We are just starting a series called “Confused”. It is all about money and possessions and how confused we really are about that whole issue. God knew this would be one of our biggest struggles in this world. Jesus talked and taught more about money and possessions than anything else in the Bible. Two thirds of all the parables relate to money and possessions.
There must be a reason for that. Money is such a big part of our lives that it can rule our lives. It’s the one thing that can get in the way of our relationship with God. It can cause problems in all of our relationships and keep us in bondage.
I saw a credit card commercial today that had the slogan “Freedom Now”. It should say, “Bondage Now”, because that is what debt does to us. If we can begin to view money and possessions the way God does it can transform our lives and we can experience real Freedom.
My wife and I have agreed to start tracking our expenditures over the next 30 days. I have done that in the past, but it has been a while. We want to make sure we are being good managers of what God has entrusted to us. Even in the little things we need to manage it well.
Finances are an important part of our lives and I don’t want to be confused in that area of my life. I want to view it the way God does, and not fall into the traps all around us that are competing for our dollars. One of the verses I love is in Proverbs; “Steady plodding brings prosperity, hasty speculation brings poverty.” I have tried to live by that over the past 10 years and it has been working quite well.
Start today by examining where you are at financially and where you would like to be. Then begin to put a plan together. If anyone would like help with that, we have a team of financial mentors that would be willing to meet with you and help put a plan together. Whether it is to get out of debt or simply to balance the budget, I encourage you to get some help. Another great step might be Financial Peace University. Another class will be starting in January at NewPointe Community Church. The point is to do something now instead of later.