Lesson from Life, 4

The Christian life is simple. Not easy.

I grew up in church. I always believed. I asked Christ for forgiveness of my sins when I was a child. Our family attended church during the days when most people good people went to church.

I didn't really understand the Bible. I understood the gospel. I loved Jesus. I tried to be good. I thought the Bible was about history, the end times, and salvation. Period.

Many years passed. I went to college, got married, and went to church occassionally. I prayed and I loved Jesus. God gave us a lot of commands about what we had to do to measure up to His standards. Some days I did better than others. I would try hard or hardly try. If it was to be, it was up to me.

Finally, I came face to face with my inability to do life on my own. We went back to church. I began to really study the Bible. I studied several hours a day, for several years. I read commentaries, read books, listened to preachers/teachers, and asked lots of questions. I studied the nuances of the Greek words for love. I learned the names of God.

But I still struggled in living the Christian life. If I could just learn more, I could live better. WRONG!

I knew a lot, but I didn't live the Christian life any better. As I learned more about God, my Father, I found His heart .... His heart for me. I realized that He loved me, period. He doesn't love me more if I am more obedient or less if I mess up. He just loves me. He gave me His Presence, the Spirit, so I would never be alone. I can know Him. I can love Him. I can spend time with Him. He lives in me and can live through me.

I am made to love Him and be loved by Him. I can be so full of His love that it spills out on everyone around me .... without asking, expecting, or needing anything in return. That's it, the whole ball of wax.

No need for knowing all of the nuances of the original language. No need for keeping lists of all I should be doing or how I have failed. I am loved. I am forgiven. I am accepted.

Do I always remember that? No.
Do I always live like that? No.
Sometimes I fall back into my old habits. It is not always easy to keep my mind fixed on Him. It is not always easy to get my focus off my circumstances.
But the love that He has for me doesn't change.

I can still love God with all my heart and be loved by Him. Because of and with that love, I can freely love others, no strings attached. A lesson I have learned in this life.

The Christian life is simple. But it's not always easy.

What do I do with all this information?

A few basic principles that guide us in the Christian life will also serve us well in this area.

First - pray for those who are in authority. Pray for their wisdom but also their sense of morality and ethics.

Second - take responsibility for any part you have in accumulating debt or being unwise in your spending.

Third - and most important, seek God’s heart and guidance on finances.

Fourth - Be involved in the culture. Share your perspective with your government representatives. Find out who might need help in your sphere of influence. Share what you have learned about finances in a way that honors God but gives grace to the listener.

Fifth - Don’t panic. Your reaction to the economic climate today is a barometer of your trust in God. Is your security in money or in the government or the political system or in Wall Street or is in God, our Father, our Creator, and our Sustainer?

Managing money is not rocket science.

Three practices will take care of most decisions in regards to money:
1. God owns it all. Seek Him about what to do with His money. Use His plan.
2, Spend less than you earn. Do not go into debt. If you are in debt, make it a priority to get out.
3, Save first, before spending for your wants of the day. A dollar spent today precludes how it can be spent in the future.

The Bible and Money

"Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, 'I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,' so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid" Hebrews 13:5-6

“The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.” Psalm 24:1-2

"But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever" 1 Timothy 5:8

"The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets" Proverbs 21:20, LB

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