Investments 15

 How should a Christ follower be shrewd with investing money? How can you and I use our resources to invest in eternity?

So much of my time as a young parent was spent worrying about getting buy. Raising kids is increasingly expensive and today’s rising inflation makes the problem even more complex for many. I don’t think God has a clip board checking off what we spend our money on but the reward is great if we are creative in developing a plan that has an eternal impact.

‭‭Luke‬ ‭16:8-9‬ (‭MSG‬‬)

“Now here’s a surprise: The master praised the crooked manager! And why? Because he knew how to look after himself. Streetwise people are smarter in this regard than law-abiding citizens. They are on constant alert, looking for angles, surviving by their wits. I want you to be smart in the same way—but for what is right—using every adversity to stimulate you to creative survival, to concentrate your attention on the bare essentials, so you’ll live, really live, and not complacently just get by on good behavior.”

"God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply."  - Hudson Taylor

God isn’t looking for people of great faith, but for individuals ready to follow Him.

Hudson Taylor

Wise Money Managers 14

 How should a Christ follower be shrewd in planning ahead? How far ahead should a person make financial plans, yet trust God?

We have the luxury of so many resources in our culture to help us make financial decisions. I feel like I’ve been far too conservative with investments for the future, especially with investing in Kingdom based organizations. Investing in you g people, especially our own children has been most rewarding. Developing a baseline in their lives gives a springboard for God to do the rest.

“Eventually, all earthly causes will fail. Only the plan of God will succeed. The Lord is our shield, our glory, and the One who lifts our head. In this life we will have problems, but God encourages us.” - Warren W. Wiersbe, Prayer, Praise & Promises: A Daily Walk Through the Psalms

Treasure 13

Rick Warren has very thought provoking applications. How is the use of money a test? How are our wallets and bank accounts a way for God to trust us? We have often commented that our mail man and banker know far more about us than most people perhaps that’s changed with everything going digital. But if we are faithful with the ordinary small decisions we make, He will do the extraordinary. Even though much of life is mundane, our everyday decisions with money and other resources say so much about us

Matthew‬ ‭6:19-21‬ (‭MSG‬‬)

“Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.”

Shrewd with Money 12

 How should a Christ follower be shrewd With money? How can a Christ follower appropriately be called shrewd? How is the way we use our money a reflection on our faith?

Rick Warren advises: Don’t waste your money. Don’t love money. Don’t trust money. Don’t expect your money to satisfy.

I’m wondering if I master these four things, my heart is being transformed into His Kingdom rather than conforming to the world’s standards.

“Speaking to the people, he went on, “Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭12:15‬ (‭MSG‬‬)

“The one who loves money is never satisfied with money, Nor the one who loves wealth with big profits. More smoke.”

‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭5:10‬ (‭MSG‬‬)

Two quotes:

“Four Lessons on Life 1. Never take down a fence until you know why it was put up. 2. If you get too far ahead of the army, your soldiers may mistake you for the enemy. 3. Don't complain about the bottom rungs of the ladder; they helped to get you higher. 4. If you want to enjoy the rainbow, be prepared to endure the storm.” - Warren W. Wiersbe

“In our universe there is God and there are people and things. We were made so that we should worship God, love people and use things. However if we worship ourselves, we will ignore God, start loving things and begin to use people.” - Warren W. Wiersbe

Unity?

 “I have a serious concern to bring up with you, my friends, using the authority of Jesus, our Master. I’ll put it as urgently as I can: You must get along with each other. You must learn to be considerate of one another, cultivating a life in common.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭1:10‬ ‭MSG‬‬

“If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care—then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:1-4‬ ‭MSG‬‬

Don’t try to comfort yourself with verses like John 15:18: “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.” The world currently hates us not because we resemble Jesus but because we don’t.

Francis Chan, Until Unity

The Lord in His sovereignty chose for us to live in this time, so we must trust that He will give us grace to navigate through this with strength and love.

Francis Chan, Until Unity

When love is shallow, all it takes is something as trivial as a disagreement to divide us.

Francis Chan, Until Unity

In many ways, we have lost a sense of the true holiness of God, and that has caused pride to grow and fester in the church. Everyone seems to start out with the assumption that his or her opinion of God is right, rather than recognizing that all of us have an incomplete, flawed knowledge of God.

Francis Chan, Until Unity

Promises & Goals 11

 

How have the past two years created a “what if list of scenarios, preventing you from some goal accomplishments? How can we refocus to set new character development goals?

The past few months have changed the way we set goals,  resulting in my own change in perspective on life.  I hope that I’m less self suffice to and more dependent on our Creator and King  

“Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the Yes of Jesus. In him, this is what we preach and pray, the great Amen, God’s Yes and our Yes together, gloriously evident. God affirms us, making us a sure thing in Christ, putting his Yes within us. By his Spirit he has stamped us with his eternal pledge—a sure beginning of what he is destined to complete.” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1:20-22‬ ‭MSG‬‬ 

Two quotes that relate to today’s devotional: 

“Once a man was asked “What did you gain by regularly praying to God?”The man replied, “Little. But let me tell you what I lost: anger, ego, depression, insecurity, and fear of death.”  Sometimes the answer to our prayers is not gaining but losing.” - David Cassidy

“We saw a sign that said, “Beware of falling rocks!”  If we saw falling rocks, should we immediately stop the car and perhaps cause an accident?  Should we speed up and try not to be a target? Or should we just watch and pray, trusting God to keep the rocks from falling? We never did find out.” -  Warren Wiersbe, The Defining Verse, p.78 (so is much of life today)

Loving Others 10

 

What is causing so much division and lack of love in our culture?  Why do church members get caught up in rabbit trails of discussion?  We could discuss and argue so many different angles on a lot of topics.  When I was in college, I read a short little book by Dr. Francis Schafer based on John 13:34-35.  His words stuck - “the world has a right to judge whether we are Christians by the love we demonstrate.”  No doubt, the world’s largest philanthropies and humanitarian efforts have begun by Christ followers.  More good has been accomplished by Christians working together than apart.  I need to keep my own opinions in check as I work with fellow believers, encouraging others to keep the main thing the main thing.  Two quotes related to today’s reading:

“It takes humility and grace to love others, but it also takes humility and grace to allow others to love us. The beautiful thing about a submissive spirit is that it can both give and receive to the glory of God.” - Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Transformed (John 13-21): Christ's Triumph Means Your Transformation

 “Our lack of praise may actually be the biggest cause of our divisions. Once we stop worshipping, all hope for unity is lost. This is what unites us: we can’t stop talking about the treasure we have in Jesus. It’s hard to start an argument with someone who is on her knees shouting praises to Jesus, especially when you’re busy blessing the Lord as well. Many of our problems could be reconciled if we discussed our concerns on our knees before a Holy God. We can’t allow the Enemy or our enemies to interrupt our praise. Worship is our path to unity.

Francis Chan, Until Unity