Put Your Money Where Your Trust Is

by Tom McCullough

I’m convinced the major reason God’s ministries of evangelism, education, and compassion continue to be underfunded is a question of trust. I’m not talking about trust in the ministries to which we could give. I’m talking about trust in God.

If we were really convinced we could trust God to take care of us, we would be more willing to share what we already possess. A new resource offered by Crown Financial Ministries titled, God Provides, teaches six simple principles that seek to rebuild that trust in our faithless hearts. Through six key episodes from Scripture, it is absolutely clear that God provides everything His children need to meet their daily responsibilities and to honor Him with their gifts.

1. The Widow’s Oil: Use What You Have. Remember the widow whose creditors were knocking down her door, demanding she pay off her dead husband’s debts? She begged Elisha for help. The prophet asked her what she had. She said, “Nothing.” He asked again. She repeated, “Nothing…[pause]…except this oil.”

   He told her to use the resources she already possessed, call on God to make up the difference. She obeyed, and God did miracles. When we put to work even what may seem to us to be meager resources, God provides.
   

2. Jeremiah’s Call: Trust God’s Design. God’s people were in exile because of their sins. False prophets were telling them it was God’s will that they would soon cast off the yoke of their oppressors and be healthy and wealthy back in their own land. Jeremiah sent them a letter that refuted the claim; insisting they were in the predicament by God’s design. The solution was to get busy doing what was in front of them (build houses, plant fields, etc). God, he insisted, would work miracles according to His own timetable. When we get busy with the work at hand, not waiting for miracles, God provides.
   

3. Abram’s Reward: Make Life Decisions. When Abram left Haran to travel “who knew where,” it was based on a life-changing decision to trust God’s promises. The pattern of his life became a simple four-step procedure: follow God passionately; love others selflessly; hold onto possessions lightly; make allegiances wisely. Lot chose to love things and use people, Abram chose to love people (and God) and use things. Look at how those two lives turned out. When we put people before things, God provides.
   

4. Abraham’s Offering: Give Back What is His. Abraham obeyed God’s request that he sacrifice his son, his only son, Isaac, the one he loved. Abraham understood that it was foolish to hold back from God what rightfully belonged to Him anyway. Sometimes, God tests our obedience to see if we are willing to return to Him the ownership of His good gifts to us. When we give back to Him what belongs to Him anyway, God provides.
   

5. The Rich Man’s Regret: Choose Compassion Today. The story of the Rich Man and Lazarus found in Luke 16 is not primarily an exposition on the details about Hell. The context indicates that it was first and foremost an indictment of the Pharisees’ unbiblical perspective on wealth. Though he possessed immense wealth, the Rich Man, once in the afterlife, had no more opportunity to right any wrongs or change the course of his misdirected life. By this, Jesus forcefully declared that compassion has an expiration date.

   When life is over, there is no more opportunity to spend one’s resources for God’s glory. It has been humorously suggested that hearses don’t pull U-Hauls. We’ll take nothing with us. When we share compassionately today with those in need, instead of hoarding a treasure that will never do us any good in the hereafter, God provides.
   

6. God’s Gift: Embrace Life by Faith. Nicodemus sought Jesus by night. He had questions. Jesus had answers. In the end, Jesus suggested God’s love for man was so great that He sent Jesus so we could be spiritually reborn. When we embrace by faith the greatest gift ever given, God provides.
   

Yes, God really provides. God provides for His own out of His great love and compassion. And the way He provides a message of love and compassion for the rest of the world is through His saints.

We are blessed in innumerable ways, yet we often hold tightly to what we have rather than honoring God and His promises by returning to Him what is already His. We need to give to missions so the rest of the world can experience God’s provision of salvation through Jesus Christ.

About the Writer: Tom McCullough pastors Central FWB Church in Royal Oak, Michigan. A former missionary to France, he is a member of the International Missions Board.