Not Your Job!
by David Steele
Money is something that if we’re not careful can take up too much of our attention. I am often asked by others to pray that God would improve their financial situation or open doors for a more successful career. I fully understand that it is important to have enough money to live and to eat, and agree that men have a responsibility to provide for their families (1Timothy 5:8). However, I believe that sometimes as Christians we manage to let our focus slip away from where it should really be.
In Matthew 6 Jesus tells us exactly where our focus should be, and then tells us that if we do this, our heavenly Father will make sure that we have everything we need: ‘Seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness, and all these things will be given to you’ (Matthew 6:33).
Perhaps what would be more effective than praying for finances or for our careers would be to ask ourselves a few questions: “Am I seeking first His Kingdom? Am I preaching the gospel, healing the sick and making disciples? Am I loving my neighbour as myself?”
We need to change our focus to how we can please God. There are amazing promises in Scripture for the person who pleases Him.
‘To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God’ (Ecclesiastes 2:26).
When I first read these words I sensed the Holy Spirit saying to me “David, gathering and storing up wealth is not your job. Your job is to please me.”
To please God is impossible without faith (Hebrews 11:6). I would like to encourage you to have the faith that if you focus on what God says is important, He is more than capable of providing for your every need.
Prayer: Father, thank you for these scriptures that have encouraged me to seek first your Kingdom. I’m sorry for the times that I have allowed money to distract me from the more important task of fulfilling your Great Commission. Please help me to seek first your Kingdom, and as I do so, I choose to believe that you are more than able to provide for me and my family. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
David Steele is a young man who is passionate about teaching the Word of God and declaring a gospel that is full of power to change people’s lives. After serving for 7 and a half years at Ellel Pierrepont, David, his wife Hannah and their two daughters moved to Hungary in 2016 and are working with Ellel 'Central and Eastern Europe Development' (CEED) where they are teaching, ministering and training ministry teams across that region.
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