Do you think the work of the gospel would benefit from more money, or is hindered by a lack of resources? Do you find any account in scripture of me taking up an offering? My word is silent on this matter except to suggest that Judas was the treasurer for our group. My disciples and I had to eat like everyone else. I spoke about laying up treasure in heaven rather than on earth, and similar statements about money, but money was not a factor in my ministry. It is the task of every believer to trust me for daily bread, and this includes those laboring in the harvest. I will not let the work I have called you to fail for lack of resources, and I love cheerful givers. 

Are you a picky eater? You are blessed if you have available to you a wide variety of food that is fresh and free of pathogens. Even so not everyone eats as wisely as they could. Some faith traditions have strict dietary laws, as my own did. But I made the point that it is not what goes into a man’s mouth that defiles him, but what proceeds from his mouth. For your food passes through you and is eliminated but your words originate from your mind or your heart and indicate the condition of it.  Are you as concerned about what you put in your mind as what you put in your mouth?

Do you believe that my judgments are righteous and true? Are you still convinced of this when they are applied to you? Do not mistake my judgments for my wrath. You understand that children need correction, and you are my children. A father chastens every son whom he receives, and the sons understand that this is for their own good even if they don’t enjoy it at the time. Haven’t you already seen that I have led you in a way that was good for you even if you wouldn’t have chosen it at the time? I want you to understand that my judgments are righteous and true even when they apply to you. 

Do you think of vocation as the training you get for a job as an alternative to going to college for a profession? This term has not always been understood in this way. In some faith traditions it means the work that you perform in response to a spiritual calling, whether it is paid ministry with credentials or not. Your culture has a commercial bias, which teaches you to think that activities matter if  they make money. Yet haven’t you found yourself drawn to some tasks and find them rewarding and fulfilling whether they make money or not? I will provide your needs. Think of your life’s work as making a difference even if it doesn’t make money.