Morning By Morning #335

Amaziah asked the man of God, “But what about the hundred talents I paid for these Israelite troops?” The man of God replied, “The LORD can give you much more than that.”

2 Chronicles 25:9

From the pen of Charles Spurgeon:

This question was important to Amaziah, King of Judah, but perhaps is even more important to a tested and tempted Christian. Losing money is never pleasant, and even when it involves a matter of principle, our flesh is not always ready to sacrifice. We ask ourselves, “Why must I lose this money that could be used so well somewhere else? Why am I being required to pay such a high price? What am I supposed to do without this money? What about my children and the fact that my income is so low already?” These questions and a thousand more may tempt a Christian with unrighteous gain or may keep him from following through on his deeply held convictions if it may lead to serious loss. Unbelievers cannot consider these matters in the light of faith, but even with followers of Jesus the thought, “We have to live,” carries a lot of weight.

“The LORD can give you much more than that” is a satisfactory answer to our anxiety over money. Our Father holds the purse strings and whatever we lose for His sake He can repay a thousandfold. Our role is simply to obey His will, and then we can rest assured He will provide, for our Lord will be a debtor to no one. A true saint knows that even what appears to be a small blessing from Him can have more value than a ton of gold. Someone with a threadbare coat who wraps that coat around a clear conscience has gained spiritual wealth far more desirable than whatever was lost financially. Even if living in a dungeon, God’s smile is enough for a pure heart.

If your bad situation becomes worse, let the money go—you have not lost your treasure, for that is above, where Christ is seated “at the right hand of God” (Rom. 8:34). Meanwhile—right now—the Lord causes “the meek…[to] inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5) and “no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless” (Ps. 84:11).

From the pen of Jim Reimann:

We live in a world where virtually everything is measured by money. Yet it is a trap to measure success by the world’s standard. Even churches often measure their success by their financial numbers and reports. Monday morning staff meetings tend to be more about how much money was collected in the offering plates Sunday morning than asking the question, “Were we obedient to what the Lord called us to do yesterday?”

The world ties success with financial prosperity, but the Lord never has—and never will! Notice the separation of them in this verse: “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (Josh. 1:8). Another translation puts it this way: “Then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (ESV). And the underlying meaning here is that prosperity itself is not just financial.

We would do well to remember the words of David, who said, “I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread” (Ps. 37:25).