Page 22 - Managing Your Resources - Student Syllabus - short combined

birds of the air are taken care of by God, so why should we worry since we are significantly more
treasured by God.

Matthew 6:26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your
heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

So why don’t I have everything I want and need immediately? The answer is that God is in the process
of making you more like His son, Jesus. He is working out your salvation. How can you claim to have
faith and yet do not trust that God can provide what’s needed? If God provided for you miraculously,
abundantly, and immediately, then you would never learn to live by FAITH. In fact, faith wouldn’t even
be an option for you. It would not exist. But it is by faith that we are saved, and by faith we live our
lives in trust of Him.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38 all say the “righteous man shall live by faith.”

God’s name is Jehovah-Jireh which means “God is our provider.”

Philippians 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

When God delays and tests our faith, remember this verse so that God can develop in you godly
character:

Romans 5:3-4 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces
perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.

It is an ironic fact that many rich people express discontent, while many poor people claim to be
content. Why is this? Christian financial advisor Ron Blue explains, "Having the cash to buy or do
whatever you please does not guarantee contentment... [Nor do] wise investments, meticulous budgets,
or debt-free living. All these things are valuable... [but] the one ingredient that makes true freedom
possible is generosity." The content person is one who can be separated from her possessions without
being undone. Consequently, she does not have to live in fear of loss. And the only way to cultivate this
attitude is to be separated from your possessions voluntarily, i.e., to give them away.

The Bible says, "He who gives to the poor will lack nothing" (Proverbs 28:27). The person who always
wants more is never happy with what she has, but the generous person's happiness is not tied to the
amount of money in their wallet. That's contentment.

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