Staff Writer - Carol Cato
This came from the “Word of The Day”, I felt that it was the right time to share it with you.
Do not worry about tomorrow… Matthew 6:34 A television news announcer recently quipped, ‘Speaking of the economy, if it weren’t for bad news there’d be no news at all!’ Each time we face a downturn we tend to forget we’ve ‘been there, done that’ and got through it by God’s grace. Like ancient Israel we anticipate doom, spread discouragement, join those who gripe about the government, and long for ‘the good old days.’ How does the God who brought water from the rock, manna from the sky and ravens to feed a hungry prophet expect His people to respond to tough financial times? The answer is: choose the right economy! As a believer you must choose between two economies. The first is the Kingdom of God where He rules and reigns, owns all resources and dispenses them generously to meet His people’s needs, independent of global economic conditions. The second is the kingdom of this world where men competes selfishly to be number one. In God’s upside-down kingdom the rules are reversed. He says, ‘”…My ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts, than your thoughts”‘ (Isaiah 55:9 NIV). In this world’s kingdom where the rule is, ‘Get what you can and can what you get,’ you’re always vulnerable to greed and manipulation. So God told His people, ‘…Choose for yourselves…whom you will serve…’ (Joshua 24:15 NIV). Which economy will you choose? If you are wise, you will put your faith in God’s economy, trust Him, and ‘don’t worry about tomorrow!’
Unless you lived through the Great Depression you’ve never experienced times like the present: bank failures, bailouts, housing repossessions, unemployment, etc. You can see fear on people’s faces and sense it in their words. So, where do we turn? To politicians, economists, or our own resources? No human agency is capable of providing answers. So: know your source! The Bible predicted the shaking of human kingdoms and material entities: ‘[So] …that those things which cannot be shaken may remain’ (Hebrews 12:27). But while bureaucracies, businesses and banks have been shaken to their very core, our King and His kingdom remain rock solid. The Bible says that ‘…God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work’ (2 Corinthians 9:8 NIV). Notice the ‘alls’ in this promise. What more could you ask for? Your family, health, spiritual, material, present and future security is guaranteed under the ‘policies and resources’ clause of God’s unshakable kingdom! Man’s economy is not your source. It’s merely one conduit the King may, or may not use in providing what you need as a citizen of His kingdom. Relax, knowing God, your unfailing source, ‘…will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 4:19 NIV).
Fear makes us react emotionally, doing all the wrong things. We abandon the principles of Scripture and grab for all we can get, withholding and hoarding in case things get worse. Don’t surrender to the fears rampant in our increasingly godless culture. Instead, faithfully follow God’s economics for tough times. When Israel did this they enjoyed mega harvests. But when they withheld and hoarded what God provided, He said, ‘”You are under a curse-the whole nation of you…”‘ (Malachi 3:9 NIV). Whether they experienced abundance or lack, depended on their attitude and actions towards God’s economics. His principles required they ‘”Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse,…”‘ not a partial tithe (v. 10). If they’d ‘Honour the Lord with…the firstfruits of all [their] crops,’ their barns would ‘overflow’ and their vats ‘brim over’ (Proverbs 3:9-10 NIV). Jesus taught that if you ‘”give it will be given to you…”‘ in an abundance determined by the ‘”…measure you use…”‘ when giving (See Luke 6:38 NIV). You, not the economy, determine the measure of your harvest by the measure of the seed you sow. The Bible says, ‘…He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully (2 Corinthians 9:6 NKJV). The way it works in God’s economy is, those who ‘…withhold unduly…come to poverty,’ while those who ‘…give freely…gain even more…’ God promises, ‘A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed’ (Proverbs 11:24-25 NIV). Try it. God’s principles work in any economy!
Continues Next week
