The Homestead Way of Life

It's Not About the Money

     I love receiving emails and notes from subscribers to New Harvest Homestead.  Sometimes, when I send my newsletter out into cyber space, it feels a little like my words have disappeared into the vastness of the universe.  So, it is always such a blessing to have the sweet words of my readers come back to me.

     A subject that has come up again and again in many letters is the topic of financial woes.  I probably hear that more than anything else.  And, I'm glad that many have shared their trials with me because I can pray for them and think about ways the newsletter can be a resource for them.  Believe me when I tell you that we have made our share of mistakes and missteps in this area, along with the times that financial troubles hit for no apparent reason.

     While I don't always have an answer for the specific problem someone may be facing, I do have an insight that the Lord has given me in this area.  Some of you who receive the newsletter will recall that I talked about how I listen to an audio Bible as I am falling asleep every night.  A while back, I was listening to the gospel of Matthew for many nights.  For some reason, the story in Chapter 17, verses 24-27 kept jumping out at me.

     In this story, Jesus and His disciples are in Capernaum.  A tax-collector approached Peter and pressed him about whether or not Jesus paid the two drachma tax required of all Jewish males over 20 years of age.  I can just picture Peter's face going white as a sheet, because HE certainly didn't have the two drachmas on him.  He quickly mutters, "Yes", and then runs to his Master for help.

     When Peter enters the house, before he can even get a word out, Jesus asks him a question.  "What do you think, Simon?  From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?"  This shows us that Jesus knew the need even before Peter could express it.

     Lesson #1:  God knows your need already.  He is keenly aware of everything going on in your life.

     Now, I'm sure this stopped Peter in his tracks.  Jesus masterfully turned the situation around so that Peter's mind was no longer on the immediate problem at hand, but rather focused on deeper issues of truth.  It became a teachable moment.  This tax was collected for the maintenance of the temple.  What Jesus was showing Peter here was that, since the temple is His Father's House, as the Son of God, Jesus should have been exempt from this particular tax.  One can only hope that as Peter wrapped his brain around this awesome declaration of Sonship by Jesus, he became quite a bit less concerned about whether or not the Lord could manage to handle the trivial issue of coming up with a couple of coins.

     Lesson #2:  This is God we are talking about.  Is anything too hard for Him?

     Having declared Himself exempt from the temple tax, Jesus then goes on to explain to Peter that He has no interest in causing a scandal, and therefore Peter was to go cast a line in the sea, take the first fish he caught and when he opened its mouth he would find a stater - enough money to pay the tax both for Peter and Jesus.

     Lesson #3:  It's not about the money.  If you are having financial difficulties, it is because there are lessons the Lord desires to teach you through them.  If He can make money come out of a fish's mouth, don't you think He could drop a bag of money on your front porch tomorrow? 

     It's not about the money - it's about YOU and what He wants to do in your soul.  He wants you to get a grip on the bigger picture; He wants to correct errors you have made; He wants you to trust Him and rest in Him;  He wants you to be still and know that He is God.  Believe that He loves you and has your very best interests at heart, and then let Him teach, lead and work all things together for your good.

     We have been through incredibly rough times financially.   Just those kind of trials where one doesn't know how it can all possibly work out.  But, this I DO know - we have never gone hungry; we have never been without a roof over our heads; we have never been without clothes on our backs.  I know those are the kinds of things women worry about, but probably as you look back over your life, you can honestly say your worst fears have never come to pass.  The Lord has been faithful.  So, why doubt Him now?

     Remember the coin in the fish's mouth.  It's not about money - it's about what He wants to teach you today.  Be still and listen to Him.

great post

03:49, 2006-Aug-5 .. Posted by deedee06

How incredibly encouraging. Thanks so much. .....................Denise (prairiemom)

Untitled Comment

08:11, 2006-Aug-6 .. Posted by Janny

Oh how true! Thanks for sharing this :)
~ Janny ~

...about money

07:23, 2006-Aug-13 .. Posted by Anonymous

amen little sister. I know what you mean. We are trying to cut conors ourselves by starting to can jellies and jams. (pst... they sure taste better than the store brand and are thicker too!) :o) Keep up the great work on this website!!!

lisa g.

Wonderful!

02:16, 2006-Aug-15 .. Posted by Anonymous

How insightful and inspirational, Lisa!

Love,
Carla Lynne

You're Right, It's Not About the Money

06:15, 2006-Aug-21 .. Posted by Patti

Lisa,
Back in June 2003, my husband began what turned out to be 25 months of unemployment. While I would never choose to return to those days, I can honestly say that we experienced our Lord then in ways that we never had before. He truly was our Jehovah-Jireh, our provider. We got money anonymously in the mail; we had groceries delivered to our door; my husband was offered some custodial work for a time and then some construction work to bring in a little money. It was absolutely astounding to us. We never went hungry...in fact, we had abundance and were able to invite more people to dinner than we did when he worked. I never had to go look for a job, which would have resulted in no longer homeschooling our children. We joined a Christian medical sharing plan, and the body of Christ worked amazingly to carry our financial burden from a visit to an ER for a kidney stone I had.
In short, this time in our lives was never about the money. Rather, it was about our family seeing the Lord take care of us. We had never needed him to be our Provider before, and now we did. He revealed himself to us and boosted our faith in amazing ways through this time. I keep a praise book, and I have entries where I thanked the Lord for the blessing of unemployment and financial difficulty because it was allowing us to see him in ways we never had before. It was allowing us to experience peace in uncertain times. These were lessons we needed to learn.
July 2005 found my husband back in a job in his field again, but the lessons we learned from that time are eternal.

Untitled Comment

09:15, 2006-Sep-5 .. Posted by OurLittleHomestead

great post lisa :)

thanks for sharing!

Lisa