"The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands."
-Deuteronomy 28:12a
When I first became a believer, I believed that, if I just had enough faith, nothing bad would happen to me. I heard this message repeatedly that, if tithed and had faith, I would have tons of money, I would always be healed, and everything would be perfect. And you know what? That didn't happen. I was really surprised by that. So, I started feeling guilty. I thought that I must need to grow in my faith.
Do you know how that incorrect belief finally fell apart? I went on a trip to Thailand, spending most of my time in slums. I realized that this message did not work there. I could not tell these very poor people that, if you just give me ten percent of your rice, then you're going to have tons and tons of money. I started to think about the places where this message wouldn't carry. The final straw came as I was listening to a very famous preacher saying, "When you're driving down the street and you see a Porsche, you ought to point to that Porsche and say, 'That Porsche is mine, in the name of Jesus!'" And I thought, no, that's not right.
That was when it finally ended. I thought, " I've read the Ten Commandments. I know it says, 'Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's property.'" I knew then that God would provide, and it would always be just what I needed to thrive in each new day.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for providing all that I need every day. When I want something, I will ask you to show me whether or not I need that thing to survive and live a fruitful life. I want to live only and always for you. Amen.
Devotion: How do you determine the difference between want and need in your life?
Comments