Mistake not the deeds of the Lord

Posted on October 26, 2010 by Erik

Yesterday I read an encouraging testimony of God’s faithfulness and I was taken back by how great our God is. But, in my bible study this morning I was reminded of how often we try to assume for ourselves His greatness. This thought was keyed off of Matthew 9:34 which says But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.” While we may not attribute the acts of God in our lives to Satan – we do often fall into practice of attributing those acts for ourselves.

When something great happens to us (eg win the lottery, get pregnant with child) people congratulate you. When you achieve a milestone (eg Get a promotion, get married, pay off your house) people congratulate you. We all know it feels good to be praised but its a slippery slope to think of yourself as deserving of praise. I’d encourage you to use these events to not only praise God but to encourage others to also praise God.

Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness
Pslam 145:3 (NLT)

Filed under: Giving | Tagged: , | Leave a Comment »

Stewardship above reproach

Posted on October 25, 2010 by Erik

Since hearing a sermon on this passage yesterday, I have been thinking about what a life above reproach means with finances. The sermon was on Titus 1 about the qualifications of elders but as our pastor pointed out it is applicable to all Christians because we should be striving to live such a life. In Titus 1, Paul writes twice that the elders must be above reproach:

if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer,as God’s steward, must be above reproach.
Titus 1:6-7 (ESV)

My dictionary widget on my Mac calls out the phrase above reproach specifically, saying it means “such that no criticism can be made; perfect.” Well, perfect is a standard that none of us can live up to but what I think it means is that the criticism would not stick. So, if someone says, “He cheats on his taxes” then others would not believe it.

How do we achieve becoming stewards of God’s money above reproach then? Would people believe that you racked up debt you could not pay off? Wasted away money through risky investments or gambling? Did not try to help when a brother or sister in Christ was in need? Spent more money on toys for yourself than tried to help the sick, poor, and in prison?

I think that is a tough standard to live by. I am certain my life is not perfect but I need to look at the individual areas of it and see how I can strive to achieve becoming above reproach. Here are some ideas about stewardship:

1) Use cash when paying for things when out with someone who does not know you live debt free as called to do so by God.
2) Learn more about and discuss the charities you support so that you are talking about them more than you would a new TV or car.
3) Do not assume too much risk in your investment portfolio.
4) Be thoughtful in how you discuss “play money” so that people do not assume you are wasting it.

What other ways can we show the priority of stewardship in our lives?

Filed under: Thoughts on finances | Tagged: | 2 Comments »

Slay the desire to be noticed

Posted on October 21, 2010 by Heather

As I am continuing my way through the book of Acts during my weekly bible study, I am taken aback at all the verses that involve giving in the early church. The people were of one heart and mind and so they freely gave to one another. In Acts 4 we see Barnabas who “sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet”. For this Barnabas was praised. Then in Acts 5 we read about Ananias and Sapphira who also voluntarily sold a piece of property but “kept back” (which has the same meaning as the word embezzlement) part of the proceeds and then laid the rest at the apostles’ feet. For this Ananias (and the Sapphira) were rebuked by Peter for lying to God and then they each fell over dead.

While Barnabas presented his offering to the apostles freely, Ananias and Sapphira wanted the outward praise of man. They were perhaps jealous of the praises Barnabas received and they wanted to look good in front of the others yet keep a little for themselves. Their sin was not that they held onto some of the money but that they lied to the Holy Spirit.

Applying this thought to today, how often do we give to be recognized by man rather than for the glory of God? Max Lucado comments on this in his new book Outlive Your Life: You Were Made to Make a Difference. He writes

Let the cold, lifeless bodies of the embezzling couple [Ananias and Sapphira] issue their intended warning. Let’s take hypocrisy as seriously as God does. How can we?

1. Expect no credit for good deeds. None. If no one notices, you aren’t disappointed. If someone does, you give the credit to God. Ask yourself this question: If no one knew of the good I do, would I still do it? If not, you’re doing it to be seen by people.

2. Give financial gifts in secret. Money stirs the phony within us. We like to be seen earning it. And we like to be seen giving it. So “when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” (Matt. 6:3 NLT).

3. Don’t fake spirituality. When you go to church, don’t select a seat just to be seen or sing just to be heard. If you raise your hands in worship, raise holy ones, not showy ones. When you talk, don’t doctor your vocabulary with trendy religious terms. Nothing nauseates more than a fake “Praise the Lord” or a shallow “Hallelujah” or an insincere “Glory be to God.”

Lucado goes on to urge readers “Slay the desire to be noticed. Stir the desire to serve God”. Amen!

Filed under: Bible Verses, Giving, Treasures | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

Constant struggle with earthly desires

Posted on October 20, 2010 by Erik

I want a new fancy car. I want a big half million dollar (that’s big in NC) home. I want fancy clothes. I want a sweet home theatre system with stadium seating. I want to take cruises, European holidays, and head to relaxing tropical resorts every year.. I have a lot of earthly desires and I doubt I am alone. Are these bad? I am not wanting to trust in my new car, big house, fancy clothes, toys, or nice vacations. So, that means they can’t be bad, right?

This is one of the most difficult struggles for me. I work in a place where many people who are lower ranked than myself have fancy cars, big homes, fancy clothes, toys, and take exotic vacations more than once a year. How can I remain not jealous but content? How can I not be frustrated by my own circumstances but rejoice in them? Its all about perspective. Jesus tried to explain this to us when He said:

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6:19-21

So, the idea is not to store up wealth in our earthly kingdom but to instead have a kingdom of God view of this world. A kingdom of God view of this world helps you to understand that while yes cars, houses, clothes, toys and vacations are all nice things to have – money is often better spent on the matters that concern God, the one you are called to love with heart, soul, strength and mind.

But, that isn’t easy. Powerboats, lake houses, sports cars, iPads, and many other things are what I desire. (Not saying any of those are bad, but my personal desire for many of these things are rooted in selfishness) So, at my core I am broken because my desires aren’t heavenly minded. So, I pray every day that God will help me to focus my mind’s eye on His kingdom and help align my desires with His desires of my life. The more I stay in His word the more this happens and over time, I have begun to see the change in my desires but when I ride in a nice car or I rent a nice vacation house – I struggle again with those earthly desires.

Can anyone else share how they have struggled or been transformed?

Filed under: Our Story, Thoughts on finances | Tagged: | 1 Comment »

Challenge of focusing on money

Posted on October 19, 2010 by Erik

One of the major challenges of having a ministry vision having to do with money is not getting caught up in the same traps you are trying to help people avoid. By focusing on finances and financial matters, it is easy to get caught up in the love of money or forgetting who God is. I wrote a bit about this in my blog about Neither Poverty Nor Riches where I pointed out that the God inspired writer of that Proverb (Proverbs 30) understood the challenge of being rich and poor – and that was that one might to forget God if given riches or poverty.

Being content with whatever you have is very hard and when your ministry vision is focused on finances since you can easily get caught up in making money, paying off debt, thinking about ways to make more money, and thinking about being powerful since earthly power comes from money. Paul warns of this in Hebrews when he writes:

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”
Hebrews 13:5-6 (ESV)

A mind focused on money will depend on money rather than God. But as Christians, we should be focusing our minds on things of the Spirit. For to focus on money is to set your mind on things of the Flesh and to do that is death:

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.
Romans 8:5-7 (ESV)

So, let us focus not on the love of money by thinking about ways to get more money or always talk about money. Let us instead focus on things of the Spirit and generously giving to God back part of what He has blessed us with.

For a cool bible study on this and more as it comes to contentment, see Paul’s free e-book over at Provident Planning.

Filed under: Links worth sharing, Thoughts on finances | Tagged: , , | 3 Comments »

Next Page »
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.