Get rich!

Does God want to make you rich? I have seen every kind of warped teaching there is on money from TV preachers. They say, “give to my ministry $100 dollars and God will give you $1000” Sometimes they promise even more. What is the truth? Is God’s heart to make people rich? Or is His heart to bless? Are those always the same thing?

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously-Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” 2 Cor. 9:6,10-11

This passage is often used (or misused) to say that God wants to make us rich. Let’s be honest, it does say that. So how does God want us to interpret this? Who does it apply to?

Let’s ask who was this written to? It was written to people who had already given to support the work of God. Paul was telling them that the law of sowing and reaping would apply to them because they invested in reaching people for Christ. He tells them that they will be made rich in every way. Why would these people be made rich? Because they had shown that they could be trusted with worldly wealth and that they would use it for even greater levels of generocity.

Can you be trusted to be a conduit through which God can pour His heart of blessing? I believe that God does want to enrich us more than we know. I also believe His blessing flows into hearts that sincerely desire to be a blessing.

Do you want to be made rich in every way? I would suspect most of us do. Then let us determine to use our resources to advance God's Kingdom. Anyone with that desire is in line for God blessing as spoken in His word.

May we sow generously into the work of God.
May we give joyfully to the church and its mission in the world.
May we find out what God meant when He said He would make us rich in every way!

Chris