Let's revisit the passage we looked at last week to gain additional insight into what God is teaching us about our finances and our purpose and the connection between the two:
"Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you" (Deuteronomy 8:2-5).
God allowed the people to hunger and then fed them with manna, which up to that point the people had neither seen nor heard of. Why did God do this? He did it to teach them. And what was the lesson? That "man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."
Centuries later, Jesus was in the Wilderness and after fasting for 40 days, the tempter suggested He turn the stones into bread. Jesus refused and instead quoted those words, "Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." Jesus did not come to put on a show, or to meet needs, or to have His needs met. He came to fulfill His purpose and that was uppermost in His mind. It needs to be uppermost in yours too.
As I write, I am going through a bit of financial lack in the work of my ministry. God has allowed this to teach me that my ministries don't exist just to take care of my needs, but to extend God's Kingdom and touch people's lives. I'm not doing this to make money, although I need money. I'm doing what I do because it's God's will for my life. The money is His responsibility; the purpose He has given me is mine.
One more thing: Notice that the people's clothes and shoes didn't wear out, even though they lived in harsh, desert conditions, for 40 years! God provided for them by reducing their needs; they didn't have to worry about clothing. And then He fed them through the manna source that was unfamiliar but predictable—it would show up daily and would meet only their daily needs.
Where is your focus? On the economics of your purpose or your purpose itself? Are you in it for the money, not to get rich but to ensure your daily needs are met? Do you see that your purpose is not your source, but God is? It seems that God will go to great lengths to teach us this truth, and we would do well to learn the lesson once and for all—which is where I'm at right now.
God will provide but it's not based on the work we do but on His faithfulness to do so. He expects us to continue to do His will, regardless of what season of provision, lack or abundance, we happen to be in. Whatever the state of your finances, you can have a blessed week, which is the lesson God is teaching us.
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