Keep It

Judges 11:24 "You keep whatever your god gives you, and we will keep whatever the Lord our God gives us."

 

I read a blog this morning by Pastor Matthew Barnett, founder of the Dream Center in Los Angeles, CA, and in his blog he tells a story about a man who was interested in helping the Dream Center financially in the early years, but after the tour and hearing the vision he respectfully refused because he didn't believe the vision was possible.  The Dream looked too big. But in time the dream did come to pass and God had supplied all the resources.

 

All morning today, I have been hearing on the radio, in the scriptures, and on the internet, topics concerning finances. From the lack of finances, to giving, and God's provisions. And personally experiencing situations myself. As a blog reader, you get to hear the inside scoop.

 

Yesterday afternoon our power was shut off because we missed the bill and our check had already been used and stretched to meet the needs of the previous weeks obligations including gas, car payments, etc.  We had no idea where we were going to get the resources.  We even asked acquaintances, but they were going through financial situations as well and did not have the resources we needed. 

 

So we trusted God and I called the electricity company and they insisted we had to pay what we did not have so we just believed that God would bring us through. AND HE DID! After work, we got home and had no electricity. We were notified that it would take up to 24 hours until the power was restored, so I picked up my family and we went to the local bookstore to enjoy the pleasure of AC and light! After a few hours it was time to head back. We stopped by the local store to purchase candles in order to have light.  As we were driving back home, we started praying and had my 2 year old son repeat our prayers in hope that our lights would be on when we arrived. To the glory of God we arrived home and after turning on the circuit breakers the lights came on!

 

My family and I stood in the living room rejoicing and jumping thanking God for the electricity, but more so because we didn't have to borrow the money.  God met the need. We had a few items pending online to sell and that evening someone came and purchased a item. Even as I write this, my family and I are in transition of moving from our home of comfort, to live on site at our church property in order to be more accessible to the people physically and financially. I have felt the Lord tell me that if He is giving us all we "need", then why do we keep adding to the list of "wants". We need to learn to be content.

 

We have had our share of asking people for help and can really say we have used up our resources, but our trust must not be in man. Our trust is in the Lord. It is so easy to give into the requests of someone who comes and wants to sow a seed into the ministry if only we do as they request.  The problem is we don't share the same vision. And we can not change what God has called us to do simply because our resources disagree.

 

God is our ultimate resource.  As believers we need to work to build the Kingdom, not work to build a kingdom. God has blessed us with great jobs and finances not for the sole purpose of building our homes or obtaining retirement for our security. It is far beyond that. He wants to build our house and He wants to be our security. We take that privilege away from Him when we take what He's blessed us with and use it to do what we want to do.

 

So I say, "Keep it!" It is not wrong to want good things in this world. But when it causes you to shun your eyes to the needs of the body, then it is time to check your heart.  As for me and my family we will hold to the words of Judges 11, "You keep whatever your god gives you, and we will keep whatever the Lord our God gives us." 

 

If he blesses us with much or little, use it for His Glory. Let us be content in serving Him with whatever He gives us.