There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing; and one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches. (Proverbs 13:7)
God’s economy operates on the principle of giving in faith. Conventional wisdom teaches that giving leaves you with less, but this is not how it works in the Kingdom. The faith-challenged Christian is no different from the non-believer when it comes to giving, because it makes no sense to the carnal mind. Yet, the hoarding up of money is no guarantee for wealth, it can disappear faster than it came. It only takes one negative report for fortunes to be wiped off the computer screens of the world’s markets. On the other hand, those who give faithfully and generously seem to have their needs met and they go through life without anxiety. God systematically provides for them as they continue to give. Why would He stop the flow to those who finance the operations of His Kingdom?
How do you make yourself poor? Most would say by giving your money away. Yet the verse above says 'one who makes himself poor has great riches'. Giving, then, doesn’t make you poor. This is one of God’s hidden principles for blessing. Religion teaches people to believe that it is sinful to pursue riches, but what they don’t realize is that you cannot fulfil the Great Commission to take the gospel to all nations (Matthew 28:19) without money. The gospel is free, but only to those who receive it; the bills are paid by those who bring the news. You cannot print Bibles or tracts, travel everywhere to preach the gospel or feed the hungry without money.
God made Abraham rich (Genesis 14:22-23) as part of His covenant with him. When the Israelites left Egypt as a nation of slaves, God placed riches in their hands (Exodus 12:35,36) because they had to build Him a tabernacle in the wilderness. Wealth has a God-given purpose! Abuse of money brings misery, but when it is spent on God’s purposes, we can trust Lord in faith to keep it flowing to and through us.