Giving Is Living

 

Giving Is Living

    "In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men". (John 1:4)

    Jesus, our Savior, showed us the loving nature of our heavenly Father. That nature is always giving - from providing provision, healing, restoration, instruction, mercy and eternal life, among many other things. 

    Because He has given to us so freely, we show our gratitude to Him by giving to others. Just as every "good" thing that has been created (think of a bible, a tract, a Christian song or sermon), there was a "life" intended to be "lived" by it... to proclaim of that Light which John spoke of, leading one to eternal life, to restoration and encouragement.

    In this same manner our finances have the capability to "live" - they can be given to support the preaching of the gospel, to assist the poor, to help heal the broken-hearted, to strengthen families, to help build foundations in the lives of young believers towards Christ... and as many positive actions as you can imagine from the numerous ministries at work in this country and around the world.

    Or, we can take all of our finances, spend them on ourselves to buy things which will eventually turn to dust.

    Consider how many goods we purchase that are made in other countries around the globe. Those dollars go towards providing a livelihood for those workers that you have never met. In the same manner when we give to ministries that carry out the Great Commission abroad - in many instances places of desolate poverty or government oppression against the Word, it is bringing The Life to many people you may never meet.

    We can see some of the growing needs in our own metropolitan area, and there are many credible ministries serving to help them. I would like to highlight two of them to you.

Denver Rescue Mission - helping restore the lives of people experiencing homelessness and addiction through emergency services, rehabilitation, transitional programs and community outreach with the goal of returning them to society as productive, self-sufficient citizens. Their website is denverrescuemission.org.

Restoration Outreach Programs - serving the East Colfax Community, they develop redemptive relationships with teens and children, provide resources that help individuals lead lives towards self-sufficiency and restore broken lives. Their website is restorationoutreachprograms.org.

    If you decide to give to any ministry, choose those that do so in the name of Christ... as the two ministries above do. For those ministries are doing more than fulfilling a need - they are pointing the way to our God of compassion, mercy and eternal salvation. It has the capacity to reshape that person's view of God and that they are loved by Him. It is written in Colossians 3:17 "And whatever you do (no matter what it is) in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus". 

    This giving towards other ministries comes after having given your tithe to the Lord. Malachi 3:10 reads "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house..." For your home church is where you are fed, and your church body and local community are served in a multitude of ways.

    Lastly, be encouraged in your giving by what is written in 2 Corinthians 9, revealing God's viewpoint... "He takes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without a cheerful, joyous, "prompt to do it" giver, whose heart is in his giving."

God Bless you and may He show Himself greatly to you,

Paul

Learned To Be

 

Learned To Be

    "For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." In Philippians 4, Paul includes in his writing about facing both extreme need and having abundance. He continues on to say I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation...I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

    Paul gives God the glory for providing him with strength, however he twice mentions that he learned to be content. His description can give us encouragement that contentment is not necessarily something we gain overnight, and it is a process to achieve and then keep.

    Being content is one of the key characteristics that makes a difference in shedding debt and overspending, leading to a path of becoming free of debt. Focusing on being content in Christ will lead us to make wise decisions when those forks in the road come, such as:

    Contentment will speak to us to keep that current vehicle (providing it is reliable), rather than committing to a multi-year loan or lease, just to have the latest shiny model available.

    Contentment will allow us to feel comfortable with the clothes we wear, the gadgets we have and things we already own regardless of what others may think, rather than going deeper into debt to obtain more or newer versions of these things.

    Contentment can show us if our current home is meeting our needs, as opposed to moving into an expensive new place or spending large sums on remodeling for the appearance.    

    Focusing on contentment in Christ will provide the patience to wait for any of the things mentioned above, until we have the resources to afford it.

    Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 6:8 that "if we have food and clothing, we shall be content with these things." How far beyond "having food and clothing" is your household and most others in this country right now? Then Paul has instructed us to be content with our lot.

    A part of the process of learning to be content is looking back at our past spending decisions, when we were not content and spent a large amount or committed financially to something that ultimately did not bring us the satisfaction we thought it may.

    And in the times that we focused on being content in Christ, saw the results in how we later realized that having that 'thing" really was not so important after all, and then did not go deeper into debt for it and learned from the experience.

    Both of the prior examples can ultimately help "steer" us to the place God wants us to be... if we learn from those experiences - those when we set aside contentment and also when we embraced it. 

    We can also learn from others, in Proverbs 24 it tells of going by the field of a slothful man void of understanding. It says the field was overgrown in thorns and the wall broken down - and the author says "I saw and considered it; I looked on it and received instruction." You may be able to recall the folly of some others financially, recognize some steps they made which led to that folly, and learn.

    As Paul learned that Christ was his strength, we also can... and there is no substitute for reading/hearing/viewing His Word and fellowshipping with Him regularly, which will lead us to receiving that strength from Him that will allow us to be content in all circumstances.

    Lastly, know the Lord is with you at all times and in all situations, as it is written in Hebrews 13:5 - "Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

God Bless you and my He show Himself greatly to you,

Paul

For The Lord

 

For The Lord

    "Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily from the soul, as something done for the Lord and not for men."

    This instruction from Paul in Colossians 3 - if taken to heart and applied, will transform how you view your workweek, your ability to succeed, be a witness for others unto God, and return to bless you.

    

    You may think, "how does this relate to my finances?" Since our work translates into what we earn, trusting and obeying what the Lord has said will release His power and life into our labor, causing it to prosper.

    Despite being sold into slavery, Joseph persevered and served the Lord in his work. In Genesis 39 it says the Lord was with him and made all that he did to flourish and succeed, which led to Potiphar making him supervisor in his house and all that he had.

    I have pinned Ephesians 6 above my desk for years. Even though starting in verse 5 it is speaking to servants, the principles spoken are golden words to work by for us:

- Be obedient to those who are your physical masters, having respect for them and eager concern to please them, in singleness of motive and with all your heart, as service to Christ Himself.

- Not in the way of eye-service and only to please men, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God heartily and with your whole soul. Rendering service readily with goodwill, as to the Lord and not to men.

    If you strive to give this type of effort, you will receive strength, steadfastness, a mindset of integrity, and have diligence. You'll regard work as less of a chore and sense God's grace seeing you through the challenges that arise.

    This effort will be unmistakable to your coworkers, supervisors and leaders. As they see the integrity and caring in your work and concern for them, it will translate to an increased weight when you share of the Lord. Think about John 3:12 when Jesus said "If I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?" If we can "speak" well in these earthly things (by working diligently), they will be more open to heavenly things.

    Living out the good working character traits God has described, will make you more valuable and irreplaceable to your management. They will see you as a strong candidate for promotion and leadership - as Joseph experienced.

    But even if promotion or financial increase does not result directly from your employer, you know that you have obeyed the Lord and acted out what is true from His Word - and as is concluded from the verses in Ephesians we can look forward to this now and in the eternal ages to come:

    "Knowing that for whatever good anyone does, he will receive his reward from the Lord, whether he is slave or free."

God Bless you and may He show Himself greatly to you,

Paul

Let Him

 

Let Him

            "Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your insight or understanding." (Proverbs 3:5). Our God is inviting us to let Him have His way in our lives.

            Consider how many times we've willingly received instruction over the years - in school, college, job training, a fitness class or a DIY video online. Yet when it comes to acquiring and applying knowledge from the One who has always existed and created us, loves us unconditionally and knows all things - are we seeking and obeying in the same manner? Today, we'll zero in on how that looks in our finances.

            Please reread the opening verse again... and realize that in following it we are not "adding God" to our way of life... for it says to not rely on our insight or understanding.  Instead, we are allowing Christ to live through us as is written in Galatians 2:20 "...it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me". Having this mindset, we are submitting ourselves to God.

            So how do we allow Christ to live through us in our finances? Let's look to the Word, beginning with Colossians 3:23 on the way to apply ourselves at work - "Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily (from the soul) as (something done) for the Lord and not for men". When we do, we can better persevere through challenges and bear with difficult coworkers or bosses. We'll bring out our best performance and cause our lights to shine as a testimony for the Lord. That type of effort will return to bless you financially as well.

            Having earned our wages, we trust in the Lord by first setting aside the tithe to Him. The wise action to take is that once you've been paid to either write out the tithe check or give online that same day. This prevents our flesh from later getting in the way, succumbing to a purchase that "pushes out" the funds to tithe. In Malachi 3, God clearly states His perspective of withholding the tithe, calling it robbing Him. However, He also says that in obeying He will pour out such a blessing until there shall not be room enough to receive it.

            We also trust in the Lord by giving to others - whether needy individuals or to ministries that serve. First, we can have our ears and eyes open to be sensitive to needs that arise, as is written in Proverbs 22:9, "He who has a bountiful eye shall be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the poor." Giving can also include your time or talents in addressing a need.

            Our spending should be a focal point of yielding to God, as it can usually be traced to the impulses of our flesh that cause our finances to go out of whack. In Galatians 5 it communicates squarely where these troubles come from - "the desires of the flesh are opposed to the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are opposed to the flesh". However it also provides the right path... "Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh." Because the Spirit will always agree with God's Word, it is important to daily be reading and absorbing, as that will increase your sensitivity to the Spirit.

            Let's cover one question - have you trusted God with your eternal salvation through Jesus Christ? If your answer is yes, then consider and answer this... if I can trust the Lord with something as priceless as to where I will spend all of eternity, in His holy presence, can I then freely trust Him in what He says to do with these finances here on earth?

            Lastly, be encouraged from David's Psalm, written in Chapter 37: "Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will bring it to pass."

God Bless you and may He show Himself greatly to you,

Paul

            

            

Diligent To Know

Diligent To Know

       "Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, and look well to your herds; for riches are not forever; does a crown endure to all generations?" (Proverbs 27-23:24)

       The wonderful book of Proverbs will so often take simple aspects of life and provide deep lessons to apply for our daily lives in other areas. In viewing commentaries for these verses, I have seen it include the application to church and family ministry, running a business as well as the obvious parallel to know the state of your finances and investing. Today, we will mainly look at applying it towards debt freedom.

       The key word in this scripture is diligent... we see it in many verses. Its definition includes "having or showing care and conscientiousness in one's work or duties", it implies to be industrious, attentive, thorough and having continuous action.

       So how would that look in reducing our debts? The first step is to know where you are at, both in the overall picture and what is happening currently. Write down all of your debts, the total amounts and the minimum monthly payments. In one place you can now see what is in front of you - and later we will go over a proven plan to reduce those debts.

       Next, for one to two months, keep your receipts and record every dollar you spend and what it was for. This is critical, as it will show exactly where your spending is occurring that you may gloss over repeatedly and not know just how much is going to that category. Many years ago I did this exercise with sticky notes and it worked just like an X-Ray, showing me where spending was occurring and how much was underneath my daily conscience, which prompted changes to occur.

       This is a trickier age to curb spending, because of how credit cards are used in the majority of purchases. It is an ideal setup for the card companies to make money - allow the card holder to build up charges throughout the month without their direct knowledge of the total amount, and then slap them with the big, accumulating bill at the end... complete with exorbitant interest charges should the amount not be paid in full.

       You can be diligent in this area. Go to your card website and view your accumulating charges at least once per week. That will prevent a "sticker-shock" moment from happening when the monthly bill comes in to pay, and will help keep you in line throughout the month.

       Having recorded all your spending and keeping tabs on that credit card balance during the month should help reduce some excess spending, and now we can look towards paying off those debts.

       On the sheet you made with all your debts and minimum monthly payments, take the one with the lowest monthly payment and aim to pay up to 10% of your monthly income in addition to that minimum payment - while for the other debts, only pay that minimum monthly amount.  Continue to do so until that first debt is paid off... then the next month you now have freed up the monthly payment you were making to the first debt, and have that entire amount to roll into the next debt with the lowest minimum monthly payment, and so on. 

       From paying off that first bill, you will feel strengthened that you have a level of control over these debts and optimism for the future as you are seeing a plan moving forward to be debt-free. And by being excited from the results, you will find other areas to curb excess spending. If you are diligent, you can be encouraged that the average household will pay off all their debts in 3-4 years, and can then pay off their mortgage in another 3 years!

       My wife Karen and I teach a free 3-hour comprehensive class on how to gain back control of your finances and be debt-free. The class also focuses on the supporting scriptures that it is God's will, which I believe makes all of the difference in remaining diligent and encouraged to becoming debt-free. Consider it this way - going to the class will give you more ammunition to work with then you have currently. Please contact Broomfield Assembly if you are interested in attending a future class.

       Lastly, if you believe it is God's will for your household to be free of debt, then be encouraged to pursue that goal by what is written in Romans 8:31 - "What then shall we say to all of this? If God is for us, who can be against is?

God Bless you and may He show Himself greatly to you,

Paul

       

       

 

Grow

 

Grow

       "Ship your grain across the sea; after many days you may receive a return. Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight; you do not know what disaster may come upon the land." (Ecclesiastes 11:1-2). 

       This time we will change gears - to looking at how to successfully manage and grow what you have after your household has achieved a level of freedom from debt

       . To be clear, if you still have debt outside of your mortgage (or perhaps any debt including your mortgage), investing long term should only be done within a 401K where your employer is matching your contribution - because you cannot get a greater guaranteed return. Persons trying to invest while carrying debt have a "hole in their bucket", because they may make some return on their investment, but the certain drain of interest charges from consumer debt will overcome that return.

       Referring back to the scripture above, encouraging us to be diversified, we live in a advantageous time, where it is easy to have investment diversification. Mutual funds can be a good vehicle, however I will focus on one method that has proven very well - index funds.

       Briefly, index funds buy and sell stocks from a segment of the market, or even the entire market - the S&P 500 companies, the 30 Dow Jones companies, and the Russell 2000 are a few examples. The two best reasons why these indexes perform consistently well is summed up in (1) very few professional investors outperform the market, and (2) indexes are a low-cost way to invest, because their fees are minimal, allowing more of your returns to grow.

       Over the past 15 years, a study showed nearly 90% of actively managed investment funds failed to beat the market. Meanwhile, a 30-year return of indexes shows the following:

S&P 500 gained 10.7%          Dow Jones gained 10.99%          Russell 2000 gained 9.29%          

In addition to the cost savings from small management fees, index funds offer a tax advantage. Since very few stocks are sold during the year, the fund generates fewer capital gains than an actively managed fund would.

       Some people try to "play" the stock market, seeking an extravagant return, however I would point the way to Proverbs 13:11 that says "Wealth hastily gotten will dwindle, but those who gather little by little will increase it." Choosing index funds provides you with a reliable low-cost method to diversification and a confidence that you will never underperform the market.

       The most important aspect in this is to monitor your heart regarding money, as it is written in Ecclesiastes 5:10 - "Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless."

       Lastly, consider the ultimate investment you can make, converting earthly dollars into heavenly dollars... treasures in heaven. Jesus said in Matthew 6:20 for us to "Gather and heap up and store for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust nor worm consume and destroy, and where thieves do not break through and steal."

God Bless you and may He show Himself greatly to you,

Paul

Without Walls

 

Without Walls

       He who has no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down and without walls. (Proverbs 25:28)

       God is speaking to us very personally here, and we all should easily be able to relate - whether assessing our own responses to situations when we've allowed our flesh to dictate our actions, or seeing the results of others whose demonstration of this verse became clearly visible.

    

       In biblical times, the sturdy walls of a city as the one above were the main protection against foes, which would otherwise come in to steal and overthrow them. It is not much different with each of us, if we do not rule over own spirit, the enemy and our flesh will attempt to steal from and overthrow us.

       As it relates to our finances and debt, it has never been easier to get into trouble and more challenging to maintain a distance from overspending than today. This is due to the ease of obtaining credit cards, their acceptance in every corner of the marketplace, how monthly subscriptions and payments are loaded onto cards, and especially our ability to purchase nearly anything online 24/7 - including online gambling.

       Whether it is ourselves or others we've observed, those who repeatedly give in to impulse spending have their "walls" broken through, usually resulting in heavy credit card debt, a multitude of things not needed, along with the constant burden and stress of how to pay for it all.

       That is why to have a purposeful "rule over our own spirit" is of such importance. And the best "rule" to employ so that we will rule over our spirit is to always look to God's Word for direction. Psalm 119:130 tells us "The unfolding of your words give light; it gives understanding to the simple." We all need the light from the Lord to see plainly... both inside and outside ourselves.

       This light comes in multiple ways, one is the obvious direction that comes from a verse such as Proverbs 22:7 - "The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender." You know this to be true if you've reached a sizeable level of debt to where it feels like you go to work and labor as a slave week after week just to turn over that money to your lenders.

       Another way that light from the Word benefits the believer is how it increases our sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. If we are listening, the Holy Spirit will disclose to us if an action we are considering is not God's will, and also will lead us with His peace if we are to go a certain way, and thus we can go in perfect confidence. As mentioned, with so many opportunities available to overspend in this day, we all the more need the Holy Spirit's direction.

       I encourage you to set for your household a goal, a setting in place of a "wall" that in one month from now your credit card balance will be less than it is today. Then build upon that "wall" that in the next month following it will also be less than the previous month. Ask the Lord to help you be inflexible to overspending in this effort, and He will certainly answer that prayer.

       Remember in your prayers that it is a glory to God for our finances to be in order, so take with you these words from Jesus - "And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." (John 14:13-14)

God Bless you and may He show Himself greatly to you,

Paul