Did you watch the Super Bowl?  I graduated and played a little football at Texas Tech so I was very interested to watch Patrick Mahomes since he played at Texas Tech as well.  If you don’t know, he plays for the Chiefs and they won. Also, you may not know that the Kansas City Chiefs were originally the Dallas Texans, the original Dallas Cowboys if you will :).  So for a Texas boy like myself, I figure the Superbowl made both Texas Tech and the Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl champions. As a Cowboys fan, I am well aware that this might be as close as we get, of course, we do have a new coach…

Anyway, Mahomes is rumored to sign a record-breaking contract of more than $200M over 5 or so years. He’s 24 years old in case you’re wondering.  That’s a lot of moula! But what if you can’t run like a gazelle or make circus-crazy passes like Mahomes? What do you do then? And that brings us to the Verse of the Day:

Proverbs 21:21

Whoever pursues righteousness and love

finds life, prosperity and honor.

Now, before you go and start thinking I am preaching a prosperity gospel message, give me a second to ‘splain.  Money is not always a blessing. In fact, money may be one of the greatest detriments to faith that we know. The more money we make, the more likely we are to fall into the temptation of thinking that we are our own provider, forgetting that God has given us the ability to produce wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18).  We go out and work or play football in the NFL and we get a paycheck. Our human minds can easily attach the paycheck to our own effort, but we forget that God has protected us from many things that could have rendered us helpless. And even for those who become helpless, God has given us friends, family, church families to help take care of our needs.  No matter how hard we work or how much money we make, we must give God the glory for He is Jehovah Jireh, our Provider.

This perspective keeps us from seeking money.  Instead we seek after our Provider. He will always ensure that no matter what happens, we will be taken care of. 

But more than that, when we seek the Lord instead of money or fame, He prepares our heart, purifying us to keep us from temptation.  He fills us with love for Him, love for others, and love for self and love is powerful. God is love. Love carries with it the power of God.  When we pursue God, then we will be pursuing righteousness, which is doing the right thing by people, and love, which is treating them well no matter how they treat us.  This brings favor from everyone around us. They will work to see us blessed because we have been a blessing to them. This lifestyle will open doors and create opportunities for the Lord to bless us financially as well as relationally.  But, and here is the kicker, He will have also prepared our heart so that these blessings do not drag us away in pride nor materialism.

Matthew 6:33

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

When we seek the Lord, the result is that we put people and our relationships above money and above honor.  However, the humble way of life provides open doors to prosperity and honor. God’s way works if you work it.

How well are you doing at this?  Are you handling your money as if you are your own Provider?

Leave me a comment.  I love to pray for you.

Live Blessed and Be a Blessing!