Money represents security for most people. And it’s
true that having money can provide a sense of real security. It IS a
blessing to have enough. It's determining what is 'enough' that's
sometimes hard. To a very poor person, 'enough' may look quite a bit
different than 'enough' would look like to a rich person.
It's tempting to put our trust in money or things that money buys. If we have what we consider is 'enough' then we can be content, right? We're safe. We've protected ourselves.
How we handle our money can show us how we act towards God. It's like a visible example of our invisible thoughts.
God invites us to trust Him. What God requires of us begins and is surrounded at all times by this trust. It's an invisible trust whose visible evidence is obedience. This is so in all of life, of course, but often most clearly shown in how we handle our money.
And as we look around us at His creation, we can see how God cares for us. For example, creation teaches us that each morning day dawns, a new start, a fresh beginning. The evening quiet and dark give us opportunity to be restored in rest. Night and sleep are like practice times to trust. (Psalm 3:5, 4:8)
All that was created, all that is 'good' was made in and by and through the light, right? No creation happened in darkness. God’s creation runs according to an invisible schedule; it's consistent. We're given the moon and stars, so even by night we have a witness of the light of the day that is past and the day to come. We're never abandoned, are we?
We read that we are 'children of the light' (1 Thess 5:5, John 12:3). Jesus calls himself the 'light of the world' and says that we too are to be light to the world (John 8:12 and Matt 5:14-15).
When we look at the appearance of the light in Genesis 1, we can see that it was a response to God's Word, "Let there be light". It's like the obedience that comes from trust. God says...and we do...not out of our own will but out of trust in Him and His will. This is the state of the process of creation. For every following day, it was the 'light' part of the day that creation happened in. This 'light' of trusting obedience is where we are to live as children of the light! Just as creation was a process, so our becoming complete ‘new creations’ is a process. God can be trusted to finish the work that He began, to conform us to the likeness of Christ. This happens IN the state of our willing trust, just as creation happened IN the state of light.
On our own, we have little strength. Our strength to do God's will comes from Him! We receive this strength as we yield our will to His. He doesn't take over; He never forces us to obey. He invites us into this state of creation, only it’s not the earth that’s being formed, shaped and filled, it’s us. Little by little, with rest (and test) periods, He shapes us from a formless, nonfunctioning state, into a state of being complete!
It's tempting to put our trust in money or things that money buys. If we have what we consider is 'enough' then we can be content, right? We're safe. We've protected ourselves.
How we handle our money can show us how we act towards God. It's like a visible example of our invisible thoughts.
God invites us to trust Him. What God requires of us begins and is surrounded at all times by this trust. It's an invisible trust whose visible evidence is obedience. This is so in all of life, of course, but often most clearly shown in how we handle our money.
And as we look around us at His creation, we can see how God cares for us. For example, creation teaches us that each morning day dawns, a new start, a fresh beginning. The evening quiet and dark give us opportunity to be restored in rest. Night and sleep are like practice times to trust. (Psalm 3:5, 4:8)
All that was created, all that is 'good' was made in and by and through the light, right? No creation happened in darkness. God’s creation runs according to an invisible schedule; it's consistent. We're given the moon and stars, so even by night we have a witness of the light of the day that is past and the day to come. We're never abandoned, are we?
We read that we are 'children of the light' (1 Thess 5:5, John 12:3). Jesus calls himself the 'light of the world' and says that we too are to be light to the world (John 8:12 and Matt 5:14-15).
When we look at the appearance of the light in Genesis 1, we can see that it was a response to God's Word, "Let there be light". It's like the obedience that comes from trust. God says...and we do...not out of our own will but out of trust in Him and His will. This is the state of the process of creation. For every following day, it was the 'light' part of the day that creation happened in. This 'light' of trusting obedience is where we are to live as children of the light! Just as creation was a process, so our becoming complete ‘new creations’ is a process. God can be trusted to finish the work that He began, to conform us to the likeness of Christ. This happens IN the state of our willing trust, just as creation happened IN the state of light.
On our own, we have little strength. Our strength to do God's will comes from Him! We receive this strength as we yield our will to His. He doesn't take over; He never forces us to obey. He invites us into this state of creation, only it’s not the earth that’s being formed, shaped and filled, it’s us. Little by little, with rest (and test) periods, He shapes us from a formless, nonfunctioning state, into a state of being complete!
Visible evidence of this process is in how we handle things
we formerly believed were ‘ours’. As we
come to recognize that everything belongs to God, and He has given us the role
of caring for it (and each other) we begin to realize that the Creator’s
‘manual’ contains all the instruction we need to complete the role He’s called
us to.
Little by little, we will leave behind that state of sinning
over and over again, unable to control ourselves. He will equip us for how we are to live. We WILL grow stronger in trust, and in obedience.
He invites us to walk alongside Him,
humbly being taught by Him, learning to appreciate all He does, and also
learning to show others His love by caring for them too. Its hard work, but He will equip us for it.
As we let go of the belief that anything is ‘ours’ we also
are enabled (again, this is a process) to let go of the need to judge someone
who’s hurt us, and in that role as judge, to sentence and take retaliation for
the hurt. That doesn’t mean we excuse
the action of the one who has hurt us. It means we don’t retaliate…that we let
God, Who sees all, be the judge of that person’s action against us. We can instead (and again, this is a process)
practice mercy towards that person. How
many times have I hurt God by my selfish actions? He showed me mercy. If I understand that mercy, then I too will
show others the same.
To act justly means to do what is right in God’s eyes, it’s
the greatest commandment, which is to love God and do what He says. To love mercy means to act compassionately
towards others; it’s the second greatest commandment, isn’t it? To walk humbly with God means to go through
life living according to God’s design, not trying to become ruler over our own
life, but acknowledging in our thoughts and actions that HE rules! It’s in walking this way that we are enabled
to fulfil the commandments of God.
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