This Week In Christian Personal Finance | Week of October 24

Christian Personal Finance News for the Week of October 24, 2010

Dave Ramsey

• Find Your "Billionaire Place." This article written by Jon Acuff is a great reminder that we need strategies to help us get over the hump while we are working our debt-free plan. A "billionaire place" is simply a place where we can go where we feel like a billionaire, one of the richest people in the world. For Jon, his billionaire place is the library. All of us have access to great wealth all around us that costs us little to nothing in terms of money.
• Great Giving Challenge. It appears that voting is now underway on the videos that people have submitted on how they would give away $1,000 a day for 5 days. Follow the link, and you can have the opportunity to view the videos and vote for your favorites.

Crown Financial Ministries

• Overcoming Financial Fears. In the MoneyLife radio program on Wednesday, October 27, host Chuck Bentley gives us four steps to overcoming financial fears. One, identify what you love the most. As a Christian, this should be God. Two, establish a plan to live below your means. Three, eliminate all debt. And four, learn to become a generous giver. As Christians, we should have a healthy fear of God, and then we will fear nothing else!

Blog Posts

• Success Story: Tithing and Paying Off A House In 5 Years. This was a guest post promoted from Bob Lotich's message boards at Christianpf.com. This is an incredible success story and testimony of someone who was faithfully obedient to give back to God what God wanted him to give. Through the process of this man being obedient, God blessed him by providing him a home and then giving him the resources and discipline to pay off that home in just five years!
• Debt in the Bible | Is Borrowing Money a Sin? Over at MoneyHelpForChristians.com, Craig Ford wrote a post on the Biblical view of debt. Debt is not considered a sin, but going into debt is not a wise decision. At the end of his post, Craig gives three unhealthy reasons why people borrow - impatience, materialism, and acceptance.
• God's Provident Plan: Contentment In Christ. This article by Paul Williams over at Bible Money Matters is an excellent reminder to all believers that contentment in Christ is true wealth. We must allow Christ to become everything to us, and we are in a constant battle of allowing money to take over the place of Christ in our lives.
• Church Bankrupcy: Learning From Our Mistakes. This is a post by Rob Kuban over at the Dollars and Doctrine blog. If you didn't hear the news this past week, the great Crystal Cathedral has filed for bankruptcy. Rob doesn't pound on the failings of this church, but rather he gives us three lessons churches can learn from this difficult situation.
• God's Will for Your Money. Jason Price at One Money Design wrote a post about a recent Crown Financial devotional regarding the pressure to pursue financial luxuries and what God's will is concerning money. This is a great reminder for all Christians to stop pursuing material possessions and really give consideration to what God's will truly is for the money He has entrusted to us.
• What Sam Walton Teaches Us About Money, Success, and Family. Over at Redeeming Riches, Jason wrote a post about the founder of Wal-Mart, Sam Walton. In this post, we read the sad story of Mr. Walton's failings as a husband and father. It was only at the end of his life that Sam Walton realized that he had blown it with his family. He pursued building a large company and growing his wealth. In the process, he sacrificed what truly mattered - the relationships with those around him.
• No Financial Margin. At Crosswalk.com, Chuck Bentley from Crown Financial wrote an article on the importance of financial margins in our life. Having financial margins is actually inter-related to the one of the "fruits" of the Spirit, self-control. Also, in order to have these margins, we must be content with what God has provided for us.
• Ten Key Areas of Your Financial Life. This was probably my favorite post this week. Over at Jay Peroni's blog, Jay writes on ten key areas in which he coaches his clients. What I really like about these ten areas is that they are all based on Scripture (and he even gives us related scripture references). Examples of these ten areas include God's ownership of everything, Integrity, Generosity, and Planning. Great post, Jay!

Also check out these related posts:

• Have you even graduated to training wheels in your giving?
• God owns everything
• Giving While Getting Out of Debt
• The two sides of contentment
• Financial planning like a millionaire

Waiting on God for Wants

Do you like to wait?

I don't like to wait, do you? I don't like to wait in line at the grocery store. I don't like to wait in line at the post office. Heck, I don't even like to wait for a webpage to load on my computer anymore.

Living in America, in our "microwave society," doesn't help either. We can pretty much get anything we want, when we want it. We can run over to our local, open 24/7 supercenter in the middle of the night if we need something. Or, we can jump online at any hour, make a purchase, and get overnight shipping. If we lived 400 years in the future, in the land of Star Trek, we could replicate anything we need. How awesome would that be? And, of course, it would be free because there's no such thing as money in the Star Trek universe!


Sometimes, it pays to wait

Last week, I was given a reminder that sometimes it pays to wait. A few months ago, I made a major purchase of a want. I even waited several months before this to make the purchase. I saved my money, had patience, and bought a slightly used model of my desired want.

And then a few weeks ago, I entered an online contest for this exact same item. It was a really easy entry - I think all I needed to do was a re-tweet of the contest on Twitter. It was so easy, in fact, that I had completely forgotten about entering. Then suddenly, last week, I received a Twitter direct message from the company that was holding the contest saying I was a winner! I didn't believe the message at first. I thought it was a spam message. I never win anything, and I've entered my share of contests in the past. So, I replied to the message with my mailing address, and in a few short days I received my prize.

Was this a coincidence? Was this just freak, accidental chance? Did I manifest said desire? Perhaps. But, in the book Finding the Will of God: a pagan notion?, author Bruce K. Waltke addresses such a situation in this way,

There is an element to life that we do not control, called "providence," and that too is God's will. Webster's Dictionary defines providence as the benevolent guidance of God. He is at work in the circumstances of our lives, in both small ways and large. Sometimes we refer to it as "chance," because that is sometimes the way His providence appears to us (p. 121).

For me, I took winning this item as a gentle reminder from the Lord that He can and will give us certain "wants" on His timetable. What we need to learn in the process is patience. The good news is that I now have an opportunity to turnaround and bless someone else as a result of owning this additional blessing from the Lord.

"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" (Matthew 7:9-11).

Also check out these related posts:

• Praying in faith
• Building a wish list to beat impulse purchases, increase contentment, and save money
• Do you make major decisions without consulting God first?
• Stewardship life experiment #1 | Consulting God first in my finances
• Everything Is A Test

This Week In Christian Personal Finance | Week of October 17

Christian Personal Finance News for the Week of October 17, 2010

Dave Ramsey

• Donald Miller: Living His Story. In the last couple of months, I've become a big fan of Don Miller after reading his books Blue Like Jazz and A Million Miles In A Thousand Years. He just has a really cool writing style; a very unique "voice." Anyway, this post is about how Don is taking action with his compassion for fatherless boys. This was Don's own story, being raised by a single mother. He has taken his passion and hurt for these kids and is doing something positive about his past experiences.
• Great Giving Challenge. Dave is continuing to accept entries for his Great Giving Challenge. Dave and The Lampo Group are looking to select 10 finalists and give them $5,000 each. Then, the 10 finalists are to give away $1,000 for 5 days and video tape their experiences. In order to enter the contest, you must submit a 1-3 minute video of how you would give away the $5,000. Click on the link for more information.

Crown Financial Ministries

• Putting God's Financial Principles Into Practice. In the MoneyLife radio program on Thursday, October 21, host Chuck Bentley interviews Gail Rudolph. Gail's family survived two layoffs without going deeply into debt through using God's financial principles. 

Blog Posts

• Are we Managing Money Like Epicureans or Christians? Craig Ford wrote a post at Christianpf.com about an Epicurean philosophy versus a Christian philosophy when it comes to our money. Craig's post is a very thoughtful, interesting look at these two money mindsets by asking the ultimate question, "Do you have a purpose for your money?" This is a must read. Excellent post, Craig!
• Money and Missions | Does Money Help or Hinder? Craig Ford on his site MoneyHelpForChristians.com wrote a post on the impact of money on missions work. This post is very open-ended and doesn't necessarily answer any questions. I will say, though, that Craig's post is very thought provoking when it comes to how other cultures view the role of money in the lives of North American missionaries.
• What Is God's Plan For A Christian's Personal Finances? Paul Williams wrote a post for Bible Money Matters on the subject of God's plan for our finances. Paul begins his post by digging deep on what God's Word actually says about money. There are many in the Christian finance world that claim that there are over 2,000 verses in the Bible on the topic of money. Through intense research, Paul claims he could only find about 1,200 verses in 430 Scripture passages. Whether it's 1,200 or 2,000, the Bible still speaks a lot about money! Paul's conclusion: the Bible does not give a step-by-step plan for a Christian's money. Rather, it lays out solid financial principles that if followed gives glory to God. This is what we should aspire to as believers.
• Church Finance: 5 Rules for Christian Fundraising. Rob Kuban at Dollars and Doctrine wrote a very convicting post for those of us who are involved in ministry and raising money within the context of the church. Rob's conclusion: we would do better if our churches spent more time in prayer seeking God's direction. Then, once we have a clear direction from the Lord, we need to wait on God's provision. Check out Rob's three additional rules. Good word, Rob!
• Does the Concept of Tithing Make You Angry? Should It? In this post, Rob Kuban over at One Money Design addresses the debate on Old Testament tithing versus New Testament giving. I really like Rob's conclusions on the matter. Essentially, Christians use the legalism of the tithe as an excuse to give far below 10%! I am in complete agreement. We should not be using our freedom in Christ to give less to God and keep more for ourselves.
• 8 Financial Myths to Discuss with Your Kids. Over at Redeeming Riches, Go Banking Rates wrote a guest post on the challenges parents face when teaching their children about money. Dispelling financial myths such as "money is the root of all evil" and "money doesn't grow on trees" is a great place to start with our children.
• A most valuable lesson for every Christian to learn - Devotion. Khaleef Crumbley over at Faithful With A Few reprinted a short devotional from the site Grace Gems. The original source is from J. R. Miller's "Devotional Hours with the Bible." This little challenge is a great reminder for us as Christians to live day by day in regard to God's provision for our needs. We have a tendency to get ahead of ourselves and impatient with God. Be content with what God has provided for you this day.

Also check out these related posts:

• Everything Is the Lord's
• 10 Money Mindsets and Attitudes
• Have you even graduated to training wheels in your giving?
• Is it time to grow up in your personal finances?

Money Crashers Top Personal Finance Blogs

A new personal finance blog listing

Just a few days ago, MoneyCrashers.com announced a new listing of personal finance blogs that they have put together. To see the list, click on the following link:

Money Crashers' Top Personal Finance Blogs

Features

The Money Crashers' list is a compilation of 368 personal finance blogs. Basically, it's the ultimate ranked list of the best personal finance blogs. Money Crashers formulated a unique algorithm that factors in statistics such as:

• FeedBurner subscribers
• Twitter followers
• Alexa rank
• Compete rank
• Technorati authority
• Google PageRank
• Yahoo number of inbound links
• SEOmoz rank
• SEMRush organic search value

Money Crashers' unique algorithm then calculates a weighted score based on all of the data. By accounting for all of these various factors, the list is a very accurate in ranking all of these top blogs.

Another great feature, which I believe is unique to this list only, is that you can look at all of the rankings by category, which include the following:

• Banking
• Budgeting
• Christian Finance
• Credit & Debt
• Credit Cards
• Deals & Coupons
• Frugality
• Investing
• Personal Finance
• Retirement

How does Rich Christian, Poor Christian rate?

The current listing for RichChristianPoorChristian.com comes in at #291 in the total ranking of all 386 blogs that are listed. Although I would obviously love to see this blog listed higher, considering all of the factors, I consider this to be very encouraging.

If you rank only Christian personal finance blogs, Rich Christian comes in at #10 of 18 CPF blogs. Again, I would like to see this ranking a little higher, but overall I am extremely pleased with the results. The blog has room for growth.

In Conclusion

Money Crashers has really put together a great listing of finance blogs. They have used hard data to rank the various blogs. The one awesome feature I really like is that you can view the blogs by their various categories. All personal finance blogs are not created equal. Each one has its own unique voice and emphasis, and I enjoy following many of these blogs for this reason.

Way to go Money Crashers. Keep up the great work!

Also check out these related posts:

• What makes the Rich Christian blog different from other Christian personal finance blogs?
• Website Update | Reorganization of Topics

This Week In Christian Personal Finance

Christian Personal Finance News for the Week of October 10, 2010

Dave Ramsey

• It's Never Too Late To Hope. On Wednesday, October 13, Jon Acuff wrote an article on how it's never too late to get out of debt. As we develop a plan to get out of debt and begin paying it off, debt has a way of drawing us back into its clutches. One of the biggest lies that we begin to believe is that it's too late for us to get out of debt. Jon gives us great reminders why it is never too late to work your debt-free plan.
• Great Giving Challenge. Dave Ramsey and The Lampo Group are running a giving challenge on Dave's site. They are looking to select 10 finalists and give them $5,000 each. Then, the 10 finalists are to give away $1,000 for 5 days and video tape their experiences. In order to enter the contest, you must submit a 1-3 minute video of how you would give away the $5,000. Click on the link for more information.

Crown Financial Ministries

• Our Generosity in God's Economy. In the MoneyLife radio program on Wednesday, October 13, host Chuck Bentley plays Part 2 of a sermon on God's Economy that he recently preached at Venture Church in Los Gatos, CA. Chuck preaches passionately on the response of a believer who is truly in love with God - generosity.

Blog Posts

• 8 Money Questions That Have a Lasting Impact on Your Finances. Craig Ford wrote a guest post on Christianpf.com regarding 8 major life decisions that have an incredible impact on your personal finances. The top three decisions include how much we give away, who we marry, and your debt stance. These 8 money questions are great reminders that we must always be vigilant in our decision-making process. Every decision we make does have an impact on our personal finances.
• Don't Let Tithing Rules Rob You of the Joy of Giving. Paul Williams wrote a post over at Bible Money Matters regarding the Old Testament laws on tithing and the New Testament charge for believers to be generous givers. While I agree with Paul's assessment that the Church body was never commanded to tithe, I do believe that the principle of the tithe is actually seen outside the boundaries of Jewish Law (just read the story of Abraham and Melchizedek in Genesis 14:17-20). My own personal opinion/interpretation on tithing and giving is the following: First, 10% is a great starting point on the road to living a generous life. Whether we like it or not, people need a goal, a percentage number to get on the generosity path. Second, God DOES bless those who give back to Him at least 10% of their income. I think of tithing as one of those "universal laws" that really does work. Third, I believe that the New Testament giving mandate goes BEYOND the tithe. When the majority of American Christians only give on average about 2.5% of their income, we need to teach tithing as a starting point. Anyway, I could go on and on about the principle of the tithe, but just click the link and check out Paul's post.
• Redefining Riches Sunday School Series: The Basics of the Bible and Money (Contentment). Over at DollarsandDoctrine.com, Rob Kuban has posted another excerpt of his Bible Study series. In this excerpt, we read about the principle of contentment which is so vitally important in the life of the American Christian in today's world.
• What is the Magic Salary For Happiness? Danny Kofke wrote an interesting post at One Money Design this week regarding a recent study in which a $75,000 yearly salary seems to be the "magic number" in which people's day-to-day happiness no longer improves past this number. Obviously, this study goes against conventional wisdom. Money, of course, cannot buy happiness. What has been found to be more rewarding, however, is a career in which people feel a sense of calling in their work to help others.
• How to Honor God in the Workplace - A business owner with integrity. Khaleef Crumbley wrote a guest post at Redeeming Riches regarding the importance of Christian business owners to live a life of integrity in their business practices. When we practice Biblical principles in our businesses, we honor God and He blesses our integrity.

Also check out these related posts:

• Have you even graduated to training wheels in your giving?
• Profiles in Generosity | Scott and Amy Lee
• Portrait of a Biblical Giver
• The two sides of contentment
• The power of asking the right questions
• How I Paid Off Over $25,000 Of Debt In 18 Months

My 10 Day Give

Reflections

Let's Review

Almost two weeks ago, I wrote a post on the 10 Day Give that Bob Lotich over at Christianpf.com has sponsored for the last three years. This year, I decided to enter the challenge to give back to others of my time, energy, abilities, and finances over the ten day period.

Reflections On My Experience

Now that the 10 days are behind me, I can make an honest assessment of how my giving challenge went for me. Here's a listing of both positive and negative aspects I found regarding the give:

1. The ten days went by really fast! I wish I had more time to do some bigger "gives" in the challenge time frame. Of course, I can still do these things even though the challenge is now complete.
2. I did some initial planning, but in the end, I wish I had been more proactive in planning out my giving for all 10 days. I planned ahead in my October 2010 budget to give at least $10/day for the entire 10 days. Then, when I went to the bank on October 1 to withdraw my budget cash, I made sure to withdraw ten, ten-dollar bills for the challenge. I prayed for opportunities to give and a few came along. If I lived in the inner-city, I would have definitely had more spontaneous opportunities, but that's not where I live. I'm in the affluent suburbs. You don't see too many homeless people where I live. Perhaps, I should have made a few spontaneous trips downtown?!
3. The give was more difficult than I initially realized. The difficulty I had was certainly not in the giving; that was the easy part! Honestly, I either just forgot about it on certain days, or no opportunities came my way. If I forgot on one day, then I just gave more $10 bills away at the next opportunity! In the end, that was a bigger, better blessing to the person who received it.
4. I had fun. Even Jesus Himself said "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35). I can truly say that I enjoyed the few opportunities in which I was able to give. When you plan to give away money and you have financial margins in your life (i.e. debt-free living) so that you can do it stress-free, giving is a blast!
5. I did do some spontaneous giving that I wasn't necessarily planning. I gave extremely generous tips (anywhere between 100-200%) at restaurants where you may not even necessarily leave a tip! I also purchased a book for someone on Amazon.com that I hadn't planned for.
6. I used this an opportunity to model generosity for my daughters. As I gave these generous tips at restaurants, I explained to my girls why I was giving the money away. I now understand what God means by being a "hilarious" or "cheerful" giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). My daughters giggled with delight as we left $20 tips at the restaurants.
7. I used my giving as a way to promote my church. You know why most waiters and waitresses hate working on Sundays? The church crowd are a bunch of stingy people! It pains me to even write that, but I know it to be true. We should be the best givers on the entire planet! So, when I left these large tips at restaurants, I also placed a little promo card about my church, giving the church's website address and service times. I wanted my servers to know that Christians can be generous people. Who knows, maybe they will visit my church? If they do, I pray that they will see and sense something different about us!
8. I should have focused on the time, energy, and abilities aspects of giving. I'm not sure exactly why, but I focused primarily on the financial aspect of giving when I should have also included my time, energy, and abilities into the equation. I know I did do some of this spontaneously, but it wasn't necessarily intentional. Again, it all goes back to being proactive in my overall generosity plan for the 10 days. Live and learn!

Next Year

So, in conclusion, I definitely need to be more proactive in my planning for next year. I would like to give even more money away (I think I will double the amount) and I need to include giving of my time, energy, and abilities. I also need to look at my network of people (ahead of time) and see who is hurting financially. Then, I need to develop a plan to help meet their needs.

If you want to increase your spirit of generosity, the 10 Day Give is a great place to begin. You could even start today. Try it, you'll like it.

Did you participate in the 10 Day Give? Do you have a story to tell? If so, I'd like to hear about it, just leave me a comment below. Thanks!


Also check out these related posts:

• The 10 Day Give Starts On Friday
• Profiles in Generosity | Scott and Amy Lee
• Generosity is a fruit of righteous life
• Portrait of a Biblical Giver
• Do you have a generosity plan?

This Week In Christian Personal Finance

Christian Personal Finance News for the Week of October 3, 2010

Dave Ramsey

• October: The Most Critical Month of the Year. This article is a great reminder to plan ahead for the holiday months when we have Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's coming up. We need to be sure to plan our purchases and make appropriate budget allocations so that we aren't paying for it in 2011. Staying diligent with your spending plan is key. Don't let your emotions run wild during this holiday season and never allow the marketers to run their plan on you!

Crown Financial Ministries

• Curt Olson: Unemployed but Undaunted. In the MoneyLife radio program on Tuesday, October 5, host Chuck Bentley interviewed Curt Olson. Curt shares his experience with job loss last year,  God's faithfulness and provision, and what God has taught him through his journey. 
• For the month of October, Crown is offering a free resource called the Work Your Money Discovery Kit. Follow the link regarding work/career choices and how God has individually designed you as a person.

Blog Posts

• 10 Free Bible Study Resources And Tools. Jason Price (from One Money Design) wrote a guest post on Christianpf.com regarding research he has done on 10 free Bible Study online resources. These resources range from BibleStudyTools.com to AmazingFacts.org.
• Rethinking Retirement | Reasons I Spend Less Time (and Money) Saving for Retirement. Over at Money Help For Christians, Craig Ford writes an excellent post on how his financial mindset has changed regarding retirement planning. Craig's conclusion: we need to trust more in God through the retirement planning process. Plan responsibly and then leave the results in God's hands.
• Balancing Biblical Financial Principles. Paul Williams wrote an excellent guest post at Bible Money Matters regarding the four financial principles that God emphasizes repeatedly - contentment, hard work, stewardship, and generosity. For the Christian, a balance of these four financial principles is key.
• Redefining Riches Sunday School Series: The Basics of the Bible and Money (Generosity). This post is another excerpt from Rob's Bible study at Dollars and Doctrine. The generosity component of our faith is so important in the life of a believer. Unfortunately, too few Christians really understand its importance!
• Be Content with What You Have. This is a guest post by Danny Kofke over at One Money Design. In Danny's post, he recounts a conversation regarding contentment he had with Soulley, a gentleman from the country of Senegal in Africa. This is a great reminder for those of us that live in America that we are extremely blessed. We need to be content with God's blessings in our lives.
• Are You Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop? On Jay Peroni's blog this week, Jay gives us proof that now is a great time to consider investing, even in a down economy. In fact, buying when shares are "on sale" is very wise advice that many financial advisors give during difficult financial times, such as the time we now find ourselves in.
• How I Feel About Money Today - 10.06.10. In this post by Khaleef Crumbley at Faithful With A Few, we are challenged to consider five financial questions each week. I think these questions are excellent ones to think through on a regular basis in order for us to really contemplate our money motivations and life happiness.

Also check out these related posts:

• Is desiring to be rich, evil?
• Why I've stopped being concerned about becoming a millionaire
• The two sides of contentment
• Generosity is a fruit of a righteous life
• Growing in righteousness | The 6 levels of generosity

Are you passionately devoted to God?

Background

Zealous. There's a word you don't often hear much anymore. It's one of those old English words that nobody uses anymore, except maybe a preacher on a Sunday morning. The essence of this word is great, and those who are rich in Christ are zealous people.

The word zeal is defined as fervent or enthusiastic devotion, often extreme or fanatical in nature, as to a religious movement, political cause, ideal, or aspiration. So, if you are zealous, you are full of, or characterized by enthusiastic devotion.

A zealous person has passion, drive, intensity, and devotion. The opposite of a zealous person is someone who is characterized by apathy or indifference. They don't really give a rip!

Biblical Examples

There are several Biblical examples of people who were considered zealous for the Lord.

• Phinehas, grandson of Aaron: In Numbers 25, we read the story of some of the Israelite men who engaged in sin with Moabite women. God told Moses to take the leaders of these rebellious men and kill them. One of these men, was flagrantly disobedient and openly rebellious before all of Israel. When Aaron's grandson Phinehas (son of Eleazar) observed this, he immediately grabbed a spear and drove it through this Israelite man and Moabite woman. God praised Phinehas for his zeal in honoring God in this manner. He rewarded Phinehas for his wholehearted devotion to God through a covenant of lasting priesthood.
• Elijah: In 1 Kings 19, we read the prophet Elijah's story of how he fled from the presence of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel after his great victory over the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Elijah flees to the desert, now in fear for his life. God speaks to Elijah about why he has run away. Elijah makes his defense by reminding the Lord of his zealousness for Him.
• Baruch, son of Zabbai: In Nehemiah 3:20, we read a very short account about an Israelite who helped repair the wall of Jerusalem after the 70-year exile. The Bible names this one man in a long list of other men as one who "zealously repaired another section." Baruch was given special mention because of his passionate work in repairing the wall.
• God Himself: In Ezekiel 39:25, we read that God told the prophet Ezekiel that He would bring Israel out of their captivity. One of the reasons for this is that God is zealous for His holy name.
• The Apostle Paul: In a couple of Scripture passages (Acts 22:3 and Galatians 1:14), Paul talks about his misplaced zeal as a Pharisee in persecuting the early church before he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. After his conversion, Paul used his passionate devotion for God to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the Roman Empire.
• Israelites: In Romans 10:2, Paul speaks of the Israelites' zealousness for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Paul can testify to this fact because of his own misplaced zeal as mentioned in the previous point.

Here are a couple of Scripture passages on general counsel regarding zeal for the Lord.

• In Proverbs 23:17, King Solomon gives wise counsel for us to not envy sinners, but for us to be zealous for God.
• In Galatians 4:17-18, Paul reminds the church at Galatia, that "It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always and not just when I am with you." Paul tells this church that it is a good thing to be continually zealous for God's purposes.

Conclusion

Christians who are in rich in Christ are zealous. They have a passion for pursuing what God has called them to do in this life. They desire to win for the growth of God's Kingdom here on earth.

Where are you at, today? Are you devoted more to your own selfish desires here on earth? Are you more concerned with what you can get over what you can give?

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done" (Matthew 16:24-25).

Life is short. Eternity is forever. God wants your undivided, enthusiastic devotion for His Kingdom. Go out and live a zealous life for God, today!

Also check out these related posts:

• The Psychology of Winning | 10 Characteristics of Winners
• Success is a journey, not a destination

This Week In Christian Personal Finance

Christian Personal Finance News for the Week of September 26, 2010

Dave Ramsey

• Should Ministers Opt Out Of Social Security? I've heard Dave answer this question fairly regularly on his radio program, but here's an article from this week that outlines all the details for ministers who are considering opting out of Social Security.

Crown Financial Ministries

• Becoming a Better Saver. In the MoneyLife radio program on Wednesday, September 29, host Chuck Bentley discusses strategies to become a better saver. Follow the link to see a listing of tips to become a better saver as well as links for resources mentioned in the program.

Blog Posts


Many of the Christian personal finance bloggers wrote some great posts on giving this week! I imagine this was due to the 10 Day Give that began on October 1. Here's a few of these giving posts plus a few other great posts.

• 5 Common Reasons Why Christians Give. Craig Ford wrote a guest post at Christianpf.com on five reasons Christians give. In the post, Craig evaluates the merits for each of these five reasons. His conclusion: we should give because we love God. Through giving, we become more Christ-like.
• Developing a Giving Heart | Help! I Have a Calloused Heart. On his own blog, Craig Ford at Money Help For Christians writes a post on his own personal struggle with giving right now. Craig is brutally honest by stating that his heart has become calloused to giving back to others because of the thankless attitude of those he has given to.
• Generosity Is Proof of Repentance. Paul Williams wrote a post on Bible Money Matters regarding the proof of repentance: generosity. Paul uses the passage from Luke 3:7-11 where John the Baptist preaches on what true repentance looks like. Note: several months ago, I wrote two posts on the generosity gospel that are very similar to Paul's post. See my related posts below.
• Is the Tithe Still Relevant? This post over at One Money Design is an excerpt from the Bible Study Dollars and Doctrine written by author Rob Kuban. This is a great reminder for Christians that we should be giving beyond the tithe, not less. Yes, the tithe is still relevant!
• Are You Storing Up Earthly Treasures? This was a post by Steve Scalici at Crosswalk.com on the topic of greed and the parable of the rich farmer (Luke 12).  This a great reminder to keep our focus on our relationship with God and to embrace contentment with what God has blessed us with.
• Finding Happiness in a Miserable World. This is a devotion from the book The Family at Home (1833) by Gorham Abbott posted over at Faithful With A Few. Contentment with our circumstances here on earth and the promise of our eternal inheritance is the secret to finding happiness in a miserable world!

Also check out these related posts:

• The Gospel of Jesus Revolves Around Generosity (part 1)
• The Gospel of Jesus Revolves Around Generosity (part 2)
• The Top 6 Barriers to Generosity
• The two sides of contentment
• Delay as an effective strategy to save money
• Building a wish list to beat impulse purchases, increase contentment, and save money