The Father heart of God – 4
God is a giver. For God so loved the world that He gave us his only son – John 3:16.
This week we want to look at this from a different angle. Anytime you talk about giving, people get upset, at least the ones not giving.
Jesus helps us to see something that I believe we have missed. He commands us to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out demons. We have the authority to come against any attack from the enemy when it comes to our bodies. Does Jesus say anything about our finances?
Matt. 6:24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
Matt. 6:25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Matt. 6:26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
Matt. 6:27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
Matt. 6:28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;
Matt. 6:29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Matt. 6:30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
Matt. 6:31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?’ or “What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
Matt. 6:32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
Matt. 6:33 But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Matt. 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
A few things stand out that Jesus says.
- You cannot serve God and mammon. Mammon is the only spirit after your heart, as God is after our hearts. Mammon does not care what stuff you have. The essence of mammon is centered on selfishness, meaning that you have less if you give. It is a spirit that builds false hope and security in earthly things. People waste a lifetime and sacrifice family and friendship to pursue something that will never be sufficient. Because of mammon, people become takers instead of givers.
- Do not worry. Worry is the devil’s babysitter free of charge – Kelly Varner. Worry steals your time and your focus. No amount of worry can add anything to you. Worry is a futile exercise.
- Your Father knows what you need. The promise is that we will have the basics. If you trust God for that, He can trust you with more than that. It boils down to trust. Do we trust God?
- Seek first the Kingdom of God. Here is the key to our abundance. If we prioritize the Kingdom, God prioritizes our needs. Does it mean God is waiting for us? No, the point is that you have more than you need when you give in the Kingdom. To give is to increase, never to have less. We must understand what Jesus is saying!
God never commands us to rebuke the enemy when it comes to our finances. We have the authority to do a lot of things in the Name of Jesus, but when it comes to our finances, God says that He will rebuke the devourer for our sake – Mal 3:11.
“And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” says the LORD of hosts.
God is a giver. He wants us to have the same heart as He has.
In Matt 19, a wealthy young ruler comes to Jesus. He asks Jesus what he must do to enter eternal life. Jesus responds by asking him to obey the commandments. He replies that he kept them from childhood and asks again: “What do I still lack?”
‘Go and sell everything that you have and come here and follow Me.”
Look at what Jesus is asking. The potential of this statement is enormous. It is the same thing Jesus asked his disciples. In essence, he invites the young man to be a disciple like the other disciples – follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
The young man left sad. He thought that if he did that, he would have less.
The Kingdom is not a savings account. It is an investment account. You tend to hold onto your savings. It pays minimal dividends. Your investment accounts are where you hope to make huge gains.
God is a giver. He does abundantly above anything we ask or pray – Eph 3:20.
