Financial Miracles and the New Financial Nature

Point of View

There is life in the world, the normal life of activity: buying, selling, working, saving, giving, and caring. The activities of life in the world have the point of view of the world, the expectations of the world, and the satisfactions of the world. We expect a return for our efforts. In work, that return is cash. In volunteerism, it is recognition. In the home, it is respect. In spending, it is good value for a fair price.

That sounds like a peaceful life, except when the expectations are not fulfilled. On the other hand, a man who is not regenerated is never satisfied. We are born selfish and greedy. We seek power and authority. These normal human desires are caused by sin, which is rebellion against God and the commandments He put in place as a standard for living. The first commandment is to love and fear God with all your heart, soul, energy, and mind. The second is to love your neighbor as yourself.

In contrast, the promise of life in Christ has a different point of view, a different perspective, and a different aura. All activities are God-breathed, God-activated, and godly in thought, word, and deed. Life has a new purpose, which is for the glory of God. Life has a new meaning, which includes forgiving, thinking of eternal life, and becoming a new creation through the Holy Spirit. In addition, there is a new security, a new sense of God being in control around us, a feeling of safety in the midst of a storm, a new calmness, a new hope, a friendship with the living God, and a new confidence that prayers are reaching God through our mediator, Jesus Christ. This personal new creation is a life raft in the financial storm, which I call the “New Financial Nature”. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Cor 5:17 NKJV).

I demonstrated this new point of view when I was in the emergency room several years ago. I was in an examining room, separated from other rooms by curtains. When I am in an exam room, I try to be a good patient and not complain about the waiting, the lack of privacy, or the fancy gowns that are required so the nurses and doctors can access my body. Eventually a nurse, a registration lady, and a doctor came in. The doctor called for a CAT computer axial tomography (CAT) scan and oxygen tube.

So I began to get dressed in one of the fancy gowns. When I took off my pants, I put them on a post attached to the wall. An oxygen technician came in, put the tube in my nose, and turned on the oxygen. Later an orderly arrived to take me on the bed to the CAT scan room. I had my eyes closed, and I was resting while he set up. The oxygen technician came in again to adjust the oxygen, and away I went.

When I came back, I saw my pants were still dangling from the post. The back pocket was hanging at about eye level. I checked my wallet and saw that I had been robbed of seventy dollars.

What was my reaction? What would your reaction be? Would you cry out, “I’ve been robbed? Call the police!” There are always security people around in an emergency room, it seems. Would you insist an investigation be started?

My reaction was different. I pitied the thief and thought, “We live in a sinful world.” I did nothing but lie back down in the bed. I did not disrupt the emergency room full of sick patients.

Most people would have been angry. However, when an individual is regenerated “in Christ,” priorities change. We accept the fact that bad things happen to good people. Through faith we know God can provide through thick and thin, including robbery. With each loss or struggle, say to yourself, “I wonder how God will handle this situation?”