How to Get Money

God owns everything.
The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; (Psalms 24:1 NIV)

Often times our approach toward money starts with the person or persons who have the money.  Maybe it's your parents or the small business owner who gave you your first job.  Perhaps your sights are set a little higher in a bigger organization, so you focus on the education, the relationships, or the politics necessary to move up.  Someone might, as an example, try to get the connections and training necessary to work at NASA because of their 18 billion dollar budget or because they have spent over a half a trillion since their creation in 1958.

There's a big bucket of money to tap into there.  But how does the result of NASA's work, travel to the moon and the planets, compare to the actual moon, planets, and stars?  God's budget is much, much greater.  There's nothing wrong with wanting to work at NASA.  Just do it because you are good at science and you enjoy space exploration, not because you want a piece of the financial pie.  When it comes to financial resources, turn to the owner of everything as your starting point.

God wants to provide what we need.
So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. (Matthew 6:31-32 NIV)

God wants to provide for our needs.  This is good, since God owns everything.  We would be in bad shape if God wanted to keep it all for Himself.  But He doesn't.  God knows our needs and wants to provide for them.

We should ask, ...

Give us today our daily bread. (Matthew 6:11 NIV)

There's nothing wrong with asking God to provide.  In fact, this simple act serves as a great reminder that God owns everything.  It is good to turn to God, rather than a person, organization, or institution, for provision.  God may provide through a person, a company, or an organization, but God is the one who really provides.

...work for Him...
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3:23-24 NIV)

This is where things start to get difficult for folks.  We can choose whether or not we will accept God's provision by our decisions to follow God or not.  When we rebel against God, God does not promise to provide.

Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. (Ephesians 4:28 NIV)

When we work for God, He does promise to provide for our needs.

Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free. (Ephesians 6:7-8 NIV)

It's completely up to us.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33 NIV)

...(His Kingdom...

"This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:9-10 NIV)

Seeking God's Kingdom does not mean leaving a job in the private or political sector to work in a church.  What it does mean, however, is that we actively participate in God's Church to work as Christ's Body to go and make disciples of all nations.  Seeking his Kingdom is active work.  We invite people, make coffee, prepare music, create videos, worship together, study Scripture together, fellowship, feed the hungry, house the homeless, clothe the naked, visit prisoners, teach children and youth, and much, much more all to participate in God's Kingdom work.  This happens whether we have a "real job" or not.  This is seeking His Kingdom.

...and His Righteousness), ...
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.' For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Matthew 6:12-15 NIV)

Seeking His Righteousness does not mean that we become a Bible-thumper who quotes Scripture at people with every sentence.  It does mean, though, that we live by His Word and walk by His Spirit.  We do not compromise our integrity whether we are alone, looking for employment, working for an employer, or together with family or friends.  No matter where we go, we are to be the same people: people of God.

...and thank Him for His provision.
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (James 1:17 NIV)

When we seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness, all these things are given to us.  God provides for all our needs because we are working toward His priorities.  It's kind of like helping a friend move and he provides pizza for the people who come to work that day.  We don't have to worry about getting food to eat so we can focus on the more important project at hand.  God not only provides the pizza, but the sense of fulfillment as well because God's projects are always really, really important.  So thank Him for both the pizza and the project.  They are both a gift from God.

Why I don't worry about money.

When I left Cincinnati, OH to move to a town I had only heard about because their University had a competitive basketball program, a lot of people started hanging around Life Bridge to hear what this new kid had to say.  People were interested in the new church God was calling us to plant, but more than that, people were interested in the transition our family was making.

Many of the discussions those early years were about money.  Folks were enamored by the fact that I had left a promising, well paying, career at a fortune 500 company to plant a church in a place I knew very little about.  I was glad people were asking, because it gave me an opportunity to talk about the impact God had on my life.  The reactions, though, were very mixed.  Either people were enamored by my dedication to God and His will or they walked away shaking their heads in confusion.  The second group didn't understand why I would have made such a "stupid" move.