"Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap." These words from Ecclesiastes 11:4 remind us that if we wait for all conditions to be favorable, we won't act.
This topic will challenge you - but only if you go beyond reading the words and actually think about and answer these questions... honestly.
When was the last time you...
Honored the Lord with your tithes and offerings?
Gave to someone that had a financial need?
Asked the Holy Spirit to provide direction for a purchase decision or your finances?
If your answers to the above is never, then your finances have not "lived". There is a life to our finances that God intended for them. Following God's Word financially is another way we experience participating in the divine nature He has for us that is spoken of in 2 Peter.
Conversely, when was the last time you...
Made a purchase and regretted it shortly afterwards?
Had a zero balance on your credit cards?
Gave into buying something even though you knew it was going in over your head?
Felt like you weren't making enough money?
Why can it be difficult to be doing the first group of questions above, and easy to have recently done the things in the second group? It is because of the world's customs and our flesh.
The Lord knew this to be a challenge for us and provided the answer in Romans 12:2 - "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." We renew our mind by regularly reading and meditating on God's Word.
By doing so you will sense a greater love towards the Lord, along with an aspiration to obey Him, and a lessening to fulfill the desires of the flesh. You will also feel strengthened to step out of your comfort zone - doing what you had not done before.
I'll share an example of God being so generous in response to giving. I felt led to give into the church offering money I had for an oil change. Within the next week I received a job offer I sought - a better position, one that paid more, had better benefits and was closer to home. I gave a 2-week notice to my current employer, which resulted in them terminating me that day because I was going to a competitor, but with all my future pay.
I decided to start one week earlier at the new place (and thus got two paychecks that week) and was invited to the company picnic that weekend. There, my parents won a drawing for luggage and I won the grand prize of a stereo system - and I had not even started working there yet! I stayed there more than 25 years and was literally blessed beyond belief. God is faithful.
Lastly, be encouraged by these words I have known to be the truth, spoken in Hebrews 12:11. "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."
God Bless you and may He show Himself greatly to you,
Paul
