Facing the Giant of Moneyনমুনা

Don’t be a Gehazi person 

‘Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love.’ Romans 13:8 NIV 

We all have people who’ve blessed us in ways we can never forget and we must honour them. But there will always be a few who want more than they’re due. They are the ‘Gehazi people’. Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, couldn’t stand to see Naaman receive his healing without capitalising on it. He wanted more than he was due and in the end his greed caused him to die of the very leprosy God had lifted from Naaman (see 2 Kings 5:26-27). 

This ‘I-am-forever-grateful-to-you’ syndrome sounds noble, but actually it robs God of the glory, because it suggests that you are where you are because of who He used. Promotion comes only from God! Furthermore, if He uses somebody to sow into your life, they should look to Him for their harvest, not you. We shouldn’t give with strings attached or take credit for what God has done in somebody’s life. Look out for the leeches who try to overtax you and leave you in debt for life. These hangers-on want to fly when they see you going higher and they can be hard to shake off. 

That may mean some hard choices on your part, like choosing between being ‘a nice person’ or fulfilling your destiny. Refuse to put niceness above your own well-being or to continue making payments on a debt that was paid off long ago. Burn the mortgage and move on! Paul writes, ‘Give to everyone what you owe them...Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love’ (Romans 13:7-8 NIV). 

Prayer Point:

I give You all the glory, Lord, for every blessing and miracle I have received into my own life. I thank You, Lord, for what You have done and now look forward to what You are going to do. Lord, let me not boast in my success to others less well off than me, but help me when I speak to turn the attention and the praise back to You. I pray that I would be a mirror of Your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.