Greed, Gideon, and Goodness of God

For the longest time I have thought that God was going to use me to give millions and millions of dollars away to the work of His service for the advance of His name...I don't think so anymore.

I have always been thinking about, trying to be creative toward, finding the next big business that would explode, the money would just start flowing like a waterfall (into my wallet that is, not out), and I would then have millions and millions of dollars at my disposal to give to the Lord's work as He so leads. Give ridiculous amounts anonymously, rescue children from horrific situations, plant churches, give financially to start care facilities, etc.

These are all incredibly important things that I believe are very close to the heart of God. YET, the Lord knows where I am susceptible to succumb to temptation. Here are some things the Lord has been revealing to me:

1. I can say 'I want to honor the Lord' and worship the false god of greed in the same sentence'

2. God is so gracious to keep 'good things' from me because He knows how quick I am to get comfortable, trust in bank accounts, clients, myself...so that my trust remains in Him and not in the things of this world.
What if the Lord 'blessed' me with $2.5 million and it was all used for good causes, but at the same time it caused me to trust in myself, and hardened by the deceitfulness of sin? What a tragedy that would be. Thank you Lord for keeping me dependent upon You.

3. If I had to much $$$ (prosperity, security in worldly possessions, etc) I would WHORE after them. (Scary imagery, but biblical).

4. I am easily snared, trapped, deceived, snookered, by the love of money.

Father, thank you for your gracious hand of love and patience. Thank you for keeping vast riches from me, though I tell myself I would use it to proclaim Your name. You know my frailty, my temptations, my weaknesses. Thank you for Christ Jesus who was vastly rich and became forsakenly poor so I, Dustin Conrad Greenup, could know the riches of knowing Christ Jesus.

I truly do thank the Lord that there are Christ-Followers who love Jesus and whom God has allowed to make millions and millions of dollars. I pray that God would bless them and cause HIS face to shine upon them and that their resources would be used to magnify Him to the ends of the earth and to proclaim that He is God and not stuff.

About a month ago our growth group (community group, small group, etc.) was studying Judges chapters 6 through 10 and it was some incredibly challenging passages regarding the life of Gideon.

  God was so good, gracious and patient with Gideon and consistently took him through faith building situations in which he could not trust in himself, but in the God who would provide for him.


   8:27 And Gideon made an ephod of it and put it in his city, in Ophrah. And all Israel whored after it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family.