Owe No Man … (Romans 13:8)
Questions and Answers
Q: I'm under a lot of financial pressure right now. With the economy the way it is, business is slow and I've lost much of the income I need to keep on top of my bills. I've prayed for God's help, but is there something more I need to do in order to receive His financial blessings?
A: The most important thing you need to know is that God loves you and wants to take care of you. If you're His child, He is going to do just that. He wants to supply all your needs. "God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). "Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4). However, He also makes it clear in the Bible that He expects certain things from us before we're eligible to receive all that He has for us. Here are 10 things you can do.
1. Live right in both your personal and business life. God's blessings are conditional. "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33). "All these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God" (Deuteronomy 28:2).
2. Tithe. When we give at least 10% of our income to God in the form of tithes and offerings to support those who are doing His work, we can be confident that He will "pour out such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it" (Malachi 3:10).
3. Give to others. God blesses giving to others—the needy, good causes, and His workers—in addition to our tithes. "Let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7). "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over" (Luke 6:38).
4. Thank the Lord for what you've already got. Whether God supplies through our work or unexpected means, it's still His blessing and supply, and He wants us to acknowledge that and thank Him. Then, when He sees that we're genuinely thankful and are praising Him for what He's already given us, He's happy to give us more if we need it. "Let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name" (Hebrews 13:15). "In everything give thanks" (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
5. Ask. This may seem too obvious, but sometimes "you do not have because you do not ask" (James 4:2). Be specific when you pray for God's help financially. Tell Him exactly what you need. Sometimes this also means being humble enough to ask others for help when you need it.
6. Be a wise manager. We need to remember that all that we have is given to us by God and that we're just the stewards, or managers, of it. He's entrusted us with it, and He expects us to manage it wisely. "Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful" (1 Corinthians 4:2).
7. Live economically and within your means: Part of being a good manager is to be saving—to be moderate and to avoid waste. And don't spend money that you don't have for things that would be nice but are not absolutely necessary. Going into debt or living for today, hoping that you'll be able to pay off your debt tomorrow, can lead to financial ruin.
8. Budget. One of the best ways to manage money well is to have a budget and stick to it. "He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich" (Proverbs 10:4).
9. Have faith in God to supply your needs. Many people focus solely on what they can do, and often that's because they don't really expect God's help. "Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6). We must also do our part, of course, but then we must trust Him to do the rest, what we can't do. He says, "Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?" (Jeremiah 32:27).
10. Keep praying. Sometimes God lets us experience financial difficulties for the same reasons that He lets us experience other difficulties: so that we will draw closer to Him, include Him more in our everyday activities, and learn to depend more on Him. When we've done everything else we can do but still lack, He probably wants us to depend on Him more. We can show Him that we are by praying earnestly. When we pray with our whole heart, God promises to go to work in our behalf. "You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13).We're Rich
Harold Abbot was a chronic worrier. That is until one spring day in 1934 when, as he was walking down the street, he saw something that put an end to all his worries. "It all happened in ten seconds," he told a friend years later, "but during those ten seconds I learned more about how to live than I had learned in the previous ten years."
At the time, Harold had been trying to run a grocery store--not easy in the middle of the Great Depression. He had gone heavily into debt, and had been forced to close his store a few days before. Now he was on his way to the bank to try to borrow some money so he could go to a nearby city to look for a job. Harold had lost all his fight and faith. He walked like a beaten man.
Then he saw a man coming down the street--a man who had no legs. The man was sitting on a little wooden platform equipped with wheels from roller skates. He propelled himself along with a block of wood in each hand. Harold met him just after the man had crossed the street and was starting to lift himself over the curb and onto the sidewalk. As the man tilted his little wooden platform to an angle, their eyes met and the man greeted Harold with a smile. "Good morning! It is a fine morning, isn't it?" he said with spirit.
As Harold stood looking at him, Harold realized how rich he was. He had two legs. He could walk. He felt ashamed of his self-pity. "If that man can be happy, cheerful, and confident without legs," Harold said to himself, "I certainly can with legs." He could already feel his self-esteem returning. He had intended to ask the bank for one hundred dollars. Now he had the courage to ask for two hundred. He had intended to say that he wanted to go to the city to try to get a job, but at the bank he announced confidently that he wanted to go to the city to get a job. He got the loan, and he got the job.
For years afterwards, Harold Abbott kept the following words pasted on his bathroom mirror, and read them every morning as he shaved:
I had the blues
Because I had no shoes,
Until upon the street,
I met a man who had no feet.
QUOTABLE FOR SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29
Better Than Money in the Bank
There is a lot of economic gloom and doom right now. The economy had been racing up the hill of "fortune," but discovered too late that at the top there was a precipice. Before the brakes could be applied, it careened over the cliff and is in free fall. Where the bottom is, no one knows.
A few wise heads had warned of this for years, but the temptation of making a fast buck was a strong pull for many. They saw paper fortunes being made hand over fist, and even though their better judgment may have been screaming out, "Don't do it!" they found it irresistible. But "boom" is always followed by "bust," and this was no exception.
Quick money is alluring, and following sound economic theory is boring for many investors. Even though safeguards are put in place after every economic crash, it doesn't take long for the lessons of history to be forgotten. Those who think they know better invest recklessly and bring this kind of mess on everyone. This time it all started because some smart-but-not-wise people thought they could make money by giving loans to people they knew would most likely not be able to repay them. These so-called subprime loans were only one trick.
The next idea was to take a lot of these loans and package them up into very complex "collateralized debt obligations" and other risky "financial derivatives" and then sell them to others as investments in the hopes the loans would one day be repaid. Banks and other investors all over the world bought and sold these things that they knew probably had no real value. Does this sound mad to you? It did to many at first, but somehow, like the old tale of the emperor's new clothes, enough investors and financiers thought they were exquisite, and eventually nearly everyone began to think it was economic wisdom.
Then one day a bank went bust. Soon other banks started failing too. Governments stepped in to the rescue, using their citizens' tax money. But it hasn't helped much, because it turned out that many banks had numerous bad investments that they either hid or didn't know about. Pessimism set in, and the stock markets dropped dramatically in price as investors realized companies were worth much less than their inflated value.
Some people have already lost everything, including the shirts off their backs. And with many others no longer having much money to spend, the market in luxury and other non-necessity items has abruptly slowed, and people in companies catering to that market are losing their jobs. Then the effect cascades into the economy in general. The result is higher unemployment, which then means fewer people have money to spend, so more people lose their jobs, and on and on it goes. This is the simple version of what is actually a very complicated process.
So why am I talking to you about the economy? The fact is that I am interested in you and all humanity, and I hurt when you hurt. I want to help, and I will if you ask Me to. I might not put money in the bank for you, but it has already been promised that I will provide for those who give to others and who do what they can to help others in difficulty. And more than this, I will put hope in your heart, which will give you greater ability to ride out the crisis.
Many people place their faith and hope in financial security, but it is better to put your faith and hope in Me, for material security is no security at all. It is a house of cards that falls flat when you lean on it. But I am reliable, and I will see you and your loved ones through any crisis, financial or otherwise. You are of great value to Me, and I want to show you that I can be valuable to you. Humanity is My business, and I will not let anyone down who puts his or her faith in Me and joins My company.
If you are wise and have the wherewithal, it'd be good to make some preparations for further instability, such as having a supply of nonperishable food, drinking water, and other necessities on hand for short-term emergencies. If you can, have your savings in a few different currencies. It is also wise to invest in things that will retain their value, such as gold, that will provide you with a tradable commodity if paper currency or stocks lose their value altogether.
I want you to be secure in heart and mind, because greater insecurity is on the horizon for the world and its economy. There are plans afoot in secret quarters to enmesh everyone in a very dangerous new economic order. The infamous global financial system cryptically spoken of in the Bible's book of Revelation as the "Mark of the Beast"—without which no one will be able to buy or sell—is coming closer to inception every day.
Crises like this current one make people yearn for the economic stability that the framers of this new system will proclaim as their aim. The value of the new digital money will be guaranteed, but will come with a price, and that is your allegiance to the global regime that backs it. That coming regime will be the most sinister and tyrannical one that the world has ever seen. Your money may seem safe, but it will cost you as much as your soul.
But I am better than money in the bank, more secure than any investment, and more reliable than any nest egg. Let Me into your heart and life today, and you will find that you will always be able to rely on Me to see you through anything. Just tell Me you believe in Me and it is done!
Love,
Jesus
