6 LAWS OF MONEY
1: money doesn't come to those that WANT it, but to those that DESERVE it.
2: money doesn't stay with big earners, but with wise spenders.
3: money can serve you, it can equally make you serve it.
4: the money you save in times of abundance, will save you in times of need.
5: the blind love of money will cost you your humanity.
6: no amount of money will ever be enough as long as you have desires and needs.
Key Bible Verses About the Love of Money
1 Timothy 6:10 ~ "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."
Ecclesiastes 5:10 ~ "He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance with increase. This is also vanity."
Matthew 6:24 ~ "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."
Luke 12:15 ~ "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions."
Hebrews 13:5 ~ "Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'"
Summary of Themes
The Bible emphasizes that loving money can lead to various evils and distractions from faith.
Money itself is not evil, but the obsession with it can lead to greed and dissatisfaction.
Christians are encouraged to prioritize their relationship with God over the pursuit of wealth.
The Bible verse that addresses the love of money is 1 Timothy 6:10, which states, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil." This verse emphasizes that it is the love of money, rather than money itself, that can lead to negative consequences.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33)
You may have heard that Jesus promised us that all our practical needs will be met if we will just seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness. But how do you do that? How do you put God first every single day of your life?
Here are a few ideas that will help you put God first. This is certainly not an all-inclusive list, but I hope that reading it at least gives you the general idea.
The most important thing to know is that Jesus and His Holy Spirit will help you as you attempt to seek first the Kingdom of God.
In John 16:7-13, Jesus said this:
“Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come” (John 16:7-13)
When Jesus went back to Heaven after His ministry in bodily form here on earth was over, He sent the Holy Spirit to live inside us. If you have given your heart to Jesus Christ, making Him the Lord, Savior, Boss, and Master of your life, then God the Holy Spirit lives inside your heart right now.
God the Holy Spirit is in you to help you. He is in you to comfort you. He is in you to convict you and disciple you, taking you from glory to glory, faith to faith, and strength to strength.
And He’s in you to help you want to obey God–as well as to carry it out.
Philippians 2:13 tells us this:
“… for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13 NKJV).
Did you catch that?
God is working in you both to will and to DO whatever His good pleasure is. That means you can’t even want to do His will without His help; however, since you DO have His help, He is now working in you to help you want to do whatever His will is. He helps you want to obey Him, and He helps you carry it out too.
So if you desire to seek God first, and seek His Kingdom, then here are a few ways you can begin doing that:
1. Every day, first thing after you wake up, get alone with the Lord for at least 15 minutes of prayer and Bible study.
I understand that every person might need to empty their bladder upon waking. However, after that, seeking God first means you go directly to spend time with the Lord in prayer, worship, and Bible study. You use the very first part of your day:
~ to pursue Him;
~ to learn more about Him from His Word; and
~ to petition Him through prayer for His help in whatever you need.
Spending at least 15 minutes a day alone with God in prayer and Bible study will change your life. For the best is yet to be in Christ.
The Lord convicted me about this many years ago.
At that time, my daily habit was to wake up every day and eat breakfast first, get ready to go to work, et cetera. Only after I had eaten, showered, and made myself presentable would I grab my Bible and seek God.
One day, the Lord showed me that seeking food first was an idol in my heart. I cared more about my tummy being full than I did about giving Him first priority. I was heartbroken when He showed me this, and I decided right then and there, with His help, to put my time with Him before my daily morning routine. I have never regretted that.
(I do however want to say that if you wake up and you have a medical reason for needing to eat first–like, you are shaking and your glucose has tanked overnight, such that you might faint or become ill if you don’t eat right away–you shouldn’t feel guilty about eating. But, if you’re only doing other things to satisfy your flesh instead of your spirit, that’s when your priorities are messed up.)
That said, let’s review Matthew 6:33 again: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33)
Seeking God first every day in prayer and the Word is the absolute best way to put Him first in your life.
If you will give God the first portion of your day–at least 15 minutes, and maybe even a lot longer–you will have a much better day, every day.
You won’t miss the time; the Lord will redeem your time. He’ll give your time back to you in spades. Also, if you will give Him the first part of your day, you’ll be more centered in Jesus throughout your day; you’ll be nicer; you’ll feel better; and you’ll be in a better mood all day long. This is the day the Lord has made ( for you ) , I will rejoice and be glad it ( together with the Lord )
2. Dedicate the first part of the first day of the week to seeking Him.
The same way you give the Lord the first part of your day, give Him the first part of your week also. Dedicate every Sunday morning to Him. For example:
~Get up and get to church so you can worship and fellowship with other believers, being strengthened by the hearing of the Word.
~Spend extra time with God in the Word and prayer on Sunday mornings.
~Maybe you might even want to consider fasting every Sunday morning, just as a way to pull apart from the world and consecrate yourself to Him. Fasting is optional, not obligatory. Feel led to fast, just do it with joy and gladness. Praise the Lord and thank God you for all things in this journey of faith in Christ Jesus.
All of these things will make a tremendous impact on your relationship with God for the better! Give God the first of your week, every week. Doing so sanctifies the rest of your week and makes the whole week work out better!
3. Give God your tithes–the first 10% of your gross income–and your offerings.
Remember what the Lord said in Malachi 3:
“Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation.
Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.
And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” says the Lord of hosts;
“And all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land,” says the Lord of hosts” ~(Malachi 3:8-12).
When you give God the first 10% of your gross income (which all belongs to Him anyway), giving Him the first part sanctifies the rest. In other words, giving God the first 10% puts His blessing on the rest of your income.
Tithing–the practice of giving God the first 10% of your income–pulls your income out of the world’s financial system, which is cursed under sin, and places your income squarely in God’s financial system, which is blessed.
When you tithe, the Lord will rebuke the devourer (the devil) off your finances. He will open the windows of Heaven for you and pour you out so much blessing that you don’t even need it all.
And, just know that seeking God first in your finances by giving Him the first 10% is a HUGE way to put God first in your life. Tithing puts Him first, quite literally, in your finances. And your heart will follow your money (which, again, is God’s money anyway).
As Jesus said in Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
The Sixfold Blessing of the Tithe to God
Blessing #1. God will open the windows of Heaven and pour you out so much blessing that your provision overflows the need.
Tithe is about relationship with God , and between you and your Creator.
Malachi 3 says, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.” However, that’s a horrible translation. How can you receive something if you don’t have room to receive it? Makes no sense.
So, I did what anybody would do. I got out my trusty Strong’s Concordance and looked up the original meaning.
And you know what I found? It actually means:
“if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you so much blessing that your provision overflows the need.” Now, THAT is a meaning I understand!
Can’t you see it now? Can’t you see lots of waterpots and crates and boxes sitting around, and God opening up a big window in Heaven and dumping out so much provision and blessing that all the boxes are full …
… all the crates are full …
… all the waterpots are full and sloshing over …
… there are blessings sitting around everywhere that we don’t even have space in our arms for, so we’re going to have to come back and make a second trip to pick up all the goodies?
Yeah. THAT’s what God actually said when He said He would open the windows of Heaven and pour out blessings for us. When you tithe, He will give you so much blessing that your provision fills up all the need you have AND THEN SOME. 🙂
Sign me up for that!
Blessing #2. God will rebuke the devourer for your sake.
Remember that our enemy, Satan, wants to steal, kill, and destroy you and everything you have. Jesus said:
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).
So how does God handle this? When you tithe, you break the curse off your finances. By your own obedience, you remove yourself from the enemy’s grasp, and he can no longer eat up the blessings God sends you.
That means God rebukes anything that would rob from you. He gets rid of it on your behalf. He gets rid of anything that would steal from you. He prevents accidents from happening that would use up your savings.
He keeps your light bulbs burning. He fixes your machinery when it goes bad, or provides for new and better machinery. And on, and on, and on.
We have seen God rebuke the devourer for us over and over again. A number of times, God has brought to light various situations that the enemy had plotted against us to either cause accidents or other costly mishaps. Every time, though, God has protected us from it–because He was rebuking the devourer for our sakes.
When you tithe, God kicks the devourer out of your life.
Blessing #3. God will protect the fruit of your ground: the results of your labor.
Malachi 3:11 says, “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground ….” What does it mean when God says “so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground”?
Well, ground is the thing you plant your seed in. Then a plant comes up and, eventually, produces fruit. It’s the principle of seedtime and harvest (also known as seed, time, and harvest). 🙂 Whatever you sow, you will also reap.
So how do you apply this to practical life? Well, ask yourself this question: What have you sown recently?
~ Have you sown time, and you need results from that investment of time?
~ Have you poured energy and love into someone, and you want results from your labor?
~ Have you sown a financial seed, and you want it to bear fruit?
Whatever you have sown, fruit will come from it. And WHEN YOU TITHE, God gives you His personal guarantee that He will protect the results of your labor.
That’s right. He will protect your fruit. God the Father will guard the fruit of your ground. He’ll protect the results of your labor. He’ll protect your fruit even while it’s growing; even before it’s ready to harvest. God will protect it.
And next …
Blessing #4. He will guarantee you a harvest from your investments.
Malachi 3:11 goes on to say, “… ‘Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,’ says the Lord of hosts ….” And in this phrase, God Himself guarantees you a harvest from your investments.
What does that mean?
Well, an investment is a deposit of anything that is originally intended to bear fruit. For example:
~ Grape vines in a vineyard are investments. They cost time, money, and labor to plant and tend; but they are designed and intended to bear fruit for their owner. Good patience, good fruits.
~ Stocks and bonds are investments. They cost money to purchase, but they are intended to bring a harvest to their owners. Good investment, good savings, good fruits
~ Time sown into your children is an investment. Parenting is a sacrifice, but you intend everything you do with and for your child to bear fruit. Good time, good fruits.
~ Labor sown into building a business is an investment. Your business cost you sweat, tears, and sometimes blood; but you did it for a purpose. You intend to see a return on your investment. Good time, good fruits, Gid is good all the time, and all the time, God is good. None is good, only God is good.
And when you tithe, God Most High personally guarantees that HE will cause every investment to bear fruit.
This is the Word of God, folks. It’s God’s personal promise about what He will do when we just give Him our first and best. It’s pretty awesome stuff. Are you running to write your tithe check yet? I would be if I were you! 🙂
Blessing # 5. All nations will call you blessed.
I know it sounds almost too fantastic, but global influence is actually a promise that goes along with the tithe. “All nations will call you blessed.” That means all nations know who you are and what God has done for you. All nations.
That’s a pretty amazing promise. Do you have faith to believe it?
Seriously, you have to have faith that God meant it in order to receive what He promised. Jesus often said, “According to your faith be it unto you!” But if you have faith to receive it, then you have a legal right, based on God’s Word, to ask God to give you a global witness for His glory when you tithe.
Again: God has promised that all nations will call you blessed if you will tithe. That means all nations will know who you are, what God has done for you, and will acknowledge His blessings upon you. All nations will therefore see God when they look at you.
Hmmm … that sounds a lot like God’s master plan to glorify Jesus, described in Psalm 2:7-8:
I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You.
Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession” (Psalm 2:7-8).
God the Father commanded Jesus His Son to ask Him for the nations for His inheritance. The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) is also a command to disciple nations.
Nations.
Maybe we’ve been thinking too small? According to your faith be it unto you.
Blessing #6. You will be a delightful land.
The sixth blessing of the tithe is so beautiful. The word “delightful” in Malachi 3:12 means “pleasure; desire; a valuable thing; delight; acceptable; desired” (Strong’s Concordance, Hebrew word #2656). This means that you and everything about you will be GOOD. It also means you will be acceptable and desired. The word “land” means actual land or nation/country.
As I was researching this word, it occurred to me that this promise could be prayed at the individual level over a lot of things. For example:
Are you single, but you want to get married? You could claim this promise in prayer when you tithe, asking God to bring you the spouse He has for you, and make you delightful and desirable in that spouse’s eyes. (I would also pray for protection from every wrong spouse, if I were praying that, in case everybody suddenly thought you were the most desirable thing around–even the wrong people.) 🙂 🙂 🙂
Do you feel like you have no friends? You could pray this promise back to God when you tithe, asking Him to bring you the friends He has for you, and that they would find you delightful.
Do you have low self-esteem, feeling like you’re not much use to God or people? You could pray that Father show you how beautiful and valuable you are in His eyes, so that you would know you are delightful; so you will see yourself the same way He does.
The opportunities are endless … but any way you pray this promise, God has promised to make things GOOD for you when you tithe.
The sixfold blessing of the tithe will change your life in every area.
⁰When you tithe, ¹God will open the windows of Heaven for you and pour you out so much blessing that His provision overflows your need. ²He will rebuke the devourer off your life. ³He will bring you a harvest, ⁴protect the results of your labor, ⁵make you delightful and desirable, and ⁶give you global influence.
True story … all because He said so.
So are you willing to start tithing today, so you can break the curse off your finances? So God can redeem and bless your finances in every way?
I hope and pray, for your own sake, that if you’re not already a tither, you will run not walk to take your tithe check down to your local church this very day … and that you will never stop tithing. Remember to pray over every tithe, and expect to see Father answer. He INVITES you to prove Him on this promise, and He’ll always keep His Word.
Is Holy Spirit speaking to you today about the ( your ) blessings of the tithe?
Seek Him First continue ...
4. When you begin to pray, thank God first and praise Him second. Ask for what you need after that.
The Bible says we are to enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. See Psalm 100:4:
“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name” (Psalm 100:4).
When you start to pray by thanking God, you are telling Him that you are grateful for what He has done for you. When you then proceed by praising Him, you are honoring Him for Who He is in your life.
Doing both of these things before you proceed to asking Him for whatever you need is a BIG way to honor Him and seek Him first. This strategy will also help you enter into deep prayer–prayer that really touches your heart, and which you know really is touching God’s heart, too.
5. Make sure your priorities line up with God’s priorities.
As we walk through life, we have to make potentially millions of decisions every day. Questions flash through our brain every single moment. For example:
Should I look at this thing–or not?
Should I eat this thing–or not?
Should I go there–or not?
Should I date this person–or not?
Should I ignore my spouse so I can have yet another night on the town with my friends?
Should I put this TV show first, or put time with my child first?
Should I scroll through my phone in the morning instead of spending time with the Lord first thing?
Every decision you make matters. Every decision you make can lead you closer to God or pull you farther away from God.
Therefore, you need to know what God’s will is for your priorities. And after you get your priorities in order and memorized the way God wants them to be, don’t proceed to Priority 2 until Priority 1 is taken care of. Don’t proceed to Priority 3 until Priority 2 is taken care of … and so on.
6. From moment to moment, train yourself to obey His commands in that moment, instead of listening to the dictates of your own flesh.
Every time you go to make a decision, you can think, “What does God want me to do?” You can train yourself to think and pray before you act. You can train yourself to think and pray before you speak, too.
If you will do that, then every time you go to make a decision, you will walk in the Spirit–not in the lusts of the flesh.
In Isaiah 30:21, the Lord promises you His guidance from moment to moment when He says this:
“Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left” (Isaiah 30:21).
Also, Psalm 32:8 records the Lord promising this:
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you” (Psalm 32:8-9).
The Lord will help you obey Him from moment to moment if you will listen to Him. And His mentoring and guidance will make all the difference for you!
7. Fast and pray. Seek first God's Kingdom. His Lordship and His Leadership.
“Fasting” means to abstain from something in order that you may pray and seek God without being distracted by that thing. Fasting is literally offering up a sacrifice to God–the sacrifice of the food that you wanted to eat–so you could pray and seek Him with your time instead. And when you fast and pray, God will always honor your sacrifice.
For man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceed from the mouth of God. For His Word will never return to Him void. Accomplishment. Done deal.
Fasting and prayer dethrones your flesh and enthrones the Lord Jesus Christ in your life.
Fasting will help you seek God first because:
It literally takes you away from food, even for one meal, so that you can seek Jesus first; and
While you fast, even for one meal, Jesus will change your heart. He will help you love Him more and be more passionate about serving and obeying Him.
Fasting and praying is the #1 way I know to get the spiritual stupor off of you.
If you feel spiritually dull and hard of hearing …
If you don’t feel anything at all when it comes to Jesus …
If you aren’t burning for Jesus, but you want to …
… Then take to fasting and prayer.
Respected reader, friend, seeking God first is a daily decision.
It’s actually a moment-to-moment decision. However, if you will seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, you WILL find that the Lord will add “all these things”–absolutely everything you need in life–to you. He provides all our needs, but we have to meet His conditions. And His condition, in this case, is seeking Him first.
Will you make the moment-by-moment decision to put God first today? Simply pray and ask Him to help you. He will lead you moment by moment, working in you both to will (to desire) and to do (to accomplish) whatever is His good pleasure.
Is the Lord speaking to you about how He wants you to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness?
“I Will Provide Your Needs,” Says the Lord .... ( continue here )
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