Monday Memo 1195: God Will Take Care of You

Let's continue to look at the connection between your creative purpose and your finances. It goes without saying that you need to make a living so you can earn money and pay your bills. God knows you need money so you can eat and have the other necessities of life, and therefore promised through Adam and Eve that He would always provide for you:

Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so (Genesis 1:29-30, NIV, emphasis added).

In those verses, we see that God provided their food as a gift; it wasn't their wages for work done. He expected them to work, but their food wasn't to come because of their work. That was provided by God Himself. What's more, He didn't give them so much food for a certain amount of work done; He gave them what they needed, even on their day of rest. Later, Jesus taught the same principle when He said,

“So do not start worrying: ‘Where will my food come from? or my drink? or my clothes?’ (These are the things the pagans are always concerned about.) Your Father in heaven knows that you need all these things. Instead, be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what he requires of you, and he will provide you with all these other things" (Matthew 6:31-33, emphasis added).

God's kingdom can be simply defined as His will for your life. If you do what the King wants you to do, He then promises to give you all you need to live on. He may use the place where you work to provide for you but He doesn't need that place to provide for your needs. He can give you houses, cars, land, and everything else you need from various sources when you are busy doing His will. That means money doesn't have to be your first concern, but doing God's will does. Let me give you an example.

I'm a writer and I spend most of my days editing and publishing books. I also spend a lot of time on social media sharing what God teaches me with a worldwide audience. Sometimes people pay me to help them produce their books but at times can't afford to do so. What's more, the ministry I perform through social media doesn't provide me with income. Yet I know it's God will for me to do it. As I've obeyed Him, God has provided for my family in many other ways while I write and edit and teach online. My point is that His provision is God's gift and not my pay for the work I do. 

One of the questions I ask people who come to me for help finding their purpose is, "What would you do with your life if you already had all the money you needed to live on?" People tell me they would write, paint, travel, work with children, and other worthwhile activities. I then explain their answer is a good indication of what their purpose is. If they will do that as often as possible, God will provide for them to do it in surprising ways because He wants to give them what they need while they carry out His purpose for their lives.

What would you do with your time and life if you had all the money you needed to live on? You can not only dream about it but actually do it as you learn to trust God to make good on His promise that He will give you what you need any time you're doing His will. God is the one who pays you, and He's generous and always on time. He has always taken good care of those who take good care of His business. Have a blessed week!