My Month Of Understanding Money Matters

New beginning means starting afresh or anew. It means going back to the basics. So this month I will like us to look afresh into money matters. Talking about money Solomon acclaimed to be biblically one of the wisest men on earth prayed - "Give me money enough so that I will not steal, don't give me too much so that I will not be proud". What Solomon is saying is give me understanding with regards to money so that I can live a balanced life. Money matters is beyond praying even though prayer is a critical component. We shall ask questions: Is money evil, is money needed, when do we have enough money, when are we short of money, how do we make money, how do we spend money? As a Pastor I find myself asking people to give so, our focus this month will be to learn some key principles on money making matters.

The Controversy. The issue of money is very controversial for many reasons. For instance, those who spend their life in pursuit of money are labeled money mongers. Those who spend their life preaching about money are labeled prosperity preachers. Those who don't talk about money are labeled foolish. Those who are poor are grumbling and wondering why me? Those who are rich don't know how to allocate their wealth. Many churches teach erroneously on how you can expect the miracle of prosperity without giving the people the right information to facilitate such.

What the bible says about money. Let's look at a few scriptures.

1. "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus". Phil 4:19

2. "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,' says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." Mal 3:10

3. "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." 1 Tim 6:10.

4. "In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" Acts 20:35

5. "The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender." Prov 22:7

Some Quotations about Money.

1. "It's good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it's good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven't lost the things that money can't buy." -George Lorimer

2. "Money is usually attracted, not pursued." -Jim Rohn

3. "Money is only a tool. It will take you wherever you wish, but it will not replace you as the driver." -Ayn Rand

4. "It's not how much money you make, but how much money you keep, how hard it works for you, and how many generations you keep it for." -Robert Kiyosaki

5. "I do not know anyone who has got to the top without hard work. That is the recipe. It will not always get you to the top, but should get you pretty near." --Margaret Thatcher.

6. Money is just a fluid- passes through hands- Amos Dada

The Way forward

1. The teachings by pastors have to change. We have to teach people about hard work. There is nowhere in the bible where God answered prayers by making people receive already made physical cash. God's plan is for us to till the ground and make a living, do things that could be exchanged for money. In the wilderness when it was illogical for Israelites to till the ground God provided manna for them, bear in mind that he planned the journey for 40 days; he had to sustain them when it was elongated to 40 years but the moment they got to the promised land, "Then the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land; and the children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food of the land of Canaan that year." Joshua 5:12

2. The Mentality of church members have to change. I am a pastor and I believe God helps us in life journeys, but I am not naïve to say that prayer alone will make you rich or wealthy. The mantra of 'sowing and reaping' should not be limited to giving physical money in church, praying over it and expecting prosperity. The likes of Bill Gate, Mark Zuckerberg who are rich did not pray about money they met the need of human being and money flowed to their bank accounts. You will not be rich just by praying or making monetary donations y in church.