The gospel of mission over money and material possessions needs to be placed in the proper context. Jesus was explicit in pointing out that your father in heaven knows that you need stuff. Therefore, you need to have faith that God will meet your needs. Beyond your needs, God is even going to give you the things you want as well. As it is written, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want”. Your top concern must be around living a life that is consistent with a mission originating from God. Modern life revolves around making money and filling up your ego with material possessions. This will not satisfy your soul. And this is contrary to what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches a God-centred life.
The wealthiest and most powerful people in the world are mission driven. Across the spectrum, from religion, to culture, economics and governance. The mission-minded people are always more wealthy and powerful than their money-driven counterparts. Aliko Dangote’s wealth is a side effect of his stated mission to make Africa self-sufficient. He wants Africans to consume what they produce. His life is not centred around making more money. It is centred around this mission. Enoch Adeboye’s wealth is a side effect of his mission of making religion more accessible for people from all walks of life. Your obsession with making money will never get you any tangible results in life.
Focus on your mission and trust that God will take care of all your needs. On the practical side, you need to be reminded that as long as you are creating value, you can never be poor. The ugly truth is that if you are obsessed with making money, you will struggle with value creation. You will not be able to solve problems at a scale that matters. When you obey what Jesus considered to be the greatest commandment. By loving God with all your heart. You will discover things that matter to God in religion, culture, economy and governance. As you find your mission within these spheres of life, you will amass the true riches of life. If your life centres around how you will make more money. You’re doing life wrong.
