THE MONEY QUESTION NEEDS PRAYERFUL RESTUDY

NOTE: THIS WAS WRITTEN BY A.W. TOZER 100 YEARS AGO ABOUT THE DANGERS OF THE "PROSPERITY" MOVE IN CHURCH AT THAT TIME. I BELIEVE IT IS MORE IMPORTANT TO REVISIT THIS DEVOTIONAL NOW THAN THEN. HELP US OH LORD NOT TO FALL INTO THE TRAP OF LOVING MONEY MORE THAN YOU. PLEASE READ THIS.


The Privilege of Giving

The history of churches and denominations follows pretty closely a rather uniform pattern: It is to begin in poverty and power; get established to a degree that removes all hazard and gives financial security, become accepted by society, outgrow the need for divine intervention; keep Christ as a figurehead, ignore His Lordship and carry on after the traditions of the elders; offer the clergy a reward for staying in line in the form of an old age pension; put enough persons in places of power who profit financially by the prosperity of the group. After that it's requiescat in pace [a prayer for the peaceful repose of a dead person], and the tragic thing about it all is that no one knows he is dead.

No church or denomination need go that way if the members detect the trend before it is too late. But I wonder. So bound are we to the treasurer's report that we habitually forget who we are and what we are called to do. Anyone can do the possible; add a bit of courage and zeal and some may do the phenomenal; only Christians are obliged to do the impossible. If we could rise in faith like Samson and break the ropes that bind us we might see again that a church’s outgo can be greater than its income, as much greater as God is greater than circumstances. We might have demonstrated before our eyes how God works wonders when His people leave a margin for miracles.

By A.W. Tozer