Material Blessings
Our material life is mainly related to money. How do we manage money and what should we see it as?
In this message we will hear about not seeing money as a master and also about managing, giving, and handling it. Every blessing that God gives us, is not just for us, but is for us to share with many people and generations; the same goes for material blessings as well.
Apostle John wrote a letter to Gaius and we learn many things from this letter.
3 John 1:1-3 “1 The elder, To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in truth. 2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.
John prays for everything to go well in Gaius’ life. Some people are averse to thinking that God blessed materially, but we see that God intends to bless His children abundantly in all areas. He knows what you need and He will provide.
Some people think that once you come to the faith, you should give up all your possessions and live only on a daily need basis. However, this is never seen in the Bible. In one instance, Jesus asked a rich man to give up his possessions, but it has never been asked of all Christians. God has created the earth for our stay and he has provided us with all that we need in ample supply! His oxygen supply etc doesn’t get exhausted.
Hunger and starvation still exists even though there is an ample supply of food. This happens because of man’s sin and greed.
Should a Christian experience material blessings?
True blessing is receiving from God all that we need to live on earth. God gives us everything we NEED.
We need to have a balance with respect to material blessings.
Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
We cannot serve both God and Money (Mammon). Money cannot be our priority over God. If this is so, we are serving Money over God. Most people sell God for money, as Judas Iscariot did. But if we serve God, Money will serve us. If we put Money over God, we will lose God, Money and ourselves. We must be so careful not to give Money more importance than God.
Let us look at an example: you get two job offers. The first one offers a great pay but you need to work on Sundays and cannot attend church. The second one offers a lower pay but Sundays are off.
What would you choose?
There is no rule that you will not go to heaven if you miss a Sunday service; it is only something that you settle between you and God. It is we who lose, not God. But in all things, we should make sure that God has first priority in our lives. Nothing else should take importance and become an idol or a master.
God desires that we prosper but do we know how to manage it? Managing material blessings is very important. There are many people who would stop going to church or would turn their ways if they came into money. “My debts are now paid, I have no issues, why should I pray now?” This is the attitude of many people. If we do not serve money but God, we will be blessed by God. If we do not know how to rightly see a blessing, God will prune us till we are.
Paul writes to Timothy that the “Rich” needed to be taught rightly.
1 Timothy 6:6-10 “But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, and into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”
1 Timothy 6:17 “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God,who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”
Children of God are called to be blessed abundantly in all things. This is God’s heart for His children. It is not wrong to pray for material blessings, but it is wrong to put them above God.
Watch the full video here:
In this message we will hear about not seeing money as a master and also about managing, giving, and handling it. Every blessing that God gives us, is not just for us, but is for us to share with many people and generations; the same goes for material blessings as well.
Apostle John wrote a letter to Gaius and we learn many things from this letter.
3 John 1:1-3 “1 The elder, To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in truth. 2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.
John prays for everything to go well in Gaius’ life. Some people are averse to thinking that God blessed materially, but we see that God intends to bless His children abundantly in all areas. He knows what you need and He will provide.
Some people think that once you come to the faith, you should give up all your possessions and live only on a daily need basis. However, this is never seen in the Bible. In one instance, Jesus asked a rich man to give up his possessions, but it has never been asked of all Christians. God has created the earth for our stay and he has provided us with all that we need in ample supply! His oxygen supply etc doesn’t get exhausted.
Hunger and starvation still exists even though there is an ample supply of food. This happens because of man’s sin and greed.
Should a Christian experience material blessings?
True blessing is receiving from God all that we need to live on earth. God gives us everything we NEED.
We need to have a balance with respect to material blessings.
Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
We cannot serve both God and Money (Mammon). Money cannot be our priority over God. If this is so, we are serving Money over God. Most people sell God for money, as Judas Iscariot did. But if we serve God, Money will serve us. If we put Money over God, we will lose God, Money and ourselves. We must be so careful not to give Money more importance than God.
Let us look at an example: you get two job offers. The first one offers a great pay but you need to work on Sundays and cannot attend church. The second one offers a lower pay but Sundays are off.
What would you choose?
There is no rule that you will not go to heaven if you miss a Sunday service; it is only something that you settle between you and God. It is we who lose, not God. But in all things, we should make sure that God has first priority in our lives. Nothing else should take importance and become an idol or a master.
God desires that we prosper but do we know how to manage it? Managing material blessings is very important. There are many people who would stop going to church or would turn their ways if they came into money. “My debts are now paid, I have no issues, why should I pray now?” This is the attitude of many people. If we do not serve money but God, we will be blessed by God. If we do not know how to rightly see a blessing, God will prune us till we are.
Paul writes to Timothy that the “Rich” needed to be taught rightly.
1 Timothy 6:6-10 “But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, and into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”
1 Timothy 6:17 “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God,who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”
Children of God are called to be blessed abundantly in all things. This is God’s heart for His children. It is not wrong to pray for material blessings, but it is wrong to put them above God.
Watch the full video here:
About the Author
Dr. Damien Antony
Born and brought up in a Christian family, Dr. Damien Antony possessed an unquenching quest for truth right from his boyhood days and eventually his relentless search led him to the Bible. He is a Revival Preacher, Bible Teacher, Leadership Trainer, Author and a Life Coach. He moves under the anointing for Prophetic, Healing, Deliverance, Inner Healing and Financial Breakthrough. God has also blessed him with an Apostolic Mandate to take the Universal Body of Christ to the next level of revelation and anointing.
Born and brought up in a Christian family, Dr. Damien Antony possessed an unquenching quest for truth right from his boyhood days and eventually his relentless search led him to the Bible. He is a Revival Preacher, Bible Teacher, Leadership Trainer, Author and a Life Coach. He moves under the anointing for Prophetic, Healing, Deliverance, Inner Healing and Financial Breakthrough. God has also blessed him with an Apostolic Mandate to take the Universal Body of Christ to the next level of revelation and anointing.
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