As followers of Christ we have heard so many warnings on the dangers of greed, avarice, and hoarding wealth at the expense of others. So much so that many tend to equate money as the root of all evil.
Yet the bible also teaches us to respect the value of money and the impact that in can have on our lives and that of others. In fact, proper management of finances and wealth is something that Jesus himself advocated.
In Matthew 25, the parable of the talents, we see the story of the servant who received his master’s money but instead of putting it to good use, he instead choose to hide it away. This earned him his master’s anger and rebuke, who also decided to take his talents away for he had failed to use it.
“Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him, that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth”
The moral here is that accumulating wealth is not in itself an act of evil. In fact, God wants us to share in his abundance of joy and spread the love that we have received with all of our fellow brethren. For those who have acquired wealth through proper use of our talents and Christ’s teachings shall be given more.
The principle of saving money is one that we are called to do. In fact it is our responsibility to ensure that we are able to meet the needs of our families and to prepare for any contingencies. Those who have enough for themselves are also in a better position to help others around them.
Today St. Patrick comes with an important message that God desires for you to be financially stable, and full of Godly wealth. You ought to bank your faith in God for He has plans for you to prosper and to succeed financially so that you may also use your talents to help others. He knows the honest intentions of your hearts and your desire to do good in His name.
When we lead through life dependent on our strength, we place ourselves at peril of encountering adversities. God does not fascinate when we are suffering through shortage. He is telling us that we will keep our banks of life afloat by seeking God in our lives.
Trusting In God
Victory comes to those who bank their lives with God. This is by entrusting your life to God and believing that everything that happens as you lead through it is an affirmation of his will. Have hope that your bank balances will not dwindle after sending your help to someone as God has promised to replace that with more.
You will not starve just because you shared your food with someone who needed it the most. God will find a way to channel his help perhaps through someone and your bank of life will delight following a deposit of more blessings.
In your bank of life, the purpose is to maintain your trust in God that with the inevitability of predicaments, he will not allow them overcome you. He will help you remain strong that with their consequences on you, you will not be damaged but instead determined to live another day assured that you will triumph in all your undertakings.
God is destined to see you reap the most from his resources and having the chance to breathe into another day shows that you are yet to accomplish what he intends for you.
Helping the Needy
The only debt you have is loving each other. One of the ways to show love is by helping those who are enduring tribulations in their lives. The saint is telling you that it does not necessarily mean that you have to be wealthy so as to grant help.
The little you share goes a long way in securing more in your bank account. In fact, when you give to the poor, you are lending God and he will fully repay you. Anything you do to save someone from encountering a shortage in their lives has a reward from God.
Bank your faith in God that even after giving the little you had, he will compensate for it. Do not be discouraged when your reward is not fulfilled in your timing because God has made a commitment to fulfil all his promises at his own timing.
Giving Thanks
When a deposit of abundance is made in your life, you ought to show gratitude. Being thankful shows you are conscious and executing God’s will through his son, Christ in your life and it provokes more grace upon it.
In whatever situation you find yourself in, be it good or bad do not hesitate to be grateful. As a result, you will allure deliverance from all your hardships. A better relationship with God will sprout when you acknowledge the help bestowed upon you.
Saint Patrick is telling us to give thanks to the Lord at all times for keeping our banks of life afloat which separates us from misery. His love for us drives him to safeguarding our lives aside from sinning against him.
He moulded us in his own image and likeness, therefore he recognizes us as his most treasured gifts. You ought not to take this as an advantage but instead intent to transform your ways to assure a bounty account of life.
When someone gives you something no matter its measure, always remember to be grateful as it is a way of inspiring them to give you on another day when you will face a deficiency. God will offer his supplication upon you in every way so that you can be willing to help on every occasion. Through others your generosity will conclude to being grateful to God for his grace upon you.
Prayer to Saint Patrick
“Dear Saint Patrick, I am thankful for providing me with an insight of how to keep my bank of life afloat through doing acts that fascinate God and draw him towards my life.
Let me always seek to put my God-given talents to good use and for the benefit of others.
Help me to live responsibly and to ensure that I have enough to provide for all the predictable and unpredictable needs of my family.
Give me the courage to not hide away my talents, but to use them to their fullest extent for the glory of God’s holy name.
I will give kindly and contribute my best to make the world a better place.
And when I am encumbered and in need, I place my utmost faith in the Lord that he will send me His aid in all its abundance,
St. Patrick, I beseech you to intercede for me.
Pray for us.”
Amen.
