Money Tips!!!

I am terrible with money because I can’t be precise to save my life. I’m a saver married to a spender. But my saving is always relative. I never know how much I’m saving. I just like to throw money in savings and never spend on anything. So, thankfully, God has been gracious to me in many ways in terms of his provision (especially in the area of a wife who watches the bank account like a hawk.) So, see these tips on money but once you get past the first three, I don’t know how good they really are.

#1 Trust the Lord for your provision. Seek him and follow his commands. (See Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.)

#2 Be content with what you have. Do you really, really need more stuff? I bet you could survive on what you have. So, stop striving for more stuff. It just drowns out your ability to follow #1 because you trust your stuff more than you trust God.

#3 Get a job and be faithful at performing it.

#4 Make a budget that allows you to live within your means and that supports the following items (see #s below). Kimberly and I use the envelope system. We learned it from Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. But you can probably find more info about it online.

#5 Give generously. Tithe to your church (if you have one -- If you don’t you probably shouldn’t be reading this list anyway). And, don’t be nitpicking about tithing on gross or net. Be generous. There’s actually no New Testament command to the church to give 10% so give more than that.  Give toward the advancement of the gospel and to other good causes.

#6 Put $1000 in a savings account. Sacrifice a few lattes or a few shopping sprees and save one thousand dollars. Leave it in savings and only remove it for REAL emergencies. Needing a pair shoes is NOT an emergency. If your air conditioner goes out in your car, that’s NOT an emergency. If its winter and the heat in your house doesn’t work, that IS an emergency. But, remember #1, don’t start to trust in that $1000 because as soon as you start to trust in that, you’ll have $5000 worth of trouble.

#7 Get out of debt. Pay off credit cards. Pay off car loans. Pay off student loans. And, close the accounts. You might save one credit card just so your credit score doesn’t tank (in case you ever need or want to buy a house)

#8 Start to buy stuff with cash. So, for instance if you need a car after you’ve paid the current one off, save the money so that with your trade you can pay cash for a car that is one or two years old (or older if you can stand it). For most of us we won’t ever buy a house with cash. But, most recommend a short term loan like 10 or 15 year mortgages.

#9 Don’t give loans. I don’t loan anybody money. I do obey Jesus’ command to give to those that ask of me. But, I usually don’t expect it back. I don’t always say that I don’t expect it back, but I make sure I can live without it when I give it. This will save your relationships with your family and friends. Loaning money and holding onto an expectation to see it again, will cause you to harbor unforgiveness.

#10 Be content with what you have. Yeah, I know I said that in #2 but you need to hear it again. Unfortunately, living in America, we tend to fall prey to culture’s bent for us to have more and more and MORE. (As a for instance, I can think of 20 reasons why Kimberly and I need a bigger house. But honestly, people in a lot of places raise bigger families than ours in less space with fewer things. So, until baby #4 gets here, I think we’ll stick it out in our 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath house). You like that subtle hint, don’t you?

Two Roads. Two Trees. Two Houses. (Two Choices. Two lives to live. Two Rewards.)

Introduction

I’ve wanted to write a series on this blog. Here’s why. I keep complaining that I have complex thoughts, but I keep throwing out softballs that can be handled in a page or so (maybe even three paragraphs when the truth is, I don’t think in three to five paragraph intervals). Long running thoughts are really closer to three to five year intervals before they are actually resolved. And I think this topic is my best shot at getting something out there that is not nerve wracking (to you that is) yet serious enough to cover in a series. I’m thinking Intro, 3 main parts and a conclusion of it all is what we’ve got in store.

I’ve mentioned before that our church is participating in something called the Radical Experiment. As part of that, we are doing a few things that are intended to point our lives toward living for the glory of God by seeking to “make disciples of all nations”. Part of this experiment is to read through the entire word in a year. Accompanying this reading are several things, one of which is a sermon based on the text (or some portion thereof) that was read during a given week. So recently, a pastor from our church preached on the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew Chapters 5-7). The best part about this sermon is that it brought the text from these chapters together in a way that I had never seen it. With the division of chapters that have been ascribed in the bible, it’s not always evident how things really were intended. It would be like having me write a paper and then having you come along and reassign the paragraph divisions. It could make for some confusion on what the point is or was.

As I listened, I learned that there were three major sections to this sermon that Jesus preached. He had an introduction (that we call the beatitudes). He had a main point as seen in Matthew 5:17-20 (that our righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees and scribes). And, he had a time where he described the expected response or goal. And, that (the response) is the basis of this set of blog entries that I’m introducing tonight. Jesus tells us as he’s preparing to close his sermon that there are two roads. He then proposes that there are two kinds of trees. And, lastly, he says there are two ways to lay the foundation of a house.

I do not intend to regurgitate a sermon that I heard, but in keeping with the intent of the “random Jarvis thoughts” blog’s purpose, I will extend to you my thoughts on what he said and the thoughts that I had beyond what he said. And, in keeping with the reality of this blog, I must tell you that sometimes I hear things through the complexity of what I am experiencing. And, I have been engaged in a mental battle for about two years about what it means to be a “follower of Jesus Christ”. And, the reason that battle exists is because I think it can be missed. We can hear what someone else tells us it means to be a Christian, but it really is something you must know for yourself. And, you must know that you know without being presumptuous. Presuming on God will only get you killed. And for no extra cost, I’ll throw out God will allow us to roll along presumptuously if we refuse to acknowledge that he must reveal to us the way of truth… See 2 Thessalonians 2:10b-12

God still hates idols

The church that I attend is participating in something called the Radical Experiment.  There are five practical components including:

1.To pray for the entire world
2.To read through the entire Word
3.To commit our lives to multiplying community
4.To sacrifice our money for a specific purpose
5.To give our time in another context

As you can imagine, this is pretty challenging.  And if you're trying to be a legalist about all of the components, you are either a professional Christian or you are about to jump of the bridge.  It takes the Holy Ghost and a lot of grace to even try to keep up especially when it comes to including family in the whole picture.

But, I have been really diligent about reading which brough me to the following scripture.

1And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them,
3 And say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys; Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places.

4 And your altars shall be desolate, and your images shall be broken: and I will cast down your slain men before your idols.
5 And I will lay the dead carcases of the children of Israel before their idols; and I will scatter your bones round about your altars.

6 In all your dwellingplaces the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate; that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished.
7 And the slain shall fall in the midst of you, and ye shall know that I am the LORD.  -- Ezekiel 6:1-7

And, I just told you all of that Radical Experiment stuff and copied this scripture here to say that we are under a new and better covenant, but God still hates idols (even American ones ;-).  Things that you can buy or make or create in your mind that take the place of God in your life; yeah, he hates them.  So, be careful lest you idolize something and get destroyed along with it.  Reading the prophets makes me search my soul HARD!

Much love peeps!!