We don’t have enough money do we? If we only had a little more money, we could pay off that bill, fix that broken car part, or swap out that counter top. Why don’t we have enough? I don’t know that we’ll ever have enough. One of the things that makes America great is that we have so much stuff. The down side is that we can start sliding down the slippery slope of confusing our needs and our wants.
Our God has strong warnings about the material blessings that he has given us. The danger for Christians is to stay in the middle of the road. There is nothing wrong with God’s blessings. Receive them with thanksgiving. Rejoice that you are blessed. Now remember that the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it – including your wallet.
One great way to find the God pleasing position for us to take as a Christian steward of our blessings is to not seek after items or activities that will make us happy. Far better is to strive for contentment. That might be difficult to get our arms around. Our God sums it up through the Apostle Paul’s pen in his letter to the Philippian Christians: I can do everything through him who gives me strength. That passage has been used in many different ways – that’s not wrong, but the context of the verse is on the topic of contentment.
Budgeting and other simple common sense money management guidelines can help us get a handle on our gifts from God. HERE are a few apps that can get you started if you don’t know where to turn.
2017 may not be a big pay year for you, but it under God grace you can seek him first and find contentment. In Jesus you have everything you need. Want to know what God thinks of you? Watch and find out!
Please Click HERE for the Bible class slides.