Business and the Bible (part 3)

Copyrighted, written and edited by
Lara Velez of Moms of Faith (momsoffaith.com),
Rachel Lower of Christian Mommies (christian-mommies.com)
By the grace of God


Not Withholding Good

Proverbs 3:27
Withhold not good from them to whom it is due,
when it is in the power of thy hand to do it.

R: Hoarding greedily, spending money carelessly, or just turning a blind eye to those in need are all frowned upon in the Bible. In fact, a selfish attitude disgusts God. Yet most of us turn away when we see a beggar on the corner, despite the wad of cash in our purse or wallet.

Sharing what God gives us is part of our faith. We should continually grow in fruitfulness throughout our lives, in what we share. That goes for our money, our time, our work, and even sharing our hope in Christ to those who will hear. There is no need to compartmentalize or limit what we give back to God. Our born again, spiritual giving nature should only grow as we grow in our relationship with God and in how we relate to others.

Yet there are Christians who won't give a penny or a hand if it doesn't benefit themselves in some way. There are Christians so scared of financial problems that they become common day Scrooges.

Proverbs 3:9-10
Honour Jehovah with thy substance,
and with the first-fruits of all thine increase;
so shall thy barns be filled with plenty,
and thy vats shall overflow with new wine.

Believing God will take care of your needs is a matter of faith, and faith is something that grows. We aren't born again with a perfect faith. We work for it, He works in us. Our faith gets stronger and stronger. We know and trust more and more that He will provide for us, as he provides even for small animals and birds and even the lilies of the field. He will care for our needs, and bless us. We should share the blessings He gives us, whatever form they come in.

How sad would it be if a would be Christian never learned to be charitable to others in need? Others who could receive Gods blessings through a Christians selfless giving? Our giving is a testament not only to God's pure kingdom, but to Christ's own sacrifice.

Be ready to not only be blessed by God, but to bless others through Him, using you for some of His greatest work!

May your focus be on sharing, on relationships [your family in Christ] and spiritual things, which last forever, and not on wealth and material.

Worth repeating... Prayer of Proverbs 30:8
Remove far from me vanity and lies;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the bread of my daily need...

L: It is very easy to get caught up in all of our “stuff” and forget Who gave it to us. God does not give His children wealth so that we can have fancy cars and daily pedicures. He gives us wealth to further His Kingdom and His purposes.

Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with having nice things. The problem arises when we begin to love those things and feel we can't live without them. We become so obsessed with making sure that we can maintain our material status, that we fail to see the person in worn second hand clothes sitting next to us at church every Sunday.

The bottom line…love God and His purposes more than your material possessions. Our material possessions should be of no value in comparison to our walk with God and the eternal treasures He'll give us if we ask. Love people and their needs more than a manicure or new tech toy. Open your eyes and allow yourself to see the needs of those with less than you. Give sacrificially. Give the way Jesus gave for you!


More References
Pr 3:28, 11:24, 11:25-26, 14:31,
15:8, 19:17, 21:13, 25:14, 28:27