All posts by John (Manager)

Generate Income, Optimizing Life

3 Steps to Generate Higher Income That Lasts

For most of us, we focus on one or a few primary sources of income generation based on a core set of skills or knowledge that we have. We need to do a few key things to make a sustainable change in our long-term income potential.

KNOW Your Skills

This sounds simple, but many of us have an over-inflated idea of how good we are at what we do.  Consider if we were to take a poll of people who have a certain type of job. It is fairly typical that well above half the people would indicate they believe they are above average at performing that skill. Mathematically this can’t be true.

Seek validation on your skill level (strengths and weaknesses) from a trusted friend or colleague. Try to find an objective way to measure your skill. If you are getting feedback from your supervisor or customers/clients, welcome it and genuinely listen to what they are telling you instead of getting defensive.  Ask friends that know you well to speak about other skills they see that you have but may not be currently using as a source of income. Objective self-reflection is also very helpful.

Having a realistic view of what we are good at and what we are not at is an important foundation for growing sustainable income.

GROW Your Skills

Once you identify a reasonably objective set of strengths and weaknesses, you can start making decisions about which of these you should focus on improving first. By improving on some of your weaknesses or building further on your strengths you can grow your capability and skills… which inevitably makes it easier to grow your income.

Some skills can be worked on at home or informally by studying and practicing. Other skills are best improved through formal training (e.g. community college, trade schools, apprenticeship at companies doing that work, university or college degrees).

Growing the key skills around which you base your income is foundational to improving your income generation potential.

SHOW Your Skills

Even with your current situation, be sure you are genuinely working in such a way as to demonstrate your skills and potential. Do not let laziness or lack of motivation pull you into underachieving. You are paid based on the skills you demonstrate, not the skill potential you have. As you grow your skills, it will translate directly to your current source of income. If you are self-employed, your effectiveness and earnings will improve. If you work for someone else, they likely will notice.

You can also market your skills to other companies doing similar work or to other companies doing different work that you are qualified to do. By marketing yourself to other opportunities you will get a realistic measure of whether or not you can earn more money by switching employers or job types.

As you consider these important aspects of income generation, keep in mind also that how much you enjoy what you do or where you work has a significant impact on your job performance and your enjoyment of life. After all, generating income is only one aspect of a personal financial strategy… a part of a bigger plan. Do not be too quick to pursue whatever pays the highest just to find out later you are unhappy and unsatisfied. It is best to seek contentment wherever you are for as long as you are there and to seek God’s direction for your life. His plans are always better than our own!

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .

Blessing or Curse, False Teaching, Treasures In Heaven

How Shall We Share with Others?

Many today imagine that a strong federal government that takes from the “rich” and redistributes that to the “poor” is consistent with the sharing of the community of believers in Acts chapter 4. This is quite simply not the case as there are a number of key distinctions we shall cover in this teaching.

Acts 4:32-37

Sharing among Believers

      32And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. 33And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. 34For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales 35and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need.

      36Now Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of Encouragement), 37and who owned a tract of land, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

Note that the community of believers in Acts 4 was just that… a community of believers or followers of Jesus Christ. It was not a community involving those who rejected Jesus and lived according to their own desires. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and abundant grace was upon them.  Those who rejected the values and teachings of Jesus were not part of this community. This fact is crucial in understanding why this approach worked for the Acts 4 community but has failed every time a government has tried to employ forced redistribution of wealth amongst its people throughout time.

Socialism and communism repeatedly fail. Capitalism is not a perfect system, but it gives rise to the most prosperity across a population. Even within a somewhat capitalist system, such as the current situation in the USA, the government interference in constantly taking money from some to give to others results in a burden that threatens to collapse the economic success of the nation.

Why? When a strong government forces redistribution amongst its people, inevitably the government is also denying God’s authority so as to assert its own authority as unchallenged. Further, it includes all manner of people, not just Spirit-filled believers. In this, the selfish nature of the unbeliever (and many believers who are struggling to follow Christ fully) is the downfall of these systems. Many people choose not to work or not to work as hard because it does not benefit them personally. On the other hand, in true capitalism, that same selfish nature is channeled across the population to create business, jobs, and wealth. It lifts the economic well-being of the whole nation.

For a sharing community to truly work, it must be centered on Christ and include only true followers of Jesus Christ. Those who choose not to work, choose not to eat. All work together to contribute as much as they can and take as little as they absolutely need.

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

      6Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us. 7For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you, 8nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you; 9not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, so that you would follow our example. 10For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. 11For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. 12Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread. 13But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good.

      14If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with him, so that he will be put to shame. 15Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

In the community of Spirit-filled believers in Acts, the poor people were likely not acting selfishly any more than the rich. So we can assume they took only what they needed and worked to provide what they could to help others. It can also be deduced that everyone that had money did not sell all their possessions and give away the money or there would be no source of recurring income to support the community. Where would they meet at a church? How would they find shelter?

Lastly, we must never forget or overlook that it was a community receiving the abundant grace and blessing of God because they honored Him through proclaiming and following the teaching of Jesus Christ!

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .

 

Diversification, Plan Carefully and Seek Wise Advice

Diversify Through Fixed Income

When I first started investing, I did not know where to begin in regards to researching the fixed income (e.g. government or corporate bonds) asset class. It is a significant asset class to consider for our portfolio which typically may have more modest returns but less risk than stocks. It can seem overwhelming to at-home investors, or even those who are trying to understand recommendations from their financial advisors. However, we do not win by guessing or by always assuming our advisor is right, but by studying and asking good questions to improve our understanding.

I recommend spending some time at the Vanguard site online to research and possibly invest in diversified government or corporate bond funds. They provide a lot of choices and effective diversification through bond funds. They also have a good search tool to help you sort through the many options available and find what is right for you.

vanguard bond funds

Take the time to research and study either with the Vanguard search tool or other similar tools at different investing sites. Browse through and drill down to read about the different options. For those working with a financial advisor, use this research to help focus your questions and validate the advice they may be giving you. Compare the fee structure of products you are offered vs. the low fee structure at Vanguard.

For the record, I have no affiliation with Vanguard or any other products I comment on in my articles.

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .

Diversification, Plan Carefully and Seek Wise Advice

Diversify Within Stock Investments

Once you have used your personal financial plan to decide how much money you have to invest within an asset class like the stock market, you still want to ensure you diversify within that asset class.

In other words, if you have 5,000 dollars to invest in the stock market you should not put it all in one stock or even in a set of related stocks that could all lose value simultaneously. For example, I am not diversified very effectively if I spread my investment across 5 stocks, but they are all banks… or all oil companies… or all technology companies. If everything goes well I may feel like a genius, but I am also taking a significant risk if something disrupts a whole sector. If I invest in all oil-related stocks, then I am subject to the changes in the price of oil affecting my entire portfolio.

There are many options for investing, even in how to diversify. One way to diversify is to invest in Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) that represent sectors of the stock market instead of single stocks. Another way is to pick specific stocks but make sure they are diversified (e.g. maybe 1 financial, 1 oil, 1 tech, 1 healthcare, etc.). However, the more specific you get in investing in individual stocks, the more homework you need to do to keep up with each individual company and what may affect the stock price. You should never just buy and hold without continuing to follow the stocks or groups of stocks you hold.  You should visit the performance of your investments and underlying sectors or companies on a regular basis.

Many are well served to consult an investment professional. However, even those who rely on professional investors to help them should do their own homework to understand the recommendations and investments that they are making. You would not just tell a real estate agent to buy a house for you… you go with them, look at the data, look at the specific houses, you get their input but you make the decisions. The same is true for investing.

For those still trying to find out what diversification across sectors of the stock market means, or for those trying to find effective ways to steward their investments, there are many valuable tools to give you information at a quick glance with the opportunity to drill down for more detail. I found one example of a good tool for sector analysis at Fidelity. You can start with a sector overview and drill down for more information within each sector.  I have included a picture below as an example of different sectors of stocks. In the live version, you can click on the “+” and drill down further on their website.

fidelity sectors

I hope these quick thoughts help you stay properly connected to your investment decisions!

Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .

Diversification, Plan Carefully and Seek Wise Advice, Tools

How Do I Diversify My Investments?

Congratulations to those of you who are ready to consider investing as part of actively managing your finances. Now… a common question is “How do I know how much to invest in what assets?”

Truly it can be overwhelming at first. To start, it is important to assess your personal risk tolerance. Are you wanting to take more risk for more potential gain or minimize risk and accept more modest returns?

There are lots of good tools online if you look for them. For example, Charles Schwab provides good information to get started investing on their How To Invest page. Vanguard also has a similar investor page to help you assess your risk tolerance to guide your investments as well as information on asset allocation. Fidelity.com also provides a lot of information for those getting started. There are many sites you can research, and you probably want to look around for more than one. Another example may be the Motley Fool, a funny name to be sure, but a good site.

There are also investment advisory firms like TradeSmith and Stansberry Research.  These last two will try to sell you investing tools or research. You can consider carefully and decide if or what you want to buy. For a few hundred dollars a year you can get good investment advice without a big financial commitment. If you are interested in managing your own investing more actively, some of their tools are worth considering.

Information on sites like these is available to a large extent even if you don’t invest with them. Of course, each website will have contact information for you to contact them and get more information.

It is important to get a feel for how you may want to invest and diversify your money. How aggressive or conservative do you want to be? Always consider that the highest returns generally bring the highest risk, meaning that you could lose money chasing high returns.

I encourage you to pray and take time to assess your comfort with the various risk/reward balance associated with different asset allocation approaches. Do not rush into investing. It is a long-term activity not to be hurried and decided in 30 minutes or even a single day. That said, you will never get there if you don’t get started.

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .

Control Spending, Generate Income, Greed, Stewardship, Taxes, Treasures In Heaven

Does God Require Us to Donate Money to Support Those in Full-Time Service to Him?

There can be a debate about whether or not the tithe is still required. Separately, one can ask, “If we pay a tithe, do we have to pay it to the church?” There are arguments on both sides. We could have these debates, and if done based on scripture, they could be significant discussions. If done based on our emotions or the tradition of men, they have significantly less value.

Perhaps the more significant question is not “Am I required to tithe to those serving God?”, but rather “Is it pleasing to God?” We can also explore the perspective of one who would be accepting such donations.

I am going to start by focusing on scripture from Paul in 2 Corinthians 11.

2 Corinthians 11:7-9

     7Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you without charge? 8I robbed other churches by taking wages from them to serve you; 9and when I was present with you and was in need, I was not a burden to anyone; for when the brethren came from Macedonia they fully supplied my need, and in everything I kept myself from being a burden to you, and will continue to do so.

I do not claim this is authoritative for every situation, but rather very interesting to note. Paul accepted money when it was offered, but did not require it or pressure people to give to him just because he was preaching the gospel to them.  Those that gave to Paul arguably were not giving to the “church” as we think of it today. That would have been tithing to the Levites at this time. If they had only tithed to the Levites, Paul would not have received financial support. Neither would any of Jesus’ disciples or Jesus Himself in His earthly ministry.

It is probably worth highlighting at this time that Jesus accepted donations from supporters. We know from the biblical record of the money found in the mouth of a fish and the miracles of the loaves and fishes that Jesus could have simply made His own money. He set an example by accepting support from others. That said, I have not found any scripture where He passed around a collection plate during His teaching and asked for money either. He did not appear to make it a focus of His ministry to ask for donations.

 Luke 8:1-3

1Soon afterward, Jesus began going around from one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God. The twelve were with Him, 2and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means.

If we look back to the Torah (first 5 books of the Bible), we can see how the LORD provided for the Levites. He did not give directly to them an inheritance as He did for other tribes. He instructed others to provide for them.

Numbers 35:1-5

Cities for the Levites

     1Now the LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho, saying, 2“Command the sons of Israel that they give to the Levites from the inheritance of their possession cities to live in; and you shall give to the Levites pasture lands around the cities. 3“The cities shall be theirs to live in; and their pasture lands shall be for their cattle and for their herds and for all their beasts.

      4“The pasture lands of the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall extend from the wall of the city outward a thousand cubits around. 5“You shall also measure outside the city on the east side two thousand cubits, and on the south side two thousand cubits, and on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits, with the city in the center. This shall become theirs as pasture lands for the cities.

I believe God is pleased when His people choose to support those He calls into full-time ministry. Some of us will serve Him in business roles (e.g. Daniel, Moses, Abraham, Jacob, many of the people were farmers, etc.). However, some will be missionaries and pastors and Biblical teachers and these may need the support of the community of believers as a means for God to provide for them.

I would encourage these individuals to also consider the example of Paul and work in such a way as not to be a burden to others. They can provide sometimes for their own needs or be modest in what they spend. One receiving donations from hard-working people should not be flying in private jets unless they earned that money in another way aside from donations.

Keep in mind that Moses turned away donations that were made when they were in excess of what was required. It was not his goal to get personal wealth from donations from the people.

Exodus 36:3-7

 3They received from Moses every [g]contribution which the sons of Israel had brought to perform [h]the work [i]in the construction of the sanctuary. And they still continued bringing to him [j]voluntary offerings every morning. 4And all the [k]skillful people who were performing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from [l]the work which they were performing, 5and they said to [m]Moses, “The people are bringing much more than enough for the [n] construction work which the LORD commanded us to [o]perform.” 6So Moses issued a command, and circulated a [p]proclamation throughout the camp, saying, “No man or woman is to perform work any longer for the [q]contributions of the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing any more. 7For the [r]material they had was sufficient and more than enough for all the work, to perform it.

Do not let your own selfishness or greed stop you from making provision for those whom He calls to His service. Give joyfully. Give generously. However, I also encourage you to give wisely. Do not assume your job is to simply write a big check to the local church. That is not a very active way to steward what He has provided you. Remember, it all belongs to Him… He has just entrusted some of His things to us to manage and enjoy.

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money in God’s way and use it for His glory rather than your own. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .

Investing, Plan Carefully and Seek Wise Advice

Are Fear and Greed Really an Investment Strategy?

Warren Buffet is a well-known and well-respected long-term value investor. He invests in companies when he sees the cost is low relative to the value of the company and then sells later after the stock value has increased. He is not a day trader and typically invests with a long-term horizon. When Buffet speaks, many who want to make money investing will listen closely.

We should take caution whenever we put someone on a pedestal as a role model or guide for our lives. We should test what they say against what God teaches in the Bible to ensure we are not following a “false prophet” who appears to lead to prosperity but in reality leads to destruction or separation from God.

Whatever I may think of Mr. Buffet’s political opinions, he certainly has some real credibility with regard to investing.  One of his well-known quotes can actually be quite helpful in establishing a certain mindset for us to consider when we are investing.

“Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful.” Warren Buffet

I could certainly do a study on the words “fearful” and “greedy” and make a case that we should not literally let fear and greed make our investing decisions, but that would truly be missing Mr. Buffet’s point. What he is suggesting is that the average investor, and many professionals as well, have a tendency to allow emotions to guide their investing and not for the better.

When the market is priced very high, people get greedy and forget about the danger of a market pullback. The same investors who were too fearful of buying when stocks were low now jump in when stocks are high.  Then when difficulties around the world cause the same stocks to tumble in value, people become fearful and sell while stock values are low. This represents “buying high” and “selling low”, which is not a robust strategy.

Of course, Buffet is not suggesting we blindly buy when people are fearful, as we could easily buy stocks that are still going lower. He is simply suggesting that we take note of when people are widely fearful about stocks plunging down and look for bargains that we are confident will increase in value over a several-year time frame as market forces settle out. On the flip side when the market seems “unstoppable” and we are tempted to keep putting more money in… consider selling some of what you bought and taking profits. Then you are once again ready with cash in the account to buy the next time people panic and the stock values fall.

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org

Stewardship, Taxes, Treasures In Heaven

You Shall Take in Proportion to What They Received

Many people have many opinions, and strong ones, regarding who should pay taxes and how much and also in regards to appropriate or “required” giving levels to the church. God gives us some insight into how He approaches the topic in relation to how He provides for the Levites. Recognize there is not a direct comparison between the Levites and the government we experience today, but this may be interesting to explore some Biblical principles of how the LORD instructs to take money from the people for a common purpose.

Numbers 35:6-8

     6“The cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be the six cities of refuge, which you shall give for the manslayer to flee to; and in addition to them you shall give forty-two cities. 7“All the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be forty-eight cities, together with their pasture lands. 8“As for the cities which you shall give from the possession of the sons of Israel, you shall take more from the larger and you shall take less from the smaller; each shall give some of his cities to the Levites in proportion to his possession which he inherits.”

Everyone pays something, even those with less. Those with more, pay more… in proportion to what they receive. This sounds like a fixed percentage… e.g. everyone gives 10% or something like that. Also, note that this was to provide for those in God’s service who would not otherwise “earn income” because they are devoted to Him. Nowhere in this scripture is YHWH telling anyone to give part of what they receive to others who should be able and willing to work their own inheritance. Note that this is not a call to take 50% from those who have more and only 10% from those who have less. Everything is in proportion. It is also not a call to take 50% from those with more and nothing from those with less. Everyone gives a portion.

This is largely consistent with the concept of the tithe, which is presented elsewhere in the Biblical text. One can draw two focus areas from this…one is how we vote and get involved with the government to manage taxes “fairly” and appropriately. This also ties into our attitude when we pay taxes. The other is how we willingly and joyfully choose to give to support those in God’s full-time service. By providing them income, they can work full time focused on serving the Lord in their calling. We can, however, also appreciate missionaries like Paul who worked to pay their own way and did not make themselves a burden on those they taught.  Considering that the Levites are no longer here and there is not a Biblical command that necessarily automatically translates from the Levitical priesthood to the local churches of today. We must consider context and principles to understand how it applies.

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money in God’s way and use it for His glory rather than your own. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .

Optimizing Life

Managing Money Together

There is a fairly fundamental and foundational principle for managing personal financial strategy as man and wife in the context of a godly marriage. God tells us as early as Genesis 2 that a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.

Genesis 2:24 24For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.

This principle applies to financial strategy in the same way it applies to other aspects of marriage. Husband and wife should both be involved and aligned on their financial strategy. If not managed properly it can be a destructive issue for marriages and families.

One spouse often may take a leadership role in accounting and long-range planning. This approach is fine, but it is essential to at least communicate and align on the strategy.

If the married couple is aligned, but one is completely uninvolved and unaware of the finances… it could be that much more difficult in the event of the death of their spouse. In addition to dealing with their loss, they also have to start from scratch on understanding financial strategy.

It is much worse if the two are not aligned. If one is dedicated to saving and the other to spending… or one feels the need to provide for higher education for the children and one thinks the kids should pay for it themselves.  Even saying you have separate accounts to manage separately is not a healthy solution. That is just an excuse not to work through the process to agree on your joint financial strategy.

If you believe in marriage according to God’s instruction then you already know you will both be together through life’s challenges and into retirement, God willing. You will not be separate, so do not fool yourselves into thinking of it as “his money” and “her money”. This often represents a failure to agree on a common financial strategy and can lead to much resentment and difficulty.

Investing the time to work through your differences of opinion to align on a common financial strategy and to maintain that over time removes a significant obstacle toward enjoying a thriving, joy-filled marriage.

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .

Treasures In Heaven

Those Who Are Truly Thankful Give Above What Is Required

The Lord provided great victory for the Israelites over the Midianites which is recorded in Numbers 31. They knew this victory could only be from the Lord. They were victorious because they obeyed the Lord. In victory, they similarly obeyed the Lord in dividing the booty according to His instruction.

Starting in verse 48, we see that those who were truly grateful to the LORD for the victory gave more than was asked. They gave above and beyond in thanks to God.

Numbers 31:25-54

Division of the Booty

     25Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 26“You and Eleazar the priest and the heads of the fathers’ households of the congregation take a count of the booty that was captured, both of man and of animal; 27and divide the booty between the warriors who went out to battle and all the congregation. 28“Levy a tax for the LORD from the men of war who went out to battle, one in five hundred of the persons and of the cattle and of the donkeys and of the sheep; 29take it from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest, as an offering to the LORD. 30“From the sons of Israel’s half, you shall take one drawn out of every fifty of the persons, of the cattle, of the donkeys and of the sheep, from all the animals, and give them to the Levites who keep charge of the tabernacle of the LORD.” 31Moses and Eleazar the priest did just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

      32Now the booty that remained from the spoil which the men of war had plundered was 675,000 sheep, 33and 72,000 cattle, 34and 61,000 donkeys, 35and of human beings, of the women who had not known man intimately, all the persons were 32,000.

      36The half, the portion of those who went out to war, was as follows: the number of sheep was 337,500, 37and the LORD’S levy of the sheep was 675; 38and the cattle were 36,000, from which the LORD’S levy was 72; 39and the donkeys were 30,500, from which the LORD’S levy was 61; 40and the human beings were 16,000, from whom the LORD’S levy was 32 persons. 41Moses gave the levy which was the LORD’S offering to Eleazar the priest, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

      42As for the sons of Israel’s half, which Moses separated from the men who had gone to war— 43now the congregation’s half was 337,500 sheep, 44and 36,000 cattle, 45and 30,500 donkeys, 46and the human beings were 16,000— 47and from the sons of Israel’s half, Moses took one drawn out of every fifty, both of man and of animals, and gave them to the Levites, who kept charge of the tabernacle of the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

      48Then the officers who were over the thousands of the army, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, approached Moses, 49and they said to Moses, “Your servants have taken a census of men of war who are in our charge, and no man of us is missing. 50“So we have brought as an offering to the LORD what each man found, articles of gold, armlets and bracelets, signet rings, earrings and necklaces, to make atonement for ourselves before the LORD.” 51Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, all kinds of wrought articles. 52All the gold of the offering which they offered up to the LORD, from the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, was 16,750 shekels. 53The men of war had taken booty, every man for himself. 54So Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it to the tent of meeting as a memorial for the sons of Israel before the LORD.

We should ask ourselves… even if we obey by giving to the Father what He asks from us, how often do we bring extra gifts just out of a joyful and thankful heart? It may be money, it may be time, it may be our talents… but how often do we give back to Him more than He asks? Indeed He provides all we have. Let us be joyful and thankful.

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way and use it for His glory rather than your own. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .