It’s about the $$$

Money is an inevitability in modern society. No matter if you have a little bit of money or a lot of money, it affects our lives. So how do we utilize money that we have for good?

There is an old saying that has been used for years. I’m sure you’ve heard it before; “Money is the root of all evil”. Did you know that this saying is actually a bible verse that has been taken out of context? The actual verse puts it this way, “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

Did you catch that, it’s not that money is inherently evil, it is the LOVE of money. In other words if we covet and obsess over money and how we scrounge and scrape for it, then money becomes a problem. Money has the potential of becoming an idol in our lives. An idol is something of great importance to us and many times it replaces God in our list of priorities. This is the true danger and warning that Paul is talking about in 1 Timothy.

That being said how can we use money for good instead of evil?

Here are five suggestions that can help us to priorities our lives and our financial resources:

5 Uses of $ for Good:

1) Tithe to your church.

This might sound overly simplistic to you, but before we even receive our pay check we should already have budgeted this as an act of worship to God.

Randy Alcorn in his book, “Money, Possession and Eternity” says this about tithing; “..tithing isn’t something I do to clear my conscience so I can do whatever I want with the 90 percent–it also belongs to God! I must seek his direction and permission for whatever I do with the full amount. I may discover that God has different ideas than I do.”

The principle of tithing shouldn’t be some sort of obligation or forced habit. It should be an act of worship which sets our priorities in order – “God first” which implies all of our resources including our finances belong to Him! Tithing is a leap of faith which, if done properly, frees us and allows Him to lead us in all other ventures. This discipline isn’t easy, but can be very rewarding.

2) Support local and global charities

Beware!! Do your research before writing a check to any charitable organization. First find out how much of your donation will go to direct services (or the cause you are supporting)! Pray about the kinds of things you are looking at support and make sure God is directing you so support these causes. Another wise thing to consider is taxable donations. Each year nonprofits who we support can write you a receipt of your donations. It might not be much but it could help you come April 15th. Along with our tithe and support of our places of worship supporting a cause with our financial donations can make a difference in other people’s lives.

3) Live within your means!

This can be a very difficult thing to do if we don’t first set God as our top priority. We live in a very commercialize, media saturated society. This drives the market and propels people to spend, spend, spend. We think we need the latest and newest of everything. Again the LOVE of what money can buy can be a root of evil if we allow it into our hearts. Let’s be honest this type of trapping of materialism is very easy to fall into. Beware of this trap and the lie that we aren’t valuable until we have that next best thing! Live on the income you make…if that isn’t enough perhaps find a second source of income or another job!

Second budget your income. Make a budget. Don’t know where to start? Check out this simple budget by Dave Ramsey:

http://www.daveramsey.com/tools/budget-forms/ Let me recommend the middle downloadable form called “Monthly Cash Flow Plan”

Live within your means also implies that we must beware of the use of credit cards! These are funds which are loaned to us and we have to pay back the balance with interest. Again don’t spend money that you do not have and isn’t guaranteed to be there in the future. Millions of Americans are facing financial troubles because they have lived far above their means and used and abused credit cards. Beware of this “easy fix” because if can have long term consequences!

4) Teach your children!

This is an education that will be the legacy that you leave for your children and their children’s children! Education of financial responsibility needs to be taught to our children! Don’t rely on teachers or the government to teach your children about money! Take responsibility to educate them and PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE don’t teach them in the form of “Don’t do as I do, but do as I say”! In other words LEAD BY EXAMPLE! The best teachers are those who take it upon themselves to educate by example in living and lifestyle! Show your child (if they’re old enough) how to balance a check book or how to create a monthly/weekly budget.

5) Be generous!

We all have family members, church friends, and neighbors who might be going through touch times. Use your money for good by giving generously. Be mindful though that you are discerning in how and who you give generously to. Make investments in people and their lives, but don’t support illegal habits or destructive lifestyles in your giving either. Don’t loan money out, give it as a gift if you have it to give. Remember, it’s all God’s anyway!

Money is not inherently evil. It is how we use it in our lives and in the lives of others.

Remember, You are God’s and so are all of the blessings of life that He has bestowed upon you!

-Just a thought.

March 10, 2014 0

Resurrection

“Resurrection”

It’s a new television show…but it’s something more than that. Something deep within us longs for just a few more minutes with our loved ones who have passed away. We wish within our hearts that they could see what we’ve become or that they could see how much our children have grown. Life conceivably has a beginning and an end, but in this new television show on ABC, “Resurrection” is happening all over the small town of Arcadia. It is a mystery as to why this is happening, but those who are “coming back” seem to possess intimate knowledge and even DNA coo-berating their identities.

How we wish such a miracle could take place here on earth. Most of us would dream of a scenario where we could once again hold a loved one that we’ve lost and to spend more quality time with them. The ABC producers of “Resurrection” certainly hope that we become transfixed to this concept and keep coming back for more.

Can television shows truly sell us hope? Are YOU in need of hope today?

Jesus knew a lot about life. He lived and He died, but He was also resurrected on the third day. During His ministry He even resurrected one of His friends, Lazarus, who had been dead for four days. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) Jesus holds the keys to Eternal life for all of us and this should give us authentic hope in our lives today!

TRUTH – We all possess eternal souls. We have been created by God himself who formed us in His image, and a part of Him is within us, which is eternal. These earthly bodies will one day wear out because they are temporal. We will one day face death…BUT the expiration of this human existence is not the end of our eternal existence. Life will go on. The real question is what destination will we choose? You see if we want to experience eternity with God and with those who followed Him and have gone on before us, we have to choose Him in the here and now! John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

If we choose to follow and love the Creator of Heaven and Earth, we will experience a resurrection beyond what television or even movies can give us. Real resurrection will happen and we should find hope in the fact that death of the physical body is NOT the end.

Check it out – “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16) It won’t be some horror show, or television script, this will be for real. I don’t know about you, but I want to experience this resurrection and new life with Christ in Heaven as well!

I love supernatural shows, and “Resurrection” looks quite interesting to me. Perhaps it might get some of its viewers to consider how precious life is and also to consider how very real Eternity will be for all of us.

(My review is strictly my opinion and not the opinion of any television network or affiliation)

March 10, 2014 1

Psalm 121 “My Eyes”

Psalm 121 – On the hillside in Yellowstone national park, vacation 2013. “The Lord Watches Over You!” (Copyright – Scott E. Strissel 2014)

Psalm 121:1-8 (NIV)
¹I lift up my eyes to the hills– where does my help come from?
²My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
³He will not let your foot slip– he who watches over you will not slumber;
⁴indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
⁵The LORD watches over you– the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
⁶the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
⁷The LORD will keep you from all harm– he will watch over your life;
⁸the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

March 7, 2014 0

“That Preacher was wrong – confronting a false teaching”

Confronting A False Teaching:

There is a false teaching in some churches that I believe begs to be addressed. At the moment of confession and even in some theological circles the notion that prosperity is just around the corner for a Christian if they just have faith and pray for it is blatantly false. Sometimes this falsity has been preached by television evangelists to coax those with itching ears to make a commitment to Christ. Dare I say that many of these evangelists are only interested in their continued success and for that additional statistic of “new converts”. They sell this lie quite convincingly with words like “If you confess your sins God will enter your life and He will give you whatever you ask of Him.” These words are twisted from the original John 14:13 passage to imply that if you just pray hard enough God will help pay your bills or buy you that new car or bring you that new job you were dreaming about. In essence this false teaching makes God out to be some sort of Genie who grants wishes to those who call upon His name. But how often do these prosperity preachers really explain the above verse correctly?

Will things really become a Mary Poppins world when we accept Christ? Will things remarkably change for us when we confess our sins? Yes and no. Of course if we confess and genuinely repent of our sins God’s spirit will indwell within us. God’s presence will be there to guide us and we will not be alone…BUT does that mean that all of a sudden all of life’s problems will disappear? NO! I don’t mean to sound negative or share a dismal offering here but let’s be real – We will still have to face our life and the journey that we are on in this life. The new element that God gives us once we accept Him is that we are no longer alone on this journey and He travels right beside us. The big key in this new element is that we no longer live for ourselves but we live for Christ –

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

Once we accept the identity of God in Christ and understand what selfless sacrifice and salvation looks like we must then align ourselves with Him. This is the pilgrim’s progress on the journey to Holiness (becoming fully like Christ). If we accept this truth as a Christ-follower then we can discard the false teaching of prosperity. Let me clarify this too: The worldly prosperity false teaching which has entered the church is based upon human selfishness and greed. But what if we were to take “Self” out of the equation? What would happen then?

The Answer to Prosperity Preaching:

Taking “Self” out of the equation and following John the Baptist’s example when He said “He (Christ) must become greater; I (John the Baptist) must become less.” (John 3:30) We can then begin to understand the true prosperity of the Kingdom of Heaven. Selflessness brings us one step closer to Holiness in our reflection of Christ. But what is the purpose of such a leap? Why become selfless?

There are two basic reasons:

(Godly Relationship – Us)

1) It takes the focus off of our earthly fallible sin-sick desires and re-aligns them to Christ’s which in turn opens our hearts for a deeper, richer, Agape Love. We begin to see our intended purpose in our fellowship and growing closeness with God through Christ.

(Godly Relationship – others)

2) As we grow in closeness to God in our selfless state we begin to see the struggling lostness of the world around us and are compelled by His love to reach out into that darkness.

The false teaching of Prosperity in this world forgets to continue reading a pivotal verse in this erroneous teaching:

“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (John 14:13)

Myth: If we ask the Father for anything on our wish list and if we possess faith enough in His presence it will be given. What we need to recognize and combat in this false teaching is that what ever we ask in HIS NAME is for the purpose of Glorifying God. So how does winning the lottery glorify God? How does praying for that new car and wishing God would just give it to us glorify God? It doesn’t.

We must guard ourselves against this false teaching. Stop naming it and claiming it. God doesn’t work like that. When we remove self from the formula of Christ-following we begin to grasp the depths of the true prosperity of the Kingdom. God wants us to fully rely on Him and to ask Him for help and guidance, just beware of how we ask and for what purpose we are asking. The Christian life, post salvation, may not look like a Mary Poppins world. We may still have some rough breaks ahead, but God goes with us into those dark valleys and troubles. He will strengthen us and guide us and pour upon us His richness of grace in the process.

Fellow Christ-follower, don’t buy the lie of these false teachers out there who want to sell you a pipe dream. They will only lead us astray from truly following selflessly the Christ who gave it all for the lost so that they may be saved…can we do the same?

-Just a thought.

March 7, 2014 3

The God who provides…

“Come all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money,, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost….Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.” Isaiah 55:1,2,6

God, through his prophet Isaiah offers nourishment and life to those who seek Him. The Hebrew people would understand this concept and remember how God had provided manna from heaven to their ancestors while wandering in the wilderness after leaving Egypt. They would also recall how God led them into the promised land and brought them victory at Jericho.

God provides all that we require to live this life here on earth as His servant. All that we have to do is seek Him daily and have faith in His unlimited provision. But His provision doesn’t just stop with His children, He longs so desperately to extend His grace and blessings upon the rest of the world as well. After all, Jesus came for the whosoever (John 3:16) and if anyone would seek Him they will find the storehouses of God are never ending.

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33.

Are you thirsty today? Are you hungry for more in this life? Is there something lacking in your life and you can’t seem to find out what IT is? God still calls the righteous and the whosoever to come to Him. The very first two words of Isaiah 55:1 says; “Come ALL”. It doesn’t say “Come some of you”, or “Come you VIP’s”…it says “Come ALL”!

Allow God to replenish your storehouses today. Allow Him to renew you. If you’re seeking Him for the first time why don’t you pray this prayer with me:

PRAYER

How to Pray:
Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. In Your Name.
Amen.

For additional information on what you just prayed check out this link:

http://www.billygrahamlibrary.org/PGView.aspx?pid=13

March 6, 2014 1

Our Freedom…for a price!

Word Art by Scott E. Strissel
3/5/2014

March 5, 2014 0

Ash Wednesday (a poem…of sorts)

He wore the ash upon his head

my childish eyes, I thought him dead

a blackened cross, creased and stained

of sweat and dirt the mark remained.

I glanced again, i’m not sure why

partly out of foolish eyes

prying back these feeble thoughts

of how the dead could somehow walk

I gripped my father’s hand real tight

as the moon shone down on that night

stained glass, an aged building bright

with church goers streaming, it was a sight.

With reassurance my father said,

be not afraid, they are not dead

though on that night an organ wailed

and we walked a pilgrim’s trail.

A cross is smeared upon their head

much alive, though some are dead

a reminder to this heart so true

to love and serve God, now…will you?

March 5, 2014 0

The God who holds our hand

When our first son was just an infant he slept in a crib which was right next to our bed. Each night we had a routine that we had to go through in order to get him to sleep. Perhaps it was because we were first time parents or perhaps he was just a needy baby. But each night, after he was dress in pajamas and had his blanket he would stick his hand out from between the crib railings and demand he hold either my hand or his Mom’s. Try as we might we could not break this cycle with him. He needed to have physical contact with us in order to fall asleep. He needed to have this assurance that we were there watching over him and that he was save and sound.

Sometimes I think back on those moments and wonder humorously why we didn’t buy a fake hand for him to hold on to or why we didn’t just break him of that dependence all together. But as I consider those precious moments that we had with our first born I realize how important those moments of contact were for him as he was growing as an infant. He needed to feel our touch, to know we were there and to be reassured that we were not going anywhere.

God still does this for you and for me as well! We constantly question if He’s there. We sometimes cry out to Him just to check if He is listening. We hold out our hand, sometimes in a demanding nature and hope that God’s touch will reach us. We hope that He’s really there and willing to remain near us.

The truth is God desires so desperately to hold our hand and to remain right beside us. He loves us so much that He longs for us to trust Him and to reach out to Him through every season of this life. Are you willing to reach out your hand to Him today? He is here, right now and He is not going anywhere. Trust Him. Lean on Him. Allow His love to fill your life with His joy, grace and peace.

-Just a thought for the day.

March 5, 2014 0