We continue our series on God and money. It is important for us to remember that our treasures on earth are temporary so we should invest them back into God’s Kingdom, where we truly belong. This World is Not Our Home.
In continuing our series on God and Money, we are reminded that the Bible tells us that our relationship with money (especially when regarding the portion we give to God) should be one of joy rather than sacrifice. Jesus, in Matt. 6, doesn’t say we shouldn’t store up treasure but rather tells us WHERE we should store it (Heaven v. Earth). Since we can’t bring money with us when we leave the earth, why would we invest in something that we know is worthless? Instead, we are encouraged to send our treasure ahead by investing in the Kingdom of God since it all belongs to Him anyway.
As we start our 5 part series on God and Money, we are reminded about the impact that mishandling of finances/financial stress has on our lives. In 1 Timothy 6, we can see that money itself is not a bad thing but rather how the LOVE of money can cause discontent and sin. There is a struggle within each of us regarding money and we must keep our eyes/mind open to how this struggle is reflected in our attitude so our heart remains focused on God.
Our outreach can actively help people to understand the saving message of Christ. We need to ensure our focus is on Christ (not so much that we become narrow-minded/ judgmental but in a way that allows us to make good choices). Ultimately, these 7 rhythms (along with other healthy Christian habits) are intended to keep us from withering and to help us bear fruit.
Three more habits of effective disciples: having relationships that lift us up; being embedded into a community of faith; investing your heart into servitude of others.
Our series on being effective disciples continues. We are reminded that God is always with us. However, it is us who allow things around and within us to separate us from him (not the other way around). By putting on God’s yolk of grace and focusing on one thing at a time, we can bring ourselves back into a right relationship with God.
We learn that prayer requires devotion and humility. Then, we understand that we need to be grounded in scripture and imbibe it as equal to our daily bread. Therefore, if we want to be effective disciples, we must start with devotion to prayer and scripture.
Stories play a fundamental role in our lives by reminding us of who we are and connecting us to those around us. These stories often don’t go the way we planned (or would like) but if we stop in the middle we might miss an amazing ending.
If your happiness is based on earthly things, you will be stuck in the “Prison of Want”. Psalm 23 shows us how we can be free from this prison by following the lead of our Shepherd who loves his sheep and gives his life to protect them and ensure their happiness. We are reminded that there is a part of us that only God can fill and, like sheep following their shepherd, we need to follow God’s lead because we can’t get to where God wants us if we are only focusing on ourselves.
Like Jesus, we need to choose to pardon – not punish, – and to focus on God, not ourselves. If we do this, and, ultimately, follow God in faith, we can trust Him to do the rest.