This podcast covers Lesson 8 of Adorn Yourself with Godliness Bible Study by Melanie Newton.

Pursue Godliness Regarding Worldly Wealth

Regarding God’s provision and worldly wealth, Christians should think differently from the world. Give yourself to the Lord first. Pursue what matters to God—His honor and His purposes—more than your own. Pursue godliness even in matters of world wealth.

Lesson #1: God’s provision is His to give and take away. Regard it humbly.

We need to understand several facts about this lesson.

Fact: Everything we have comes from God.

• There isn't anything we own that we did not receive from God.
• Yet, we humans boastfully live as though we had anything to do with our genetics or privileges at all. When they are stripped away, we resent being stripped of our "rights."
• Having wealth can lead to arrogance and misplaced dependencies—putting your hope in wealth and what it provides for you. Instead, you should firmly plant your hope in God regardless of what He provides for you. 1 Timothy 6:17

Fact: What we have is not a measure of our godliness or our faith.

• How God chooses to provide for you or me at any time in our lives is His sovereign choice. We are to give ourselves first to Him and trust Him with our daily needs as we do the work He gives us to do. Philippians 4:12-13
• Trusting God to take care of you and me in whatever manner He chooses is something we have to learn in our pursuit of godliness. Someone once told me that God is in the human development business. Christians having needs is part of God’s plan.
• When God removes our comforts and strips away our support, we cry "help,” give up our self-sufficiency, and actually begin to depend on God and think of Him as God Almighty—as essential to our lives, not just an appendage.

Fact: God determines our provision—the how, when, and why

• Most of the time, God’s provision is going to come through people, not miraculously appear from the sky.
• It’s okay to pray for prosperity for your business. Just remember that God chooses how He provides for His own. We must trust whatever manner He chooses. Jeremiah 29:7

Fact: It belongs to God. Hold onto it loosely.

• Adorning yourself with godliness means not putting your hope in wealth which is so uncertain. 1 Timothy 6:17
• When we know Him and are devoted to Him, we can know that His every action is for a purpose that is goodness to us.

Lesson #2: God’s provision is always enough. Receive it gratefully.

• The Bible says in 1 Timothy 6:8 that we should be grateful for whatever God provides. When you have the Lord’s provision, you lack nothing that you need at this time in your life. Rejoice at what you have instead of complaining about what you don’t have.
• During Jesus’ ministry, He didn’t have a 10,000 square-foot house and servants to care for His needs. God continually provided for Him, often through women. And, it was enough.

Lesson #3: God’s provision is meant to be shared. Give it generously.

• Out of the most severe trial, the Philippians’ overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. They gave themselves first to the Lord in keeping with God's will. 2 Corinthians 8:1-5
• God’s riches to us are supplied through us to meet another’s needs. Some of the Ephesians were very rich in both the Gospel and in material possessions. The command to them, and to us, in 1 Timothy 6:18-19 is to be generous and willing to share.
• That requires trusting God, not having plenty. How you handle whatever provision God gives you reveals how you much you are adorning yourself with godliness regarding money.

 “It is not what you'd do with a million, if riches should ever be your lot. But what you are doing at present with the dollar and a quarter you've got."

• Godliness is viewing God’s provision as something belonging to Him and not to be hoarded for a future use that may never come. Luke 12:20-21
• Gratefully receiving and generously giving comes from the overflowing joy of knowing Jesus Christ and what He’s doing in your life. Whether you are the receiver or the giver, how you do both should be different than what the world does.

Godliness begins with devotion to God. When you are devoted to Him, you view His provision as belonging to Him. You enjoy what He provides with contentment. You put your hope in God rather than wealth as a protection from falling into the traps of those whose hope is in getting rich however you can. By generously sharing with others the very riches He gives to you, you lay up treasure for yourself in heaven as others see your godliness and are drawn to believe in the God you love and know. And, all of that brings glory to the same God who is the object of your worship. It’s a win/win.

 

Let Jesus satisfy your heart with such love for God that you will want to live a life that pleases Him.

 

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