Monday Memo 1210: Gold and Silver

Much of what we have discussed in this series on purpose and finances has had to do with adjusting your thinking where your occupation, purpose, wages, and provision are concerned. The goal has been to examine your thinking to see where it needs to be renewed as it pertains to those important life matters. Paul wrote,

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect (Romans 12:2, NLT).

Let me give you some personal examples of my mind being renewed on the topic of my income. When I first began my work in Africa, I "knew" how poor Africa was so I thought, "I need Americans to support me so I can work in Africa." However, when I went there, God showed me how wrong my thinking was, for the Africans were not poor and soon they were paying me for my work so I could live in America!

Then years ago, I was lamenting my lack of book sales when I cried out to God, "I'm not selling many books." Immediately I had this thought go through my mind: "Who said you have to sell them? Did Paul sell books? Did he have an agent? Were there bookstores back then?" Paul wrote because he had something to say and he "gave it away." After that, I started using my books more as ministry tools instead of a source of revenue and God increased both my number of books distributed and sold. 

In both instances, God was after one thing: changing the way I thought about my income and purpose. I was to go to Africa and write, but God was in charge of my provision and ministry exposure. That's when I began asking people everywhere to support my work, and that's when I started to distribute books as part of my teaching ministry—sometimes for sale and sometimes for free. When I changed my thinking, I was able to trust God to provide the resources I needed from whatever source He chooses. It was life-changing and it started with new thoughts.

Where have you made assumptions about how God will provide for you that are limiting your effectiveness? Are you locked onto certain ways of thinking like "I need a company to pay me; I won't give away what I should be paid to do; If I want more money, I have to work harder or get a second job"? All those thoughts may be true, but they also may be limiting you—and what God wants to do in your life.

My objective in this series has been to challenge your dominant mindset where God's provision is concerned. God can use an organization to pay you or He can use individuals. God can have you give away your services and then provide for you through people or organizations that were not directly involved in your work. God declared, "The silver is mine and the gold is mine" (Haggai 2:8).

If the silver and gold are His, then He can distribute them however He wishes. And that's good news for you because He promises to give you some as you need it so you can do His will, and that thinking has liberated me to go and do whatever God wants wherever He wants. Have a blessed week.