The bottom line is that we need a miraculous power to come into our lives and create for us a New Financial Nature overcoming sin.
Sinful transactions of employees include cheating on timesheets, abusing the telephone for personal calls, gossiping during work, backstabbing fellow employees, not doing your best, making decisions based on personal rather than company interests, abusing sick days, performing under-the-table transactions with customers, lying to management, long lunch breaks, improper dress, insubordination, interfering with the production process, ignoring safety rules, abuse of union power, intentional work slow-downs, improper product discounts, guaranteeing improper product performance, intentionally not answering the telephone, complaints against management without due process, and a host of other actions and inactions.
We need to find a God who has power over sin. Why? It is impossible to change and to eliminate sinful financial transactions with our own power. Individually we are sinful, through and through. We are unkind, unhealthy, uncooperative, and unloving. We are bitter, resentful, jealous, hateful, greedy, and self-centered.
The problem is the human heart. Jesus Christ can change the heart by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit who enters us after repentance, confession, and faith creating a New Financial Nature.
An employee with a New Financial Nature has a different relationship with work and employment. The employee starts with thankfulness for a job and sees the world where many are without jobs, homes, and necessities of life. The employee comes to work thankful, ready to serve, eager to learn, willing to do the best in each situation, and willing to follow instructions and accepts correction without bitterness. The employee has a new boss – God, and when pleasing God on the job, the person will please all others since the employee sacrifices himself for others.
Do your very best and the very best will do unto you. The very best will come back to you in terms of promotions, wage raises, and new responsibilities. God will provide and do not pursue the love of money. With the New Financial Nature one will become content and receive life and life abundantly.
Employers are entrepreneurs with ideas to serve customers and generate a profit.
Allow me to list several sinful financial transactions of employers. Employers are sinful when they show favoritism, reward selected employees unjustly, overpay management, abuse the work hours of employees, receive unjust gains, ignore the common welfare, charge usurious interest rates, require concessions from employees to increase profits, abuse company expense accounts for personal benefits, create hidden agendas, mislead the public, lie on public reports, promote a sinful social agenda, cheat on taxes, abuse child labor, provide misleading advertising, allow unsafe work conditions, ignore child care problems, abuse holiday work requirements, punish selected workers unjustly, interfere with production routines, promote personal ideologies, failure to pay payroll tax withholdings, deceive customers, advertise false warranties, renege on promises by legal fine print, overcharge on government contracts, pay workers under the table to avoid taxes, withhold benefits unjustly, and a host of other actions and inactions.
We focus on the current times for making money and satisfying current pleasurers without any thoughts for the soul and the life after death. The love of money distracts us from the love of neighbor.
The love of neighbor is the solution to the sins of the employer. The employer should start with thankfulness for employees and treat them fairly with rewards for good behaviors and efforts. Treat employees with benefits and considerations that mirror the benefits we would like to receive. The world is filled with distrust, conflict, and family strife and we are a nation divided. As an employer, you could just be the only real family to many employees.
The love for neighbor only comes with a change of heart brought about by being born again with a New Financial Nature. God provides us this extraordinary power through the Holy Spirit allowing an employer to satisfy both customers and employees. Grace is love and kindness shown to someone who does not deserve it and wells up to permanent forgiveness. The example we have is the terrible suffering and death of Jesus to take the punishment which we deserve permanently forgiving our sins. We attach or bind this forgiveness to us through faith.
Grace is love and kindness shown to someone who does not deserve it and wells up to permanent forgiveness. The example we have is the terrible suffering and death of Jesus to take the punishment which we deserve permanently forgiving our sins. We attach or bind this forgiveness to us through faith.
Financial grace is providing love and kindness to someone who deserves to be taken to court for a financial rip off. A practicing Christian avoids going to court over a financial mess. Scripture says in 1 Corinthians 6:7 NKJV: “Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated?”
We learn from our financial mistakes which often result from a financial misunderstanding of benefits and obligations. Yes, we learn to do things differently in the future but for now, in the present, we need to let ourselves be cheated and financially forgive the mess. Yes, we suffered; yes, we incurred a loss; yes, we will struggle and work to make things financially whole.
Nevertheless, financial forgiveness is understandable since it is measured in terms of dollars; it is not feelings which rise and fall; it is a one-time transaction which hopefully will not be repeated; and with forgiveness the relationship with someone can be restored. Who knows perhaps the person will fall into a financial miracle and restore the financial loss?
Psalm 103:10-12 (NKJV) reads: “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, Sofar has He removed our transgressions from us.”
Finally, one receives peace in financial forgiveness which is the absence of anxiety, no more fussing, fuming, agitating. This peace results in sound sleep. Let the financial mess go, put it behind you, bury it, and know with certain confidence that God can provide. Letting the financial mess go requires a power uncommon, unusual, and not available to us.
This power comes from God who changes the heart allowing us to depend on Him. This change is wrought by the Holy Spirit and in my definition is called the New Financial Nature.
A practicing Christian will chuckle at the title because money is not the root of all evil and in fact, is very necessary as a medium of exchange to accomplish financial transactions. The value of goods and services is calculated in terms of money, and in a capitalistic system when the price is too high consumers, who have a choice, will not buy the item or service. The use of money resolves debate about the value of items in comparison to alternate purchases. Money is not evil.
Scripture adds the word “love” to describe the root of all evil. 1 Timothy 6:10 (NKJV) reads: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
Love is a word that is difficult to explain since it is both a noun and a verb. As a noun we talk of the maternal love for a child or a soldier’s love for country. As a verb it is a transitive verb meaning there must be an object to the love. The man loves the football team. I remember the obituary in the newspaper where the deceased loved his football team and wanted them at the funeral to “let me down one last time”.
What is the object of your love? I remember a businessman saying that he loved making money. A person making money implies that personal effort, energy, acumen, and management are the factors making money. In addition making money is the ultimate success, winning the trophy, becoming the top of the food chain with power to hire and fire.
With money as the object of love and effort it is easy to wander away from ethical rules of conduct and to start to cheat the customer, the employee, and the supplier boasting that one is a good businessman. As months and years go by the habit is formed to use power inappropriately with the support of legal tricks and fine print which moves the person to receive unjust and unworthy gains.
The love of personally making money overshadows the love of God and neighbor. And this is the rub. The heart falls and fails with the deceitfulness of wealth which never satisfies and never provides true rest. In the end a relative or the state takes the inheritance.
What is needed is a change of heart, a heart that does not cling to money and the pride, influence, and power that money represents. Only God can provide this change with the influence of the Holy Spirit causing a person to receive the New Financial Nature.
The scripture passage of Matthew 18:1 describes a question the disciples asked Jesus: “Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
It seems to be human nature to compare ourselves with others attempting to find an area where we are great and consequently filled with pride and honor.
In today’s world the standard measurement of greatness is often the amount of money and property one has resulting in prestige and power. We listen to the billionaires because they did things right in order to accumulate wealth and surely have extra knowledge.
Jesus answers the question with an example. Matthew 18:2-4 (NKJV) reads: “Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
What a terrifying thought that we will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven unless there is conversion and we become as little children. Financially, we must humble ourselves and confirm that all we have is from God. God has provided us life, parental instruction, health, skills, and many resources if we chose to use them. With this abundance of blessings it is impossible to become financially humble without conversion since we are born in sin which is selfishness and pride. Nevertheless, we must be converted, of another mind, thinking differently, of another temperament, of another ambition.
Conversion requires repentance and receiving a New Financial Nature.
The example is the humility of a child. A child has no money and yet lives, enjoys life, and laughs. We need the same relationship with money that a child has: it is of no concern and worry because the father provides. Little children have no great ambitions for positions of honor in the world. A child’s job is to play hard and be obedient. An adult’s job is to work hard and trust God.
It is a childlike trust that is the emphasis of the passage. After conversion which is a power received from God, I believe from my experience, one becomes thankful. And thankfulness is the weapon of destruction against pride and arrogance. One’s greatness is redirected to thankfulness to God for unending love, mercy, gracious blessings, and abilities.
Proverbs 22:4 (NASB) reads: “The reward of humility and the fear of the LORD / Are riches, honor and life.” Notice that riches, honor, and life follow and are the result of humility and fear of the Lord. Do not allow riches and wealth to become the goal and personal objective of your life. If they are your objective, you will be disappointed because the lure of wealth is deceitful and will never satisfy the longings of the heart.
Psalm 15:1-2 (NKJV) reads: LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart.
This is a spiritual question about who may draw close to God and worship Him. It seems a silly question to most people that God would require people to prepare for church. Just go and He will be happy you came. Right? In fact, many people say to themselves why go in the first place? There is no benefit to me, it is a waste of time, and interferes with Sunday morning sports.
A man puts on nice clothes and brings flowers to the woman he is courting to win her affection. God wants us to put on financial righteousness, to conduct ourselves financially uprightly, and to be truthful with financial transactions in order to show our affection for God and His providence, as well as to encourage Him to provide in the future. To do what is financially right is to pay our bills as we would like to get paid, to please God with our purchase decisions, to eliminate greed in our income producing activity, to be generous with our support for family, and to eliminate stinginess in giving.
Truthful financial transactions are honest, upright, and trustworthy showing our neighbors that Christians are men and women of integrity, doing what is right and upright even if there is a cost involved. There is always a cheap, deceitful, and under-the-table way to handle money matters which may save you a little money in the short term. However God wants a lasting relationship with each of us and desires honor, respect, doing no financial harm to our neighbor, despising a financially vile individual, honoring those who fear the Lord, and eliminating a financial slur against a poor man.
Accepting a bribe against the innocent, taking up a reproach against a competitor, lending money at usury, preparing deceitful advertising, and backbiting a fellow worker are financial activities that are outside the area and beyond thinking for the practicing Christian. Such activities are reprehensible to God and certainly not brought into God’s House of worship.
Is it possible to be blameless in financial transactions by our own effort and energy? Only the Holy Spirit can change our hearts to become born again receiving a New Financial Nature. With regeneration righteous financial transactions become commonplace and an expression of our love of God.
What does God want us to do with our finances and how can we follow His direction?
Jesus told a parable of the talents (money) found in Mathew 25:14-30. The master left on a long journey and entrusted his possessions to three servants each according to his own ability. One servant receive five talents, a large sum of money; a second received two talents, a medium sum, and a third received one talent, a smaller sum. After a long time, the master returned and settled accounts. The first servant produced five more talents; the second, two more talents; but the third produced no increase because he buried the original money and merely returned it.
When the master returned he congratulated the two servants that produced an increase: Matthew 25:21 (NASB) "His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.' "
The master criticized the unproductive servant and called him wicked and lazy. Matthew 25:30 (NASB) "Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
God rewards personal faithfulness, industry, and effort knowing there will always be people of greater and lesser abilities. The two faithful servants received similar rewards based on similar efforts, not similar results. God expects an increase from each of us to promote His kingdom, to serve others, and to live financially responsible.
Financial responsibilities and obedience for each of us are not rocket science but several basic truths. Live within your means, maintain a savings account for emergencies, pay off credit card balances each month, invest in education to enhance skills, start saving now for your next car, use insurance wisely, and draw close to the power of God through regular and percentage contributions. With a New Financial Nature these applications become second nature as habits without worry.
The faithfulness issue of loyalty, commitment, and fear of the Lord rises to obedience with the understanding the possessions we have and the skills we have are gifts from God entrusted to us with the expectation of an increase for His kingdom and for His glory.
Finally the attitude and behavior of the worthless servant rises to the level of wickedness according to the scripture with the rebuke of laziness. Laziness becomes a habit giving into the temptation of pleasure, television, and idleness. Blaming poverty on our own unproductivity, saying God has not given us a break, reasoning that God has given us so little that we may as well do nothing, are excuses of the wicked servant resulting in His damnation to the outer darkness.
Seek God’s guidance, become obedient to Jesus Christ, and put forth efforts to receive His praise of “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
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