If you believe God brings bad stuff into your life, then read Psalm 23. The truth is that our sins attract all the negative consequences in our lives. God brings infinite good. God is unlimited love and can only love us. That is who He is. If we are mired in mud, its our own creation. Its the consequences of our decisions. Nevertheless, we have a forgiving God who encourages our repentance. We are called to run back into His arms when we realize we have fallen short of His plan for our lives. The truth is, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23) The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the God who leads us to green pastures. These pastures are green because God is all about fertility, growth and abundance in all things. Deserts, dry land and famine are the work of the devil. And if we are surrounded by poverty & debt we need not look any further than the consequences of our past actions. Greed, hasty decisions and selfishness does not produce fruit. It only creates want. Giving of oneself to another produces fruit. Service to others produces fruit. And this requires a decision to sacrifice and give. Its like an athlete sacrificing time & energy to train his or her body for elite performance–they just refuse to compromise their diets in order to channel their actions to the ultimate goal. The spiritual life works in the same way: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” (John 12:24)
Does God Bring You Poverty?
