If you walked up to someone on the street and asked them what they wanted out of life, most, if not all, of them would tell you that they'd like to be successful and have money. Sounds pretty good, doesn't it? Well that's definitely a prevailing message in our world today. Yet, when we look at Hosea 10 (and other passages like Luke 16:13, Hebrews 13:5 or 1 Timothy 6:10), we are definitely cautioned about the pitfalls of money. Hosea 10:1 spells it out clearly "But the richer the people get, the more pagan altars they build. The more bountiful their harvests, the more beautiful their sacred pillars." In other words, the more prosperous and wealthy we become, the more we tend to turn away from God. We like to think we're in control and that we are responsible for our good fortune. But in reality, God is in control of it all.
We all have to deal with money. So how do we keep it from killing our reliance upon, and relationship with, God? Tami W.
I think as Christians, this is one of our greatest challenges.....it certainly is for me. How can it not when as you alluded, we cannot avoid it in the way our society is structured and has always been structured? First, I think that it it's important to include God in all of your decisions but especially regarding money. Whether it is about what to spend and how much, your personal financial balance, what you need vs. desire, and even regarding the things we do to earn money. Probably even more important than that however, I must strive to give to God first which means that whenever I earn a cent I need to pay my tithe or donate to the church before I spend a dime on anything else or pay the first bill as opposed to waiting until the end of the month and giving him what is left. Ultimately I just have to sustain a mindfulness of God; pray; and anytime I'm blessed monetarily I must share.
My personal thoughts are that whatever God has blessed us with, money or other gifts such as personal talents we must share them with others our church, our family and the poor and needy. Always thank Him for these blessings. He did not give us these things to hold unto them and let them be stumbling blocks and keep us from Him. He loves us so much that He shared His Son, Jesus with us and so likewise we must share what we have.
I have told my friends and family not to give me a gift this Christmas but instead use the funds and give it to a ministry or other charity. Let us this year, not look to receive but to give and if we can do it this Christmas, then we can continue to do so during the next year. May God bless us richly as we share with those who are in need.
Oftentimes, my wife and I think we are such good stewards when we go into debt to buy something at no interest. Its so hard for me to say, "lets save for that," or "lets see what God wants us to do with the money we do have." I know I haven't made idols out of our material "stuff," yet to completely trust God and not use debt is our spiritual challenge.
I'm sorting through this in my life right now, and I've found that money can be a dangerous trap. Seems like we have to keep our eyes open and remember to "seek ye first the kingdom of God". This isn't about seeking the keys and the rules and the objects of the kingdom ... it's about seeking after our relationship with the King Himself! Keeping that relationship fresh through the Word will naturally give us the peace we long for and the direction we need to spend money, save it, give it away ... or live without it. Don't you just love contentment?
Since God is the one who provides for our needs and the one who bless us with material wealth , we should not allow these things to dictate to us or prevent us from serving Almighty God. Psalms 49 tells us that riches cannot redeem us,our soul is so much precious than that of gold and silver. It is God that" gives us the power to get wealth". Tami could you please explain Hosea 10v12 "break up your fallow ground"? I have heard it many times but have not get the full understanding. tHANK YOU.
I think the more I "work" on this and am obedient, the more I want to follow His will in this area. I find it hard with my husband and kids, they see me as being "judgemental" or controling to keep them from how they want to spend their money. My husband always says, "I work hard for my money, what wrong with having a nice truck ect?" I'm just trying to find the balance of having our family be accountable yet not feel like I am micro-managing them.
Dian,
Thanks for your question. Whenever I come across a verse I'm unsure about, I like to open up BibleGateway.com and look up the verse in several translations (NIV, NLT, etc). This usually helps me figure out the meaning and gets me going in the right direction (although not always, sometimes I have to go to other sources like commentaries). For this particular verse, I found the New Living Translation especially helpful. I also like to pull out the dictionary and thesaurus as well. If you look up "fallow" you'll see that it refers to seedless, unplanted, unproductive soil. And just like that, our hearts can be the same way--not allowing God's righteousness to take root and flourish. What a great word picture to take with us. Thanks for your question. Hope these tips are helpful as we all dig in to God's Word. Tami W.