REFERENCE BIBLE VERSES
Ephesians 4:28 | Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. (ESV)
OBJECTIVE
To learn the proper mindset to have on wealth that delights the Lord
CONTENT
In his letter to Ephesians, one of the major themes that Paul teaches is how to live a new life as followers of Christ. From Ephesians 4:28, we can deduce the mindset that God wants us to have towards wealth. Firstly is to do labor, to be diligent doing honest work. And secondly, to have something to share with anyone in need.
- Being Diligent and Responsible
- In Luke 19:11-27, Jesus gave us the parable of the Ten Minas. In this parable, the Lord gave his servants one mina each. The first servant comes back with ten minas, and the Lord is delighted, telling him that [he has] been faithful in a very little (v.17) and thus was entrusted with authority over ten cities. The second servant came back with five minas, and was entrusted with authority over five cities. But the last servant was afraid of losing the money that was given to him. So instead of working with the little that the Lord has given, he hides the one mina and gives it back to the Lord. The Lord then got angry and said, “Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?” (v.23)
- Paul wants us to do honest work, no longer steal, and to work diligently with what we have. From the parable, we can deduce that God wants us to be responsible with what is given and work with it instead of hiding and trying to protect it. This reaffirms what Paul is saying, not to be lazy but instead do the labor.
- What God truly sees are our diligence and our sense of responsibility towards what was given to us. What we are entrusted with and what we produce is of negligible amount to God but our effort and character growth out of the process is. Our work is to steward what God has given to us. And as the parable says, the more responsible we are, the more we will be entrusted by our Lord.
- Have Something to Share With Anyone In Need
- Paul wants us to be diligent in our work, so that [we] may have something to share with anyone in need. In other words, our reason to work should never be driven by greed for money (1 Peter 5:2). Instead, it should be driven by the need to provide for our household and also the drive to give, especially to those who are in need.
- 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 tells us that God loves a cheerful giver. And it also reminds us that God is able to fulfill our needs, to have all sufficiency in everything, so that we can also have abundance for every good deed. It is always reassuring to remember that God will supply all our needs (Philippians 4:19, Luke 12:28). Only by knowing this, can we give to others cheerfully because without it, we will always be too worried about our well-being resulting in our constant hesitancy to give.
- However, before giving and sharing to others, we need to keep in mind that God wants us to provide for our own people, especially our own household because otherwise that meant that they have denied the faith and are worse than an unbeliever (1 Timothy 5:8).
- God has given us wisdom to steward what He has given us. Proverbs 21:5 tells us, “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.” (ESV) Thus with whatever we are given, we are to be diligent with our works, and to share with others in abundance so as to honor God with our wealth (Proverbs 3:9-10).
REFLECTION/DISCUSSION QUESTION
- What has been your driving force to work hard and to make money? Is it in line with what the Bible says? If not, how can you change to have the correct mindset.
- What group of people/specific organizations are you most passionate about that you are most willing to give to? Why? (ex. local churches, PAUD, nursing homes, Cancer Research organizations, etc.)
REFERENCES