Consider how many decisions you make because of a promise. From buying a car to tying the knot. A promise is simply a declaration or assurance that a particular thing will happen. In life, there can be consequences for failure to deliver what was promised, which hurts trust in the one who broke the promise.
Spiritually speaking much of what we do and why we do it is built upon a promise; and much of that promise is future focused in eternity. Paul gave some words of hope to the Christians at Thessalonica by speaking of the resurrection of the dead with this simple command, “so encourage each other with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18). Mary was encouraged when Jesus spoke with her at the tomb after his resurrection. Later the other apostles would all be encouraged, and finally, all people would be encouraged to know that God has promised to do the same thing for us that he did for Christ–resurrection from the dead.
However, the promises we have for our life here are nothing to shake a stick at. In fact, God made many promises to us that we need reminding of occasionally. Jesus made some promises at the beginning of his ministry that had more to do with what we will experience if we stay faithful to God before the Judgment Day. In Matthew 5:3-10, Jesus gave his followers some attitudes to live by: The Beatitudes.
There were promises of rewards, protection, guidance, and more. Jesus said to a mixed crowd of believers and skeptics, in Luke 11:13, “So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”
God wants to bless us. He’s made those blessings possible by both modeling someone who trusted in the promises of God, in Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry; and the many stories of people that experienced a fulfilled promise throughout their trials of life. We read in Rom 15:4, “the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God's promises to be fulfilled.”
Perhaps the question to you is, do you believe God has made promises for all parts of your life? If so, do you live like those promises are true, or do you live as though you don’t trust them? We read throughout the bible, written by inspired men that devoted their life to God’s promises, “his truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God—who does not lie—promised them before the world began…” (Titus 1:2).
Discover how God has given us many promises to help you in your walk towards eternity.
Friday, October 28, 2016
Friday, October 21, 2016
Solomon's Investment Strategies
Investments can be exciting. They can also be horrifying. There is a level of skill, boldness, and patience in any good investment strategy. Money can be made quickly, but it can be lost quickly. The key is knowing how to manage the money you have as best as you can for as long as you have it. That may not mean you’ll be rich, just responsible.
Responsible people pay attention to signs, they watch out for dangers, and they listen to good advice. Solomon happened to be the wealthiest guy any of us will ever hear from. Therefore, he’s a pretty good source of learning about what a responsible person does with money, but he’s also a good example of what an irresponsible person does with money.
He gives some great advice in Ecclesiastes 11:1-2, “Send your grain across the seas, and in time, profits will flow back to you. But divide your investments among many places, for you do not know what risks might lie ahead.” Diversify your investments so you won’t have all your eggs in one basket.
Ecclesiastes 5:14, “Money [that] is put into risky investments [will] turn sour, and everything [will be] lost. In the end, there is nothing left to pass on to one's children.” Once again we’re reminded to be responsible. Do your homework. Look before you leap.
However, there does come a time for action. Ecclesiastes 11:4, “Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.” Be assertive. That can be done with a fair level of certainty, but at some point you just got to do it.
Ecclesiastes 11:6, “Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don't know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both.” Try to find multiple income streams to help diversify, and perhaps the extra income can help pay off debts.
The biggest challenge in obtaining wealth is learning how to get rid of it. That may seem counter-productive, but the more we view our money as a tool for God’s kingdom, the less worried we are if we end up with less than our prospectus promises. Solomon said in Proverbs 11:24, “Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything.”
Solomon didn’t always use his money to glorify God, and in the end his irresponsibility hurt his legacy. He said in Ecclesiastes 10:19, “A party gives laughter, wine gives happiness, and money gives everything!” The reality is that too much money really can open all kinds of doors to sin. For Solomon, his abundance of wealth afforded him the ability to seek pleasure in women… lots of women.
Nehemiah said in Nehemiah 13:26-27, “Wasn't this exactly what led King Solomon of Israel into sin? There was no king from any nation who could compare to him, and God loved him and made him king over all Israel. But even he was led into sin by his foreign wives…” Money is a wonderful tool, but it’s a dangerous one. Be careful not to get tangled in the love of it. Money doesn’t care if you ruin your life or not, but God cares very much about your life.
Responsible people pay attention to signs, they watch out for dangers, and they listen to good advice. Solomon happened to be the wealthiest guy any of us will ever hear from. Therefore, he’s a pretty good source of learning about what a responsible person does with money, but he’s also a good example of what an irresponsible person does with money.
He gives some great advice in Ecclesiastes 11:1-2, “Send your grain across the seas, and in time, profits will flow back to you. But divide your investments among many places, for you do not know what risks might lie ahead.” Diversify your investments so you won’t have all your eggs in one basket.
Ecclesiastes 5:14, “Money [that] is put into risky investments [will] turn sour, and everything [will be] lost. In the end, there is nothing left to pass on to one's children.” Once again we’re reminded to be responsible. Do your homework. Look before you leap.
However, there does come a time for action. Ecclesiastes 11:4, “Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.” Be assertive. That can be done with a fair level of certainty, but at some point you just got to do it.
Ecclesiastes 11:6, “Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don't know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both.” Try to find multiple income streams to help diversify, and perhaps the extra income can help pay off debts.
The biggest challenge in obtaining wealth is learning how to get rid of it. That may seem counter-productive, but the more we view our money as a tool for God’s kingdom, the less worried we are if we end up with less than our prospectus promises. Solomon said in Proverbs 11:24, “Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything.”
Solomon didn’t always use his money to glorify God, and in the end his irresponsibility hurt his legacy. He said in Ecclesiastes 10:19, “A party gives laughter, wine gives happiness, and money gives everything!” The reality is that too much money really can open all kinds of doors to sin. For Solomon, his abundance of wealth afforded him the ability to seek pleasure in women… lots of women.
Nehemiah said in Nehemiah 13:26-27, “Wasn't this exactly what led King Solomon of Israel into sin? There was no king from any nation who could compare to him, and God loved him and made him king over all Israel. But even he was led into sin by his foreign wives…” Money is a wonderful tool, but it’s a dangerous one. Be careful not to get tangled in the love of it. Money doesn’t care if you ruin your life or not, but God cares very much about your life.
Friday, October 14, 2016
Money Maintenance
In the shop, a jig is a pattern that helps provide repeatability, accuracy, and versatility in building something. In theory, a jig reduces mistakes; but it may have taken a lot of trial and error to come up with a working jig. Similarly, when you finally figure out how NOT to live, what NOT to say, or anything like that, it’s important that you find a way to help with your new change so you don’t end up repeating that behavior again at some point later on. Groups like AA, NA, Celebrate Recovery, even Weight Watchers, and other accountability programs try to offer the help you need. All this requires a new way of thinking; and this is obviously true of spiritually, too. If we’ve been accustomed to reacting to people selfishly, in anger, or lustfully, we will have to determine where our problem is and come up with a solution, or build a jig.
Paul said in Ephesians 5:17, “Don't act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.” God defined how he wants us to live from the very beginning. And all throughout scriptures he continues to point to the way that will change our thinking so as to avoid living sinfully.
Hebrews 5:14 says in regards to how a mature person’s understanding of Scripture helps with life, “Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.”
All this being said, once we make a big lifestyle change like trying to live debt free, or living outside of some other kind of bondage, we must continue on the right path that enables us to continue to live free. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:27, “I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”
In many ways, the path to financial freedom has similar steps needed for the path to spiritual freedom. Both require recognizing the danger of staying where you’re at (before freedom), and then developing a strategy to keep from going back to bondage. Paul warned us in Galatians 5:1, “So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law.”
Do you have a plan to maintain, or achieve, financial responsibility? More importantly, do you have a plan for spiritual maintenance in your life? Since money can be such a dangerous tool it’s important that we guard ourselves from greed and discontentment, which will lead us back to financial and probably, spiritual bondage. Thankfully, God gave us plenty of instructions on both issues. Culture may tell you to indulge in any pleasure, but we know that following that path leads to bondage, destruction, misery, or even separation from God. Let’s be “faithful unto death” so we can receive the real treasures that God has prepared for those who love him and obey him.
Paul said in Ephesians 5:17, “Don't act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.” God defined how he wants us to live from the very beginning. And all throughout scriptures he continues to point to the way that will change our thinking so as to avoid living sinfully.
Hebrews 5:14 says in regards to how a mature person’s understanding of Scripture helps with life, “Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.”
All this being said, once we make a big lifestyle change like trying to live debt free, or living outside of some other kind of bondage, we must continue on the right path that enables us to continue to live free. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:27, “I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”
In many ways, the path to financial freedom has similar steps needed for the path to spiritual freedom. Both require recognizing the danger of staying where you’re at (before freedom), and then developing a strategy to keep from going back to bondage. Paul warned us in Galatians 5:1, “So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law.”
Do you have a plan to maintain, or achieve, financial responsibility? More importantly, do you have a plan for spiritual maintenance in your life? Since money can be such a dangerous tool it’s important that we guard ourselves from greed and discontentment, which will lead us back to financial and probably, spiritual bondage. Thankfully, God gave us plenty of instructions on both issues. Culture may tell you to indulge in any pleasure, but we know that following that path leads to bondage, destruction, misery, or even separation from God. Let’s be “faithful unto death” so we can receive the real treasures that God has prepared for those who love him and obey him.
Friday, October 7, 2016
The Messiah's Model of Money Management
There are two things that are commonly acknowledged as the driving force
of people – power and money. And the more money you have, the more power is
assumed. Therefore, it doesn’t take much to see that money is a huge factor in
our society; and it always has been. And yet many churches shy away from
preaching about money, and if they do it typically comes in the form of “give to
the church more,” or something like that.
Let's look into the role of money in our life as a Christian and better ways to be in the driver’s seat when it comes to managing the money you have. The holiday season is a time when many folks end up getting themselves in a pinch because of the lack of discipline and wisdom.
But Jesus shared several tips about money that reveal the contentment factor that Jesus wanted us to have with material possessions. He said in Matthew 6:31-34, “So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat, drink, or wear? These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today.”
Ultimately, He helped us see that a treasure in heaven is far more valuable than a treasure down here (Matthew 6:20). That takes a lot of contentment, and that contentment comes from our faith in His ability to take care of us just as He said He would.
Hebrews 13:5-6, “Don't love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, I will never fail you. I will never abandon you. So we can say with confidence, The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”
While we know the verses, it’s still hard to let go of the pursuit of money when we live in a culture that seems to have a one-tracked mind to obtain more of it. We can learn a lot about others, or even ourselves, by looking deeper into how we deal with money.
Let's look into the role of money in our life as a Christian and better ways to be in the driver’s seat when it comes to managing the money you have. The holiday season is a time when many folks end up getting themselves in a pinch because of the lack of discipline and wisdom.
But Jesus shared several tips about money that reveal the contentment factor that Jesus wanted us to have with material possessions. He said in Matthew 6:31-34, “So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat, drink, or wear? These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today.”
Ultimately, He helped us see that a treasure in heaven is far more valuable than a treasure down here (Matthew 6:20). That takes a lot of contentment, and that contentment comes from our faith in His ability to take care of us just as He said He would.
Hebrews 13:5-6, “Don't love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, I will never fail you. I will never abandon you. So we can say with confidence, The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”
While we know the verses, it’s still hard to let go of the pursuit of money when we live in a culture that seems to have a one-tracked mind to obtain more of it. We can learn a lot about others, or even ourselves, by looking deeper into how we deal with money.