Sermons
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October 25, 2009
Sermon #4 - Defined by Generosity
As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.
(1 Timothy 6:17-19)
Some give freely, yet grow all the richer;
others withhold what is due, and only suffer want.
A generous person will be enriched,
and one who gives water will get water. (Proverbs 11:24-25)
Those who are generous are blessed,
for they share their bread with the poor. (Proverbs 22:9)
I. There is A Theological Foundation for a Generous Life
A. We are Created to Be Generous; but Tempted to Hoard
God created us with the willingness to give—to God and to others. This design is part of our makeup; we actually have the need to be generous. Intuitively, we know this. Yet there are two voices that “war” against our God-given impulse toward generosity, tempting us to keep or hoard what we have.
1. The voice of fear.
Fear, of what might happen to us, along with a misplaced idea about the true source of our security, keeps us from being generous and leads us to hoard what we have. To hold onto as much as possible. One of my former churches would insist on holding onto $5,000 in the general fund account from one year to the next, even if they’d not paid all of their obligations, and I couldn’t persuade them otherwise. What I couldn’t get them to accept was the truth is that hoarding offers us no real security in this world.
2. The voice of self-gratification.
Our culture tells us that our lives consist in the abundance of our possessions and pleasurable experiences. So we find ourselves thinking, If I give, there won’t be enough left for me.
B. Defeating the Voices
When we give our lives to Christ, invite him to be Lord, and allow the Holy Spirit to begin changing us from the inside out, we find that our fears begin to dissipate and our aim in life shifts from seeking personal pleasure to pleasing God and caring for others. Although we still may wrestle with the voices from time to time, we are able to silence them more readily and effectively the more we grow in Christ. And the more we grow in Christ, realizing that our lives belong to him, the more generous we become. Generosity is a fruit of spiritual growth.
C. Biblical Reasons to Give to God and Others (not because I say so)
· We find more joy in doing things for other people and for God than we ever did in doing things for ourselves. (Acts 20:35)
· In the very act of losing our lives, we find life. (Matthew 16:25)
· Life is a gift, and everything belongs to God. (Psalm 24:1; Leviticus 25:23)
D. Biblical Guidelines for Giving
From the early days of the Old Testament, God’s people observed the practice of giving some portion of the best of what they had to God. A gift offered to God was called the first fruits or the tithe, and it equaled one-tenth of one’s flocks or crops or income. Abraham was the first to give a tithe or tenth.
· Genesis 14:20b- “Abram gave God one tenth of everything.”
· Genesis 28:21-22- “(Jacob) I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the lord shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house; and of all that you give me I will surely give one tenth to you.”
· Leviticus 27:30-33
1. Giving a tithe.
As Christians who live under the new covenant, we are not bound by the Law of Moses; we look to it as a guide. Yet most Christians agree that the tithe is a good guideline for our lives, and one that is pleasing to God. That is a graphic and a somewhat humorous portrayal of what we know can happen in many of our lives. The pressures and distractions begin to consume us. By the time we get around to God, there is not much left. (True for our time as well.) And, we may even take that one last bite before we offer it to God.
Though tithing can be a struggle, it is possible at virtually every income level. If you cannot tithe right away, take a step in that direction. Perhaps you can give 2 percent or 5 percent or 7 percent. God understands where you are, and God will help you make the adjustments necessary for you to become more and more generous.
2. Giving beyond the tithe.
Tithing is a floor, not a ceiling. God calls us to grow beyond the tithe. We should strive to set aside an additional percentage of our income as offerings for other things that are important to us, such as mission projects, schools, church building funds, and other nonprofit organizations.
II. What Our Giving Means to God
A. How Does Our Giving Affect God?
From the earliest biblical times, the primary way people worshipped God was by building an altar and offering the fruit of one’s labors upon it to God. They would burn the sacrifice of an animal or grain as a way of expressing their gratitude, devotion, and desire to honor God. The scent of the offering was said to be pleasing to God. It wasn’t that God loved the smell of burnt meat and grain. Rather, God saw that people were giving a gift that expressed love, faith, and the desire to please and honor God; and this moved God’s heart. When given in this spirit, our offerings bless the Lord.
B. What is God’s response to our giving?
· Luke 6:38
· Matthew 25:14-30 Parable of the Talents (esp. 29a)
III. How Our Generosity Affects Us
A. Through It Our Hearts Are Changed
When we are generous—to God and to our families, friends, neighbors, and others who are in need—our hearts are filled with joy. They are enlarged by the very act of giving. When we give generously, we become even more generous.
B. In It We Find the Blessings of God (Malachi 3:10)
Many Christians have it wrong. They say that if you give, then God will give more back to you. But that is not how it works. We do not give to God so that we can get something in return. The amazing thing is that when we give to God and to others, the blessings just seem to come back to us. Of course, there is no guarantee that if you tithe you will never lose your job or never have other bad things happen to you. Nevertheless, when we give generously, the unmistakable blessings of God flow into our lives. Amen.
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October 18, 2009
Sermon #3 - "Cultivating Contentment"
Good morning! I’d like to start with two quotes that I believe capture the essence of God’s message for us this morning.
“Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a person’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions."
Jesus’ words from Luke 12:15 that we just heard read.
James Mckintosh, Scottish philosopher and politician of early 19th century, put it this way:
“It is right to be contented with what we have, but never with what we are.”
What did Jesus and Mr. Mackintosh mean by these words?
We are often discontented with the things that God wants us to be content with. Things, such as:
· Our stuff – all those things that we have been convinced that we desperately need and can’t live without
· Our jobs
· Our churches
· Our children
· Our spouses
On the other hand, we are content with those things that God wishes us to be discontent with. God actually wired our hearts to be discontent with certain things, so we would seek God as the only One who can fully satisfy us.
We are meant to yearn to know God more, to pursue a deeper, more meaningful relationship through prayer and the study of God’s Word, to seek after justice and holiness with increasing intensity, to love others more, and to grow day-by-day in godly grace, character and wisdom.
Please notice that God expects us to grow and change. If our faith life is comfortable, God is not happy, and neither are we. Our God-given gifts, talents and experiences are meant to be used to the fullest, in service to God. If you want to live a rich, full, God-inspired life, you can expect to be unpopular, uncomfortable and broken on a regular basis.
I’m going to take a leap of faith and assume that at some point the Holy Spirit will convince you that these words of Jesus and Mr. Mackintosh are true. And that the propaganda we are bombarded with every day by way of the media, our friends and family will start to sound a bit hollow.
So, here are four keys to cultivating contentment that you might want to consider. I’ll list them and then explain them in more detail.
First – Remember that “it could be worse”
Second – Ask yourself “How long will this new thing make me happy?”
Third – Develop a grateful heart for the blessings you have
Fourth – Ask yourself, “Where does my soul find true satisfaction?”
Let’s look at these one at a time.
First, regardless of what the world tells you about what you should be discontent with, always remember those four simple words: “It could be worse.”
- If you long for a fancy new car to replace the perfectly adequate one you have – say to yourself “It could be worse.”
- If you’re trying to convince yourself that the home you have is too small and outdated – tell yourself “It could be worse”
- If you see an ad for a popular new gadget that you think you can’t live without – count to 10 and say “It could be worse.”
What’s the point of all this? It provides some much-needed perspective on what we think we want versus what we really need. It also should remind us of Jesus’ words – that our focus should not be on what we own, but Who owns us. Finally, it causes us to look on the bright side – focusing on what’s in the glass and not what’s missing.
Second, the satisfaction we find in our stuff, whatever that might be, is always temporary. If I strain my memory I can recall what it was like in the weeks and days leading up to Christmas when I was a child – all the anticipation of the wonderful presents that Santa was going to bring and how happy I thought I was going to be. When Christmas morning came, I would hurry to see what was under the tree with my name on it, and quickly rip open all my presents. Usually, it would only take a couple of hours before I was tired of playing with my new toys or, worse yet, fighting with my brother or sister over one of their toys.
This feeling wasn’t limited to my childhood. I remember driving back from a car dealer the summer after I graduated from college. I had just traded in my nerdy VW Beetle for a classic Porsche. As I drove home, I passed a fancier sports car – I don’t even remember what it was. What I do remember was saying to my Dad – “Cool car! That’s the next one I’m going to own!” Well, I drove that Porsche all over the country – from coast to coast and then back to Chicago where I had my first job. A few years later I got married and not long after that I traded in my well-worn Porsche for our first brand new car – a Chevy Vega – the ultimate in hyped-up, family-style, planned obsolescence!
So, always ask yourself, before you buy anything – “How long will this make me happy?”
The third point is related to the first one, because if we realize that “It could be worse,” we should have a grateful heart and thank God for the blessings that God has provided.
To the extent that we stop and consider all of the blessings that God has showered on us, we will tend to be content and thankful rather than unhappy and always looking for more.
Pastor Adam used the example of the special gift he spent a lot of time shopping for to give to a good friend. Pastor Adam was really hurt when the friend took one look at the gift and asked for the receipt.
Have you ever had that happen to you? How did you feel?
Do you think maybe this is the way that God feels when God blesses us with something, only to have us turn around and look for something “bigger and better?”
Fourth and finally, we come to the fundamental question that’s really at the heart of all this: “Where does my soul find true satisfaction?”
What is it that will really fill that yearning in my heart? Can I find it in the supermarket, or the department store, or at the car dealer? Or is it really true that it is more blessed to give than to receive?
Even the MasterCard ads admit that there are some things that money (and plastic) can’t buy. What are those things? Could they be Love? Happiness? Deep-down satisfaction?
In closing, I’d like to leave you with a list of four steps that Pastor Adam proposes for simplifying our lives:
#1. Set a goal of reducing your consumption, and choose to live below your means. I know this sounds anti-American, but I prefer to think of it as anti-American Dream (or Nightmare). The good news is that this is what many families and individuals are choosing to do or forced to do in light of the current economic crisis. They’re actually paying attention to this message. The bad news is that everyone is doing this at exactly the same time!
#2. Before making a purchase, ask yourself, “Do I really need this?” and “Why do I think I want this?” Understanding the difference between wants and needs is one of the most fundamental questions that we face every day. With all of the advertising and peer pressure around us, admitting that we don’t really need something is almost as hard as someone with an addiction admitting that they have a problem and need help.
#3. Use something up before buying something new. We should take care of what we have and use those things until they are worn out. Even then, there may be someone else who would be blessed to receive what we’re ready to part with. If you have an hour or two, Maria can tell you lots of stories about how she begs me to part with cars and clothes long after they’re worn out and out-of-style. I now get hand-me-up clothing from my two sons!
#4. Ask yourself: Are there major changes that would allow me to simplify my life? Some suggestions to consider are:
· Selling a car and buying one that you’re able to pay for in full, thus, eliminating a monthly car payment
· Downsizing your home – moving to a home that requires less time and money to carry
· Getting rid of something you don’t really need – a club membership, a season ticket, or premium TV channels.
Remember that if you can’t do all the things that God is calling you to do, and you’re unable to find joy amidst all the activities that you do, maybe it’s time to simplify your life in some major ways.
And by the way, I believe this message of simplifying our lives applies to us as individuals, to our families and to our church family.
I hope these four steps have given you some practical ideas of ways in which you can cultivate true contentment in your life.
I would urge that we all spend time in the next days and weeks listening to God’s calling on our lives, and let the advice of our Lord and Savior be reflected in our thoughts and actions. That is, to -
“Be on [our] guard against all kinds of greed; [because] a person's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions."
I’d like to close with the words from TobyMac’s latest song:
“If you gotta start somewhere, why not here?
If you gotta start sometime, why not now?”
We have a short video clip to view with an example that Pastor Adam used with his sermon on Cultivating Contentment. In his introduction to this clip he quotes Ben Franklin saying:
“Contentment makes poor men rich, but discontentment makes rich men poor.” Wouldn’t each of us rather be persons who are poor but who have contentment, rather than those who have everything, but don’t even realize it? As we watch the video, we should ask ourselves, what’s really important in our lives?
2-minute video
Closing Prayer:
Lord, we are truly sorry for the times we have received gifts from you and asked for the gift receipt, unsatisfied with the person you have entrusted to our care, unsatisfied with our spouses, our children or our parents, unsatisfied with our home or our car, our health or our jobs. God, forgive us for the times we’ve offended you by our discontent. And forgive us for being content with the things we were not supposed to be content with. Help us to have a yearning to pursue righteousness and holiness, justice and love, to long for you and your will for our lives. Help us in this. Help us to simplify, to get off of the treadmill, and to find in you our peace. We ask these mercies in your holy name, Amen.
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Sermon given by Mr. Philip Welch, Jr.
Laity Sunday, October 18, 2009
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October 11, 2009
Sermon #2 - Wisdom and Finance
The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to want. (Proverbs 21:5)
Precious treasure remains in the house of the wise, but the fool devours it. (Proverbs 21:20)
Where Did All Our Money Go?
A. Living as Prodigals
From Jesus’ description in Luke 15:11-16, we see that the prodigal son had the habits of squandering and spending. The word prodigal does not mean someone who wanders away or is lost. It literally means “one who wastes money.” A prodigal is one who wastes money, who is a spendthrift. Many of us struggle with that habit as well. We’re not worried about tomorrow. We want it today. The problem with that kind of thinking is that, for most of us, the “famine” that comes up later in the prodigal story, eventually comes. It comes when we have spent everything we have and even a little bit or more than a little bit of next year’s income. So we use the credit card and charge it, and we go a little further into debt. Finally, we come to a place where we “find ourselves.” We find that we have nothing left, not even any credit, and we can’t figure out how we are we going to make it.
B. The More We Make, the More We Waste
It seems that the more financially secure we become, the less we worry about spending money here and there. We waste a dollar on this or that, and we forget where it went. Money just seems to flow through our fingers. We’re not as careful with our money as we should be. There are many ways we waste money, but there are two primary money-wasters that many of us struggle with. It is not necessary to eliminate these two things all together, but we should think more carefully about how we spend our money.
1. A big problem for some people is impulse buying.
Tips for avoiding impulse buying:
· Never go grocery shopping when you are hungry.
· Shop for what you need only.
· Make a list and stick to it; buy what you need and get out of the store!
· Wait twenty-four hours before purchasing an impulse buy.
2. Another big money waster is eating out
The issue is frequency. The average American eats out an average of four times a week.3 Of course, this is primarily tied to our hectic schedules and the convenience of not having to prepare the meal or clean up afterward. That leads us to the subject of the proper use of our time, but that is a topic for another day. By eating out less frequently, we will have more money to save, spend on something more important, or to give away.
II. Now Let’s Talk About Clarifying Our Relationship with Money and Possessions
We do not exist simply to consume as much as we can and get as much pleasure as we can while we are here on this earth. We have a higher purpose. We need to know and understand our life purpose—our vision or mission or calling—and then spend our money in ways that are consistent with this purpose or calling.
A. Be Clear About Your Purpose and Calling
Our society tells us that our life purpose is to consume—to make as much money as possible and to blow as much money as possible. The Bible tells us that we were created to care for God’s creation. We were created to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves. We were created to care for our families and those in need. We were created to glorify God, to seek justice, and to do mercy. Our money and possessions should be devoted to helping us fulfill this calling. We are to use our resources to help care for our families and others—to serve Christ and the world through the church, missions, and everyday opportunities. We have a life purpose that is greater than our own self-interests, and how we spend our God-given resources reflects our understanding and commitment to this life purpose or mission.
B. To begin doing this, we must set worthy goal.
Being able to accomplish the greater purposes God has for our lives requires some measure of planning. Taking the time to set goals related to our lives and our finances is crucial if we are to become wise stewards of our God-given resources. Each of us should think about our life purpose and goals and then identify two short-term financial goals, two mid-range financial goals, and two long-term financial goals that are aimed at helping us to accomplish our broader life goals. At least one goal in each category should relate specifically to our faith. (Suggestion: Use the bulletin insert “My Life and Financial Goals Worksheet.”)
III. The Discipline of Managing Your Money
A. The Necessity of a Budget/Spending Plan
Once we have set some financial goals, we need to develop a plan to meet those goals. A budget is a spending plan that enables us to accomplish our goals. Some people use an envelope system to help them manage their saving and spending and stay on budget. Others use a variety of different approaches. Many people find it helpful to seek the advice of a financial advisor. For those who find themselves in the midst of a financial crisis, a financial counselor can help to work out terms with creditors and develop a workable financial plan. Whatever approach you choose, the important thing is simply to have a plan. (Suggestion: Show the video clip “Finding Financial Stability.”)
B. Six Financial Planning Principles (Pass out)
The following financial planning principles can help us to manage our money with wisdom and faith:
1. Pay your tithe and offering first.
Put God first in your living and your giving. Give your tithe and offering from the “top” of your paycheck, and then live on whatever remains. “Give God what’s right, not what’s left.”
2. Create a budget and track your expenses.
Creating a budget is simply developing a plan in which you tell your money what you want it to do. Tracking your expenses with a budget is like getting on the scales: It allows you to see how you are doing and motivates you to be more careful with your expenditures. (Suggestion: Use the bulletin insert “Basic Budget Worksheet.”)
3. Simplify your lifestyle (live below your means).
Because this discipline is critical to the success of any financial plan, next Sunday’s sermon will be devoted to this topic.
4. Establish an emergency fund.
An emergency fund is an account separate from checking or long-term savings that is set aside specifically for emergencies. Dave Ramsey recommends beginning with $1,000 and building that to three months’ worth of income.4 When you have this amount, you won’t need to use your credit cards anymore.
5. Pay off your credit cards, use cash/debit cards for purchases, and use credit wisely. Dave Moore was telling the Men’s group that you should only use credit cards if you can pay them off each month.
As you are building your emergency fund, begin to pay off your credit card debt and start using cash or debit cards for purchases. Some experts suggest starting with the credit card that has the highest interest rate. Others suggest paying down the smallest debt first, experiencing that victory, and applying your payments from the first card to the second, and so on, creating a snowball effect to pay off the cards as soon as possible. Cut up your cards as you pay them down so that you are not trapped or leveraged by your future for present-day pleasure, as the prodigal son was. If you must use a credit card, such as when traveling or making purchases online, be sure to pay off the debt monthly. If you are unable to do this, then it is better for you to cut up your cards and stop using them altogether.
6. Practice long-term savings and investing habits.
Saving money is the number-one wise money management principle everyone should practice. We do not save merely for the sake of saving. There is a word for that: hoarding. Hoarding is frowned upon in the Bible as the practice of fools and those who fail to understand the purpose of life. Saving, on the other hand, is meant to be purposeful. There are three types of savings we should have: 1) emergency savings, 2) savings for wants and goals, and 3) retirement savings.
Resources for Developing a Budget
http://www.crown.org/Tools/Calculators/Budgeting_SpendingPlan.asp
This is a fun and helpful budgeting calculator that automatically generates a suggested budget based upon the user’s inputs and Crown’s recommended expenditures.
http://crowncanada.ca/resources/CrownSpendingPlan2.pdf
This is another Crown resources site focused on budgeting and financial freedom. There is good information here.
Getting Out of Debt
Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University offers a great deal of online information including his approach to reducing debt found at this site: www.daveramsey.com/the_truth_about/get_out_of_debt_4055.html.cfm.
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3 “Statistics About Eating Dinner Out,” by Magali Rheault, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine, October 2000; findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1318/is_10_54/ai_65368848.
4 The Total Money Makeover, by Dave Ramsey (Thomas Nelson, 2007); pp. 102–08.
Sermon 2 - Budget Worksheet Sermon 2 - Financial Goals
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October 4, 2009
Sermon #1 - When Dreams Become Nightmares
Outline
Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith, and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Timothy 6:10b, NIV)
The lover of money will not be satisfied with money; nor the lover of wealth, with gain. This also is vanity. (Ecclesiastes 5:10)
For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? (Matthew 16:26)
I. The American Dream
A. What Characterizes the Greatest Hopes, Desires, and Dreams of Most Americans?
For most people, the American Dream has to do with a subconscious desire for achieving success and satisfying the desire for material possessions. It is the opportunity to pursue more than what we have, to gain more than what we have, and to meet success. We tend to measure our success by the stuff that we possess. This ought not to be news to us. Anyone who has kept even a cursory watch on American culture over the years can’t help but have come to the same conclusion. We are a consumerist society, and as the last couple of years have pointed out dramatically, and in some cases, tragically, it has been consumerism run wild.
B. The Pursuit of Immediate Material Pleasure
The love of money and the things money can buy is a primary or secondary motive behind most of what we Americans do. We want to consume, acquire, and buy our way to happiness—and we want it now. We have this feeling, deep within us, that the more we acquire, the more meaning life will have. This psychological and emotional dynamic has grown inversely with the decrease in the significance of religious faith in many people’s lives.
(Video Clip- The Economic Crisis)
We’ve talked about how our desire for more, more than we need and more than we can afford, has fueled individual financial disasters. This style of living and consuming has become an American way of life. Let’s listen to a couple of economists to see how these same human vulnerabilities have affected the larger markets and the current crisis and even why our keenest economic advisors didn’t fully see this latest crisis coming. What part has human nature played?
(CLIP)
(After clip)
Over the next few weeks we are going to explore that question- how can our faith help us overcome our natures and help us live the lives God planned for us. We’re going to look at what the Bible says about wise and prudent use of our money, how we begin to find contentment in simpler living, and tips so that we don’t feel that need for immediate gratification grabbing our soul all the time. Then the last week we’re going to talk about a real key to this; and that’s generosity. So that’s the road map.
II. The American Nightmare
The American Dream has become an American Nightmare due to two distinct yet related illnesses that impact us both socially and spiritually.
A. Affluenza
Affluenza is the constant need for more and bigger and better stuff—as well as the effect that this need has on us. It is the desire to acquire, and most of us have been infected by this virus to some degree.
· The average American home went from 1,660 square feet in 1973 to 2,400 square feet in 2004.
· Today there is estimated to be 1.9 billion square feet of self-storage space in America.1
B. Credit-itis
Credit-itis is an illness that is brought on by the opportunity to buy now and pay later, and it feeds on our desire for instant gratification. Our economy today is built on the concept of credit-itis. Unfortunately, it has exploited our lack of self-discipline and allowed us to feed our affluenza, wreaking havoc in our personal and national finances.
· Average credit card debt in America in 1990 was around $3,000. Today it’s over $9,000.2
· The average sale is around 125 percent higher if we use a credit card than if we pay cash, because it doesn’t feel real when we use plastic instead of cash. So, when we’re using plastic, we tend to buy more stuff and more expensive stuff.
· Credit-itis is not limited to purchases made with credit cards; it extends to car loans, mortgages, and other loans. The life of the average car loan and home mortgage continues to increase, while the average American’s savings rate continues to decline. Just a few years ago, the longest term you could get for a car loan was 48 months. Now you can get 72 months or even more, so we’re paying more interest over a longer period of time.
III. The Deeper Problem Within
A. There Is a Spiritual Issue Beneath the Surface of Affluenza and Credit-itis.
Our souls were created in the image of God, but they have been distorted. We were meant to desire God and the Kingdom of God, but we have turned that desire toward possessions. We were meant to find our security in God, but we find it in amassing wealth. We were meant to love people, but instead we compete with them. We were meant to enjoy the simple pleasures of life, but we busy ourselves with pursuing money and things. We were meant to be generous and to share with those in need, but instead we selfishly hoard our resources for ourselves. There is a sinful nature within us.
B. The Enemy Plays Upon This Sinful Nature.
Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). The devil doesn’t need to tempt us to do drugs or to steal or to have an extramarital affair in order to destroy us. All he needs to do is convince us to keep pursuing the American Dream—to keep up with the Joneses, borrow against our futures, enjoy more than we can afford, and indulge ourselves. By doing that, he will rob us of joy, make us slaves, and keep us from doing God’s will.
· Matthew 4:8-10
· Luke 8:14
· Mark 8:36
· 1 Timothy 6:10
· Those are some descriptions of the problem.
IV. Here’s The Bible’s Solution
A. We Need a Heart Change
Although we receive a changed heart when we accept Christ, in a sense we need a heart change every morning. Each morning we should get down on our knees and say, “Lord, help me to be the person you want me to be today. Take away the desires that shouldn’t be there, and help me be single-minded in my focus and my pursuit of you.” As we do this, God comes and cleanses us from the inside out, purifying our hearts.
B. We Must Allow Christ to Work in Us
Christ works in us as we seek first his kingdom and strive to do his will. As this happens, we begin to sense a higher calling—a calling to simplicity and faithfulness and generosity. We begin to look at ways we can make a difference with our time and talents and resources. By pursuing good financial practices, we free ourselves from debt so that we are able to be in mission to the world. A key part of finding financial and spiritual freedom is found in simplicity and in exercising restraint. With the help of God, we can:
· simplify our lives and silence the voices constantly telling us we need more
· live counter-culturally by living below, not above, our means
· build into our budgets the money to buy with cash instead of credit
· build into our budgets what we need to be able to live generously and faithfully
God wants us to be happy. God wants us to have lives that are fulfilling and meaningful. That can only happen if, and when, we begin to reverse the damage done to us by Affluenza and Credititis. It can happen, and will happen, when we begin to rely on God instead of things. Amen.
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1 “Self-storage Nation: Americans Are Storing More Stuff Than Ever,” by Tom Vanderbilt, July 18, 2005; http://www.slate.com/id/2122832/.
2 “Credit Card Debt Statistics,” by Mark Brinker, August 2008; www.hoffmanbrinker.com/credit-card-debt-statistics.html.
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