Philippians 4:19
What are you betting the farm on? It seems like each day someone wants to help me make more
money, and they each have this in common, they want to take what I have accrued
and put it to work. Each of these
guys have a better plan for what to do with my money, than the other, but they
have this in common, they all plan on making money on what I’ve accrued, even
if they lose very large amounts of it.
Now that is just wrong! It
might be time to change the rules of that foolish game to, you win when I win
and you get zapped when you loose my money. I bet that would cut the number of offers to come to dinner
on them and hear the latest way to abscond with your life savings.
As a Christian do we have a better option? The answer is found in 2 Corinthians
8:3-5, “For they gave according to their means, as
I can testify, and beyond their means, of their on freewill, begging us
earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints – and this,
not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the
will of God to us.” I
will be very bold and say that is not the advice you will get from the
Financial Advisers. Few of them will
tell you to give yourself first to the Lord, and then give beyond your means,
trusting God to honor His promise of Philippians 4:19.
Who was this Macedonian Church? They were the church at Philippi, and they were not a people
of wealth, this is what the apostle Paul said about them; “For in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of
joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on
their part.” (2
Corinthians 8:2) What is different
about then and now? It’s very
simple, often my mind goes to the words of my friend Carroll Ray Jr. who lived
out this saying; “Just act like Jesus tells the truth.” They believe that Jesus tells the
truth, how do we know because history and Scripture give a clear record of
their actions. The church of 2010
is very good at words, it often mouths the right words, but its actions speak
for themselves. Do we trust
the promises of Scripture, do we believe that “Jesus tells the truth?”
This is a promise that seems to come when we act out the
principals of Scripture; give with the right heart attitude; give without
making a big deal of your gift; give as if it was a gift to the Lord Jesus
Christ; because it is. Someday,
and it may be soon, we will stand before the Lord, and Jesus will be thanking
us for believing that He told the truth, my friend Carroll has experienced
this, you may want to read the account of Matthew 25:31-46. But this I know, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to
his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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