About two months ago, I was in Manila for ministry training. God spoke to me one afternoon, while I was on my way home.
That time, God had blessed us with a condo unit in Mandaluyong that was a 2-minute walk away from Robinsons Forum and Boni station. It was a great unit near the Robinsons residential compounds, and the best part was it was free.
As I was passing through the safe, accessible streets I started to thank God for providing me and my family with a great place to stay.
That moment, God spoke to me and asked me, “Who do you trust more? Me or your bank account?” I stopped, and worry tried to work itself into me. I knew where that question was leading.
Majority of the things that we worry about is related to money. I was reading through Luke 12:22–23 today:
“And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.”
What had prompted Jesus to say this was a man that had just asked Jesus to convince his brother to share a family inheritance (v. 13). I can only imagine Jesus hearing this man’s plea and simply translate it as “Lord, help me get more money!”
Making money isn’t a bad thing. God wants us to make money, but he also wants to make sure that our concept of value is not distorted by it.
In Luke 12:22–23, Jesus makes two comparisons. He says that life is more than food, and that the body more than clothing. The major difference that God points out is the fact that one is priceless, and one can be bought with money. Food and clothes, you can put a price on. But your body and your life, or the body and life of anyone else for that matter, will always be considered too valuable to put a price tag on.
Money has a very bad habit of making us lose sight of what really matters. If an inheritance causes rift between two brothers, what’s the first response? Fight for the money! Often that happens at the expense of the life that brothers can share together.
God is in the business of setting our values right. Our life is more important than money. Our relationships are not worth losing to gaining more money.
Do you have a relationship that was destroyed because of money? Maybe it’s time to mend that relationship. Is your relationship with God stagnant because you trust money more than Him? It’s time to switch back your trust to the true source.
Going back to me walking along Robinsons Forum, I was right. After asking me if I trusted Him more than my money, He challenges me to give money away. After telling my wife about it, we pray and agree to do it. The next day, I start giving away fresh bills from the ATM to some of my classmates.
A few hours later, I’m in the middle of a conversation with one of our teachers when he suddenly takes out his wallet and pulls out all the money he had in it. He hands it to me and I was shocked. After counting it, it was the EXACT amount I had just given away.
God is in not just in the business of setting our values right. He is also in the process of providing us with more value. Because Jesus (the most valuable Person on earth) paid the most valuable price (His own life) for our freedom. Money is the least of our worries now, God has conquered sin and death for us.
