Why do Christians think God is limited to the world's system? To Babylon's way of doing things? I have acquaintances in third world countries and all they want from me is money. They're always asking for money. Don't get me wrong - it's for very good causes, their countries are full of poor people who really do need help, but they always look to money as the answer to their prayers. They want God to provide money to meet their needs. I know why this is, I think. In America, the churches link together God and money. The more money they have, the bigger buildings they can meet in, attracting more people (everyone likes a good show), and thus, more money. All American churches take up tithes and offerings - teaching people that giving money is the surest sign of their own personal godliness and obedience to God. Money is just a small, small part of our walk with God but third world nations see the opulence and wealth of the American church and want to emulate it. Surely America is the most godly nation on earth because it has the most money, right? Instead of real faith in God, Americans put their trust in their money, they put their trust in man, to give them the money to live in Babylon. Money is the true god of America, we even write on our money "in God we trust" because or money is what we truly trust to get us through life. God is not constrained by the world's way of doing things, full of unbelief and fallen humanity.
Man's faith is in man - they trust self and others to meet their needs, not God. If the truly trusted God, they would act on the fact that He can provide all our needs, as He sees fit, with or without money. God no more needs money to feed and care for His people than a bird needs permission to fly. Look at nature, look at this amazing world He created. Look at the animals, the birds, the fish. All have been provided food, all have shelter, courtesy of our gracious, loving, Heavenly Father, who sees even the smallest sparrow when it falls to the ground and dies. Animals do not need money to survive and neither to we. It's just that we're brain washed from an early age to believe Satan's system is the best way, the only way, to truly live. We don't believe or trust God enough, not really, to live by faith in his ability to provide for us. We don't really believe he loves us that much. We see God performing miracle after miracle in the Bible, providing for his people, meeting their needs, whether food or healing. We read the words of Jesus - God Himself - telling us not to worry, or even think about, our needs for our Father knows what we have need of. He promises to provide, yet still we spend our lives pursuing money, not the God who owns the entire Universe and all the wealth in it. For whom money is never a necessity. He can send ravens with bread in their mouths if He chooses (a real miracle because most birds would devour bread as soon as it got in their mouths. Our lesson from the ravens is this - don't consume everything that comes into your possession, and don't take it all for yourself.) Sometimes, God wants you to carry it to the poor, and He especially wants you to nourish and bless his prophets, wherever they may be found. God can take your little and make it much, whether it's a widow's oil and last bit of meal, or a small boy's loaves and fishes, God can even send you food from Heaven, brought by Angels for you to eat each day (and He even cares enough to make it taste like honey, so you'll enjoy it more). The Israelites in the desert had no grocery store down the street and needed no money to survive in harsh conditions. If there were a grocery store down the street, they too may have begged God for money instead of looking to God for food. Perhaps we all need to behave as if we're in a wilderness, where we cannot rely on man, where money does us no good and we must look to God and rely on Him alone or perish.
Brethren, let us pursue God, not money. The American churches believe they are successful when they have money, but of a truth they are poor. Americans seek to say "I am rich and increased with goods - and have need of nothing". We associate success - with getting money and goods, we think gain is godliness not believing godliness with contentment is great gain. We associate success with getting money and goods, we don't even know we are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind and naked. What a terrible state of being! To go through our entire lives thinking we are pleasing to God because we have money and possessions and we put a few dollars in an offering plate each week, only to find at the end we've missed God's kingdom completely. All the needs (not wants) of all my poor brethren around the world can be met in Christ, if they would only look to Him for provision, not man. Yes, by all means give money to the poor, to our poor brethren living in poverty, but only as God leads you to do so. Sometimes, the answer to their constant pleas for money is "no".
