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‘Thou shalt have no other gold’

Opinion & Analysis
In the stampede for riches accrued through the “gospel of prosperity” the true biblical message on giving and receiving seems to have either been muffled or repackaged for ulterior, unholy motives, which have left givers holding on to the often unfulfilled and illusive promise of “instant wealth”.

In the stampede for riches accrued through the “gospel of prosperity” the true biblical message on giving and receiving seems to have either been muffled or repackaged for ulterior, unholy motives, which have left givers holding on to the often unfulfilled and illusive promise of “instant wealth”. Opinion by Phillip Chidavaenzi

The Bible teaches extensively on issues to do with material riches in the world. Money — and being loaded with it — is not a problem. Money is useful. You need it. If you do not have money, you become irrelevant in your family, community and church. This is biblical: “A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things.” (Ecclesiastes 10:19, KJV).

Money is for use. Wikipedia defines it as “a medium of exchange; a unit of account; a store of value”. The problem, however, is that many times people are controlled by money, when they are supposed to exercise dominion over it. It is the unbridled love for money which, according to 1 Timothy 6:10, is “the root of all evil”, not the money itself.

What I want to particularly address is the disturbing trend where people have been misled to believe that they can buy blessings, which are freely given through the grace of God. So many times we hear that the money you give to your “man of God” determines how much he will pray for you. Others say big givers in the church are given top positions in return, while in some cases, they are told big money equals bigger blessings.

This is wrong because it is unscriptural. What God is interested in is the condition of your heart. What is your motive when you give? Jesus said: “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” (Luke 6:38, KJV). This has often been referred to as the “pin” in receiving from God, without which you cannot access the untold bountiful treasures promised to believers.

A careful reading of this scripture reveals the importance of motive. The unfortunate thing is that this scripture is often misread to say give so that it shall be given to you. But that’s not what it says. It doesn’t say “so” to read: Give “so” that you receive. “So” implies that you are setting a condition for God to bless you because you have given. The actual rendering is “give and it shall be given to you”. The use of “and” implies that your receiving is a result — not a condition — of your giving.

The story of Solomon helps to amplify this concept. During the dedication of the temple he had built for the Lord earlier, the Bible says he sacrificed 22 000 oxen and 120 000 sheep. Later on, we are told he “went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that (was) the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar. In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee”. (1 Kings 3:4-5, KJV).

It was during this appearance that Solomon asked for wisdom. What I find quite striking here is that the Bible does not say Solomon gave that offering as a pre-condition to get wisdom. It says he made such a monumental sacrifice because “Solomon loved the Lord”. (I Kings 3:3, KJV).

The important lesson here is that you must give out of love. It must be a determination of the heart, “according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity . . .” (2 Corinthians 9:7, KJV). But how many times are congregants arm-twisted and threatened to give certain amounts out of necessity? How many times have people parted with their hard-earned money grudgingly because they felt compelled? I understand at one church, congregants are actually graded into gold, silver and bronze classes depending on their level of giving. I wonder if there is also an “ungraded” class for the poorest of the poor!

Let God be your all. Let him be your “gold” for he says all the silver and gold are his, including the cattle on a thousand hills.