Proof Jesus Was Not Poor

I heard a great message this morning that gave Biblical proof that Jesus was not poor. I encourage you to put your doubts and prejudices aside and listen to the below link with an open mind.

Once you click the link below, pick the Tuesday, March 31 message under “God’s View of Prosperity.”

http://www.kcm.org/media/index.php?p=media

To Budget or Not To Budget?

As a Christian, I see a practical and spiritual side to having a personal budget.

First, God told us in Proverbs that wisdom is the principle thing and we are to seek it. I would think that having a plan (i.e. budget) for our finances would be a wise thing to do.

Second, God told us to owe no man anything but to love him therefore debt is not in God’s plan for us. If that’s the case, then we need to learn how to manage our money in a way so that we don’t get into debt situations.

Third, I think the debt situation that some people are in is because of poor money management and poor planning. This is the practical side of a budget. A budget is a way to plan where your money is going to go before you actually spend it. Once the money is spent it is difficult to get it back. You are stuck with the results. But, if you plan how you are going to spend your money ahead of time (with the discipline and dedication to only buy what you have cash to pay for) this will help to prevent overspending which leads to debt.

Fourth, a budget is a great reality check for those who aren’t good with finances. Keeping track of finances doesn’t come natural for everyone but that isn’t an excuse to not properly manage your money. When you actually lay out all of your bills on the table and you total that up, you get a good picture as to where your money is going. Once you have that information, you can now start making the difficult decisions about where to cut back or how to more wisely spend.

Fifth is the spiritual aspect. God said He would supply all of our needs and that we would be lacking for no good thing IF we honor Him, seek Him, obey Him, and put Him first in EVERY area of our life. God has a million ways to make you a millionaire in a day however many of us haven’t proven ourselves faithful stewards in the little therefore we can’t expect much.

As you grow in your faith and your obedience to Him, you will start to see God’s blessing manifest in your life. You won’t need a budget as much anymore because you live by faith and you live according to God’s system of sowing and reaping. Please note that this doesn’t give you a license to buy what you can’t afford. But what it says is that you aren’t limited by what you currently see.

If God wants you to have a new car, you keep believing and standing in faith and God will give you the money so you can go buy it. (Or He may have someone give you a car for free!) The important point to note is that I didn’t say you should go buy the car and then believe God will provide the money some day. You should only do that in the rare situation where God specifically tells you to buy before you have cash in hand. Because again, God said that we are to owe no man anything but to love him and if we were to buy without the money that would be incurring debt. God cannot go against His Word so if He said do not go into debt then He won’t ask you to do something that will put you into debt.

Well, this may be an odd place to end but I think I will call it quits for tonight. Have a great evening!

The American Dream Is Not . . .

Contrary to popular belief, the American dream of wealth, homes, and tangible goods is not handed out for free. The American dream is earned by hard work, integrity and honesty.

Have you noticed that everyone seems to misunderstand the “entitlement” part? We are entitled to the PURSUIT of happiness. That means we are to be allowed to pursue, chase after, or work towards it. It doesn’t mean it is handed out. We are entitled to work hard, demonstrate good character, act ethically and morally, and be a blessing to others. These actions and attitudes, along with a relationship with Jesus, are what produce true happiness in the end.

We’ve seen people try to obtain wealth unethically, immorally, and without character and integrity. As we all now know, this may work temporarily but will eventually end in ruin. Unfortunately, many good people were taken down by those who were trying to take shortcuts to the American dream. It has been a painful time for many people but I hope it has brought an awakening to the corruption in our country. Jesus is coming back soon and He is coming to take the righteous (those in right standing with the Father) back home. This country needs to repent of its evil, immoral and irresponsible actions and make a turn towards the things of God. We need to pray that God will have mercy on our country and that He will hold back judgement on the nations. This may be the last chance to turn back to God before judgement comes. In spite of the tragedies around us, God still has great things in store for us. Stay close to Him and find the wonderful life He has planned for you!

Are You Robbing God?

Did you know that we help to determine if we see God’s blessing manifest in our lives?

Malachi 3:9-11 tells us that we are robbing God if we don’t give the first 10% of our income to Him.

You are cursed with a curse,
For you have robbed Me,
Even this whole nation.
10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,”
Says the LORD of hosts,

“ If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
And pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.
11 “ And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes,
So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground,
Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,”
Says the LORD of hosts;

The reason God demands the first of your income is because where your money is there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21, Luke 12:34) Tithing is as much an attitude as it is an action. Choosing to faithfully give the first of your income to God shows that you have the right attitude and the right heart condition. You see God as your source and you trust that He will stand by His Word and liberally supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)

God doesn’t need our money. He simply wants our hearts. One of His greatest desires is to take care of us. He never wanted us to toil for a living. In His kingdom you supply your needs by sowing and reaping. You can’t sow apple seeds and expect to see corn in August. That goes against the laws of nature. The same is in the Kingdom of God. You can’t withhold your tithes and offerings from God and expect to see a harvest of money. It doesn’t work. You will only reap what you sow. If you give in abundance and with a happy heart, God will give back to you good measure, pressed down, shaken together and RUNNING OVER! (Luke 6:38) You can never outgive God. I challenge you to study the verses in the Bible that show how God supplies your needs and then step out in faith and begin to sow your financial seeds. Remember, it isn’t the amount of the seed. It is the significance of it.

Blessings to you and your family!
Christy