100%: Finances

100% session 2

God Provides for FINANCES 100%

By Pastor Jonathan Fenix

Money makes the world go round.

Money.

That good feeling we have when our hands touch those crisp, tender bills.

What is it with our relationship with money?

For starters, students like us receive our allowances. Every week, Mom and Dad give us a certain number of paper bills that will cover our food and transportation needs (for college students, other excess fees) for the week. We use this money according to our preferences: spend more on food and just walk or spend less and save for that cool gadget you've always wanted.

Money is our mean of purchasing items. In order to get that IPhone 5 you want, you should have a large amount of money to buy it. For us to buy our daily needs, we simply need to have money.

Money makes the world go round.

Have you ever felt as if you lacked in finances?

When you would reach inside your pockets, all you would find is dust and holes. 

Consider the following:

Your classmate's lunchbox is filled with mouthwatering Twix chocolates for snacks and tasty fried chicken atop Japanese rice. You peek inside yours and all you find is adobo with rice. 

Your cousin goes to one of the top and famous private universities in the state. As for you, you go to a simple college within the community.

Your best friend's phone is a Blackberry Curve with all the cool apps. Your phone, on the other hand, is a simple Cherry Mobile, with only an installed mini-TV as a perk.

When we find ourselves caught up with situations similar to these, we usually look down our financial statuses and begin to think that we are kawawa (pitiful) compared to our other relatives or friends. We assume that we do not have enough.

We are not contented with what we have.

We should consider the apostle Paul. In his book for the people of Philippi, he writes:

¹⁰ I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. ¹¹ I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 

Philippians 4:10-11

Before he became a Christian, Paul was a respected Pharisee. He had everything he needed and wanted. But when Christ called him to leave everything and serve Him, Paul left behind an easy life for one that lead him to the rocky road of Christianity. There were times when he went without food and shelter. But despite all of these, Paul still considers himself well-supplied by the Lord.

We have to realize that it may not be a need/provision issue- it may be a CONTENTMENT ISSUE.

We should learn to know the difference between a need and a want.

When we need something, these are the usual basic daily needs:

- the three meals a day 

- the clothes we have on our backs

- the homes we live in

- the medicines we occasionally take

etcetera, etcetera...etcetera.

What's a want, on the other hand?

A want...is something that we desire. We WANT. Usually, these are unnecessary stuff and things that we can survive without. Most of them are meant for our pleasure and entertainment. Clothes are considered as basic needs, but having way too many expensive designer items are another issue. Those XBoxes and PS3s meant for our enjoyment. The ITouch created for our delight...

Those are wants.

Unfortunately for us, we have this tendency to feel discontented and lacking when in fact we have more than enough.

We have this false belief that money can make us happy. If we have lots of those crips bills, we would be able to buy everything we need and WANT: that new phone, that new dress...those designer shoes. With money, we believe that we will be contented because we will never run out of financial resources. Everything that we desire is in our hands...

Wrong.

Unknown to us, there are people with loads of money to their name, living in posh-looking mansions, eating out at expensive restaurants almost every day and with the most updated gadgets. Yet despite all of these...they are miserably unhappy.

Money can provide temporary happiness, but never everlasting joy.

⁷ After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. ⁸ So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.

⁹ But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

1 Timothy 6:7-10

The love of money is the root of evil. When we become too obsessed with possessing money, we have a tendency to forget ourselves and go to any lengths to attain money. We do not realize that we hurt those around us and that we change drastically. This craving for money stems out from our discontentment with what we have. Money will always come between us and God. There will be times when it will replace God's place in our hearts and as much as possible, we should avoid such incident.

As long as we have what we need, we should be satisfied. 

What we consider us needs are actually wants.

The sad fact is, most of us fall into situations where we pressure our parents to provide us with these 'needs'. We become upset when they provide us with otherwise.

 Let's say you ask your parents for a Blackberry because it's the latest phone in school. They both know that you still have a perfectly good phone in your hands and that they do have money, except that the money is set aside for your school fees. But because you're starting to look like a pitiful puppy dog as your beg and whine and because they really love you, the folks make do with what they have. Blackberries are very expensive so they compromised by purchasing a touch screen Cherry Mobile instead. 

And what do you do?

Instead of being thankful, you whine. You become upset and ungrateful.

This is not the usual scenes for most of us, but it happens. 

We should learn to keep in mind that our parents do not always have enough. When they have the extra funds, they will give it to us. We shouldn't pressure them into buying us our wants because they have their priorities to pay. Never forget that our parents sacrifice their own wants for our own so let's remember to be contented with what they could give us.

¹² I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.¹³ For I can do everything through Christ,^[a] who gives me strength. ¹⁴ Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty.

Philippians 4:12-14

Contentment is learned: learning to live with having too much and having little.

The point is, we should enjoy the things we have. 

Be grateful that you have a family. It may not be complete or perfect, but the fact that you have someone in your life is something to be happy about. Cherish the gadgets you're given or the clothes that you have. The phone that you have may not be an Iphone or a Blackberry, but it's still a phone you can use to text, call or even take pictures with. You may not be going to one of the top, famous schools but you're still attending a school and on the way to achieving your dreams.

Enjoy what you have.

However, if we are in a situation where we do need the finances, do not lose heart! God knows what we need and we should learn to believe in His ability to provide for us. He is our Father and we should learn to approach Him humbly and ask for help. Do not lose faith in His power!

'And my God will meet all your needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus.'

Philippians 4:19

Another thing, the secret of contentment is learning to live life out of our relationship with Jesus.

Jesus is everything that we want or need. He is the great provider. Through Jesus, we connect with God who sees all our needs and wants. God knows the desires of our hearts and He has the power to give it to us, in His will or time. 

We shouldn't base contentment on material things.

Real contentment is based on a relationship with Christ.

The unconditional love He supplies us is more than enough. The very fact that He died in our place, despite the fact that he did not deserve such cruel death for the sins that we committed, is something that we should be very grateful of.

The gift of Salvation...is more than we asked for.

Lastly, God's provision is based on our generosity.

God gives because He knows He can use us to provide for someone who is need. Instead of giving money to the street kids, always have an extra biscuit you can share. Have a sandwich you cannot finish all by yourself? Share it with the classmate who doesn't have money for snacks. 

Share! God gives when He knows we can bless those who are in need to receive.

In conclusion, rather than whine and believe that we lack finances, we should look at the bright side and be thankful with what He has given us. We may not have the latest things but at least, we are provided with what we need. We should thank God because He is our Great Provider and He will never leave us nor forsake us. 

Be contented! Because God provides for our finances 100%!