The Currency of Faith

I Samuel 16:7b, "For man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

Currencies have buying power.  Five dollars here in the USA buys a Big Mac meal from McDonalds.  The same American five dollars when converted into Philippine Pesos buys several Big Mac meals.  The currency exchange rate currently is around 56 Pesos to the Dollar.  The currency exchange is not always a good way to judge the value of a currency.  Adam Smith in his book Wealth of Nations suggested that how much corn a currency could buy was a better determinate of its real wealth.  The problem with his assumption is that corn is a product subject to the laws of supply and demand.  But he was on to something, the true measure of a currency is not its denomination, but its buying power.  That is sort of like the true measure of our walk with God.  The outward appearance doesn't matter to God, but our yielded heart does.  The amount of a Christian we have on the outside isn't what God measures us by.  Hypocrites and Pharisees look real spiritual, but inside they are utterly bankrupt.    For God doesn't look at the outward appearance, but on the heart.  We can on the outside appear like great Christians, but how is our walk with God?  Where is our focus in life?  On the things above or on the things of earth? Colossians 3:2  Where is our faith?  In God or in worldly things?  When we pray does  God hear our prayers of does a cloud of sin prevent our prayers from being answered?  Our outward appearance does not fool God.  Where is our heart?  'My son give me thine heart.'

A US Dollar, Philippine Peso, and Japanese Yen all appear to be a piece of paper with some imputed value.  Without knowing exchange rates, we may assume that they are equal in buying power.  But when the buying time comes a single Yen doesn't have the buying power of a single Peso, and the single Peso doesn't have the buying power of the Dollar.  The same can be said of us Christians.  We can stand side by side at church and each of us look alike, but when the buying time comes there are differences.  The Sunday Christian only is like a Yen or Lira with little buying power compared to the Peso or the Dollar.  The sold out surrendered Christian is better than a Peso or a Dollar, which are limited in buying power!  God has promised to give surrendered Christians the desires of their heart!  Psalms 37:4, "Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart."  God's power is unlimited!  He created the world out of nothing.  He created the raw materials that you and I use paper money to buy.  As we surrender to God, we gain the blessings of God.  Matthew 6:33 & 7:7  and Hebrews 11:6  Are just a few reasons we should be totally surrendered to Christ!  What is your value in the kingdom of God?

What makes a Dollar worth a Dollar?  Or a Peso worth a Peso?  Is it because it is a piece of paper with some wonderful artwork on it?  Or maybe the dead presidents pictured on it give it some value?  The answer to these questions is obviously no, those things are not what gives that piece of paper value.  What gives a currency value is people's faith in the government that issues the currency.  The US government promises to back that piece of paper.  So if no one has faith in the government, then that piece of paper becomes worthless, because in reality the US government doesn't have anyway to make good on its promise.  Without people's faith in the Dollar, the Dollar becomes as useful as rough toilet paper.  Now our faith in Jesus Christ and His promises is a different story.  Now let's see His backing is that He is the Son of God, equal with God, One of the Trinity!!!!  He is the Alpha and Omega, Almighty God, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords!  His backing is God the Father and God the Holy Spirit!!!!!  There isn't anything too difficult for God!  The promises of God are yes and amen!  So then, where is our faith?  Is our faith in pieces of paper made my man issued by governments or is our faith in our True King Jesus?

People work all their lives to accumulate worthless pieces of paper backed by governments that can't back up their promises.  People sometimes fight and kill over their love of money.  'The love of money is the root of all evil.'  Possessions fade away, but the treasures of heaven are eternal!  People work, plan, make decisions based on worthless pieces of paper called currency.  Some people allow their financial worries to keep them from doing what God has called them to do.  God Who created the world out of nothing, Who put a silver coin in the fished mouth for the Disciples, Who used a few loaves of bread and some fish to feed the thousands, God Who abundantly supplies all our needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus, yes our God when He calls us to do something has the ability to make the way for His will to be done!  He can overcome our petty worries about a piece of paper called money.  We just have to trust Him!

What is our goal and are we doing what God has called us into?  Are we looking at the things above of the things here on earth?  Are we allowing our worries to keep us from serving God?  Is there anything too difficult for God?  What are we trusting in?

The Bible tells us to have no other gods before Him.  What is your God today?

Are we a yen as a Christian or a ton of gold?  The yen is considered to have less value than the dollar, because of people's perception of it.  The US Dollar is considered the benchmark against which other currencies are measured.  Yet the Dollar isn't worth the paper it is printed on, neither is the Yen.  Both currencies are just fancy colored paper.  Faith is the difference in their values.  (If we can place faith in fancy colored paper called money, then why can't we trust an all powerful God with our faith?)  Faith is the difference in our value with our walk with Christ.   Are we a victorious Christian or a defeated one?  The difference between the two is our faith in God!  The more we trust Him, the more valuable we are to His Kingdom.

People rest in the security of money, Christians rest in the eternal security of God!

If we wish to be of extreme value for the kingdom of God, then we just need to exercise our faith!  We need to walk by faith and not by sight!  We need to lay all our worries, fears, and doubts at the foot of the cross.  Colossians 3:1,2  If we are saved, then we have been raised with Christ in newness of life.  We need to set our minds and affections on the things above and not on the things of earth.  We need to do all that we do to the glory of God!  We don't serve men, we serve the Lord God of Heaven!  From the Lord comes our reward!  If we sow to the flesh, then from the things of the flesh we will reap corruption, but if we sow to the Holy Spirit, then we will reap life everlasting!  Let's truly seek God with our whole hearts and not just for appearances sake.

Some people are at church just for appearances sake.  The Dollar isn't as pretty as the Yen, but the outward appearance is deceiving.  The Dollar is worth about 109 Yen.  The same is true of professing Christians.  A Christian who is truly on fire for God can see more accomplished than 100 lukewarm Christians!  No matter how we seem on the outside, it is what is in our hearts that matter.  The Christian can change their value by drawing close to God.  We don't have to remain of little value in the work of God.  We can accomplish much, but then we have to use our faith.

John 14:14 Whatever we ask in the Name of Jesus believing we will get it.  True faith always lines up with the will of God, but wishful thinking doesn't.  Faith has the correct focus.  With our focus on Jesus and seeking and doing His will, then we walk by faith and not by sight.  We are then granted the desires of our heart! Psalms 37:4  Wishful thinking on the other hand focuses on fleshly things.  Praying for a new BMW or a mansion to consume upon our own lusts is wishful thinking.  James 4:3  An example of fleshly thinking is the Lottery.  Here in Florida, 1 out of 14 million win the lottery.  You are two times more likely to die in a car accident on the way to buy the ticket, than win the lottery.  You are, also, two times more likely to get struck by lightning than win the lottery.  Yet everyone thinks they will win the lottery, and no one plans on dying.  Fleshly thinking is wishful thinking.  People think about earthly things that are fantasies before they think of realities.  100% of people will die, less than 1% of people will ever get rich.  Yet people are concerned about getting rich, and very few are worried about meeting their Maker.  John 14:13,14 is a promise to Christians only.  Those verses are based on faith based thinking, not wishful thinking.  In order to claim these verses we must be saved and totally surrendered to God.  John 15:16  If we are totally surrendered, then we can take these verses and claim them just like we claim John 3:16 for salvation.  God promises to keep His Word!

A Christian totally surrendered to God, able to claim the promises of God unhindered is of more value than all of the money in the world!  A currency generally cannot change its value drastically in a second or two, but a Christian can.  We pray to God with a sincere heart and give our lives back over to Him, then our value goes through the roof.  Yielding to God is the beginning of a victorious Christian life!

When we are saved we repent of our sins and throw ourselves on the mercy of God.  We accept Jesus and His work on the cross as our only way to heaven.  We give our hearts and lives to God.  We yield to Him at salvation!  Whey do we ever try then to live the Christian life any other way than yielded to God?

Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart.  He knows your heart and my heart.  Let's pray and ask God to examine our hearts.  If we aren't where we need to be, then let's give our lives back to God. 

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P.S.  A final point to consider is that outward appearances are deceiving and people can lead us astray, if we put our trust in them instead of God.  Seemingly Christians can destroy churches and lead us astray.  Our focus must always remain on God.

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