Rev. Johnson V.
30th May 2010

In the first part of this message, we looked at the principles of financial curses and blessings. In this second part, we look at our responsibilities when it comes to financial blessings. God has His part to play and so do we.

• Faithfulness – the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 4:2, we are called to be faithful. For a child of God, there is no demarcation between secular and spiritual. We are called to be faithful in our time, words, deeds, money, energy and just about everything else in our lives. We must not waste anything that God has given us and we must not go where He has not called us to go. When we are faithful, we prove ourselves, earn His trust and move to bigger responsibilities (Luke 16:10).
• Work – We experience success by obeying the Word of God (Joshua 1:8). The Bible says in the book of Ecclesiastics that if we find anything to do, we must do it with all our strength. We are called to work hard. Often we rebel against the concept of work. We take pleasure in energy conservation, while God seems to want us to expend energy. And yet, work must not become the goal or the master of our lives. Instead work must only be the role that we play, while Christ is the undisputed Master in our hearts. God created work because it is good for us. 2 Thessalonians 3:10 gives us an indication of how God views work. In that particular verse, the Bible instructs us that we must not eat if we have not worked for it. And though we put in our efforts, we must remember that He alone can promote us (Psalm 75:6), He alone gives us the required skills we need to accomplish our work (Exodus 36:1) and only He can give us success in our work (Genesis 39:2).

Why did God establish work?

• To build character and virtue in us. Work will temper us through situations and circumstances.
• To provide us with a daily living, so that we will have some remuneration for ourselves. As Israel approached the promised land, they had survived on God’s daily provision of manna everyday. However once they got into the promised land, God stopped the manna and encouraged the Israelites to go into the fields and work.

Principles of work

• Colossians 3:23 – 24. Whatever you do, do it with all your heart as though unto God.
• Wait for your reward to come from God.
• We must have a proper perspective of work. Work must be in balance with the rest of our lives, including our relationships. We must not sacrifice either rest or our relationships for work, else we will have success only in one area of our lives and we won’t have wholesome success.
• Seek counsel when you handle money. Don’t allow pride in your life. Live within your means. Avoid debts – it is not a sign of blessing.

The thoughts and ways of God are higher than man. He seeks the best for us. We will experience wholesome, long-lasting, joy only when we do things His way and view our lives the way He wants us to view it. He wants us to experience freedom in the area of our finances.  Let us trust Him to change and align all that is in us, so that we and our finances will bring glory to His Name.