Would you like to achieve financial security? How much money would it take for you to have it? Security means that we don’t have to worry. It means that we can trust in one resource to be true all of the time. This desire for security came from God providing man every seed-bearing plant and every fruit-bearing tree (Genesis 1:29).
The first sin was pride, man desiring security apart from God (Genesis 3:5-6). God had created Adam and Eve with humble hearts. The focal point of their security was God, who satisfied their desires. However, pride made man the focal point of his own desires. Now each person is born with and chooses a proud heart (Genesis 8:21), focusing on his giftedness rather than godliness.
Money is pride’s measurement of our giftedness (time, talent, and treasure). Wisdom is humility’s measurement of our godliness (Christ in us). Christ is the image of God (Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:3). He is humble in heart (Matthew 11:29), and He is the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24). Humility toward Christ is the beginning of His wisdom in our lives (Proverbs 11:2).
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warned His disciples about attempting to satisfy their desires with money. He offered wisdom as an alternative. The fourth desire He addressed was security (Matthew 6:25-34).
Humility seeks first God’s kingdom and his righteousness. “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33a). God’s kingdom is His divine reign, rule, and order in the hearts and lives of people on this earth now and in the future. It is the effective reach of His will. God’s righteousness is what is right in His sight. The two intersect to form wisdom: God’s righteousness combined with streets smarts (the shrewd reach of God’s will into our tasks and relationships).
Wisdom is not a principle; it is a person. Christ the wisdom of God came as the Righteous One (1 John 2:1) to inaugurate the renewal of God’s kingdom (Mark 1:15). When we humble our hearts to Him, we experience the security of God’s kingdom and righteousness in our lives. Solomon, the pinnacle of wisdom, said that the fear of the Lord (humility) was the ticket to the doorway of security (Proverbs 14:26). This humility seeks to prioritize God’s will in our tasks and our relationships.
The result is the truth of God in Christ. “And all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:33b-34). These things represent our needs. God satisfies our desire for security with the truth of God in Christ (John 14:6). He is the resource of wisdom that will never run dry.
Solomon reflected: “Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: that wisdom preserves the life of its possessor” (Ecclesiastes 7:12). That extra hour of life that we were seeking by worrying is infinitely found in wisdom. The psalmists added that the person who humbly trusts God will have no fear, and his heart will be secure (Psalm 112:7-8).
Do two things: (1) don’t worry and (2) seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness. First, make an appointment with yourself to worry for 20 minutes. Write down everything that worries you. After you experience the silliness of this exercise, commit to not worrying again about financial security by trusting in money. Second, pray. Humbly trust God with all of your concerns by seeking first His will for your life.
Make your muscles move with your prayers by working wisely. Seek God’s wisdom, allowing money to be a byproduct of relationships. Seek intimacy with your customers, vendors, employees, employers, family, or friends as you seek intimacy with God. Read a chapter in Proverbs each day corresponding to the date of the month, applying this wisdom to your tasks and relationships, including your finances. You will become secure, as you trust in godliness rather than your giftedness. It won’t be you doing so; it will be Christ in you.
In our pride, we seek security apart from God, and the result is insecurity. However, when life is centered in Christ, we discover that His truth is greater than our desire for security.
Episode 198: Do Security in Christ from mitchkrusetv on Vimeo.