It All Depends On Your Priorities

“He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and he will pay back what he has given.” Proverbs 19:17 God is the author of laws, and in this context we’re not speaking of legalities but rather of principles that work in life. If you throw a ball up, it will come back down. That is the law of gravity, one of thousands of laws God has established in the world. The same God who established the laws of the physical world, has also established laws in the spiritual world, and this passage in Proverbs is one of them. One cannot out-give God. If one takes compassion on the poor and helps him, he has lent to the Lord and the Lord will be no man’s debtor, what the man has given will surely be paid back by God himself. God is not opposed to wealth, but he is very particular on how one gains it. The way to gain wealth is NOT to covet it, nor to focus on it, for the love of money is a root of evil and can destroy the soul. “For the love of money is a root of all evil, which while some COVETED after, THEY HAVE ERRED FROM THE FAITH…” 1 Timothy 6:10 Those who covet money can destroy their faith by focusing on acquiring wealth. Jesus made that very clear: “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Matthew 6:24 In this principle that God has established, he is saying that one or the other will be your master. It’s going to be following after wealth, or it’s going to be following after God. One cannot have it both ways. vs 21: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” So how DOES one become wealthy without following after mammon? And the answer to that is through being very careful to follow the principles God has put into play, and most of the principles detailed in the Word of God will be CONTRARY to the ways of the world. “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.” 1 Corinthians 3:19 If you go after wealth using the principles of the world, you risk two things: First, you can lose your faith because your treasure, your focus, is in the wrong place and you can’t serve two masters. This is a principle, be careful not to defy it. Second, God has clearly said that the wisdom, the guidance, the teachings of the world are FOOLISHNESS to God, so following that trail is the way NOT to go lest you come to ruin through the foolishness of the world’s ways. Well then, what principles HAS God put into play through which one may be rich without risking the loss of his faith nor losing it all through the foolishness of the world’s ways. It's to seek FIRST the things of his Kingdom. “But seek FIRST the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33 The right way will be the opposite of the ways of the world. If a person does not lust after wealth and is not focusing on the worldly ways to acquire it, if that person’s focus is on the Kingdom of God, then the guarantee is that his needs will be met. It all depends on the focus of the heart. The principles of the Kingdom are in giving, not lusting. When a man’s heart is right, the material things needed will be provided. When his heart is on mammon, whatever he gains will always be subject to loss, not only in this life, but in the world to come as well. Seeking after riches is not worth it, folks. Seeking first the Kingdom of God has reward both in this world and in the world to come. “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:26