Deuteronomy 8:18(NKJV) 18“And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
There are many keys to understanding God’s view of prosperity. One of these keys is to develop the proper focus for our faith. We have spent a great deal of time over the last month or so developing the right attitudes toward material prosperity. I believe a major problem in our country is that we have allowed greed and selfishness to co-opt an economic system that has created the greatest society in the world. We no longer focus on production. Today we focus instead on consumption. Consumption by nature is selfish. For believers who want to prosper in God’s system, this is not a viable approach.
God’s system is based on giving not on getting. God wants to bless his children and has no problem giving them nice things. I do not believe it is his will for them to struggle financially. I do believe that we must first develop an outward focus and a service mentality so that we do not fall into the trap of wanting more and more and doing less and less to earn it. One of the things that keep us bound in this wrong thinking is focusing on money and what money can buy. This was Paul’s point in his letter to Timothy.
1 Timothy 6:10(NKJV)
10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
Truly wealthy people see money for what it really is. It is simply a tool for exchange. It is what we use to get certain things done. For those who have money, the money itself is never that important. For those who do not have money, the money itself takes on an importance that it does not deserve. Money alone cannot solve problems. Simply throwing money at a problem does not solve it.
It is interesting to look at lottery winners. Sometimes these people will do well once they get their winnings, but far more often, they end up worse off than they were before. They have money for a while, but the money does not solve the real problems. They fail to use it in such a way as to be a tool to build anything lasting. They simply consume as much as they can and find themselves with noting in a short time.
Money can never be the focus of divine prosperity. Paul makes it clear in this verse what happens when it is. Most think he must be speaking to the rich in verse ten. I do not believe he is. Verses 17-19 of this same chapter address the rich. I believe those who do not have money are far more susceptible to loving it than those who do. How do we keep from falling into this trap?
I believe the truth Moses reveals in today’s verse can help. God does not promise to give us the power to obtain money. He gives us the power to obtain wealth. Money is a mere fraction of what wealth encompasses. Let us look at some definitions of the wealth.
According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, the word most often translated wealth means; a force, whether of men, means or other resources; an army, wealth, virtue, valor, strength.
We can glean a number of things from this definition. Wealth is a force in the world and in the life of an individual. Wealth gives us the ability to get things done. However, this force is not limited to money. In fact, money is not even listed here. There are a number of things we see here which can give us some valuable insight to true wealth.
First it speaks of a force comprised of men. I believe this points to one of the most important aspects of wealth. That is the relationships we have in life. It has been my privilege to travel to many countries to preach and teach the Word of God. Tickets cost money, so I have had to raise money to pay for those tickets. However, the money is not what enabled me to go to these countries. The money alone would have been useless. The wealth that opened the door for me to impact churches and church leaders all over the world was my contacts with people, often from those nations. The money was needed, but the true wealth was the relationships.
The relationships you develop can provide more income or resources than money ever could. They provide contacts, information and many things that you could not buy. The right relationships developing at key times are pivotal to anyone’s success.
The next word in this list is “means.” One definition of means is, “considerable financial resources; riches: a man of means.” The idea behind a “man of means” is someone who can get things done. The financial resources he possesses will usually be much more than money. He may have contacts, equipment, property or influence, but somehow he gets things done. Strong’s definition adds the term “other resources” to “means.”
God has “other resources” available to him. What might these “other resources” be? God has ways of doing things that are beyond our comprehension. You might say, “I just can’t imagine how God could get me the money I need.” That is exactly what God wants you to understand. You cannot imagine it, but God can do it. How can he do it? He can do it with “other resources?”
Many years ago my pastor, Dr. B.J. Pruitt was given a mandate to bring ministers together in a neutral and non-threatening environment. He was the pastor of a church at that time which had a 3rd floor that was unfinished space. The Lord told him to convert that space to motel rooms so those who could not afford to stay in a hotel could have a free room while they attended the yearly conference. He had no money for this project, but he had faithful people who agreed in prayer and went to work.
There were many stories of how God did miraculous things to provide for this project, but one sticks out in my mind. One of the church people was driving down the road one day and saw a box. This box must have fallen off a truck but it was untraceable. When he looked in the box, it was full of electrical boxes. These electrical boxes were just what they needed at that time in the project. They did not have the money to by the electrical boxes, but God had “other resources” at just the right time.
When we focus on money, we limit God’s ability to supply what we need for the challenges we face in life. We will look further at this definition tomorrow, but today, take a moment to think about what you need. Maybe you need a new car. Maybe you need a better home or repairs on the home you have. Maybe your needs are even more pressing. Maybe you have debt that is overwhelming you. Do not get caught in the trap of “dollars and cents. Instead, realize that God has means, other resources, which he will bring to bear in your life if you trust him.
Take the limits off God and see what he will do. The Lord is the ultimate man of means. Do not forget the relationships he has placed in your life. He will get the job done if you trust in him and not in money.
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