STRENGTH FOR MY DAYS
A Daily Devotional by Bishop David Bakare
Money is Good
Wednesday,
2 October
But thou shalt remember the LORD
thy God for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may
establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.
Deuteronomy. 8:18
SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY: Ecclesiastes 5:18-19 Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion. 19 Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.
MORE LESSON: Matthew 17:24-27 And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute? 25 He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? 26 Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. 27 Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.
One of the misconceptions in the body of
Christ over the years is that about money, as it pertains to whether it is good
or evil. It is recorded in the Scripture that some people made a shipwreck of
their faith because of money, the underlining reason being the love of money (1
Timothy 6:10). The strange thing about money is that it is deceptive; there is
usually a false sense of security that money brings to those who have it. If
you don't know God and you get carried away by the security that money brings,
you will be in a big mess.
A quick look through the Scripture shows
many instances where money solved problems as a testament to the fact that
money is good. The parable of the good Samaritan is a case in point. In Luke
10:25-37 a man fell among thieves and needed to be helped. Apriest and a Levite
who passed without rescuing the man in his critical condition were clearly poor
both in judgment and resources. When the good Samaritan came by, he had money
to take the wounded man to the hospital, made deposit for his treatment and left
a complimentary card so he could be reached for more money, in case the need
arose. Jesus eventually commended the good Samaritan as the wounded man's
neighbour, even when he had never met him before. Money is good because if
properly deployed, it connects you with people.
In Deuteronomy 8:18, we understand that it
is God who gives the power to get wealth in order to establish His covenant.
The power to get wealth includes life, health, wisdom and direction. If it is
the good God that gives the power to get wealth, then wealth cannot be bad. The
caveat however is, as Psalm 62:10 warns ... if riches increase, set not
your heart upon them. The undoing of many people is becoming 'possessed
with their possessions'.
In order for us to experience how good
money can be, we should work legitimately and diligently, trusting God for His
blessing on the works of our hands. After securing the blessing of God, we must
not forget Him; neither must we close our eyes to the needs of people around
us. Proverbs 19:17 says, He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the
LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again. Money is good
to meet our needs, do the work of God on earth and meet the needs of others.
Prayer/Action
* Receive the power to get wealth without losing it.
TODAY’S PROPHETIC
PRAYER: This October, I shall operate with the peace
that passes all human understanding, in the name of Jesus.
