You get so you can give

2 Corinthians 9:11

You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

There are a growing number of preachers who teach that God wants us all to be prosperous and that the Gospel means He came so we could have wealth. If you are poor, they reason, it must be because you do not have enough faith. Some even propose that if you donate too little to the church, then you don't have enough faith and therefore you should question whether or not you are saved.

Funny how the preachers known for this doctrine fly around in their private multi-million dollar jets. But what about those who were following and trusting in God in the New Testament? Was the Apostle Paul rich? Were his finances related to how much he was trusting God? No, the Bible teaches that God never promised that everyone would have financial profitability on this earth, but instead He assured us of eternal profitability. He did not promise to save our bank account, but to save our souls.

This is why many of the Christians in the first century willingly suffered persecution and death knowing that their reward was to spend eternity with Jesus. However, this verse teaches us that when the Lord blesses us with money, His purpose is for us to be generous towards others. God doesn't want us to put our trust in money, because it will soon pass away. The purpose of getting money is so that we can bless others and they, in turn, will thank God because of it. We should give, expecting nothing in return. So find someone in need today and give to help them. Let God get the credit for giving you the means to be generous.