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| Money
- how do I cope? |
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you know that money is like seed, provided for us from one source
or another so that we can live and use it for good? God's design
is that money should serve us, not for us to be enslaved by it.
If you want to be prosperous, we need to have a goal to use what
we have or earn for God's purposes - if we do he will bless us,
if not we are on our own.
Christina
Onassis, one of the richest women in the world had to hire somebody
to play tennis with her and go out to supper with her. She had
so much money she couldn't spend it all, yet she lived an empty,
lonely life. At best money can buy people, but not friends.
But today,
we haven't enough to live on: with mortgage, utility bills and
petrol sky high. What is the best way forward? We need to keep
track on our finances with a budget. Try it. You'll be surprised
where your money goes every month. Spending habits show what our
real priorities are in life but look at what the bible says:
a) the top
10% of your income belongs to God. "Bring the tithes into the
storehouse...and I will...open the windows of heaven and pour
you out a blessing,. " (Mal 3:10). God wants us to give to him
cheerfully, not grudgingly. The bible also says that when you
plant generously you'll also reap generously. Give what you have
decided in your heart "in all things at all times having all that
you need you will abound" (2 Cor 9:6-8). When we put God first,
in our lives, in our finances, it is his heart to bless us as
his children.
b) If you
want to guarantee a secure future, discipline yourself to invest
a percentage of your income into savings: even a modest amount,
just make it a priority for your long-term goals.
c) After
tithing to God and saving for the future, aim to pay off all your
financial obligations. Put as much as you can each month towards
diminishing your outstanding debts, even if you have to stretch
yourself and do without a few things for a while. In the long
run you will feel a lot more in control.
A few years
ago as a family we felt God calling us not only to tithe, but
also to invest in God's work in Africa. It meant that we found
it difficult at that time to make ends meet, and sometimes we
cried out to God to help us pay our bills. One Sunday we came
home to find an envelope through our door with an anonymous gift
of £100, which covered all our outstanding needs with some to
spare. This happened to us exactly the same way on a second occasion
a few months later. We still don't know who was so kind, but we
know the God who loves us and provides for all those who trust
in his care. He will never let us down. Make Jesus Lord of your
life, and make money his servant. It will be the best investment
of your life!
 he
Bible says that "the love of money is a source of all kinds of
evil. Some have been so eager to have it that they have wandered
away from the truth and have broken their hearts with many sorrows."
When newly
married, my wife and I attended a Christian conference, and one
of the subjects was 'Money'. The speaker gave some good advice
that we, and not our income, should dictate our standard of living.
At that time we were not well off, but had the prospect of a promising
and financially rewarding career. The temptation with greater
wealth is to get bigger and better possessions, and frequently
to live just beyond that income.
We agreed
to take that advice and to determine ourselves how we wanted to
live from a financial point of view. Although better off, we are
not driven by the need to acquire more, and not held prisoner
to that need. Nor we feel defined in the eyes of others by what
we do or do not have. This is a feeling of great freedom at a
time of financial pressure. It was a decision well made.
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