via TJC
This week, TJC asks (and answers) questions about specific areas of our lives. Namely, is Jesus first in those areas?
”Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.“ ~Proverbs 3:9-10 (NIV)
”For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.“ ~1 Timothy 6:10
Finances have been a consistent struggle over my lifetime. Not because I grew up poor, because I didn’t. Not because I’m poor now, because I’m solidly middle class. I think I have struggled because I am naturally selfish. When money comes in, my first desire is to use it for me and my family's benefit.
For most of my life my love of money certainly was part of me wandering from the faith and being pierced with many griefs. In the last major economic downturn we almost lost our house to foreclosure because I got us overextended. Of course I ran to God when I got into trouble. He came through and we still have the house but I’m a little ashamed to say that I still haven’t fully escaped my selfishness.
Do you want to give God the first fruits of your produce (that means a paycheck to most of us)? Do you look to honor God in how you manage your finances? This is a deep topic and Jesus actually talked about money more than any other subject. We could have two weeks of Daily Battle orders on this topic and not be done.
What I continue to learn, and struggle with, is that it is all God's. How we handle our finances - managing our budget, our savings and our giving is really a reflection of our trust in God and His provision.
Daily Battle Order: First take a few minutes to just be quiet and ask God to give your heart an honest and accurate assessment of where you really are in giving Him your first fruits in your finances. That’s the easy part. Next go share with your family what you think God told you. If you are on track, celebrate that together. If not, discuss the one next thing you could do to adjust your finances to honor God.
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