Devotional Time with God

One of my weakness in my finances in keeping good records.  I don’t budget.  I don’t forecast. I don’t write down where my money went.  The bible clearly states I have to keep a record:

Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations.

Proverbs 27:23-24

Right now I’ve been diligent on keeping out of debt, and consciously trying to curb spending.  But if I don’t know what I’ve been spending, I’ll tend to spend more because I have the impression that I need more.

The accounting of my spending is important.  I need to obey God to avoid financial disaster.

Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and favor with men.

Luke 2:52

Jesus led with the example. As a man, He’s telling me, to grow mentally and intellectually. I must have learning goals. I must know what I need to do to increase my knowledge. Not just for myself, but for the good of the Lord.

Then physically I need to grow in physical health.  As the old saying goes, Men sana in corpore sano: In a healthy body there can be a healthy mind. I must take care of my body. Lose weight, lower blood pressure, avoid diabetes, avoid having a stroke. I must get in shape.

Also, I need to take care of my finances. This goes on without saying, as we need money to survive in this world. However, money doesn’t have to be the master of my life.  The bible said in Matthew 6:24, I can’t serve two masters.  Also in 1 Chronicles 29:9, I give my offering willingly to the Lord, when the leaders asked for the rebuilding of the house of the Lord.  Money is a tool to be used.  But first I need to create wealth – not take wealth.

Last, but not least, I must have a healthy relationship with others. Building a strong character means getting along with people. Being a leader means having a follower and be liked & loved. I must be kind to others and help whoever I can.

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.

1 Corinthians 16:13-14

Don’t run up debts, except for the huge debt of love you owe each other.

Romans 13:8

To owe money is not fun. I constantly think how much time I have before I can repay it. Can I repay it? Being in debt is a lonely feeling because the burden is on me to pay that money back. I am glad that God wants to help. If I just trust my finances to Him, He’ll enable me to repay my debts.

Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations.

Proverbs 27:23-24

I must know the condition of my finances.  I do that by keeping a good record of of what I:

1. Own
2. Owe
3. Earn
4. Spend

Four steps that is necessary for me to know exactly what to prioritize today and plan for tomorrow.  Being ignorant of the state of my finances, plus the lure of easy credit, is a recipe for disaster!

This December 10, the first installment of my property tax is due. It’s not a small amount. In fact, it’s big enough to force me to withdraw money from my savings. Every time I do that, I get nervous and worry. Funny thing, this is not the first time I have to do this. This is my 3rd year paying this high property tax installment. I should be used to it by now. But it’s never easy to “give away” that money to the government. It is the law and I have to obey it. This morning, I had the conversation with God about my finances. God responded.

John 4:10 – I feel tired of this life’s obstacles and “thirsty” for God’s comfort and miracles. All I have to do is ask.

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

Lamentations 3:31-33 – When God sees me (or my family) in trouble or in distress, He will have pity on me and takes care of me. That’s just who He is, a loving and kind God.

For the Lord will not turn away from a man forever. For if He causes sorrow, He will have loving-pity because of His great loving-kindness. He does not want to cause trouble or sorrow for the children of men.

John 11:40 and 43 – God tells me to believe and have faith that He will take care of me. But with this faith, I must also do my part and do what He says. When I’m down, I must get up and walk again! It’s not enough that I believe, I must also do what is necessary. In this case, I must be more frugal and manage my spending.

Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”

When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”

Thank you Jesus for being there for me. I don’t like the troubles that I face in this world, but because you’re there offering to help, I am comforted. I ask, in Jesus name, to take care of my finances. I ask that you give me the wisdom to spend less on needless things and take away the shopping temptations. Amen.