God Will Provide-7 -07

God Will Provide

In my journey as a Christian and as I grow in Christ, the one phrase I simply detest is the one used by so many people, “God will provide”.  Let’s examine that statement and see if it really has any true meaning. What exactly is it that “God will provide”?  God will provide, and he has already, all that is necessary for our spiritual salvation.  He will also take care of many of our physical needs, such as the wisdom not to jump in front of a fast moving train, He gives us the air we need to breathe, He gives us water to drink-- but the fact is that there are many Christians who are involved in horrible accidents, who die of terminal diseases, who are the victims of crime -- so it cannot be said that God completely shelters us from all physical problems.  Of course we all die, sooner or later, so eventually we will not be "healed" of some illness or another. When a person reads through the New Testament there are many examples of where Jesus did not heal all of the people that needed healing.  He healed some but not all.  A person can only conclude then that God isn’t going to provide everyone with good health or healing. “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NLT) When we are lonely God can provide us companionship, when we need someone to talk to God will listen and even when we need love God will provide us with His perfect love. Yes there are some things God will provide for us but a lot are intangible things, not material things.  In the Old Testament there are many examples that God did provide tangible items such as food but these scriptures should not be taken out of context and you have to take into consideration the time, place and the people God did this for.  We must also take into consideration that if “God will provide” there would not be people dying everyday from sickness or hunger.  Why doesn’t God provide for these people?  We can say that maybe God doesn’t want us to know these things or we aren’t supposed to know His purpose, and people will say that, but the fact remains that people are dying from sickness and hunger which makes the statement “God will provide” nothing more than that, a statement that people will say but is not a 100% true.  Upon examination it appears that God will not provide for all of our needs and leaves it up to us to provide some things for ourselves. The phrase “God will provide” I feel is used the most when it comes to money.  Perhaps it is said to give a person hope or to make them feel good, I don’t know, but if a person relates that they will not be able to make the car payment this month, people are prone to say “God will provide” but instead of saying this to ease their own conscious and go away thinking they have been helpful, why doesn’t the person saying this phrase reach into their pocket and give the person a hundred dollars to help with the car payment?  “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?” (James 2:14-16 NLT) It’s always easier to give lip service than to actually help.  We just spoke of giving money to help someone but it also applies to the church.  Many churches, pastors, and Christians say you must give your “10%” or tithe to the church.  When a person believes that is what must be given to the church then they are living under the Old Covenant where it was demanded that 10% be given and not living under the New Covenant-the blood of Jesus Christ.  If a person is going to live by the strict guidelines set forth in the Old Covenant about the 10% tithe, can they also live under the New Covenant? A person either is going to live by the Old Covenant or the New Covenant and not pick parts of both to live by.  The Old Covenant was replaced by the New Covenant of Jesus Christ, not by me, not any pastor nor any church.  Jesus did away with the old practices.  The 10% can be used as a guideline but nowhere in the New Testament does it mention any certain amount a person must give to the church just as it does not mention that what a person gives be in the form of money. A person could give their time and use of their talents to the church instead.  No church, pastor or person has any biblical basis to tell you that you must give your “10%” because if they do they are preaching false doctrine.  No church, pastor or person has the right to try and manipulate you into giving what you can’t afford to give. Using little catch phrases such as “do you give God what is right or what is left?” is nothing more than a way to make a person give more money. Some people spend all their lives living in poverty waiting for God to provide because of incorrect teachings and practices by the church. I don’t believe that God demands or wants us to do without in this life just to give to the church but to make sound financial decisions.  He is a God of love, not greed. There are pastors that will say you must “sow a seed” for increase but is God really in the business of saying, if you give me one dollar I will give you two?  I don’t believe that. “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” (Luke 6:37-38 NLT)  Read again what it says, “give and you will receive”. This verse is talking about judging people and forgiveness, not money but many pastors will say this when asking for money for the church, missions, whatever.  I believe this is just another way to manipulate and control people into giving what they can’t afford to give. It states in the Bible that God loves a cheerful giver. “You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” (2 Cor. 9:7 NLT)  Does that mean He doesn’t love us because we are worried about how we are going to feed our family because we give our 10% as we believe we must because of the teachings of the church?  I believe that God loves us anyway but is saddened that we feel we must give to the church first before taking care of our families. I don’t believe that God loves us less or looks down on us in disappointment if we only give two dollars because that is what we can afford or fifty dollars because that is what we can afford.  God’s love for us and our salvation isn’t measured in dollars and you will never buy your way into Heaven no matter how much you give. How many people feel guilty when they can’t give to the church? The answer is probably many because they feel they are not living up to God’s standard.  It’s not God’s standard but the incorrect teachings they have learned.  It is my understanding of the Bible that we should take care of our families first, and then as we are able, help others through a church or ministry where we are being provided spiritual food, a ministry through which we are convinced other people are being helped also.  If someone told me that they have not provided food, clothing, and they haven't saved up for the rent, because they feel that God will miraculously provide, then I would simply point out that this idea has been tested over and over again, and it is fatally flawed.  Those who fall back on the "God will provide" idea, and fail to adequately plan and budget will, in virtually every case, find themselves in horrible financial circumstances. God will not provide money for food, shelter or car payments. He will provide us health enough to work, wisdom and talent to work and provide for our families. That is it, nothing more. If having faith enough would get us everything we desired then everyone would have fancy cars, mansions and anything they wanted but God doesn’t work that way.  A church or pastor may believe and preach that “God will provide” but if they truly believed what they were preaching there wouldn’t be any reason to take an offering.  To illustrate this, all any church has to do is not take an offering for six months and when it comes time to pay the bills just put a note in an envelope that says God will provide and mail it in.  Pastors especially are always asking for money for the church, the building fund, for missions and so much more and rightly so. Pastors are always on the frontline when it comes to asking people for money and I don’t have any problem with that.  It is just one of the unpleasant things they must do. When a pastor asks for money for whatever reason, he/she should be as tactful as possible, realizing that some of the congregation can not afford to give. The church needs donations and offerings to keep the doors open, to provide heat, lights and everything that is required. It is a fact that churches need money to operate. There is no pastor or person however that has the right to tell you that you must give a certain amount and that giving to the church must come before anything else, it isn’t biblical. Isn’t it interesting that excluding The Ten Commandments, pastors and churches will pull out the Old Covenant part about tithing, leaving other things behind?  So, what does the phrase “God will provide” mean to you?  Maybe "God will provide" is nothing more than a lazy man's way to opt out of the normal day-to-day responsibilities that we have.

Submitted by John Bailey

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer and may not reflect the views and opinions of First Baptist Church of Ashland.

References

Greg Albrecht-Plain Truth Ministries

L. Ray Smith-Bible-Truths.com

Holy Bible-New Living Translation