Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5
Hear today’s post as God speaking to you. “An insatiable appetite for wealth will only make you miserable. I intend to save you from being endlessly unsatisfied, irrelevant, selfish, and shallow. I’m calling you to find your joy not in amassing more for yourself, but in giving more away — in giving yourself away. By no means am I suggesting that you impoverish yourself; I’m showing you how to avoid impoverishing yourself. I’m encouraging you to store up treasure in the only way you will be able to enjoy it forever. I want you to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share and thereby store up heavenly treasure for yourself. As you set your heart on me, confident in my goodness, pouring out that confidence through a wealth of good works serving others, you will accumulate that which will enrich you forever.”
Nancy Guthrie in Abundant Life in Jesus: Devotions for Every Day of the Year (Carol Stream: Tyndale House, 2011) reading for June 6.
When this posts I will be somewhere over the Pacific traveling to Sydney, Australia. I have many meetings down under but the primary purpose for the trip is to speak at the CMA Conference on 5-6 June 2018 in Brisbane. “Abundant” is the them of the conference so that’s my word for this entire trip.
This devotional ministered to me. It’s masterfully written. God beckons us to find our satisfaction in Him, the only source of abundant life. When we give away ourselves and any wealth, we don’t end up empty but rather, enriched. We have discovered that the only way to figure this out is to live it out. In that sense it requires risk and faith to take hold of it.
What keeps us from grasping abundant life? In short, the love of money stands in the way. Society teaches us that money solves our problems, so we can never have enough of it. Fear kicks in and tells us to accumulate it, so we don’t even enjoy what we have. When this happens, the evil one wins. He uses money to fool people. He wants you to miss abundant life!
How can you avoid impoverishing yourself? Work hard. Give generously to your local church, various ministries, and save a portion to be the Good Samaritan to neighbors in need. Live simply. Avoid debt. Engage in God’s work around the world in areas that match your interests and passions. Give yourself away and find the abundant life Jesus offers.