Here are a few thoughts and scriptures in random order.
Read to the end and meditate on these scriptures.
Two economic system.
One is driven by mammon, it’s a demonic principality. Greek translation is “money diefied”. It dominates, you are never free or happy, you want more always. It’s a slavery. Money in the world is a ruthless taskmaster.
Makes you think of lack instead of provision.
You cannot live by a hybrid of the two, cannot serve two masters, you will love one and not be happy about the other (Matthew 6:24).
The other is provision of God that rules. Comes from the hand of God, not from how smart I am or my effort. Money or earnings doesn’t control me or my decisions and actions.
We don’t give to get.
God provides how He sees fit and we cannot complain, that is how His Kingdom works.
Some verses with notes:
Psalms 1:1-2 (ESV)
1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked (we are not to live by what the wicked or worldly people advice to do to be successful or how to get out of certain financial trouble or how to plan business and finances. They are not necessarily wicked but worldly (Russian translation says нечестивые)),
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD (we are to understand how Gods Economy works, how life in this world works, and live by that. If God says to use some tool of this world, then we use that tool, but only if God tells us so (open 401k, business, file for unemployment, hire a lawyer, etc),
and on his law he meditates day and night.
Philippians 2:4 (ESV)
4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Need to create win-win deals, not take advantage of others)
Malachi 3:5 (ESV)
5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages (not paying on time, paying too low so it’s a win-lose situation), the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.
Jeremiah 2:13 (NLT)
13 “For my people have done two evil things:
They have abandoned me—
the fountain of living water.
And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns
that can hold no water at all! (Cracked cisterns could be worldly ways of creating wealth, YouTube, influencer, trading, fame, etc is cracked and can fail at any point)
1 Timothy 6:9-10 (ESV) (an observation of our nature, emotions, volatility of worldly systems of money, etc. Gods provision is different, because you know He has your best interest in mind and works on the whole life to improve and save, not just give you money, like the world is).
9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
Proverbs 13:11 (NLT)
11 Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time.
Proverbs 15:27 (NLT) – (stock market, worldly big and small business, corporate ladder climbing, etc all is built on greed)
27 Greed brings grief to the whole family,
Proverbs 19:3 (NLT) – (people get into things they dont understand. Investing, trading, get rich quick, etc)
3 People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the LORD.
Proverbs 27:12 (NLT)
12 A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions.
The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.
Proverbs 28:19 (NLT)
19 A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases fantasies ends up in poverty.
Proverbs 28:20 (NLT)
20 The trustworthy person will get a rich reward,
but a person who wants quick riches will get into trouble.
Proverbs 28:22 (NLT)
22 Greedy people try to get rich quick
but don’t realize they’re headed for poverty.
Proverbs 28:26 (NLT) (own insight VS wisdom. Worldly people often think that they are smarter than most and they are the rare people that are lucky and will “outwin” everyone else)
26 Those who trust their own insight are foolish, but anyone who walks in wisdom is safe.
Ecclesiastes 9:11 (NLT) (people confuse luck with professionalism. If you got lucky, doesnt mean that you can now do something full time. Often times I hear that the lucky ones flush all the money down again (lottery, trading, big deal out of nowhere when unprepared).
11 I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time.
Exodus 23:29 (ESV)
29 I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply against you. (God thinks of everything, doesn’t give money or territory too fast, He is not just about money but about developing Character of Christ, saving others through us, we are the letter for the people that don’t read the Bible).
Hebrews 13:5 (ESV)
5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (there is an interesting element of trust here, on one hand, I decide to get another job or to get more projects from my business and so on, but I also should be content with what I have so there is a balance and an understanding between me and God with his provision ends in my worldly effort begins due to my discontentment. But we also need to work hard with our hands and not be lazy to make enough money to even help others, so there is a balance there and understanding that we can only get by being close with God.)
Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. (If you serve God, you cancel serving money or being driven by the ruthless taskmaster who never gives you enough and satisfies, so if you serve God, you do not rely on the common ways of making money, but you live under God‘s provision. And the other hand if you serve money, money is your God in a sense that the money, and the worldly way of living is your way to provide for your family, then you cancel out God and his ways and how his kingdom works. Mammon literally means “money diefied”, so the home is in money providing for you).
Bottom line is, we do not live from perspective of lack, but rather from perspective of God‘s provision. I don’t go to work because I need to buy a couch or I have two children on the way, I go to work because God told me to work, and I ask Him which projects to take on and what work to do and what businesses to open, and let Him take care of the rest. I absolutely use all my wisdom and prowess and skills, but not because that’s a way to survive, but because I do everything as unto the Lord.