© 2020 Chip Kawalsingh / Harvest City Church

Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” (Hebrews 13:5, NLT)

Be strong. Take courage. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you. (Deuteronomy 31:6, MSG)

As the old Rolling Stones song goes, ‘I can’t get no satisfaction!’ Along with Mick Jagger and others, we live in a world today where most people – even believers – can become dissatisfied with life, with what they have and what they do. Money can also bring dissatisfaction. We can never seem to have enough. No matter what you buy, it seems to be only a little while until a new model or upgraded version comes out and you, like me, hear ‘Dad, that’s so outdated!’

The writer of Hebrews encourages his readers to be happy with what they have. This does not mean we shouldn’t believe for God’s blessings and abundance in our lives; we should not walk around with a mentality that says ‘this is my lot in life.’ In order to get what we need out of life, we should seek God’s Kingdom first. Matthew 6:23-33 gives us a great revelation about how God’s blessings work. We should not seek the things we need, as pagans or worldly people do, but we should put God first! We are to put God first with our time, with our treasure, with our talent and with our one-to-one touch.

Remember God is our source; He is our helper and the one that provides for our every need. He knows what you need and when you need it. Fear will often come knocking on the door of our lives when we cannot make ends meet, pay the bills or help the needy. But let God be God and trust Him today. Be happy with what you’ve got and put God first! If you do, then the blessings of God will come your way. One of my Dad’s favourite sayings is: ‘The devil has nothing to offer a rejoicing believer.’

So what does this mean to me?

Stronger Church Equals Changed Society

As the church gets stronger, so its influence and ability to reach out will increase. It takes money to build church, reach the lost and help the needy. There seem to be two camps in Christianity when it comes to money.

Firstly, there are those that say we should sell all that we have and help the poor and needy, not ‘wasting’ money on church buildings but spending it on the more urgent needs of the poor. Also, there are those who say that the more money we have, the greater our faith must be.

These two positions are equally wrong. The problem is not money, but how we view it. We need money to purchase church buildings, look after the harvest of souls and help the needy, but having money is not a sign of great faith; just good business practice, hard work and God’s provision! Our focus should never be money, but God. Remember that the church, not human reasoning, is God’s plan to bring change on the earth (Matthew 16:13-19).

Give First to God and Build His Church

In John 12:1-8, we read of Mary taking expensive perfume and pouring it on the feet of Jesus. Judas objected; ‘Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.’ However, the verse says, not that he cared for the poor. Judas had a problem with money and used the poor as an excuse to justify his sin, which was stealing from the money bag. You may not be stealing from the church offering bucket, but according to Malachi 3:8-12, if you are withholding your tithes and offerings, you are doing just that!

Jesus and His Bride, the Church, Deserve the Best

Jesus commended the woman for what she did as it was for Him. In John 12:8 Jesus said, ‘You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.’ If anyone could have stopped poverty it was Jesus. But He did not. Human reasoning is not the solution to worldwide problems: Jesus and His church are. Remember that Jesus was not poor, but equally He didn’t depend on money for His source. When it comes to giving to God, the church is His designated conduit; not TV ministries, or other well meaning para-church organisations, but the local church.

The church represents Christ; as we reflect Him to our society it should be a reflection of comfort, excellence and the best of what is available today. When the tabernacle of Moses, David and Solomon was built, it was done so using only the best materials available. The purest silver and gold, the finest materials and only the best imported cedars would do. Why? It represents our God! He surely deserves our best! Money will not bring you total satisfaction, but Jesus will as He brings joy and fulfilment to your life.

David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their fellow Levites as musicians to make a joyful sound with musical instruments: lyres, harps and cymbals. (1 Chronicles 15:16, NIV)

For You make him most blessed [and a blessing] forever; You make him joyful with the joy of Your presence. (Psalm 21:6, AMP)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV)