Category Archives: Guiding Framework

Control Debt, Control Spending, Generate Income, Optimizing Life, Saving, Treasures In Heaven

Fix Your Thoughts on What Is True, Honorable, and Right

There are many traps that can lead us to fail in executing our personal financial strategy. One of the most common mistakes is to take our thoughts off of what we are trying to accomplish and focus instead on the obstacles in our way or get distracted focusing on what others have that we may want.

We can easily get distracted by lies and frustrations that are not productive focus for accomplishing our goals.

“If I only have a better car, bigger house, newer phone, etc. then I will be happy.”

“I deserve (or need) a better job, and more expensive clothes, etc.”

“I will save more in the future, when I am making more money.”

“I don’t have the job skills I need, so I can never accomplish my goals.”

“Others had an easier road than me. I am just not lucky enough.”

Scripture tells us to avoid the trap of coveting what others have and comparing ourselves to them.

17 “You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.” [Exodus 20:17]

In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he gives additional guidance to help us.  

8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. [Philippians 4:8]

This instruction applies broadly to all aspects of our lives and is certainly applicable to how we manage our finances. We do best when we focus on what is true and honorable and right. Instead of focusing on what others have or what we think we deserve or our frustrations over obstacles we face, we stay focused on our financial plan and working toward achieving our goals.

Set goals, steward progress, remain focused. Yes, be aware of obstacles enough to plan a way around them… but don’t focus on them as permanent blocks in your path. Instead of focusing on what you think others do not deserve, focus on what you need to do to be successful.

  • Stay focused on and content with what God has provided.
  • Focus on the plans you set to accomplish our goals, or on developing good plans.
  • Steward progress toward those goals.
  • Avoid distractions and traps that could lead you astray.
  • Pray for God’ s help, praise Him as He works in your life, and give Him thanks!

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

Generate Income, Optimizing Life

Let Your Relationship with God Define You, Not Your Job

It is very common for people to identify who they are with what job they do. In particular for men, much of their identity can get wrapped up in what job they do. So much so that it is common when meeting someone for the first time to ask “Who do you work for?” or “What job do you do?”

While it is understandable that our work does reflect something about us, because of how much of our lives are spent working, there is so much more to someone than just what job they do.

If I were meeting Abraham today, and asked him those questions I may only learn that he was a shepherd. I would be missing out on finding out about his close relationship with our Creator!

What if I asked David about his job when he was a shepherd and again years later when he was a king? Was he a different person because of the job he had? No. He was a man after God’s own heart as a shepherd boy and still as a king. I would miss out on getting to know David and his relationship with God if I only ask what job he does.

Our relationship with God and our obedience to Him defines who we are. What job we have and often how we perform in that job may reflect our inner character to others, but it does not define it. We should remember this principle as we conduct ourselves in the workplace or seek to find employment to provide for ourselves and those we love. Our job provides income and should be acceptable in light of God’s instruction, but we should not try to define or measure our value as a person by the job we hold. In fact, many well paying jobs can also be very demanding and compete to take time and attention away from God and family in the pursuit of wealth.

As I reflect, I think I am going to challenge myself to hold a slightly different focus when I meet folks in the future, even if they are asking me about my job. I want to engage them with an open ended lead in such as “Tell me about yourself.” That way they can tell me about their job or hobby if that is what they want to discuss, or about their walk with Christ or their family if they prefer. A simple adjustment may help open up more meaningful discussion even from the starting gate as come to meet someone.

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

Optimizing Life, Treasures In Heaven

Our Entire Lifetime Is But a Moment to God; Focus on What Lasts

It is very easy to get wrapped up in our own earthly lives and put more importance in them than is due. Our lives on this earth are brief, our days numbered… our entire lifetime is but a moment to our Creator. We should take care to keep in mind our significance is best appreciated in the eternal impact we can have by helping others to find Christ rather than the worldly accomplishments we value so much and work so hard for.

Psalm 39

For Jeduthun, the choir director: A psalm of David.

1I said to myself, “I will watch what I do

and not sin in what I say.

I will hold my tongue

when the ungodly are around me.”

2But as I stood there in silence—

not even speaking of good things—

the turmoil within me grew worse.

3The more I thought about it,

the hotter I got,

igniting a fire of words:

4“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.

Remind me that my days are numbered—

how fleeting my life is.

5You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.

My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;

at best, each of us is but a breath.”

Interlude

6We are merely moving shadows,

and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.

We heap up wealth,

not knowing who will spend it.

7And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?

My only hope is in you.

8Rescue me from my rebellion.

Do not let fools mock me.

9I am silent before you; I won’t say a word,

for my punishment is from you.

10But please stop striking me!

I am exhausted by the blows from your hand.

11When you discipline us for our sins,

you consume like a moth what is precious to us.

Each of us is but a breath.

Interlude

12Hear my prayer, O Lord!

Listen to my cries for help!

Don’t ignore my tears.

For I am your guest—

a traveler passing through,

as my ancestors were before me.

13Leave me alone so I can smile again

before I am gone and exist no more.

Take time to prayerfully consider your priorities. Do not just list what you say is important and a priority. It is easy to say that God is number one. Instead, write down how you spend your time, energy, money, and talent. Is most of it spent honoring God and furthering His kingdom? or building your own through work or even family in which you place your value? Do you stand up for the values God reveals to us in the Bible? They are unchanging over time regardless of public opinion. Or do you change your view of what is right and wrong based on what people think today… and then change it again with them tomorrow to “get along” or “be tolerant”. God is not tolerant of rebellion to do things our own way! God calls out right and wrong clearly and it does not change over time.

If God is truly our priority than our lives should reflect it… as brief as they are. Do not put off to tomorrow submitting to and obeying God, but rather get started right away. The only things that will really matter at the end of our lives is whether or not we submitted to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior personally and the impact we had to further God’s kingdom while we were on earth.

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

Control Debt, Control Spending, False Teaching, Generate Income, Investing, Optimizing Life, Parables, Plan Carefully and Seek Wise Advice

The Way of a Fool Is Right In His Own Eyes

We should be careful to listen to God’s advice. Those who wish to become wise, who love knowledge, must accept discipline and correction… must recognize that others may have more wisdom in some areas than ourselves. That is how we learn and get better.

Proverbs 12:1 and 15

1Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
But he who hates reproof is stupid.

 15The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.

If you are not humble enough to acknowledge that others may have wise input worthy to consider, that you may have made or be making mistakes than you will continue to make mistakes.

Be humble. Seek wisdom. Accept correction from God and from others. Learn from it. Grow in wisdom.

These fundamentals apply to all aspects of life… and certainly to all aspects of managing your finances. There are great examples of public organizations or private advisors that can help. Most people even have others around them that may have good input.

For a few examples, please visit our resources section of our website.

Resources

Our mission is to help you. We provide the Resources section of GrowGodsMoney.org to help provide you with greater depth of resources by referring you to high quality organizations that have a lot of great content or provide a financial service (e.g. broker for investments).

We do not get paid by these organizations for referrals. We do not “compete” with these institutions, but rather see ourselves as part of the body of Christ in connecting you with helpful resources they already provide.

If there are resources you would like to recommend or give us feedback on, please send us information from the Contact Us page.

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

Ethics, Optimizing Life, Proverbs, Treasures In Heaven

How Can I Share Generously and Yet Increase What I Have?

It makes no sense by our logic. How can we possibly scatter what we have to share with others and yet increase all the more? How can it be that someone who withholds what they are due to pay someone results only in want?

Our sinful, selfish nature often encourages us to hold tightly to whatever we have, regardless of whether we are due to pay it to someone else. It certainly wants us to believe that we can’t possibly share generously with others… “scatter”.

We are to trust in God’s ways rather than the world’s ways. Obey and watch Him bless our lives through our obedience. Rebel and you will experience hardship and lose your joy. Happiness found in the moment will only vanish all too quickly.

Proverbs 11:24-28

      24There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more,
And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want.

      25The generous man will be prosperous,
And he who waters will himself be watered.

      26He who withholds grain, the people will curse him,
But blessing will be on the head of him who sells it.

      27He who diligently seeks good seeks favor,
But he who seeks evil, evil will come to him.

      28He who trusts in his riches will fall,
But the righteous will flourish like the green leaf.

Reflecting on the scripture… consider that when we find contentment, purpose, and peace through Christ we will have plenty regardless of our bank account balance. When we clutch tightly to every dollar as if our life depends on it… even when it is due to someone else… we will never have enough. There are always more things to buy or more money to accumulate.

When we bless others through our generosity, we will find greater joy in our lives and prosper in what we do. When we help others, God and others will help us. When we withhold what we have that others need we will be cursed, but when we provide what others need we will be blessed indeed.

Whether we seek favor of others or seek evil, we will find it. Let us not trust in riches as they may come and go like leaves on a tree. One season brings riches and the next takes them away. Instead put our faith in God who created all things.

Take time to consider how you may apply these truths from scripture in your own life. Pray that God will help you. Identify at least one or two you need to work on in specific situations and make a simple plan to get started addressing it this week. Do not delay or make excuses to come back to it “someday when things are not so tough or busy”. Someday may never come. Don’t delay.

Matthew 6:31-33

31“Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32“For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

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

Control Spending, Optimizing Life, Proverbs

The Greater Treasure

As we go forth in pursuit of our daily activities and priorities in life, such as providing for our families, let us not be deceived that monetary wealth is the greatest treasure. There are greater treasures… such as godly wisdom. Often when we pursue God, and thus godly wisdom, we will also find sufficient or even abundant finances. This may have more to do with how we view our finances and how we spend and not always how much we can earn. Of course, succeeding financially is not the primary reason we should pursue a relationship with our Creator, but a godly perspective on finances should come along with the relationship. Often we already have sufficient or abundant finances, but don’t recognize it because we lack true wisdom even in understanding “wants” vs. “needs”. There is always more money and always someone else with more stuff. We need not compare ourselves to them, but rather look first to God and find our peace and rest in Him.

Proverbs 8

     1Does not wisdom call,
And understanding lift up her voice?

      2On top of the heights beside the way,
Where the paths meet, she takes her stand;

      3Beside the gates, at the opening to the city,
At the entrance of the doors, she cries out:

      4“To you, O men, I call,
And my voice is to the sons of men.

      5“O naive ones, understand prudence;
And, O fools, understand wisdom.

      6“Listen, for I will speak noble things;
And the opening of my lips will reveal right things.

      7“For my mouth will utter truth;
And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

      8“All the utterances of my mouth are in righteousness;
There is nothing crooked or perverted in them.

      9“They are all straightforward to him who understands,
And right to those who find knowledge.

      10“Take my instruction and not silver,
And knowledge rather than choicest gold.

      11“For wisdom is better than jewels;
And all desirable things cannot compare with her.

      12“I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
And I find knowledge and discretion.

      13“The fear of the LORD is to hate evil;
Pride and arrogance and the evil way
And the perverted mouth, I hate.

      14“Counsel is mine and sound wisdom;
I am understanding, power is mine.

      15“By me kings reign,
And rulers decree justice.

      16“By me princes rule, and nobles,
All who judge rightly.

      17“I love those who love me;
And those who diligently seek me will find me.

      18“Riches and honor are with me,
Enduring wealth and righteousness.

      19“My fruit is better than gold, even pure gold,
And my yield better than choicest silver.

      20“I walk in the way of righteousness,
In the midst of the paths of justice,

      21To endow those who love me with wealth,
That I may fill their treasuries.

      22“The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way,
Before His works of old.

      23“From everlasting I was established,
From the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth.

      24“When there were no depths I was brought forth,
When there were no springs abounding with water.

      25“Before the mountains were settled,
Before the hills I was brought forth;

      26While He had not yet made the earth and the fields,
Nor the first dust of the world.

      27“When He established the heavens, I was there,
When He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,

      28When He made firm the skies above,
When the springs of the deep became fixed,

      29When He set for the sea its boundary
So that the water would not transgress His command,
When He marked out the foundations of the earth;

      30Then I was beside Him, as a master workman;
And I was daily His delight,
Rejoicing always before Him,

      31Rejoicing in the world, His earth,
And having my delight in the sons of men.

      32“Now therefore, O sons, listen to me,
For blessed are they who keep my ways.

      33“Heed instruction and be wise,
And do not neglect it.

      34“Blessed is the man who listens to me,
Watching daily at my gates,
Waiting at my doorposts.

      35“For he who finds me finds life
And obtains favor from the LORD.

      36“But he who sins against me injures himself;
All those who hate me love death.”

Not sure how to get started in pursuit of godly wisdom? Fear the Lord and seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all that you need will be added to you.

Proverbs 9:10

      10The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Matthew 6:31-33

31“Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32“For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you

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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 .

Optimizing Life, Plan Carefully and Seek Wise Advice

Choose Your Own Adventure… But Do So Wisely

I remember as a child reading a style of book that was called a “choose your own adventure” book. Basically this style of kids book has a basic story line with several outcomes for each situation the characters encounter based on which choices you as the reader make for them. For example… if in the story the main character faces a choice to go into a cave, or continue in the forest… the reader chooses and turns next to the page that continues the story based on that decision. The outcome is always different based on the choice the reader makes.

The same is true in life. Yes, for each of us there are some preset assumptions for our adventure… who our parents are, where we are born, what value system we are taught, etc. However, we each have the opportunity to make choices for ourselves that influence the outcome of our personal story. This is true whether or not we choose to admit that we are making decisions that matter. Do we get up and find a job? Do we work hard? Do we show love to others? Do we obey God?

We make decisions every day. It is just that we at times overlook the importance of how even our seemingly daily, “small” decisions influence the outcome of our life.

I used to think it would be helpful to have a guide to help me choose wisely as each situation came up in those kids books. What if I had a map that showed which choices led to success and which to destruction? Wouldn’t that be great! It would help me navigate to the best possible outcome for whatever story I was in.

While no one made a guide or map for the choose your own adventure books, God did in fact provide a guide for helping us in our every day life decisions while we deal with other people and with God. While the Bible as a whole provides much value and insight here, Proverbs in particular comes to mind as providing lots of specific applications of wisdom for how we make our daily decisions. Many of the Proverbs are laid out in such a way as to contrast righteousness and wisdom to wickedness. We do well to study Proverbs consistently and apply it as God intended as the guide to help us navigate our lives to the best possible outcome.

Consider this as you read excerpts from Proverbs 17 below. Do not think of it as something old and out of date. Instead, think of it as part of an instruction manual that God has given you… yes you, specifically… for your life. Read it as if God meant for you to use it in making your daily decisions, because He did!

Proverbs 17

      1Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it
Than a house full of feasting with strife.

      2A servant who acts wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully,
And will share in the inheritance among brothers.

      3The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
But the LORD tests hearts.

      4An evildoer listens to wicked lips;
A liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.

      5He who mocks the poor taunts his Maker;
He who rejoices at calamity will not go unpunished.

      13He who returns evil for good,
Evil will not depart from his house.

      14The beginning of strife is like letting out water,
So abandon the quarrel before it breaks out.

      15He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous,
Both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD.

      18A man lacking in sense pledges
And becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor.

Think of situations and decisions you are facing today in your life. Which verses in today’s reading is God putting on your heart to apply in your life to help you make the right decisions?

God may also show you through His word some examples of where you handled a situation well, even if the outcome was not what you wanted… thank Him for the encouragement!

Continue to study and apply the wisdom contained in Proverbs to specific issues in your life. Use the wisdom God provides to help your find the best outcome based on choices you make that  influence your own personal adventure in life!

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

Guiding Framework, Stewardship

Use Well What God Has Given You

God gives to each of us different talents and resources in different amounts. We are all called to be faithful and good stewards of what He provides no matter how small or how big.  None of us are insignificant to God. He wants us to use what He gives us for His glory.

The parable of the talents Jesus shares in Matthew 25 can be applied directly to money, but also can be extrapolated to include how we wisely use (or foolishly squander) the personal abilities and time on this earth that God has given us. It reminds us both that we should be good stewards of our resources by checking on how effectively they are being invested / utilized and that God will hold us accountable for how we have used the resources (e.g. money, ability, time, etc.) He provided us in this life. Even those to whom He gives seemingly little, are still accountable to use it wisely. Further, they are to use it for His purposes, not their own.

Matthew 25:14-30

      14“For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. 15“To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. 16“Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. 17“In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. 18“But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

      19“Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20“The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ 21“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

      22“Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ 23“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

      24“And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. 25‘And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’

      26“But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. 27‘Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. 28‘Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’

      29“For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. 30“Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

God wants us to effectively use what He provides for His kingdom, whether it is financial resources or personal talents and gifts He has given us. This applies directly to every aspect of your personal financial strategy and to all areas of your life, even those not directly linked to financial matters.

  • Develop your skills/abilities and work hard to generate income.
  • Control spending and debt.
  • Invest wisely to grow your financial resources, considering concepts like diversification and seeking wise advice.
  • Steward your financial performance / progress in all areas, including reflection on both success and failure.
  • Remember that how we pursue our results matters to God. Honor His instruction with your actions for what is right and acceptable. (e.g. ethics)
  • Avoid the trap of greed… taking foolish risks to try to get rich quickly or never having enough money to stop pursuing more, even at detriment to other aspects of your life.
  • Give and give generously and cheerfully to others in the name of Jesus Christ and in ways that honor God.

Click the following link for more information in our Guiding Framework.

Serve God with all that He has given you, whether big or small! We will one day have to give an account to Him for how we used all that He provided.

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

Guiding Framework, Stewardship, Taxes, Treasures In Heaven

Give to God What Is God’s

Consider you are an owner of a business. Do you care how your employees spend the company’s money? Do you want them to spend in a way that is consistent with your instructions when you gave them access to the money or just spend however they feel best, even if completely selfish and not furthering the business? Is it any different if we consider a family situation in similar fashion?

Of course we care! Whether running a company or leading a family, we have limited resources, and it is important to use them wisely and consistently with our guiding values and purpose. Anyone who does not see this… just let someone have access to your checkbook and tell them to spend your money however they want… and you will quickly understand the point. You appreciate those who use the resources appropriately and correct those who do not.

Would it matter if they only wasted half of your money? What about 25%? We care about how they use all or any of the money. We gave instructions with the money and we want them followed, or next time we give the money to someone else.

So why do so many people have a problem with understanding that God (Yahweh in Hebrew) cares how we spend the money and other resources He provides to us?  Typically we struggle with this concept because we don’t want to submit to Him in regards to finances. We prefer to do things our own way. We may even be “generous” and set aside 10% of what He gave us and then tell Him we will manage the rest our way. This is not honoring God, but rather honoring ourselves. As a matter of fact, almost all of us give a higher percentage to someone who serves us food at a restaurant as a tip to thank them for serving us.

Give to God what is His. It all belongs to Him, so manage all your resources, time… talent… money, to further the kingdom of God.

Luke 20:21-25

 21They questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth. 22“Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 23But He detected their trickery and said to them, 24“Show Me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.” 25And He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Proverbs 3:9-10

       9Honor the LORD from your wealth
And from the first of all your produce;

      10So your barns will be filled with plenty
And your vats will overflow with new wine.

Malachi 3:10

   8“Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. 9“You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! 10“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. 11“Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the LORD of hosts. 12“All the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a delightful land,” says the LORD of hosts.

Have you submitted all your finances to be stewarded on behalf of God or are you holding some back for your own purposes? This does not mean writing a big check to give all your money to a church. Not at all. It means stewarding wisely all that you have and spending in such a way as to be responsible and further the kingdom of God. Obey His general commands regarding money as we find them in the Bible. Take time to learn to pray effectively and seek God’s specific instructions for you, if any, regarding money. Remind yourself it all belongs to Him and you are only the servant who is asked to take care of it and manage it on His behalf.

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

Ethics, Generate Income, Optimizing Life, Proverbs

How We Pursue Our Finances Matters

Do not be so enthusiastic in your pursuit of profit that you neglect God’s instruction. Our Father constantly reminds us in the Bible that His ways are best. We should take care and heed His advice. Yes we are to work diligently, but we must first commit to working righteously, that is to say “do things God’s way rather than the world’s way”.

Proverbs 10:2-5

      2Ill-gotten gains do not profit,
But righteousness delivers from death.

      3The LORD will not allow the righteous to hunger,
But He will reject the craving of the wicked.

      4Poor is he who works with a negligent hand,
But the hand of the diligent makes rich.

      5He who gathers in summer is a son who acts wisely,
But he who sleeps in harvest is a son who acts shamefully.

We are to seek first the kingdom of God in determining how we live our lives. We are called to be diligent in our pursuits rather than lazy, proactive rather than putting things off to another day.

Take some time to reflect on how this applies to your life. Pray God would lead you and help you make any necessary changes in your life.

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