234 - Discard the Poverty Mentality and Embrace a Life of Abundance#
234 - Discard the Poverty Mentality and Embrace a Life of Abundance
(JP Text Group - Organized by the Little Prince of Heaven)
2 Corinthians 8:9-16
**9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ; that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. 10 And herein I give my advice: for this is expedient for you, who have begun before, not only to do, but also to be forward a year ago. 11 Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have. 12 For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.
13 For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened: 14 But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality: 15 As it is written, He that gathered much had nothing over; and he that gathered little had no lack. 16 But thanks be to God, which put the same earnest care into the heart of Titus for you.**
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! We thank and praise You! Thank You for preparing this time for us to share Your words, leading every brother and sister to receive Your nourishment and supply as the new week begins. Help us to focus our eyes on You, placing our hopes in You, discarding the worldly mindset of the past, and living with Your way and Your perspective. Through these words, renew each person's heart, and let the Holy Spirit guide us in every heart. In the name of our Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen!
The topic of sharing is: Discard the Poverty Mentality and Embrace a Life of Abundance.
Why should we discard the poverty mentality? What does this mentality refer to? Not wanting to give, not wanting to act, not being content. Here, I will summarize the poverty mentality through two aspects, not in detail. The first aspect of a poverty mentality is: being greedy, taking advantage, and grabbing. Why does this person want to take advantage? Because they are poor; this is the poverty mentality. Some may say, "That's not true, they already have a lot." This has nothing to do with the amount of material possessions; some people already have a lot but still want to be greedy, take advantage, and grab.
Have I told you this story before? In our church, there is an elderly lady with three sons, two of whom are civil servants and one is a businessman who is particularly wealthy. Her sons bought her a villa and told her: "You don't have to work anymore; you raised us to adulthood, and now we have everything. You just need to enjoy life." They hired a nanny to cook for her, taking care of all her needs. The three sons went to work, and after some time, when they returned and opened the door to the villa, they found it filled with garbage. There were water bottles everywhere. The son asked the elderly lady what happened, and she said: "I have nothing to do, so I just wandered around the street. Whenever I saw an empty bottle in the trash can, I couldn't help but pick it up." She didn't lack money, but why did she do this? Her mentality was not abundant; she indeed had everything, but in her heart, she still wanted to grab and didn't understand how to enjoy life.
Proverbs says: There is a group of people who are in trouble; what kind of people are they? They have become money-making machines, working every day to make money... Ultimately, what they earn, they cannot enjoy, and instead, others benefit from it. This is trouble. God does not want us to live like this. In Proverbs, Solomon also tells us that true blessing is: being able to enjoy what you have worked for; this is the blessing. How many people can indeed earn money but do not know how to spend it or enjoy life? What we mean by enjoying life is not a life of luxury, not like that. The poverty heart, being greedy, taking advantage, and grabbing, you may all understand.
The second aspect of a poverty mentality is: flaunting wealth. Some may disagree with this viewpoint, thinking how can flaunting wealth be a sign of poverty? In fact, it is precisely because they are too poor that they can only take out the little they have to attract others' attention, because they are left with nothing but that. A truly wealthy person does not do these things. Today, I posted a piece of text on social media that some of you may have seen: The mountains, do they need to flaunt themselves? Even without flaunting, they still stand tall among the clouds; the earth, does it need to flaunt how thick it is? No, it bears all things with great virtue. It supports everything, yet does not flaunt wealth. Yet precisely that person has only a tiny bit of something, so they must show it to you, let you know they have that little bit; this is also a poor person.
The scripture says, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ; though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor. Why did Jesus become poor for you? Because you are too poor; He has everything. If we do not believe in Jesus, what do we have? Some say, "I still have a piece of land." But what about after death? Is that land yours? No. If one day, God rolls up this world, as described in the prophetic books, and uses fire to consume it, where will your land go? It will be gone. We are truly very poor; spiritually, if we do not accept Jesus, we have nothing. Even if you gain the whole world but do not have Jesus, you still have nothing. Some may not accept this: "What you say is not correct; I do not agree with this."
Let us look at a passage from the Bible, Revelation 3:17, where God said to the church in Laodicea: You say, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.
Why did God say this to them? In Laodicea, there were three major industries that were very famous, one of which was a highly developed textile industry that could produce all kinds of beautiful clothing. After making the clothes, they began to flaunt, saying, "Look, I changed my clothes again today." In our place, clothes are not a big deal; changing them every day is not a problem. They had clothes, but God said you are naked; blind, were the people of the Laodicean church all blind? No.
Originally, their second famous industry was eye ointment, which was very advanced for that time. But God said, "Although you can make others' eyes bright, your own eyes are blind," because spiritually, they were truly blind and could not see the blessings God had given them; poor, they had this good industry and made a lot of money, yet they said, "I lack nothing; I am rich and have increased with goods."
When it comes to abundance, many people think it means having a lot of money. Is having money the same as being abundant? There is a saying among people that is particularly correct and insightful: "I am poor, poor to the point of only having money left." That is very true. Some say this is obviously pride, but it is not pride; it is the truth. Do you know why this person is poor to this extent? For the sake of money, they have lost all family, friendship, and love, so they are left with only money. These things are unreliable; the Bible says that money has wings, which means it can fly; today it may be in your pocket, tomorrow it may be in someone else's...
The people of Laodicea thought: I am already rich, have made a fortune, and lack nothing. God said: "You are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked, because you have no spiritual inheritance." God hopes that we have inheritance both in heaven and on earth. How does the abundance that God gives us come about?
The world seeks to obtain this abundance through hard work, doing whatever it takes to make money. This is a characteristic of the Chinese people, leading everyone to not earn money. For example, if someone sells buns on a street, those who have good business will have people lining up to buy buns. After a few days, you find many people selling buns on that street, and as a result, no one makes money. Why do people do this? Because their minds are too poor; they cannot think of ways to make money, so they blindly follow what others do, and in the end, those who do not earn money are the last ones left. This is why marketing has a saying about being the first to know; by the time you do it, it is too late.
This is still a worldly concept that has not been renewed. Is it too late to do that? It is never too late; the key is whether you are doing it God's way or man's way. Let me tell you a little about how Jewish people do business, which may inspire those in business. Jews, like us, face very fierce competition. For example, if one person sells buns and is particularly profitable, they can open a porridge shop next door, specializing in various kinds of porridge. While eating buns, customers can come over for porridge, and when they want buns, they can tell the neighbor, and they will deliver them. Next door, another person can open a supermarket selling various vegetables and daily necessities, so you do not have to go anywhere else; whether it is porridge or buns, you can get everything from me. All three can make money; isn't this a mindset of abundance?
I am just briefly sharing a little with everyone. You should read the Bible; it actually explains all these things to us. It is not that Jews are very clever; it is that God has wisdom. The world thinks that blessings come from hard work, so they follow how others make money and easily fall into pitfalls. You are not living by worldly ways; you are living by spiritual ways. How does your abundance come about?
Let us look at a verse from Proverbs 10:22: The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.
What does it mean to give? To give freely; is it easy to receive or hard? Easy. To give is easy to obtain, not cheap, but the best treasure. The best things you can get in this world are all easy to obtain: air, rain, sunlight, all are given by God.
If we understand this, we can pray to God: "Lord! Today give me..." When God gives this blessing, you just need to receive it. You say, "Lord, I wish you wouldn't always give me for free; I don't want your grace; let me do something to earn your grace." If you had to pay by the second for air, how many seconds could you live? Would you still need to go to work? There wouldn't be enough time to supply your need for air. The most precious things are all very easily given to us by God.
And precisely because we can obtain them so easily, we forget the God who gives the blessings. We think we need to work hard; isn't that a troublesome thing? Isn't that a foolish thing? What we need to discard are those poverty mentalities and have a mindset of abundance. If the heart is poor, no matter how much God gives you, you will still be poor and will not be content. Those who believe in Jesus know that everything is given by God; why are there still many Christians who are poor? Because they do not understand the grace of the Lord Jesus.
2 Corinthians 8:9, For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But if you do not know grace, you rely on your own efforts to obtain it. Have you ever thought about this question: If God does not bless you in this area, can you obtain it through your efforts? You say, "I have faith; I can grow wheat on Mars." God says, "Go ahead and plant." If God has not blessed that place, go ahead and try; before you even plant the wheat, it will already be ripe. The temperature difference is too great; during the day it is 200°C and at night it is -200°C; can the wheat grow? The seeds would be destroyed. But here on earth, is it easy to plant wheat? Because God has blessed this place, you can receive it. If God has not blessed it, how can you obtain it? Therefore, the blessing of the Lord makes rich and adds no sorrow with it.
Today, I want to popularize some conceptual knowledge. Abundance does not mean having a lot of money; it means being abundant in every aspect. Do people in the world worry? When they are poor, they worry not only about money but also about their interpersonal relationships being terrible; others look down on them. If you give them a lot of money, and they go out on the street, others will throw things at them. So the poor worry not only about having money but also about being respected and living a valuable life... these are all things they worry about, right? The rich worry about: this thing may not be guaranteed; it changes every day; it can disappear at any moment. Recently, you may have seen how quickly the situation on earth is changing. Some people are losing money now, fearing loss; this is their worry.
Whether poor or rich, both have worries. But you see, the blessing of the Lord makes rich; God wants you to be abundant in every aspect and without worry. Why is there no worry? God says He will give it to you; who can snatch this blessing from God's hand? If you understand this, do you still need to worry? What is the point of worrying? Because God wants to give it to you; who can stop you? Therefore, worry is also a poverty mentality, but worry and planning are two different things. Jesus said not to worry about tomorrow; many people interpret this as: whatever happens tomorrow, today just do what you need to do, eat, drink... Jesus never said: "Do not make plans for tomorrow"; He just said not to worry about tomorrow. These are two different things; can everyone understand?
Now let me tell you what it means to worry about tomorrow. When our first child was just born, I had a college classmate whose child was born two months later. When his child was born, I said to him: "Congratulations, you have a son."
He said: "I am so worried; seeing him makes me anxious."
I asked: "What are you worried about?"
He said: "How will I have money to buy him a house and find him a wife in the future?"
This was just one day after the child was born, and he was already so worried he couldn't sleep. You may have seen news like this: a wife suddenly gives birth to quadruplets, and the husband immediately goes home and hangs himself. Why? Worry; isn't this the result of worry? He is not planning or thinking about tomorrow; he thinks it is all over, and he cannot live anymore... So do not worry; God wants to give you the ability to overcome all your current problems.
So worry is actually a poverty mentality. We face this problem positively and let God give us wisdom to overcome it. Many people have a poverty mentality, always worrying about what to do if they lose something. They always worry about what to do if they fail. Why do these people have such thoughts? It is because they do not know the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Since it is called grace, it is given freely, and it is the best. Jesus became poor for us so that we might become rich through Him. There is only one belief, which refers to all people; it does not mean that those who believe well or have believed for many years will become rich; there are no such conditions. Jesus has already offered Himself for all who believe in Him, so that all who believe can be rich. You must adjust your mindset; do not think that when it comes to abundance, it only means having a lot of money. It refers to many aspects: your interpersonal relationships, family relationships, and everything in your work should be abundant; money is just the smallest part of it. Thank and praise the Lord!
Jesus on the cross has already accomplished all this for you. What you need includes not just your life; many people know that believing in Jesus means that He died for our sins, which many people know. But many forget the latter part. Can Jesus also make your life abundant? This is what we need to change. What is the grace Jesus gives you? Jesus saves me from death and brings me into light; that is just a door. After we enter, there are many good things. We enter the kingdom of heaven by faith; we have already entered Canaan. You cannot stand at the door of Canaan and say: "How wonderful! God has given me so much; those grapes are so big, and the well water is so sweet..." But you have never tasted it; isn't that a pity? The purpose of God giving you these things is: first, to change your life and let you enter Canaan; second, to change your life and let you live like Abraham.
Therefore, the Bible always says we are the descendants of Abraham; it never says we are the descendants of Lazarus. If God said: "If you believe in me, you will live like Lazarus, covered in sores... and then be held in Abraham's bosom." The Bible has never promised this; what He says is: "You are the descendants of Abraham." The blessings of Abraham in heaven are great; how great are they on earth? Last time we shared: "All the families of the earth will be blessed through you." He is a blessing to all nations; whether you are an Israeli or an Arab, you are a descendant of Abraham, blessed because of Abraham.
The current Arabs are descendants of Ishmael; where did Ishmael's blessings come from? What did his mother Hagar have? When Abraham drove her out of the house, she had nothing. The mother and child were in the wilderness, thirsty, hungry, and tired. At that time, Hagar did not want to live; she put the child down and wanted to die. But God said: "Do not worry; I will take care of this child." As a result, she was able to see a well, which was a blessing given by God. God did not say: "Hagar, you should have some ambition; can't you dig a well?" God directly provided her with a well, and that child survived by hunting in the wilderness.
The Bible also describes the characteristics of this child, saying he will be like a wild donkey. What is the characteristic of a wild donkey? It is very stubborn and obstinate. Such people generally find it difficult to accept Jesus because they are too rational. They do not believe what is given to them; why do they hate Isaac? Because they feel Isaac took away what was theirs, but they forget that God has also given them a lot. On earth, they are truly wealthy, so now when you see those chieftains, they are symbols of wealth. In fact, God has long given them the best blessings, continuously blessing them until today; it is given by God. Otherwise, no matter how hard they think, they could not produce oil. But is it easy for God to create? Do you know how oil comes about? Look at what happened in the past.
During Noah's time, the flood destroyed the world; the land cracked open, directly pressing people down, eventually forming oil. Sometimes oil is underground, sometimes in the sea; human and animal corpses are actually the oil we have today. How did coal come about? Trees and plants were instantly pressed down, and with high temperatures in the earth's crust, they turned into coal. Are these resources complicated for God? For God, these resources are very easy. If you were to create oil or coal, could you do it? So are these not given to you by God? You need to think about this: It is too easy for God to make you abundant, but first, you must have an abundant mindset and know that all this is given by God. If you know it is given by God, you will not worry about losing it. If this is gone, God will give you something better; what do I have to worry about? You will not worry about not having enough because God will continuously provide.
So our mindset must first change; our blessings are given by God, and our abundance is also given by God. God has already prepared everything; all of this is for you.
Ephesians 1:3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
In Christ, God has already given you all kinds of blessings. Some say that is spiritual blessings. One principle is: everything you can see with your eyes comes from the spiritual realm. At first, the earth was formless and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, but God said: "Let there be light," and it came from the spiritual realm; God created this world with His words. All kinds of spiritual blessings have been prepared by God; what you need now is to receive them. Spiritual blessings will not cease; do you need to fight for them? No, because what God gives you is absolutely enough. The fear is that many people do not understand this; many people are clearly abundant but still live like beggars.
Let me give you an example from the Bible. Recently, I just preached a series on repentance, talking about the older son, who had a poverty mentality. Everything in the house belonged to him, yet he hated his father every day and was angry with his brother for eating what was his. Until his father came out and said to him: "Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours." Do you think this son is pitiful? The father had prepared blessings for him, but did he enjoy those blessings? No, instead, he complained to his father, saying: "When will you give me a kid so I can celebrate with my friends?" "Son, all that I have is yours." What does the father mean by this?
If you need a kid, you can take any one you want; is there none? There are many, but he looks at that kid and has never taken one. Why does he not take it? He does not feel qualified to receive it. When his brother returned and ate the fattened calf, he felt heartbroken...
If you have an abundant mindset, when you see your brother or sister becoming more and more prosperous, you will not be jealous of them; instead, you will bless them because that is an abundant mindset. The father said to him: "Son, you are always with me," which is a blessing; the second part: "All that I have is yours." The Heavenly Father has given all these blessings in Christ to us. The moment you believe in Jesus, you are already in Christ; these blessings have already been given. How do you receive all this? First, believe; second, receive.
Does the older son believe that the kid is given to him by his father? No, he does not believe; he thinks his father is stingy: he would rather let that kid die than let me eat. Is this a misunderstanding? In fact, it is still disbelief. Secondly, does he go to receive it? Because of disbelief, he does not receive it. It does not mean he is no longer a son; the concept must be clear. He is a son, but he lives under the law; he is a son but feels he is not a son; this is the problem.
Clearly, you are a son, yet you live like a beggar; this proves that your understanding of your father and your God is wrong. Many of you are already parents; if every time at mealtime, you put all the food on the table, and your son kneels on the ground and says: "Mom, I call you my dear mother; can you let me sit there and eat?" This means you really do not treat him as a son, and he feels you are not his real mother, which is why he says such things.
How many people pray, saying: "Loving Heavenly Father, I know You are sitting in heaven, full of righteousness and power, You created the heavens and the earth..." What use is it to say these things? Even if you do not call Him your Father, He is still the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Such prayers are not as good as simply calling out: "Dad," isn't that much simpler?
I give you a suggestion; I will send out some devotional content every day. Change the way you pray; do not use the old way: "Sitting on high, glorious, majestic, and holy Lord..." When I pray like this, I feel He will not give me anything; I am too small, too filthy, and I am still on the ground while He is in heaven. But if you shout, "Dad, I have this need," you will have confidence. So it is very simple, brothers and sisters: first, believe; second, receive.
In this article, it mentions a matter in verse 15: As it is written, He that gathered much had nothing over; and he that gathered little had no lack. This quotes the scripture from Exodus 16:14-21.
14 And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. 15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. 16 This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents.
17 And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. 18 And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. 19 And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. 20 Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them. 21 And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted.
This is the story of God giving manna. Here, I want to share another matter. Did they know what this was? They had never seen such a blessing; in Christ, there are many things you have never seen. Do not think it is strange; do not think it is impossible; with God, everything is possible. Do not use your worldly mind to analyze spiritual matters; you cannot analyze them. God said: "When the dew rises, I will send down this thing." Can you analyze that? Here, you must receive it by faith. They named it manna; why? Because manna means: they asked one another, "What is this?"
So when they ate, they said: "Please eat, what is this?" The name God gave it is very wise and interesting. "Let us eat together, what is this?" They ate it for forty years and still did not know what it was. We can analyze the ingredients of bread, but many people in Christ receive His healing and His abundance, and may not know until they die how it formed or how it came to them. That does not matter; what matters is that you can receive Him.
God said to them: "Gather according to each man's eating," meaning you can gather as much as you can eat; do not think about gathering too much at once. However, they did not listen to Moses; some left it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. Why did they want to leave it until morning? It was still disbelief, worrying: "Look, this thing melts when the sun comes out; what if it is gone tomorrow?" This is a worried heart, a poverty heart.
Why did they have a poverty heart? They had stayed in Egypt too long, for four hundred years, eating one meal and not knowing if they would have a good meal next time. If they did not perform well, they would not have food to eat. God said: "I will give you food regardless of your performance." Worry is also a kind of poverty mentality. They were already under God's supply, yet their hearts were still poor. The purpose of my sermon today is very simple: to change your mindset. First, have an abundant heart; believe what God says, and do not worry every day about your gains and losses. If this is gone, God will continuously give you something better; I mean everything is like this.
Recently, a sister told me she was abandoned by someone. Worldly people all know, why hang yourself on one tree? I want to tell you: God wants to prepare something better for you. Some say: "That scammer cheated my money; I hate him for half a month." I said: "Just give it to him; he is lacking, right? God will give you more." "But I can't let it go..." This is a poverty mentality. Why do I advise you like this?
If you hate him, and that money can come back, then go ahead and hate. Can hate change anything? "Lord, indeed, it is my problem; I lost all this. Lord, give me more." Isn't that enough? God has it; do not worry. The poverty mentality of the Israelites was right here; when they ate quails, it was the same. God said: "I will let you eat quails for a month," but they stayed up for three days and nights, working hard to catch those quails, killing them, and putting them at the tent door. Why did they kill them? They were afraid they would fly away, and as a result, the temperature changes caused a plague, and many of them died.
According to God's word, it was a blessing, but it turned into a disaster. If they had always been alive, think about God's blessing; they would fly about two elbow lengths above the ground, and they would not fly away. Whenever you wanted to eat, they would always be fresh and alive. Their poverty thinking made them feel that it would fly away one day, so they had to kill it. This is a poverty mentality.
Many people always think: I must grab it and keep it here to feel secure. Can God give them a year's worth of manna? God could also say: "Manna will not spoil if left for a year." God has that ability; why not do it this way? God wants the Israelites to know one thing: My supply will never run out; do not worry, and do not be anxious; put down your poverty thinking.
But forty years passed, and this group of people did not change. Many people have believed in the Lord for decades and have not changed; first, their hearts have not changed, and they still live with worldly thinking. So God said, "He that gathered much had nothing over." Do you know why there was nothing over? It spoiled. Clearly, they could only eat one bucket, but they gathered ten buckets. After finishing that one bucket, the other nine buckets spoiled by the next day. Was there any surplus? "He that gathered little had no lack," meaning if you gathered less this time, you can gather more tomorrow; will there be any lack?
It will not be that if you gather less today, you will always gather less. This is the worldly concept. God's meaning is that if you gather less today, you can gather more tomorrow; there will be no lack. Now do you understand the meaning of this sentence? "He that gathered much had nothing over"; do not always think about grabbing more; God will give you fresh blessings. "He that gathered little had no lack"; if you gathered less today, tomorrow God will give you more; just focus on God.
God has already prepared this food for the Israelites. What must they do to receive this blessing? Someone asked me a question: "God has already given us all kinds of blessings; how can we receive them? If just believing is enough to receive, why are there so many Christians who are poor? Is it because their faith is too small?"
Everyone who believes in Jesus believes that God is abundant, but it is clear that some people are poor in life while others are rich. Why is this? The difference lies in the second step of receiving; everyone believes, but the difference is in receiving. Think about this question: God gives them a time; when is the time to gather manna?
If the sun comes out and you go to gather, will there be any? Before the sun comes out is your moment to receive blessings. If someone in a tent says: "God is a loving God; He is deceiving us, making us get up early; we do not need to listen to Him; God has already given blessings, and His blessings will never cease..." If the sun comes out and you are still sleeping, while they go out to gather, will there be any? Is it because God has stopped blessing? No, it is because of their laziness that they missed this blessing. It is not that God has cut off their blessings; they do not live according to God's way but continue to live by the old way, and they remain hungry. Do you understand now? Now we need to understand one thing: God's blessings have already been prepared; we also believe; we must take the second step and diligently receive.
Hebrews 6:11-12
11 And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: 12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
God's promises are for all who believe; how do we inherit these promises? To inherit means that this blessing has come upon you. God has already given manna around the tents; it does not fall directly into your mouth; it is at the tent door, and you must go out and gather it. The blessing has already been given; you go out into the wilderness and gather it back, and you will inherit this blessing.
Is the process of gathering manna the law? Many people believe in grace but have a somewhat distorted understanding: nothing can be done; if you let me do something, that is giving me the law... then you are poor; you deserve it. God has already given manna, saying: "Before the sun comes out, you should go gather it; gather as much as you can eat." Someone said to me: "You are treating me with the law; you are demanding from me..." Then you can do as you please; you cannot say God has not blessed you. Do you understand now?
Many people lack the last step; God has prepared everything; we also believe, but we have not received it; the problem lies here. May you show such diligence; diligence is the opposite of laziness. Christians must diligently work; our work is actually gathering manna because God has already prepared it. Some work in companies, and through the company, God gives them blessings; some do business, and God blesses that business, giving them blessings. I am the same; I serve the Lord, and through this way, God blesses me. We are just standing in different positions, receiving God's blessings, but we are all receiving. Hallelujah!
If you say: "Everyone knows to believe in Jesus; why preach? We do not need to preach; we believe in grace; why preach?" This is a kind of laziness, and you will not receive. When we are diligent, it gives you a full assurance of hope; hope refers to a kind of expectation, and it can also refer to an ideal. Hope refers to future things; when we diligently do things, we can expect God's blessings, and we will have a full assurance of hope. So do not be lazy.
Not being lazy means to persist; do not start without finishing. Why do some people stop serving? At first, some give a tenth, some half, some nine-tenths, and then stop serving because they do not have a heart to persist. Some ask me: "Why can you serve until today?" I tell them: "I have no way out." In my mind, I have never thought of leaving God's matters to find a way out in this world, so for me, there is no way out.
You are different from me; you say I do not have a heart for preaching; I will just make money in the world; that is your hope. Because I meet more people than you, many people give me many opportunities and favorable conditions. I say: "Sorry, I really do not want to focus on that; I only look to God; what He gives me is absolutely enough for me." I will not leave myself a way out; if the church's supply is insufficient, I will just do a little business in the world... If I do that, I might as well just go make money; I have done business in the past and know how to do it. But I have cut off that way out; I only look to Him.
I also tell you, I have truly seen His full assurance of hope from God. You can also see it; whether it is daily devotion or every week's preaching, I am diligently preparing. I will not repeat what I wrote years ago; that is not my way, and I do not want to do that. I want every time you hear something to be new, just like the Israelites gathering manna; every day is fresh. Imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises; this means you must persist to the end; you must have a patient heart. You cannot encounter a little problem and say: "I will not do it; I cannot bear it; Lord, this may not be Your mission and calling for me." With this doubt, you will definitely not be able to persist. For me, are there difficulties? Yes, but what I need to do is not to doubt whether this path is correct but to find out how to let God give me strength to overcome this difficulty; that is the solution.
Your business is the same; if there are difficulties ahead, do not lose your goal; overcome this difficulty and continue to move forward, and you will be able to inherit the promises God wants to give you. Where is the pity of the Israelites? God said: "You will enter Canaan, where there are abundant blessings." When they encounter difficulties, they say, "Let us return to Egypt!" Isn't that the problem?
Do not have such a poverty mentality; is returning to Egypt really better? Compared to this, it is far worse than Canaan. So no matter what you are doing now, hold on to your hope, focus your eyes on God, and He will give you strength to overcome all the difficulties before you, and you will be able to inherit this blessing and promise. But first, be diligent and do not be lazy.
Genesis 26:12-13, 12 And Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him. 13 And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great.
Are we not envious of Isaac? A person blessed by God, was Isaac's abundance a dream that made him rich overnight? When he sowed, it was during a year of famine, but God said: "Isaac, do not leave this place; I will bless you in this land." He believed and then sowed. It is easy to sow in a year of abundant rain, but sowing in a year of famine requires faith. So brothers and sisters, do not look at your current difficulties; sow in the midst of those difficulties, because God's promise is to let you sow in this place. Others may say it is impossible, but God will give you wisdom to see a hundredfold harvest; that year there was a hundredfold harvest; this is the blessing. So should we not sow? We must sow. The following says, "And the Lord blessed him."
Many people omit the previous part; in a year of famine, they say: "Lord, have mercy on me; give me something to eat; let some manna fall from heaven." Many people still ask me a question: "Now that we believe, why does God not let some manna fall? Then we would not need to work." This is a lazy poverty mentality. Can you work in the wilderness? You cannot work in the wilderness, so God fed them in that way. We now have this ability; in the letters of the church, in 1 Timothy and Titus, it says that the church should not support the poor widow; let her go work to support those who truly have no ability. Do you understand now? Let them go work and do proper things; this is not the law; it is not without love; it is to let them receive blessings through this way.
Then he became great; how did Isaac become great? Do not get this order wrong; you pray for this place, and you will see God's blessings. Then continue to sow next year, and let God bless you, and you will continue to grow and become very great. So you still need to work diligently.
In Proverbs, there are two lazy people; let me tell you about them. You see how lazy this person is, Proverbs 10:4-5,
4 He becomes poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich. 5 He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.
One is a wise person, and the other is a lazy person. What happens to the lazy hand? Some Christians believe in grace but are still very poor; you should look for the reason in this area. Because they believe in the grace of Jesus Christ, they all know that God wants us to be rich; why are you still poor in the end? Pay attention to whether your hand is lazy; do you not want to do anything?
The hand of the diligent makes rich; this is not the law. Proverbs does not have the issue of grace and law; it is a principle of life. Why is it that the wise son gathers in summer? Summer is the time to harvest.
If you sleep during harvest, you say: "If I sleep during the wheat harvest, and a rain comes, I will have nothing." Can you say God has not blessed you? Is he not a son that causes shame? They are poor; they truly deserve it; it is not that God has not given blessings.
The lazy hand will suffer poverty; the following tells you why he is so poor; there is a reason for this. This is not a matter of faith size; it is about not living according to God's way.
Proverbs 26:15-16,
15 The slothful hideth his hand in his bosom; it grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth. 16 The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason.
The lazy person has many excuses; he seems very clever. How lazy is he? He puts food in the plate, and he is too lazy to bring his hand back to his mouth to eat. Can such a person not be poor? Can he not be hungry? Does he have blessings? Can he receive this blessing? But why is he still hungry?
Lazy, so he hides his hand in his bosom, meaning he cannot do this; he finds countless excuses. To stretch out his hand and then pull it back requires how much energy... You understand what use it is; we do not understand so much; we know to work diligently. If there is food in the plate, hurry and take it to eat; do not calculate how much energy it will cost you. So the lazy person has a reason.
The lazy person thinks he is wiser than seven men who can give a reason. Today, if you tell him: "In summer, you should work more in the field, and then you will have a harvest." He says: "No! That is the law." "Now in our company, there are many orders; we should hire more workers." "That is not spiritual." He always thinks he is very clever, but in reality, he is overestimating himself.
I want to tell everyone again: God wants to give us wisdom that is greater than that of the world. All the poverty mentalities I just mentioned must be discarded; get up early to gather manna, and sow like Isaac. God wants to bless you through what your hands do, and let your life change. After we believe, we all have the same blessings from God; what is lacking now is to change your life. To change your life, you must first change your poverty thinking.
Due to time constraints, I may not be able to elaborate on this. You all know the story of Elisha; there was a woman whose husband died, and others asked her for money to pay debts, but she could not pay. Elisha asked her: "What do you have in your house?" She said: "Just a jar of oil." He said: "Good, then borrow many vessels and pour the oil into those vessels." The Bible says all her vessels were filled; isn't it that the more vessels you have, the more God can fill you? So today, you need to expand your vessels; God's blessings are limitless. If you say: "I only have this little jar; once it is full, there will be no more," the oil will stop flowing once all the vessels are full.
What we need to do is change our poverty thinking; do not care about your current gains and losses; do not look at what you have now. You say you have nothing now; it does not matter. From now on, believe that spiritual blessings have already been given, and then diligently do things. In God's presence, everyone is a new creation, blessed by God. As long as you believe in the Lord Jesus, God is willing for you to live an abundant life. Use the wisdom God has given us to work diligently; this will save you and those who listen to you.
1 Timothy 4:14-16,
14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. 15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. 16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
Paul, in his old age, gave Timothy this final advice: Do not forget the gift you have received; use this gift to diligently work and serve others. Give it away; you will not lose it; instead, you will gain more. And you must focus on this; do not think: "If I cannot serve, I will just go make money in the world." Do not give yourself such thoughts; focus on doing things.
You must focus so that all may see your progress; this means you are living before people. Otherwise, you say God is a God of blessings and grace, but if you are living in a very poor situation, how can you reflect that your God is a God of abundance? Let God change us; first, we must be willing to be changed by God, and first, discard the poverty mindset and embrace this abundant way of living. Perseverance means you must be cautious about the teachings you hear; first, be diligent in doing what you have learned.
When you go back, think like this: Do not casually change your direction; when you encounter problems, solve them, and continue. Our standard is very simple: take Jesus Christ as the standard. Wisdom is simple; go back and read Proverbs, one chapter a day, and you will have wisdom and know how to act, and then you must act according to this way.
Because in doing this, Paul does not say "if you believe this way"; he says "if you act this way," you will see this blessing with your own eyes. Not only can you save yourself, but you can also save those who hear you: I have become rich financially; today I tell you, do not worry; if you believe and act this way, there will be no problem; you can save yourself and also save others. Otherwise, you say: "Do not worry, sister; as long as you believe in God, you will have a hundredfold harvest." After saying this, you think: "I have not received; can she?" This will not save you or others. So serving is not a game; it is a real experience of what you have received, and then let others hear you and also benefit from it. Hallelujah!
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! Thank and praise You! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is given freely; it is the best gift from God to me. What I need to do is to receive this blessing, giving thanks to You every day. I know You have already given blessings, and I will live with Your wisdom and Your strength. I will no longer complain about the current poor life but will see with hope what God has given me, declaring the results I desire every day, and then diligently work to receive Your blessings, just like the Israelites gathered manna, just like Isaac sowed and expected a harvest, just like that woman poured oil and expected the vessels to be full. I also expect this; I believe this week will be a blessed week. All glory be to You, in the name of our Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen!