Favor Comes, Suddenly

Mei Wan's Christmas deco 2011

Christmas is upon us, suddenly.

Many of us are like that, so busy living life that we wouldn’t notice if Life has crept up on us. Whatever keeps us busy has a way of sucking us into its system, enticing us to look at things only from its perspective. This is especially so when we try to eke out a living. Our work becomes our life, and we have a great excuse to be complacent keep on going on. Even when good things are happening around us and for us, we are oblivious of them. We actually run the risk of losing our life trying to find it.

Perhaps this was the case also with the shepherds out in the field the night Jesus was born. They were minding their own business, unaware of the greatest blessing that has come upon them. That is, until the angels turned up. (Read the shepherd's story here)

And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them…(Luke 2:9, NKJV)

The night the shepherds found themselves in speak of the night in their hearts and in their lives; maybe yours and mine too. With our meagre effort, we could never hope to escape this darkness however hard we try. In fact our eyes would soon get used to the darkness.

But the good news is this: God is very eager to let His light shine on us and all around us. No matter what we are going through in life it’s never God’s will for us to get used to the darkness. He will do something. He will bring a bright and glorious morn.

This is what God’s messengers essentially said to the shepherds, “Do not be afraid, God has sent you His son Jesus to bring you peace and favour. His light has come.” (Luke 2:10-14) Today He says the same to us.

The shepherds put down their work and ran to find Jesus. They celebrated the first Christmas. Perhaps we should also lay down what we are doing to go into His presence. We will see what He is doing and receive from what He is doing. Then we’ll find:

His favor has come upon us, suddenly.

Merry Christmas!

Photo Credit: Mei Wan
Scripture Link: BibleGateway.com 

God’s Joy and God’s Providence

Charissa and her piggy-bank

In August, I left the job where I had been working for six and a half years. Leaving the company was easy; I had asked the Lord for the permission to move on since 2007 and the very moment I had a confirmation from Him I didn’t look back. It was a step of faith though, as I didn’t have any offer at the time I resigned.

I handed in my resignation on the last day of June and worked till end of July. Initially I didn’t actively look for a job, but explored the possibility of some business ventures with a few friends. Nothing concrete came of them. I had plenty of free time, so I took the opportunity to start my three-year-old daughter in a kindergarten, driving her to and fro and spending much time with her. I really enjoyed the time I could spend with her.

However, as the days wore on, I became more and more anxious. My reserve was dwindling, and it seemed that none of the business ventures was working out.

All I could take heart of was the fact that I could spend more time with my little girl. In the course of time we have formed a habit – everyday I would give her a fifty-cent coin for her piggy-bank. Every time she received it from my hand she would beam a hearty smile and said, “Thank you, daddy.” It was lovely. I truly enjoyed seeing her so happy.

One day, as I was about to hand Charissa her fifty-cent coin, a thought came to me that I should keep it instead. But then I thought how could this small amount make any difference to my financial condition? There and then I resolved not to allow any change into this gesture of love between father and daughter. Indeed I want to be able to provide for my family all that they need and desire. As I handed her the fifty-cent coin, I uttered a simple prayer in my heart to my Father God that He would see to it that my desire be fulfilled. Charissa smiled and said thank you as usual, but this time with her smile I heard God’s voice speaking in my heart:

Son, as much as you take pleasure in the smile of your daughter, so do I take pleasure in your smile. If you know how to give good gifts to your child, how much more do I know how to give good gifts to you?  I will provide.

That was some time in August. In mid September, I went for my first formal job interview since 2007. Before the interview was over, I was offered a job, with a substantially better pay than my last one.

As my Father in heaven says, I will provide.

River of Life

Living Inside Out (5)

One day I made a casual remark to my three year-old daughter that Jesus was inside her. Bemused, she asked, ‘Jesus in my stomach ah?’

What’s inside us? This is an interesting question.

Man is made up of body, soul and spirit. One good definition goes like this: man is a spirit, he has a soul and he lives in a body. It is important to understand that man is a spirit being, it is his spirit that defines what he is and who he is, not the soul or the body. The soul is made up of mind, emotion and will – the thinker, feeler and chooser. The body houses the soul and the spirit; it is what others see us from the outside and it comprises all the physical senses.

In the beginning, man had uninhibited communion with God through man’s spirit, for God is a spirit. He was alive unto God. But after man sinned – Adam ate from the forbidden tree - his spirit became dead to God. At the same time he also became alive to sin. Instead of being joined to God, his spirit is now joined to sin and sin became his master. So after the Fall, man’s nature took on that of his master, bent to do sin’s bidding – to sin is now natural to him. More than that, sin’s dominion brought about everything bad and evil to his life: curse, strife, sickness, poverty, physical death and all forms of darkness.  

How could man get out of this miserable condition? Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be born again (John 3:3).

It’s a spiritual birth, not a natural one. The result is that man’s spirit becomes alive unto God again. In fact God’s spirit – the Holy Spirit – comes to dwell in man’s spirit. The Holy Spirit is in you, so long as you have Christ.  You are a new creation joined to God.

The Holy Spirit lives in the believer, and He wants out! Not that He doesn’t like to be with us, but His nature is like a river that flows. On two separate occasions Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit in such manner, you can read about it here: John 7:37-39, John 4:13-14. But to me the most vivid picture of the Holy Spirit as a river is given by Ezekiel 47.

Ezekiel was shown a vision of the River of Life that flows from the temple towards the east ending at the Dead Sea. The prophet recorded an astonishing sight. Through the course of the River it became very wide and very deep and brought life to everything it touches. Fishermen’s business flourished because the Dead Sea’s water, once couldn’t sustain life, was healed and become filled with fish. Fruit trees grew in abundance along the River and bumper crops were harvested every month. Leaves from the trees became medicine for healing. You have healing, and you have prosperity. The last sentence of Verse 9 pretty much sums it up: everything will live wherever the river goes (NKJV).

You have the River inside you. When it flows out, it will touch your spirit, soul, body, your family, your relationships, your finance, your job, your business, your study and the world around you. It doesn’t take much to be blessed and be a blessing, just be aware of the River of Life and let it flow. 

Everything will live wherever the river goes.

Scripture Link: BibleGateway.com 

You Can Have What You Say

Living Inside Out (4)

One way to release the Kingdom is by speaking.

Jesus showed us how this is done in the Mark 4 passage. In this passage, how did Jesus calm the storm? He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm (Mk 4:39, NKJV). Jesus “rebuked” the wind and “said” to the sea – that’s how He did it, by His words.

Words carry enormous amount of power: death and life are in the power of the tongue (Prov18:21). Jesus said His words are spirit and are life (John 6:63). Words are of the spirit realm and His Kingdom is also of the spirit realm. The Kingdom could be carried by words. In fact, Jesus demonstrated that He could use words to bring the Kingdom into the world around Him. When peace replaced the storm, when the reality of heaven prevailed, it was proof that the Kingdom had come on the scene.

But just as life could be transmitted through words, so could death. Therefore it’s not the case of saying words like a formula to get what we want, but what matters is the spirit that the words carry – whether it is of the devil or of God. Only faith-filled words bring God’s Kingdom on the scene. Having said that, we could all start with being careful in what we say.

A few days ago I had an experience that illustrates the point well. Over the telephone Sister Rose complained to me about an abnormal condition: she was shivering in cold and sweating profusely at the same time. She had not been feeling well for over a month and the condition was getting worse. The doctors did not find anything serious except to say that a valve of her heart was not functioning well. The medication did not seem to help. But our sister sure believed in God’s healing power and gladly received my prayer. While I prayed the Lord led me to speak against an evil oppression on her. I rebuked the oppression and commanded the body to be well. It didn’t take long after putting down the phone that she found herself completely liberated. She went for a walk and the sweating and the “body-cold” left her. This is a classic case of speaking the Kingdom into the situation, even over the phone.

Jesus’ disciples used words too in the crisis: Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing? (Mk 4:38, NKJV) However, their words were not positioned to make a decree on the situation to change the circumstances, but merely state the fact they were facing. It’s like what the Lord told Charles Capps once (which he related in his book The Tongue – A Creative Force):

I have told my people they can have what they say, but my people are saying what they have.

Release the Kingdom - you can have what you say.

Releasing the Kingdom

Living Inside Out (3)

We can only give what we have.

One time the apostles Peter and John went up to the temple at Jerusalem and on their way met a lame man at the gate who begged for money. Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” (Acts 3:6, NKJV) The lame man was healed on the spot, strength coming into him. Leaping up, he stood on his feet and walked.

What Peter had done was simply to give away the Kingdom. It’s not that there was no silver or gold in God’s Kingdom, but Peter understood that there’s health and wholeness in the Kingdom - that’s what the lame man needed.

Just as Peter could release the Kingdom into the world around him, so could all born again believers. God’s Kingdom is within us (Luke 17:21) – this is an amazing truth. It doesn’t matter what are the needs we face or others around us face, we have the solution. Every time the Kingdom comes into collision with the reality of this world the Kingdom always wins, and the reality of the Kingdom would take over. There is life, peace, health and abundant prosperity in the Kingdom, but there’s no lack in anything.

Jesus asked His disciples to pray that the Kingdom come (Matt 6:10). The Kingdom can come upon the believer as well as being released from the believer. If you think about it, this is similar to the Holy Spirit. Jesus told His disciples before His ascension that they shall receive power when the Spirit has come upon them (Acts 1:8). But before that He also said that the Spirit would flow from their hearts like rivers of living water (John 7:38-39). Although we can’t say that the Spirit and the Kingdom are one, we do know that the Kingdom is in the Spirit (Rom 14: 17). Therefore, like the Spirit, the Kingdom can be released from the believer.

Now, this is the make-up of the believer: he hosts and releases the Kingdom. But like Jesus’ disciples facing the storm, many of us have not learned to live this way. Perhaps it is simply because we are not aware of what we carry inside.

Rise up and calm the storm! You can give what you have.


Photo Credit: Evgeni Dinev on FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Scripture Link: BibleGateway.com

Let Your Internal Reality Change Your External Circumstances

Living Inside Out (2)

Mark 4:35-41

Jesus had perfect peace inside, and His focus was on this internal reality rather than the storm outside. That’s why He did not panic like His disciples did.

When facing difficult circumstances we can choose to remain at ease connected to God’s Kingdom or we can act according to what we see and feel. As children of God, His Kingdom is within us (Luke 17:21). If God is with us, we will surely make it to the other side. To choose to live according to what we see and feel is to ignore the invisible and invincible Kingdom inside.

Jesus’ disciples allowed themselves to be overwhelmed by the storm. They saw, they felt, they thought about it and they decided that it could be fatal. Before they approached Jesus their hearts were already gripped with fear. Fear is something tangible, it’s something real. But this reality is inside, not outside. So what actually happened to the disciples?

The storm had moved from outside their body to inside their soul.

We have to guard what we have, because there is a thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). If we are not careful, he will steal our peace. Then, like the disciples, we would have let what’s outside affect what’s inside.

Jesus lived the other way round. He would not let the outside affect the inside. I have read the passage in Mark many times, but every time I thought it comical that Jesus could keep on sleeping in that kind of condition. Apart from the fact that it’s because He lived in Shalom peace, I believe Jesus also wanted to teach us something by his sleeping. He was effectively saying this: shut the external conditions out of your system. Ignore them. Of course, Jesus could laugh heartily and He could weep at what He saw. He lived like a normal man. Even so, He was never fazed or intimidated by unfavorable external circumstances.

But there’s more to it. Inside Jesus there’s no storm, but He did have a lot of peace. His Kingdom is peace. He carried it in great measure and He could release it to the world around Him. What He had not he could not give but what He had He could give. He released His Shalom peace into the outside world. Just as the disciples’ fear was tangible, His peace was also tangible and of superior reality. The storm had to cease. Jesus then rebuked His disciples; obviously He meant that they could have done what He did. So, in whatever storm you find yourself in, do what Jesus did:

Let your internal reality change your external circumstances.


Scripture Link: BibleGateway.com

Facing Difficult Times

Living Inside Out (1)

At times we find ourselves going through trying circumstances. Broken marriage, ill-health, retrenchment from work, financial crisis, natural disaster – you name it. Often we have no control over these things happening, but sometime we ourselves are the cause of the trouble. It doesn’t matter how they happen, they do happen. The important thing is how we react to them.

One time Jesus was crossing a lake with his disciples. There arose a mighty storm that threatened to sink their boat. The disciples panicked but Jesus was sleeping soundly in the stern. The seasoned fishermen, amazed that the Lord could keep on sleeping in the face of such life-threatening circumstance, woke Him up and reprimanded Him of His indifference. But this was how Jesus responded:

Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” (Mk 4:39-40, NKJV)

Jesus’ disciples had been in the fishing business for a long time, plying their trade on the waters. We could trust them to recognize a life-threatening storm whey they saw one. They certainly reacted in a way that everyone would think reasonable. But Jesus seemed to think otherwise. Not only that, His reaction was totally opposite to that of his disciples. Why?

The reason is that Jesus did not live in the storm.

His disciples lived in the storm and from the storm - their whole beings were entrenched in their surroundings. They saw that strong wind wreaked havoc on the lake making waves as high as the mast. The waves were pounding on the boat and pouring into it. The disciples could hardly stand still as the boat rocked feverishly. Their senses told them everything was far from okay – they could be drowned anytime. What they saw and felt caused them to be gripped with fear internally. They had their focus totally zoomed in on the outside world, the storm. That’s where they lived.

Jesus lived in His Kingdom and from His Kingdom. In the world where He lived there was no storm. Perfect peace reigned. There was no room for fear. Jesus had His focus zoomed in on this internal reality, thereby oblivion to outside circumstances. He was sure that He was safe and would make it to the other side, therefore He continued to sleep.

In times of tribulation, there’s a simple way to take stock of things. Just ask yourself: where do you live? 

Photo Credit: Vlado at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

God Is Faithful

God is faithful, even when we are faithless. It is His nature, and He doesn’t change.  As His children, our lives are full of opportunities to showcase His faithfulness. And He longs to show the world who He is and how He is like, through us.

Most times we miss these opportunities. Because we don’t like to take risk, we do our best to stay in control or to get out of situations where we don’t have control. We don’t like to put ourselves in situations whereby we cannot do anything. We feel uncomfortable; it scares us. We want to do something, and to know that we can do something. This is the mark of living in the flesh – to meet our needs through self-effort, apart from God. 

But God longs to show Himself strong in our behalf (2 Chron 16:9), He desires that we rely on and expect His supernatural intervention. When God’s children forgo the privilege of living in His supernatural providence the world misses the chance to get a glimpse of God – His nature and His power.

George Mueller was not one of your normal Christian. He ran an orphanage in Bristol, England for more than half a century in the 1800s, without collecting a cent from the public. At one time (1874), he had two thousand one hundred to feed at the orphanage, one hundred and eighty nine missionaries to assist and one hundred schools to be supported entirely. He didn’t have a fund-raising committee and he didn’t ask any one for money.  He asked from one person and one only, the almighty God, in prayer. And God never failed him. 

A Pastor Charles Parsons interviewed Mueller towards the close of the latter’s life. In the course of their conversation Parsons asked Mueller if he had found the Lord to be always faithful, this is how Mueller answered: “Always. He has never failed me! For nearly seventy years every need in connection with His work has been supplied. The orphans, from the first until now, have numbered nine thousand five hundred; but they have never wanted a meal. Hundreds of times we have commenced the day without a penny; but our Heavenly Father has sent supplies the moment they were actually required. There never was a time when we had no wholesome meal. During all these years I have been enabled to trust in the living God alone. Seven million five hundred thousand dollars have been sent to me in answer to prayer. We have needed as much as two hundred thousand dollars in one year, and it has all come when needed. No man can ever say I asked him for a penny. We have no committees, no collectors, no voting, and no endowment. All has come in answer to believing prayer …”**

A. T. Pierson, who later wrote a biography for Mueller, once visited at the orphanage. One night when everybody had retired Mueller asked Pierson to pray together with him. Mueller revealed that there was absolutely nothing in the house for next morning’s breakfast, Pierson was shocked and remonstrated with Mueller that at such hour they could find no supply. Mueller knew about it. So they prayed. At least Mueller did and Pierson tried to. They went to bed and sleep, and breakfast for two thousand children was there in abundance at the usual breakfast hour! In answer to their prayer, the Lord called a man out of his bed to send breakfast to Mueller’s orphanage. Knowing nothing of the need, he sent supply good enough for a month!

How faithful is our God! But how many give Him a chance to demonstrate His faithfulness like George Mueller did?

You can.

YOUTUBE VIDEO - GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

** Source: George Muller Man of Faith, published by The Navigators, Singapore, printed by permission of Zondervan Publishing House

YOUTUBE video by fontz2001 (http://www.youtube.com/user/fontz2001) 

Scripture Link: BibleGateway.com

Hunger after His Kingdom

Hunger after His Kingdom (7)

If, after reading my last post, you are still not convinced of God’s will concerning your health, consider the following incident recorded in Matthew 8 right after the Sermon on the Mount.

When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. (Matt 8:1-3, NKJV)

This passage again expressed God’s will regarding the matter. Most have no problem recognizing that God has the power to heal, but too many have doubt as to His willingness to heal. The above passage should settle the case once for all. In telling the leper that He was willing to heal him, Jesus is telling all who would come before Him that He is willing to heal them, or else He wouldn’t be the Jesus who is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb 13:8). Today, to say “If you are willing” in prayer may sound pious, but it is actually blatant unbelief. Make up your mind and believe what Jesus says: “I am willing; be healed.”

Having satisfied ourselves, let us look at the passage from another point of view. The incident happened immediately after Jesus preached the Sermon. In fact, Jesus was demonstrating what He preached. According to the Apostle Paul, the best preaching is not one with eloquence of speech or human wisdom, but with the demonstration of power and of the Spirit (1 Cor 2:4-5). Paul must have learned from the Lord Jesus Himself. In the Sermon, Jesus stroked the fire in His audience; He wanted them to hunger and thirst for God’s Kingdom. He told them that all their desires and needs shall be fulfilled when the Kingdom had come on them. And here came the leper, perhaps himself had his desire and hunger aroused, so much so that he risked the exasperation of many coming through the crowd to where Jesus was. Lepers were not allowed in a crowd. They had to go about shouting “unclean”. But he became the perfect subject for Jesus demonstrating the Kingdom. Jesus laid His hand on him; He touched him. His Kingdom came on the leper. There is no leprosy in His Kingdom. The reality of the Kingdom was made manifest.

What Jesus did and what He preached cannot be separated. That is why we can say His actions before and after the Sermon (that is, His actions in Matt 4 and Matt 8) gives us the context for the Sermon. His actions addressed the needs and desires of the people, so His Sermon must addressed the same. I don’t know about you, but I find this approach easiest to understand Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7). It is clear this is what Jesus wanted to tell His audience, and to tell us:

Hunger after His Kingdom, and all that you hunger after shall be filled.    

Scripture Link: BibleGateway.com

Your Desire for Health & God's Will

Hunger after His Kingdom (6)

There cannot be a more basic need or desire than this – good health. And surely, there cannot be a greater blessing this side of eternity. For one simple reason: without good health we cannot enjoy any other blessing, no matter how much we are blessed. What good is it to have all the money in the world if you cannot eat what you like because of ill health? Or you need to lie on the sick bed perpetually? You simply cannot live life, not to say enjoy it. Sickness brings pain and suffering. It drains resources and eliminates peace from our lives. Most times, it is not only the sick who suffer, their loved ones also suffer along with them. Do you think it is God’s will for us to be sick?

Your answer to the above question is crucial; it determines whether you would be a candidate to experience divine healing and divine health. It may even be a life and death matter. Not long ago I heard of a testimony. Jane (not her real name) found herself given the death sentence by the doctor. Jane had cancer. The stomach was bloated as if she was pregnant. The doctor said there’s nothing more he could do. You can go home, he said. But she could not accept it. This cannot be my destiny, she said. Jane believed Jesus would not let her die like that; it’s His will that she be healed. So she refused to accept the report of the doctor and sought the Lord, and the Lord alone. Jane prayed, and she asked others to pray for her. She didn’t go for any further treatment. In a few months she was completely healed, completely well. Free of cancer. It has been more than a year now that Jane has lived in this divine health. What would happen if she had thought that it could be God’s will that she be sick? Many are defeated right at this point. Not Jane. You see, what we believe is truly important.

There are too many out there who are not sure of God’s will regarding this matter. Even church ministers. But Scripture is very clear about it. In the Sermon of the Mount, Jesus taught us how to pray. He has this to say praying about God’s Kingdom:

Your Kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven. (Matt 6:10, NKJV)

Jesus had been telling the crowd that they must seek God’s Kingdom, because in it they would find their needs met and their desires fulfilled. Pray earnestly “Your Kingdom Come”, He said. It is obvious that in His Kingdom He rules. God has full dominion – that is to say His will takes precedence. How does His will look like? Jesus gives us a specific answer: on earth as it is in heaven. In heaven, everything is in the most perfect state possible, full of God’s glory and beauty. There can be nothing broken and nothing lacking. Perfect peace and joy permeate all. When the Kingdom comes on us, only what’s allowed in heaven is allowed here; what’s not allowed in heaven is not allowed here. That is God’s will as spelt out by Jesus. Now, do you think sickness can be allowed in heaven?  

Therefore, you need have no doubt as to what is God’s will for you in this matter. It is just as you’ve desired.

Your Wealth Is Not in Your Income

Hunger after His Kingdom (5)

But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you …Matt 6:33, NKJV

“It’s all very good what you said about seeking His Kingdom and finding the wealth we desire in it. But can you be more specific and tell us what to do?”

In my last post I talked about our desire for wealth and finding its fulfillment in the Kingdom of God. I won’t be surprised if you were to ask the above question, as many have. We are used to being told what to do and what not to do. We find security in this, believing that when we have done what we are supposed to do we shall receive what we desire.  Even when the subject matter is the Kingdom of God, we still think in such terms.

But that is the Old Testament way: to work for God’s favor. The New Testament way is to know that we have God’s favor, then we work from that premise. If we cannot work (that is, all our works are futile that can do us no good) to achieve salvation, can we work to have His Kingdom? Certainly not. It is God’s favor to give us His Kingdom, and He is pleased to do so. So all that is left for us to do is to treasure, choose and seek this favor instead of trying to earn His rewards.

Let me tell you that this is by no means easy. There is a strong gravitation towards the other direction – to do something to earn God’s favor. It will be a big mistake to underestimate our tendency to do something in our quest for His Kingdom. We like to do something and to know that we can do something.  Like I say, we are so used to living like that. We need to have tangible steps to take to have the Kingdom. This is one reason why Jesus used such a strong word as “seek” for something that is readily accessible to the believer. You need to overcome your natural tendency to do something to possess His Kingdom. To put it bluntly, the kind of idea that says that you should serve God fervently and He will reward you with blessings is not “seeking His Kingdom”. It is not what Matt 6:33 means. This is at best Law and works, but His Kingdom is one of Grace and favor.

Abraham was a case in point. God promised him that his descendants would be as many as the stars in the sky. But after decades of waiting he didn’t even have a son because his wife Sarah was barren. So he tried to help God out by sleeping with the maid of his wife. He thought the child that resulted from this union would inherit God’s promise. He thought that by his own effort he could possess God’s Kingdom. But God said no. Abraham had to wait until he was a hundred years old and Sarah over ninety before she conceived and gave birth to Isaac – the one to inherit God’s promise. The Bible says that Abraham’s body was then as good as dead, so there’s no question it was God’s intervention that brought about a miracle. God is able to bring His Kingdom upon us without our help.

It’s plain and clear now that to “seek” His Kingdom is not so much our doing something as it is a changing of our mind. It is not about what we do, but how we think. Let’s take our desire for wealth for example. I believe the way of thinking that is in line with Kingdom principle is this: do not look to our income to supply what we need and desire. Instead, look to God. If God choose to use our income to supply what we want, that is fine. But if not, He must be free to use whatever means He likes. He is very creative and we cannot limit Him. Once we think like this we will not limit the source of our wealth to our income. (Remember, we said that wealth is not defined by the amount of money that we have, but the state of being whereby we have all our need met and more.) We will not rely on our income and work hard to maintain or increase it to obtain what we want. In fact we will find that we become open to opportunities and we are free to enjoy our work without having the pressure to squeeze everything out of it. We will be looking to God alone to supply what we want. We will find our wealth in His Kingdom.

He will supply. His name is Jehovah Jireh – God our Provider.

Photo Credit: Salvatore Vuono on FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Your Desire for Wealth

 

 Hunger after His Kingdom (4)

Through the apostle John, God said, “I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”(3 John 2, KJV) God wants you to prosper – that is, in wealth. In the above verse, the first “prosper” must refer to material wealth, or at the very least includes material wealth, because the soul is taken care of in the last “prosper”.  There is no ambiguity here, you can be certain of it. If you desire wealth, you are simply after something that God desires you to have.

Wealth is not defined by the amount of money we have. Simply put, it is the state of being whereby we have all our material need satisfied and more. The “more” is important; without excess we cannot be said to be wealthy.  In the Scriptures, when God dispensed of material blessing, He always gave more than enough. When Jesus fed the five thousand, there were twelve baskets full of leftover. When He blessed Peter and Co. the fishermen with a miraculous catch, there were so many fish they needed another boat to help trawl them in without the weight of the catch sinking their boat. You see, God has so much in surplus that when He gives He doesn’t give just enough. It’s not His idea that we have just enough. He wants us to have more than enough. Much More.

So, firstly, God desires us to be wealthy. Secondly, to be wealthy means to have more than enough. Bear in mind these two points, and we are in a good position to understand and receive what the Lord wants to tell us about our desire for wealth in His great Sermon.

The very first group of people that Jesus addressed in His great Sermon are those who desire to be wealthy. Blessed are the poor …(Matt 5:3, Lk 6:20). In fact at the outset of His public ministry Jesus proclaimed that the Gospel of the Kingdom would be preached to the poor (Lk 4:18). “Gospel” means good news. Why is it that the coming of His Kingdom is good news to the poor, except that they will be made wealthy when the Kingdom has come on them? Is it good news to you when you need money someone come and tell you it’s okay because you will be rich when you get to heaven? Of course not. You would probably slap him and ask, “Do you want me to die now?” Jesus has better sense than that. So when Jesus said “for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 5:3, Lk 6:20) he means when the Kingdom comes on them in the here and now they will find in it the wealth they desire. The wealth that we desire, just like any other need, is found in the Kingdom.  

But you cannot serve both God and Mammon (Matt 6:24). Mammon is not money. It is the economic system of this world, the Babylonian system. You can almost say that it is a person, a spirit. God’s Kingdom is different from this world. If we desire something in His Kingdom, we cannot get it from this world. The world’s system of getting wealth by toiling and worrying is not God’s way. When we are determined to do it the world’s way, we are joining ourselves to Mammon and automatically severe ourselves from God’s Kingdom. When we invest in the Babylonian system of this world to accumulate wealth for ourselves we are laying for ourselves treasures on earth (Matt 6:19). Clearly the system doesn’t work as we can see from the frequency of financial crisis, famine and strife everywhere. In this system, moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal (Matt 6:19).  

If we want true wealth, wealth that doesn’t diminish whatever the condition of the world economy, we must join ourselves to the Kingdom of God. It is a superior kingdom and recession-proof. “How to have the Kingdom?” you asked. You can only receive His Kingdom; you cannot obtain or achieve. A prerequisite in the economy of this Kingdom is that we recognize God as our Father. A father always provides for his children. It is far more important to learn how to receive than how to achieve. Our Father God is such that He even takes care of the lilies in the field and the birds in the air, how much more will He take care of us. Do not worry or toil, it will do you no good (Matt 6:25-30). All you need to do is to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you (Matt 6:33, NKJV). Yes, all that pertain to be wealthy, to have more than enough.

Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. (Luke 12:32, NKJV)

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Scripture Link: BibleGateway.com