Jesus asked, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” Those words awakened something in me. They exposed my lack of faith. I had very little faith, and at times, what little I had seemed lost.
But regardless of what I had, I began to realize that He was all I needed.
I still had a job. Instead of complaining about it as I had done so many times before, I began to thank the Lord for providing me with work and for giving me the strength to do what needed to be done. Complaining had only produced more things to complain about, and my life had become a cycle of troubles.
So I began to thank Him.
I thanked Him for my transportation that got me to the places I needed to be. I thanked Him for provision. I thanked Him for the strength to continue. Through prayer, I asked the Holy Spirit to help me become a good steward of what God had already placed in my hands.
And as I continued onward, my faith grew deeper, wider, and stronger.
Wealth without wisdom can cause more trouble than blessing. Paul warns Timothy to teach sound doctrine, saying, “If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, they are conceited and understand nothing.” Paul continues by warning that unhealthy controversies, quarrels over words, envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions, and constant friction can stem from corrupt hearts that regard godliness as a means of financial gain.
Then Paul says, “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.” He also says, “For the Love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” Some, being eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
This made me think about the prayer of Jabez.
Jabez prayed, “Oh, that You would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let Your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.
But if we are not feeding ourselves with the Word of God, even God’s Word can be taken out of context. Many have looked at the prayer of Jabez as though it were only a prayer for financial increase. I know I once misunderstood it that way too.
But Jabez did not only ask God to enlarge his territory. He also asked for God’s hand to be with him. He asked God to keep him from harm, from evil, and from causing pain.
I believe his faith had outgrown the small space pain had tried to keep him in.
I do not know for sure whether Jabez shared his bounty with others, because Scripture does not tell us what happened after his prayer. But I believe a heart that asks God not to cause pain is a heart being shaped by God. And when God enlarges the territory of a surrendered heart, He also enlarges its responsibility.
God does bless godly men and women with wealth, resources, influence, wisdom, and opportunities. But those blessings are not meant to become idols. They are meant to be stewarded well and shared as God commands.
Paul reminds believers in 1 Timothy 6 to live in a way that honors God’s name. He teaches that those under authority should show proper respect, not because people are perfect, but so that God’s name and His teaching will not be slandered. He then warns about false teachers, greed, and the Love of money.
This is not a warning against provision. It is a warning against worshiping provision.
A rich person without understanding is like the beasts that perish. Wealth cannot save the soul. Increase cannot replace obedience. Territory cannot replace the presence of God. And blessing without wisdom can become a trap.
So Paul tells us to flee from these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, Love, endurance, and gentleness. He tells us to fight the good fight of the faith.
We do not acquire abounding faith overnight. Faith is tried, tested, stretched, corrected, and strengthened through many trials. Sometimes faith begins with a whisper of gratitude. Sometimes it begins with thanking God for the job we once complained about, the car that still runs, the strength to get through one more day, and the mercy that keeps meeting us in our weakness.
I know we will continue growing in faith until Christ returns.
So when Jesus asks, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” I say yes—not because my faith is perfect, but because my trust is in the Author and Perfecter of my faith.
Lord, forgive us for the times we have confused blessing with greed, provision with pride, and enlargement with selfish gain. Forgive us for complaining over the very things You used to sustain us. Teach us to be grateful, wise, faithful stewards of what You have placed in our hands. Enlarge our hearts before You enlarge our territory. Let Your hand be with us, keep us from evil, and keep us from causing pain. Strengthen our faith until the day Christ returns.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Faith grows when gratitude replaces complaint and blessing becomes stewardship rather than selfish gain.
Scripture References: Luke 18:8; 1 Chronicles 4:9–10; 1 Timothy 6:1–12; Hebrews 12:2; Psalm 49:20; Matthew 6:24; Proverbs 3:5–6.
Acknowledgment: Shaped with assistance from OpenAI’s ChatGPT for editing, structure, Scripture organization, and devotional clarity.