Everyone Needs a Budget
by: Fred Mundie
A budget is nothing more than a spending plan – you plan to spend your money on paper BEFORE the month begins. This sounds simple, but many are challenged by the process. You will be hard pressed to find true financial freedom without committing to preparing a budget each month before the month begins. The Bible tells us, "But let all things be done properly and in an orderly manner." 1 Corinthians 14:40
So what is the proper and orderly way to start? First, you need to divide your purchases and expenses into needs, wants and desires. Needs are the things we need to provide basic provisions for our family, such as food, shelter and clothing. Wants often involve choices within needs– steak or hamburger, for instance. Part of being a good steward is properly distinguishing between a need and a want. Lastly, desires are the more extravagant purchases we sometimes seek, such as vacation homes, luxury vehicles, etc.
Before you decide how to divide your income among the above, you must first give your tithe – 10% of your gross income to your local church. Next, subtract your needs that will provide for you and your family. If there is any money left, you pay off debt before you consider wants or desires.
It will take discipline to create a budget each and every month, but it will get easier over time. You will also need self-control to live by the budget, but the freedom you will experience by following it will be worth all the time and effort exerted.
Focus
FOCUS
by: Fred Mudie
Ever wonder why some of us can’t seem to properly handle money? Do you feel like you are living paycheck to paycheck, and you can’t save a dime, no matter how hard you try? And if by the off chance you do get a little money in savings, all of a sudden the water heater blows up or the car needs tires –"life happens" – so the savings are back in negative territory. Though we could think of many reasons why we never seem to get ahead, perhaps the most common issue is a lack of focus on God and the principles God gave us for the management of money.
God gave us over 2,000 verses in the Bible that deal with money. Jesus talks more about money and issues with money than any other topic–even Heaven and Hell! Since God gave us so much guidance and direction in regards to the money he has entrusted to us for this short amount of time we are on this earth, why do we get it wrong so often?
If we apply God’s principles to managing the money we are given, we can be assured we will have comfort and peace in the use of the money. This is not to say we will not have problems. God does not promise us that we will become wealthy, and he does not promise we will not have to work hard to provide for our family. But if we keep our focus on God in everything we do, including how we handle money, there will be a peace that comes over us that will guide and inspire us. God is on our side; He will give us comfort and peace in all situations and in everything we do.
What is REAL love in marriage?
June9HandW
"What Did You Expect" redeeming the realities of marriage, by Paul David Tripp
Paul Tripp has produced a video promoting his new book, "What Did You Expect." Paul dives into God's Word, as the sinfulness of humanity meets God's eternal Grace in marriage. The video alone is worth watching as it reveals our real problem, and than it explains God's solution to our marital woes.
Check it out:
Book Review: Easy Chairs, Hard Words
Easy Chairs, Hard Words (conversations on the Liberty of God)
by Douglas Wilson,
Published by Canon Press
149 pages
$15.00
Easy Chairs, Hard Words is a book that teaches reformed theology, specifically the five points of Calvinism, and aims to reveal the fallacy of Arminianism and Pelageism. Douglas Wilson does this in an uncanny fashion as he creates conversations between a young curious seeker of truth and a Pastor. Douglas Wilson himself says, “I have put most of truths into a fictional setting merely to make them more readable, and hence more understandable.” (pg.8) The book is very readable, and adds some warmth and humor throughout it, as Douglas Wilson uses his creativity and an artistic flair to make the meetings between the young man and Pastor most interesting.
The book begins with the young man who is part of a church that believes man can lose his salvation, and he has heard a lot of rumblings within his own congregation, talking about the Calvinist Church across the street. The young man is curious about this conspicuous church because they hold to such different teachings, especially the fact that they believe you can’t lose your salvation. So the young man decides to set up a time to meet with this Pastor, and one conversation turns into numerous visits. The book reads like fiction more than non-fiction because of the conversation between the two men. This was not a dry book on theology as the added character’s conversing, tackling hard questions, and thoughtful answers, allow the reader to feel like they are in the room learning with the young man.
Douglas Wilson’s strong points are exhibited in his readability, interest factor, and understanding of the topics discussed. Also, some of the explanations Douglas Wilson shares reveals his depth of insight in the Word of God. Furthermore, the book is only 149 pages which can be a read in a span of one or two weeks. Finally, the author puts extreme emphasis on the glory of God. He argues that everything God is doing is for His glory, instead of man’s. Douglas Wilson expands the reader’s view of God while placing us in our position as creation who are here to worship God.
The only drawback to this book is that those who come from the Arminian/Peligian (freewill) camp may feel slighted. The author makes it crystal clear that “diving down into the depths of grace,” is code for embracing and growing in reformed theology. The book is written from the notion that the young man came out of the freewill perspective and embraced the whole counsel of God’s Word, especially God’s sovereignty, which is intertwined in every area of the five points of Calvinism.
I thought Easy Chairs, Hard Words was a great read. I loved how Douglas Wilson turned theology into these great dialogues between the young man and the Pastor. The questions posed to the Pastor, and the responses were well thought out, and clearly answered. The reformed believer will say “amen” to everything Douglas Wilson says, while the freewill believer will be challenged with the arguments made by the author. It is important for all of us regardless of our theology to think and be challenged where we are at in our faith with Christ. This book magnifies and expands God’s glory as we are here for nothing but His glory!
A Call To Pray
"What is both surprising and depressing is the sheer prayerlessness that characterizes so much of the Western church. It is surprising, because it is out of step with the Bible that portrays what Christian living should be; it is depressing, because it frequently coexists with abounding Christian activity that somehow seems hollow, frivolous and superficial."--D.A. Carson
Would this characterize your church? Your home? Your life? How is your prayer life today?
God's Word tells us to "pray without ceasing."--1 Thessalonians 5:17
Why Does God Need My Money?
by: Fred MundieHave you ever asked yourself that question? Or, have you ever been in a conversation with someone and they asked you to explain to them why God wants their hard-earned, hard-to-come-by, not-enough money? Or, even better, have you ever spoken with someone who said (perhaps you thought in your own mind) "God knows I love Him, and God knows I work hard, and God knows I am having a difficult time financially right now, so God is OK with me not giving to Him right now?"
The problem with all of the above is the initial premise is wrong–God does not want, nor does God need, our money. How could we be so arrogant to think the Creator of all the heavens and earth, of the entire universe, the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega, would need anything from us? He does not need us or anything we have. He can squash us like a bug today, and he will not change one bit from the way he is, the way he was, and the way he will always be, in all of eternity.
God wants us to love Him. He wants us to love one another. And He wants us to obey Him. One of the areas in which he wants us to obey is money. When we pay our tithe to our local church, we are not giving money to God, the money is going to the church. The payment of the tithe is an act of obedience toward God. In Malachi 3:10, God says: "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it." That verse is a straight-up command from God to us to tithe. He is so adamant about the fact that we should obey Him in the area of tithing that He even says "Test me in this." This is the only place in the entire Bible where God tells us to test Him. Imagine the depth of love and the commitment he has to us to tell us to test Him. Who are we to test Him?
Our obedience to God comes from our faith in God. Faith that God knows what is best for us, faith that He knows what we are capable of, and faith that God will take care of us in all things, great and small. Our obedience to God in not only monetary areas but all areas of our life will allow us to love Him in the way He intended: completely and unconditionally, with full confidence and faith that God will provide for all of our needs.
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