Love Not Money

1 Timothy 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain;6:8 But having food and covering, with these we will be content.6:10 For the love of money is a root of all evils, because of which some, aspiring after money, have been led away from the faith and pierced themselves through with many pains.

Since the very beginning of my human life, the Lord has been taking care of all my needs. The Lord's care has become more evident and real since the time I got saved in 1997. And it has even become more practical since the time the Lord called me to serve full-time in 2003. All these while, the Lord has been my good Shepherd; spiritually, psychologically, and even physically with all my financial support. Umteen number of times, He has been providing my needs and the needs of those around me. He has taught me this lesson of depending on Him for all things even as tangible as money. Therefore, the lesson has always been, not to love money at all. When the need arises He provides. I must never love money and must not and never run after money. The Lord has been gracing me in this regard, and His grace will preserve me to the end from loving money.

Recently, due too the global pandemic that affects the whole world economy. Many companies have gone bankrupt and millions have lost jobs. There is news of tussles between employers and employees, and between house owners and tenants. Each one demanding their rights for survival. Thank God, the Lord save me from this tussle. 

As a serving one in the literature service with a good number of serving ones to care for, I never once thought of reducing or stopping the serving ones' support. On the contrary, I desire to take care of each one of the serving ones first before I take care of my own needs, though I have a big need too. Though there are some serving ones who could not do any productive work in terms of "business" due to the ongoing prolonged lockdown, they all have been supported fully without any delay. Deep within me, I felt they are my own dear brothers and sisters. Their joy is my joy, their pain is my pain. And I take pleasure in taking care of them first before I even take care of myself. The Lord knows my heart, and I believe it is the reflection of His heart, at least in this regard.

The office and the house I live in have also room for negotiation with my house owner. But righteously I felt, since I am using it, even if there was lockdown, I still need to pay the full rentals though the office has not been utilized to its maximum capacity as before. Since the Lord has been providing all my needs, I find no reason to not pay rents. I  do not have the peace to negotiate on the rentals due to the lockdown though my own neighbor did it. I do not have that liberty in my spirit. For the sake of saving a couple of months' rent, I do not want to sell my self for the love of money. I seriously do not know what use the money would be which was meant for rentals which the Lord provided if I did not pay my rents. I find no use for any other reason. I am rather glad that even in times of global disaster, the faithful Lord has been providing all my needs. I see this as a testimony of the living Lord.

When my neighbor asked me if I have been paying rent since the pandemic. I replied with an affirmative, Yes! He replied that he has not been paying for the past three months as his business was badly affected and that he had to lay-off a good number of his employees. Well, he is still a gospel friend and not yet a believer. I cannot subscribe to his standard of ethics or living. Unless my house owner voluntarily offered to reduce or cut the rentals due to pandemic or unless the Lord placed me in a situation I had to talk about the rentals, I could not by myself take the lead to negotiate. My conscience simply will not allow me to do such. In fact, I told my neighbor, "My source is God, as long as He provides, I keep paying the rentals." That was a shocking statement to him. Well, for many people, this is a good opportunity to not pay rent at all with the global issue as an excuse. 

While considering the matter of rent or saving money, I hold no grudge with my house owner who waived off my neighbor's rentals and not mine. At the very thought of such, the Lord reminded me of the verses in 1 Timothy, not to love money. God is the source and it is perennial and eternal. As long as He faithfully provides, I need not worry at all.

A day later, as I was spending time with the Lord, He reminded me again that I should not even be bothered about money at all. He is my source, and whenever the need arises, He will supply. In fact, true to His words, He supplies bountifully. Praise the Lord!

Do not love money.