The West Campus is really coming along. People are hungry to grow…to learn…to walk with God. At last night’s Midweek session, there was a strong presence of God as we delved into the Scriptures.
One of the spiritual principles surrounding success is obedience. In 1 Chron. 22:13, we learn that success comes to those who are obedient to God’s laws and decrees. That makes sense!
Success is not just about having your financial needs met. It’s about having a life that is in total alignment with God’s word. I don’t mean that we should be going down a checklist to ensure we check-off all of the things the Bible tells us we should be doing. Rather, our relationship with God is so important to us that we just want to please Him in all of our ways. This perspective is a healthy perspective.
I strive to meet God’s expectations of me no matter what the category simply because He loves me. I tithe because God loves me. I walk in integrity not because I’m supposed to but because I love God and I want to please Him. Do you see the difference in motivation? One person may see Christianity as a list of do’s and don’ts, even though the Bible paints a totally different picture.
What area of your life has God been challenging you to trust Him? Do you think obedience is hard or easy? Post a funny story where you walked away saying: I’m gonna start being obedient to God.
I will resume blogging on Monday, March 28th. See you at the weekend services. Come prepared to receive a powerful word that will inspire you to successfully continue our Financial Empowerment Journey!
Good morning. Thanks for your awesome comments and strong discipline that you show towards us. We have being wanting something like this and it's good that money management is being thought among christians. I want to suggest a website that helped me to manage my money VERY effectively; it's call "mint.com". This website allows you to merge all of your bank accounts under one and it's own by Quicken (maker of turbo tax). You can set up a budget and it automatically organizes your bant accounts when you swipe or electronic checks etc, it gives you your net worth, it gives you spending trends for the past months of when you create your account.... the list goes on. PLEASE check it out, it's woth the try.
ReplyDeleteYears ago, I was an au pair for a twelve year old girl who would occasionally attend church with me. She would place a portion of her allowance into the offering basket every time she came. I was so impressed, but never said anything about it. One Sunday however, our church was having a carnival and her mother gave her a little extra money that morning so she could enjoy herself later. When the offering basket came her way she kindly passed it to the next person. I asked her why she didn't give anything, she claimed she was saving it for the carnival. I gave her a pathetic crash course in tithing (sorry I hadn't given it to her sooner) but she simply replied, "not today." After service, we excitedly ran outside for the carnival. As she took out her money to buy tickets for the rides all of her money blew away. Just like that. It wasn't even windy outside, the weather was great but a gust of wind just came and took her money away (you can't make this stuff up). A group of us spent twenty minutes looking for her money before I called the search off. I turned to one of my friends and said, "God's gonna get it one way or another." True story. This is the story I tell my christian friends who struggle with tithing. A gust of wind may not appear out of nowhere but they can lose it in other ways (car repairs, unexpected expenses, etc,).
ReplyDeleteMy father-in-law had been sick for quote some time and we were at a party in his town. I felt a strong urging to stop and see him on the way home. When I arrived the Lord urged me to anoint him with oil and pray for him. To which I replied, "Lord they will think I am crazy and that I think I am a priest". I proceeded over to where my Father-in-law was sitting and began talking with him. After a few minutes he asked me to please pray for him....at that exact time my 1 year old son crawled over with the small bottle of oil I keep in my purse in his hand. I could not believe my eyes....I proceeded to obey and pray and anoint my father-in-law. When I got home I called my brother to tell him what had happened. I said I prayed and anointed my father-in-law and my son assisted. To which he replied, "No, I think you were the assistant" "God had to use your baby because of your reluctance to obey." He was right and I purposed in my heart that next time I would not hesitate!!
ReplyDeleteReading your posts is quite exciting and informational! Thanks for sharing such encouraging resources and personal stories. See you this weekend in worship!
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