It does not say we should choose to become destitute. Our hearts were made for better things than gold, silver, houses, and vacations. Our hearts were made for God and will only find fulfillment in serving Him.

So, if some wealth comes your way affirm to God that He alone has your devotion and demonstrate your devotion to Him by acts of charity, tithing, and service.

(c) Adron 3/2/18

If I Own It Can I Really Do Whatever I Want With It?

We may think that what we have is ours, after all we earned it, we chose it, and we have paperwork to show it is ours. but the Bible reveals a different truth.

"The earth is the Lords and everything in it, the world and all who live in it." Psalm 24:1.

IT BELONGS TO...
The earth belongs to God. The gold in the mountains and the diamonds in the valleys, the banker's bottom line, and the stockholder's trade are all the Lord's possession.

Even our own lives are not our own but belong to the giver of life and the Creator of all the living. We are not our own because as Creator of all he is owner of all.

IF THE EARTH IS GOD'S, WHAT ARE WE?
If everything ultimately belongs to God by right of creation and lordship then we are borrowers or stewards of his property. If you borrow something the owner will want it back some day and he will want it back in like condition or better- not spent and used up. A steward must not only give back the owner's property but be prepared to demonstrate responsible conduct even profitable usage of the property.

IF IT BELONGS TO GOD WHAT DO WE DO WITH IT?
We should always be ready to give an account of how we manage God's gifts, property, and resources entrusted to us.

     * WE should learn the mind of God and understand what he wants.
     * We should use his resources as he would.
     * We should be grateful to be entrusted with his property as stewards.
     * We should acknowledge his ownership.
     * We should prayerfully consider how he wants us to dispose of his possessions.
     * We should not consume his property but be respectful of it.

A GIFT
We are made in the image of God and are uniquely prepared in all of creation to be his stewards. It is a gift to have possessions to use for his glory and a shame to squander them.

Whatever it is it is not really ours it is God's; let's consider wisely how we are going to use it as he would.

____________________________

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 Adron

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Does the Bible Teach Investing? Proverbs 19:17

If you could choose who would be in your debt would you choose someone who was penniless or someone who possessed the wealth the universe?

"He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord and He will repay him for what he has done" Proverbs 19:17

AN ALLEGORY
A man spent years in designing a purse. He made a model to present to a manufacturer, hoping the production and sale of the purse would provide for his family.  To demonstrate its unique properties he filled it with his wallet, bank accounts, keys, photos, and other valuable things. On the way to the manufacture, he lost the purse.

A friend found the purse, it was covered in mud but the friend cleaned it and finished the delivery to the manufacturer. The man who designed the purse was grateful and being a noble person rewarded the friend making him a partner in what became a successful design and forever after had a deeper relationship to the friend.

GOD WILL REPAY
God is like the man who designed the purse but what He made is the people around us- each one is his. When we do kindness to other people we are being kind to the property of the Lord Almighty. God is holy and as such cannot be in debt to us.

God will repay his debts, but he will not be manipulated, and we cannot give simply to receive. We give because...
     * It is the right thing to do.
     * It honors God.
     * We have been blessed for the purpose of being a blessing.
     * The ones we help are just like us and we may be needy someday.
     * It fulfills the command to love.
     * We are made in God's image and since He is a giver so we must be giving.

There is no guarantee of monitory returns for being kind to the people God created, but considering the power and potential of the Lord Almighty however He chooses to repay will be wonderful.

____________________________

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 Adron

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How Much Of My Money Should I Give To Charities. 2 Corinthians 9:8

How much should we give to charities? A token, a percentage or give until it hurts?

"And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:8.

GOD
The first consideration is God; we live in full view of His watchfulness. If we are afraid to be generous it is a statement that The Almighty is too small to take care of us.

ABLE
But he is not small- He is able, which means that his resources are endless and cannot be diminished. He has more and more of what we need and never is without enough. He is The Creator who makes all things that is out of nothing.

BLESS
Here the idea that God can give you all you need. Not because you have done something to earn it but because he is the Almighty and he chooses to.

ABUNDANTLY
Abundance exceeds the need far beyond the amount of the need. There is no need we can ever have that he is not able to satisfy it exceptionally.

ABOUND IN EVERY GOOD WORK
He gives us enough for our need but also enough to help others.

Knowing that The Lord can bless us abundantly should free us from feelings of compulsion or pressure to give. We can give freely and cheerfully.

If He has given us resources and we are aware of a need and we have fulfilled all other obligations we should give sacrificially. We each must decide for ourselves how much to give; but we can give sacrificially because God is able to bless abundantly more than we can give. We must trust in God to be the one who supplies our need so we can do good in the lives of others.

What Are Good Guidelines for Giving?

Does the Bible say who I should give my charity money to, or is it up to me?

"For they went out for the sake of the name accepting no help from the pagans. Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers in the truth." 3 John 1: 7-8.

BACKGROUND
This Bible verse is from a passage giving praise to Gaius for his charity and hospitality to the traveling ministers of the Gospel in the early church.

WHO THEY WERE
Those who were serving the Lord were doing it sacrificially at a cost to themselves. They did not ask for help from those who were not believers in the message but trusted the Lord to provide.

OBLIGATION
The apostle John was saying we have an obligation to support those who were serving; he says we ought to, and we must.

In the early days this support was risky business it meant giving shelter or refuge for those serving the Church. It meant giving some of your own food or some of the little money you had.

THE TEST
Those they were to support were the ones who...
     * "Went out." these people left something behind; they left home, careers, future, family etc.
     * "For the sake of the Name." They had a dedicated commitment to Jesus.
     * "Accepting no help from pagans." They were not in it for the money.
     * "Workers in the truth." they had integrity. They had a focused mission of spreading the Gospel.

GIVE WISELY
We should give out of our abundance and we should give even if all we have is a widow's mite. We should give wisely and test those we share our financial blessings with. Take time and research to make sure the person or organization is following a call to minister the gospel, serving in truth and are operating with integrity.

When you give to those who serve you are becoming a fellow worker with them in the Gospel.

Does God have a Purpose for Money?

We get money then we spend money, we get more and we spend more, and we do it again and again. Is it some natural cycle or does God have a purpose in money- especially my money.

"So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth who will trust you with true riches." Luke 16:11, NIV.

IF
This Bible verse turns on the word, if. If says we have a one or other situation, like saying, "if this then that."

A CONDITION
The "either or" situation of the verse is the condition of being trustworthy, so this Bible verse is saying worldly wealth is a measure of your trustworthiness, basically it is a test.

TRUSTWORTHY
To be given a trust is to hold onto another person's property. God has placed a trust in us with something that he has given us- material wealth. Which also means it is his to begin with.

God gives us money or other worldly goods to prove that we are worthy or act virtuously. It shows our character. The way we handle money shows:

     * If we are generous.
     * If we are thankful.
     * If we respect God who gives it to us.
     * If we are self-seeking.
     * If we are short sighted.
     * If we think about others.
     * If we trust God.
     * If we keep our obligations.

WEALTH vs RICHES
Jesus speaks of money as unique to this worldly system. He treats it like it is a passing thing, and compares worldly wealth to true riches.  He does not give any details on what these true riches are but the sense is that they are superior and more genuine.

It must be that God has reserved true riches for those who prove themselves worthy by correctly handling the worldly wealth.

WHAT DOES GOD WANT US TO DO WITH MONEY
The Bible has hundreds of passages that deal with that question. We each must search out with prayer and thoughtfulness what God is asking us to do with money.

To read the entire passage follow this link Luke 16:1-12.

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* * * * *

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(c) Adron

Why Does God Not Give Us Wealth?

If God loves me, and I follow his ways then I should be able to pray and ask for anything, right? Why does God seem to not hear my prayers for financial blessing?

"You ask and do not receive because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." James: 4:3, NIV.

YOU ASK
Prayer is many things, and here the Apostle James refers to the prayer that is asking. The verse does not say it is wrong to ask for things. It even implies that asking for things from God is acceptable, Jesus said to ask God for our daily bread*. So asking for God to provide our material needs is God's directive to us.

DO NOT RECEIVE
Asking God for something does not guarantee that it will be given. The Bible offers guidelines for prayer, but does not teach God is a celestial Santa Clause who exists for our gratification; we can't give him a shopping list and expect him, like a genie, to grant all our wishes.

MOTIVES
God looks at the heart. This seems to be very important to God when it comes to His reason for blessing or denying blessing. Our hearts are deceptive, we might be thinking one thing but in the back of our mind is some seed of an idea that is selfish or vain.

SPEND
This is a key to the purpose of all blessings. God gives us blessings such as money or wealth or talent or some other blessing not so we can horde it, be entertained by it, or show it off. All blessing like money is to be used. Even saving money is to prepare it (and us) for the use of money at a time of greater opportunity or need.

PLEASURES
Pleasures are different than need. Pleasure is self-focused. Pleasure is consuming for its own sake. God may give us the gift of pleasurable experiences such as family, marriage, satisfaction in career, or service; but God does not give us blessings for the purpose of us consuming those blessings on our own pleasure. He gives us blessings so we may spend them on being a blessing to others in his name.

Examine your heart make sure your motives are pure and ask God to provide.

*Matthew 6:11-13 see verse 11.

Beyond These Dark Lands
Are Edges of Joy
Words of Comfort and Hope ©
By A.E. Dozat

If you know someone who needs encouragement you should buy them a copy of my book, Beyond These Dark lands Are Edges Of Joy, Poems of Comfort and Hope. You will be glad you did.

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 (c) Adron Dozat 6/14/13