Trust or Treasure?

I know that today, as many of you look out across the economic landscape, the view is anything but encouraging. The daily newspapers and TV continue to report rising unemployment and those of us who are still looking for a job grow weary and despondent.

But as a child of the King, I have to ask this question….Do you trust in your Heavenly Father to provide all your needs; to grant you the desires of your heart…or are you trying to make it on your own, relying on your ingenuity to get you a job and keep your head above water? Whatever your answer, it boils down to a simple thought….Trust or Treasure?

Now, the Bible is filled with scriptures that remind us that we are to trust our Heavenly Father for all our needs. In Psalms 37: 4-5, we read, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, TRUST IN HIM (my emphasis) and He will act.” Or what about the passage from James 1:17a…“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.” And who of us doesn’t need to be reminded by Paul in his writing to the Corinthians, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:8

But my favorite reminder of the faithfulness of God is found in the story of the widow and the offering box. We know that this widow must have truly and completely trusted in God for her very existence….for when she placed those two small copper coins, which was about a penny, into the offering box, she gave not out of abundance but out of poverty….she gave everything she had, all that she had to live on.

She had nothing left ….but her trust in God and His sustaining power. She knew in her heart that God would provide and that His love would be sufficient for all her needs.

So what does that say about you and me in these difficult days? Are we holding back the hand of God and holding on to what we have? Do we still continue to tithe and give to the commitments that we have made in our Savior’s name? Is our reluctance to give more about holding on to our treasure or is it really a matter of trusting in our God?

I am constantly amazed by how many of us say we are willing to trust God with our eternal souls, but we draw the line when it comes to trusting Him with our temporal riches. We will believe that there is a Heaven waiting for us, filled with jasper walls and streets paved with gold; but, we can’t trust our Heavenly Father to take care of providing next month’s power bill. It warms our heart and soul to believe that He sent His only Son to take our place on the cross, but it sends shivers up our spine to give our offering each Sunday and see the balance left behind in our checking account.

Our God knows what we need even before we ask….nevertheless, He wants us to ask.

Jesus told His disciples to “Ask and it shall be given unto you, for everyone who asks receives.” James, the brother of Jesus wrote, “You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it all on your passions.” James 4:2b-3

It all come downs to that simple equation, ASK + TRUST= GOD’S ANSWER.

God expects us to ask for what we need and in accordance with His will, He provides from His storehouse of riches….so start trusting God today with the everyday needs of your heart…a job, better health, greater love for others….whatever the need ….HE CAN AND WILL PROVIDE …the TRUST is up to you!

Trusting in the Father …Asking to do His will,
WPQ

Poem for the day;

Don’t put off until tomorrow
What you can achieve today;
Just trust the Lord in all you do
And He will guide your way.

Don’t be afraid to trust in Him
Just follow where He leads.
For when you put your faith in Him,
He’ll meet your every need.

wpq@June03