Thu 15 Nov 2007
Depending upon how you read the Bible, it can indicate that lack and suffering is normal or even required, yet it also talks of promises of having all your needs met and living in a land of milk and honey.
When Jesus is used as an example of how to live, it implies that you should not own anything and not even have a job to provide for yourself. According to how Jesus was shown to have lived, you should have no material possessions. One scripture often referred to is where it says that a rich man can squeeze through an eye of a needle easier than to reach heaven..in other words, the rich will likely go to hell. With this being the case, how do you raise a family, send kids to college or save for your retirement?
Does God want us rich with plenty, or does he want us poor and lacking…always depending on those around us? Many churches push the concept of getting richer by convincing parishioners that the more they give through tithing, the more God will give them. How does all this fit?
(extracted from common questions found online)
November 16th, 2007 at 12:54 am
The best place to start with this answer is to first say that nothing physical matters to God since physical things are not eternal, and therefore, do not really exist.
Jesus shared the idea that if you seek God first, all other things you think you need, will simply be provided…even without the asking, so the whole idea of tithing and sacrifice goes right out the window since there is nothing you need to earn or deserve. You just need to be open.
Are blessing then, a reward from God? Not at all. It is a result of being open to restore what is supposed to naturally occur. You receive by giving…not by paying…and giving has nothing to do with money or possessions. Giving can only occur spiritually by sharing your peace…sharing your love and by being forgiving.
Our natural state of being is one where we are eternally peaceful, loving, happy, and have everything necessary to provide that state of being. We are lacking in nothing.
God does not want us rich or poor. God wants us peaceful and happy. When we open our minds to let the Holy Spirit re-write how we see things, we become more and more open for all the natural blessing to return to us. In this better place of being, we may have greater health and we may have increased wealth, but not because we focused on those things, but because we focused on being willing to allow the Holy Spirit to guide our lives. Physical things are fleeting, but learning to be more loving and more peaceful is eternal.
You can’t earn blessings, increased health, more money, a better job, a perfect mate, etc. There is absolutely nothing you can do for God or any reported representative of God, to get these things because all these things are already available to every person at all times…and all for the same reason… because we are God’s children. If you do not experience abundance of love and peace, it’s simply because you are not as open to his direct guidance as you might think you are. Blessings are natural, so simply know you deserve all the best from God and be open for him to direct your focus.
Seek first the kingdom of God and all things you need will be added. Just seek and know there has been an answer. Know you matter. Know you are deserving. You are a child of God and you deserve the best. God knows this, but we have hidden this thought from ourselves by allowing ourselves to believe God is mad at us for attempting to do something without him. He is not mad. He is simply waiting for us to see that the only thing that changed is how we see him…and that’s all. Practice trusting that God has already provided everything for you and we will all move closer to being home once again.