DAY 2: GOD GIVES EVERYTHING

READ

1 TIMOTHY 4: 1 - 5
1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, 3who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.

CONSIDER

The human eye is amazing. Anyone who has studied it marvels at its complexity. The optic nerve is made up of millions of fibers that communicate with the part of our brain responsible for sight, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. It is truly a wondrous creation.

But this amazing gift of the eye can also be a source of problems. Our eyes don’t always offer the clarity we need, so we require glasses. Even then, they can develop
other issues such as cataracts and glaucoma that require treatment. For anyone who has ever experienced issues with their eyes, they cease to feel amazing and start to feel annoying.

It is quite common for humans to start looking at things God designed for us as problems rather than gifts. Even Christians do this. Whether it is a part of our body like our eyes or another God-given resource, it is possible for Christians to look at things God gave to us as problems rather than as gifts. We know this because the early Christians were being tempted to do this. Paul has to write a letter and warn them of the dangers of referring to any part of God’s creation as evil.

Today, we still struggle as Christians to have a healthy relationship with the material world whether it’s food, sex, work, spouses, friends, or children among other
things. These are resources and relationships given to us by God but they can also be a source of stress in our lives. As a result, we conclude that they are necessary evils to be endured rather than divinely crafted blessings to enjoy.

But these ordinary or common resources and activities are God-given gifts, just like our eyes. Because God is good, everything he creates is good. In Genesis 1, God looks at everything he made and declares it good. Christians love the material world because it is the world God made. We have callings in this world like jobs and relationships which are good.

If sin had never entered the world, there would still be marriage, children, teachers, school, work, cooking dinner, cleaning dishes, etc. We often view these tasks and activities as somehow unspiritual when compared to other activities like prayer, Bible reading, fasting, etc. Though they may feel mundane, they are part of God’s design for our life, and gifts from him. And everything he designs and gives is good!

The Bible is filled with people who had common earthly vocations. Moses was a shepherd, Jacob was a rancher, Joseph was secretary of the treasury in Egypt, Daniel
was a scholar in Babylon, Matthew worked for the IRS, Peter was a fisherman, and Paul was a tentmaker. The goodness of our vocational activity is even highlighted
in the Ten Commandments, “Six days you shall labor and do all your work” (20:9).

If there is anything that reminds us of the goodness of God’s creation, it is the fact that Jesus came in the flesh. Our Savior attended weddings, turned water into wine, and washed the feet of his disciples. He lived as though the material world was something to be received, enjoyed, and redeemed.

If everything is good, then why do we feel so bad? Because God has judged sin by introducing thorns and thistles to everything. Our work can feel like drudgery. Our relationships become sources of stress. Our eyes grow weak and need glasses. Much of our daily lives can feel very common if not burdensome.

Even our relationship with money is problematic. We often feel like we don’t make enough of it, manage it well, or give away as much as we’d like or should. It is a source of stress and causes conflict in our relationships. It’s easy to understand why we would look at money as a necessary evil.

But money is a gift. Even more, it is a gift from God. We should be thankful for it and take it seriously. We don’t give it away in order to purge ourselves of evil. Rather, we give it away to reflect our Father who is a giver. We need a renewed relationship with money where we can receive it, make it, use it, and give it away with thankfulness as Paul instructed Timothy.

Right now, we are living between the resurrection and Christ’s return like Timothy when he first read these words from Paul. We don’t need to take a vow of poverty,
relinquishing all of our material assets. We don’t need to quit our jobs, abandon our families, and forbid certain foods to live a life that glorifies God. Following Jesus means taking our callings in this world seriously.

Money is a gift from God that comes to us through work, investments, and inheritance. Rather than trying to free ourselves from it, we need to thank God for it, enjoy it, and ask him to show us how to use it to bless our neighbor and induce thanksgiving and glory to him.