Money

 

Those who love money will never have enough.  How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness!  Ecclesiastes 5:10

Being a proud graduate of Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University, I selected today's passage because I have shared Dave’s advice on buying insurance with several friends and clients recently.    

There was a time, not too long ago, in our household, that we followed Dave Ramsey's recommended budget worksheets, paid for everything with cash, and paid off of our debt, including both car notes.  After our second son was born, we got lazy with our budget, and fell off the proverbial  "Financial Peace wagon."  

We realize that the pursuit of money and possessions is merely a façade in which people are deceived into thinking that if they only had more, they would be content.  We both know that true contentment comes from spiritual wealth and not material wealth.  We understand that we are stewards of God's money and that He will never fail to provide us with what we need. Knowing all of this, why do we struggle so much with the concept of money?  I can only imagine, but I don’t think that we are the only married couple that struggles with this.

I believe that our only hope is to keep an eternal perspective and realize that true happiness is found in our relationship with God.  God has never let us down before, so why would He start now?

Praise be to God from whom all blessings flow. 

My Father's Eyes

 

The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. Psalm 103:8

Our beliefs about God are without a doubt more important than any other beliefs we have. If you grew up with a parent or authoritative figure that was always angry at you, most likely you will feel the same way about God. If you believe that God is always angry with you, you will be defensive and fearful of Him.

It's when you believe that God shows you deep love, grace, and mercy, that you can live in the joy of being forgiven and knowing that heaven waits you after you leave to earth.

You can live freely and without fear knowing that God extends His grace to each one of us.

Hope In A Hopeless World

 

All glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.  Ephesians 3:20

I recently came across some notes I had written down during a sermon I heard at Cokesbury several months ago.  The message was a profound statement about how Jesus didn't discriminate between the people He loved and offered His grace and mercy to. 

The same holds true for us as believers.  We are to all offer this world hope, one person at a time, loving them into a relationship with Christ, regardless of what shape or situation a person is in.

When faced with our own struggles, we sometimes fail to put enough hope into God, expecting too little from Him.  Just pick up your Bible and read Scripture, and you can rest assured that God never lies to us.  He is incapable of doing bad or breaking His promises to us.  Knowing that and all of the amazing things He has done for each of us in the past, why would anyone have any reason to believe that God would let us down now?

God wants to bless us more abundantly than any of us can possible imagine, so put your faith, trust, and hope in the sovereign Lord of the universe! 

Fly By Night

 

In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall.  2 Samuel 22:30

The past few weeks have been challenging.  I have faced some recent adversity and work has been tiresome, to say the least. Whenever I begin to daydream about an easier path for my life, I remain grateful that I face new challenges each and every day.  While things may be difficult at times, I continue to be blessed with many new opportunities to help and serve others, and because of that, I am truly content. 

You see, challenges keep us from getting too comfortable with where we are and prevent us from just accepting the status quo. This would certainly be frightening if we do not have God leading the way, but even when we don’t necessarily enjoy when things don’t come easy, we should certainly enjoy the adventure with God.

Regardless of whatever difficulty or challenge you are facing, be sure to do it with God at your side!

I Keep Forgettin'

 

“I love the Lord, for He heard my voice; He heard my cry for mercy. Because He turned His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live.” Psalm 116:1, 2

Do you have people in your life who only seem to talk to you when they want something? Conversations that solely revolve around the other person’s needs or demands make it hard on a friendship or relationship. These one-sided relationships can lead to us feeling used and/or manipulated.  Sadly, I regret that I treated my wonderful parents as the proverbial ‘ATM machine’ during my years at Auburn University.  I would stop by the house to visit briefly with my folks and then hold my hand out and ask for a check or some cash to help bail me out of my careless spending habits.

I have a feeling that God must feel much the same about us when we only approach Him with our needs and desires. We’ll gladly give Him our prayer requests without spending any time praising Him or taking the time to thank Him for our past blessings or seeking a relationship with Him. We  have no problem praying for future events without even acknowledging His help, provisions, and blessings in the past. Our forgetfulness is an indication of our ingratitude toward God and it renders our prayers ineffective.

God loves each of us, but doesn't want to be taken for granted either.  He also doesn't want to hear our lists of needs and wants every time we pray to Him without an effort on our part to truly know Him and be in a relationship with Him.

When we face difficult times, we must look at the past and acknowledge all that God has done in our lives.  We must spend more time thanking Him and praising Him, so that our blessings glorify Him!

Papa's Home

 

"God has moved into the neighborhood making His home with men and women.  They're His people, He's their God."  Revelation 21:3 (The Message)

I have been working a lot of late nights recently and have even been on the road for work with a pretty filled October, so needless to say I have felt like I have been missing out on time at home with my family.

There is nothing like the excitement of children (or your dog and cats) greeting you after returning from a long day of work or after returning home from out-of-town business trip. So, it leaves me wondering just how will I react when I am finally see the face of my loving Father. How will He greet me?

The day is coming when we will finally meet God, face-to-face.  Do you have hope knowing that one day He will 'Wipe the tears away from our eyes" with His hand?

Heaven (Must Be There)

 

God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.  Matthew 5:3

A good friend, mentor, and pastor, John Gargis, once told me something that I have never forgotten: “It teaches me so much when I meet someone that has absolutely nothing and still shows gratitude!  It teaches me that gratitude is not about your circumstances.”  I agree with brother John and the above verse from Matthew also comes to mind.

You see, if you believe that Jesus died for your sins and you recognize that only He can forgive you, you can rest assured that you are going to heaven to spend eternity by His side.  There is nothing you can do and there is no way to earn your way into heaven; it’s God’s free gift to those who admit their need for a Savior.

Thanks be to God for His never-ending love, mercy, and grace!