Author : Bill G. Page
"Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him"—1 John 2:15 (NAS). "Then he [Jesus] said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions"—Luke 12:15 (NIV). Christ has no time for those that are simply trying to store up treasures here on earth. Wealth can be lost instantly. In the end, it does not matter if you die a billionaire or a pauper—only how you answer "THE QUESTION" from Jesus "… who do you say I am?"—Matthew 16:15 and whether or not you've done your best to fulfill God's purpose for your life.Rick Warren states, "The purpose of your life is far greater than your own fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It's far greater than your family, your career or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by his purpose and for his purpose." You are to live your life to honor and worship God. Worship God by doing everything in your life "for" and "with" Jesus. We are saved to serve. Serve out of gratitude for what Christ did for you on the cross. Through Christian serving, we make an investment in eternity.Being good stewards of your finances is just one aspect of worshiping God. God will entrust more spiritual blessings to those who are responsible with their worldly wealth. Worldly wealth is left behind upon your death. Spiritual blessings are the true wealth. Spiritual blessings last forever. There will be no financial accounts in heaven; however, there will be an accounting of your life and the use of the time, talents, and treasure God has entrusted to you. We were put on this earth to serve like Jesus served, to give more than you receive. Do good because God is good. Do good to bring glory to God by pouring love into all of your service. Live with Jesus in every thought, habit, and expression. The Rev. John Wesley (founder of the Methodist Church) said, "Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can."A Christian should be alive to the pain and suffering prevalent in this world today--a Christian should have a willing heart and desire to do something about it. "… his mother called him Jabez because, as she said, she had borne him in pain. Jabez called upon the God of Israel and said, 'I pray thee, bless me and grant me wide territories. May thy hand be with me, and do me no harm, I pray thee, and let me be free from pain'; and God granted his petition"—1 Chronicles 4:9-10. The Apostle Paul states, "This is in accord with his [God's] age-long purpose, which he achieved in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him we have access to God with freedom, in the confidence born of trust in him"—Ephesians 3:11-12.As a Christian, God's purpose for your life is to share the love of Christ. A purpose without a plan is useless. A plan without a strategy is futile. "I alone know my purpose for you, says the LORD: prosperity and not misfortune…"—Jeremiah 29:11. God has a plan for you and you alone. Jesus Christ is the accomplishment of God's work uniquely planned just for you. God wants to richly bless you, so that you in turn can be a blessing to others.This article is adapted from Making Money Work: A Christian Guide For Personal Finance with permission of Willie Glenn Page, Inc. copyright 2005.Bill G. Page is the author of Making Money Work: A Christian Guide For Personal Finance. It is a book and CD ROM (ISBN 0-9764905-0-1) that combines the power of Biblical principles with modern day technology to empower people to become better stewards of God's resources. The CD ROM helps you to easily calculate complicated personal financial formulas. It also helps you analyze, plan, track and achieve your financial goals. The book may be obtained through your local bookstore or it can be ordered online at http://www.MakingMoneyWork.us
Keyword : money, finance, Christian, financial, Bible, credit, book, software
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