You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
Deuteronomy 8:17-18 NIV
The financial wealth of the world belongs to a small percentage of those who live in it. Yet, there are many people who struggle to merely survive. Is this what God intended? Since everything belongs to God, who are the truly rich and powerful? No one on this planet got wealthy by doing everything alone. Two hands can only produce and hold onto so much and that's all each of us has to work with outside of God's provision. Perhaps this is why the Bible instructs us to share with those less fortunate. We are to freely give just as we have freely received from God's bounty. We are to love our neighbors and help those in need, especially if we claim to love our Provider. If God gives us the ability to produce wealth, who are we listening to when we don't lift up our neighbors with the abundance He bestows upon us individually? These Words of God are Old Testament, but God does not change. He still gives and He still takes away, no matter how tightly we hold on to what we think we deserve to keep for ourselves.
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