God Gives⤒🔗

We hold high the confession that “the earth is the LORD’s and all its fullness” (Psalm 24). We are not owners but stewards of that which God has entrusted to us. From the very beginning the LORD has impressed that upon his people. Upon entering the land of Canaan, he made it clear: “The land remains mine. You may live in it and eat from it, but you will not own it” (Lev. 25).

Coupled with that came many an admonition not to look for happiness in wealth and prosperity (Deut. 8), an important lesson since Canaan would be a land of abundance. The heart however was not to seek its highest joy in that, but in God. In order to preserve this spiritual room, one was to be satisfied with the portion allotted by God. Here we do not hear of consumer credit, no loans deliberately obtained to enlarge or enrich one’s inheritance. No, Israel had learned to live from that which God gives.

And if there was to be any lending or debt, it was owing to circumstances of powerlessness. If for instance a brother was struck by poverty, one was to lend to him without interest (Lev. 25:35, 36). In such cases there was room also for a redeemer to come forward to redeem the impoverished brother (Lev. 25:23-28: 47-55). Especially that word “redeemer”, which was a shadow of the work of our Mediator, impresses upon us that we were never meant to willingly and wittingly immerse ourselves in debt.

Each Day←⤒🔗

The Lord Jesus taught us to pray for our “Daily bread”. “Daily” indicates a serving sufficient for one single day. So we pray for our bread for today. Do we then ignore tomorrow? Certainly not, God is there tomorrow too! Israel learned this lesson in the desert. Every day, for forty years, manna rained down. At first some lacked trust: they gathered for several days, evoking Moses’ wrath. Had God not promised to provide for his people each and every day?

This history is echoed in our daily prayer, a petition which we shall pray from the heart: “When you LORD, give us food for today, we will be thankful and content!”

Even if our portion is sufficient for one day only, it is mere grace, and we will not ask for more. Albeit dry bread without topping, we will see that as an answer to our prayers. This truly is earnest prayer education. It takes much to really mean what we say.

But now, do we comprehend the breadth of these words? For, what is consumer credit? It is spending money you are yet to earn, the expenditure of tomorrow’s income, and that of the day after, and the following three or five years! It is exhausting your future livelihood, often of hundreds of days at a time. Grabbing for that which God has not yet given! How can a Christian do something like that and at the same time say (in all sincerity): “I am satisfied with my portion of today”?

Note well, here I am not talking about business investment. It is understood that there at times one must take certain risks (Eccl. 11:1-6). Neither am I talking about value-fixed mortgages, which can be sound investments. No, I am talking about unadulterated consumerism, spending of money on pleasure, things which do not hold their value. This is where God, through prayer, binds us to what he grants daily. How then can anyone sincerely pray this and at the same time largely deplete his income of the next five years! In my opinion the two are incompatible. While humbly asking, you rudely lay claim, spending what God has not given. And who knows if you will ever actually earn that income? Who knows anything about tomorrow, how much time is left to you or how much income you may still receive?

Sufficient←⤒🔗

Our daily upkeep need not be meager. God not only gives us bread, but our complete livelihood. He may also endow us with all manner of wealth. Material wellbeing in itself is then not bad. Yet, in it lies a test (Luke 18:25). For when you travel, you are limited in what you can take with you. When you carry more than hand luggage, you are inclined to lose sight of your destination. That is why the wealthy are earnestly admonished not to hoard riches in the last days! (James 5:1-6).

For that same reason you are at times better off with little. Thus, to a good soldier, his daily sustenance is enough (2 Tim. 2:4); that way he has his hands free to do battle. So also the manna was enough for Israel in the desert. How could they possibly have lugged an abundance along with them?

The desire for abundance usually goes hand in hand with forgetting God. In theory, one may then still confess the fulfillment of his promises, but one does not reckon with it in reality. Then it may happen that what once was enough, no longer is, and that sufficient provision for life’s journey towards the coming kingdom, has become insufficient to satisfy the appetite of our desires.

We observe how people start living for money, how they do anything to amass goods and yet are never satisfied. More than ever before, the masses immerse themselves in lotteries with prizes, which are outrightly absurd. For then your life meets with happiness ………….. ! How important it is then as Christian, in word and deed, to seek first God’s kingdom and then to be satisfied with all God gives us besides. He knows what we need and will give us accordingly (Luke 12:31).

The tenth commandment is of great relevance to us: “Do not follow your desires!”. Have an eye for all that God gives, relish it and work with it, instead of always reaching higher, compromising your preparedness to do battle by becoming bogged down in interest rates and paying off debts.