Money, Money, Money, Money | MONEY!
My current read is one totally out of the genres I usually go for. I would never have read it had it not been a friend of mine who is always challenging my thinking about money. For a long time I just ran away from his thought-provoking questions, well because of what I know the Bible teaches about the love of money. But I soon realised that the Bible neither teaches the fear of money, rather the fear of God, which then means revering him in the way I gain and use money.
I'm reading a book by Robert Kiyosaki titled Rich Dad Poor Dad. There are many things he teaches, some I don't agree with, but some are very practical and really get you thinking. Having done accounting in school, I was sceptical when he explained that he defined assets differently from the norm. But as I read on, I came to understand what he meant. It's simple really, a true asset puts money in my pocket, everything else is either a liability or an expense. He challenged the way we normally think of assets, majorly our houses and cars which in most cases we mortgage through a bank. In essence, those two things are a liability for a long time before they are really an asset, if they ever really make it to being one.
"The rich buy assets, the poor only have expenses, the middleclass buy liabilities they think are assets."
Nothing like the norm huh. I then realized that I have been crying and complaining to God that I don't have a liability, my biggest problem was that I don't have a car that I owe or an apartment that will never be mine. Sounds like a joke now, but that was how I thought and I saw no problem with it. Until now. It sounds crazy to even think one can live a debt-free life, it sounds unreasonable. But for some reason, I believe it's possible.
I don't think it glorifies God to be deep in debt, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free, right? Remember that famous lady with the oil we always read about in church when collecting offering? I feel we miss the bigger picture with that text.
"The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves." 2 Kings 4:1
The issue wasn't oil as we emphasize in our sermons, the issue was debt. This God-fearing prophet failed to reflect Jehovah-Jirah in his life. The problem is that when we think of God's provision, we only think of 'daily bread', we don't think of the bread that will never fail in supply, not only for us but for generations to come (Cf Ps. 37:25). This man of God probably did great things for others but failed his own family by leaving them with no inheritance but the opposite instead.
In solving this debt problem, Elisha insists the woman asses what she has and let God work on that. But it doesn't end there, oil wasn't going to stop the creditor from coming, money was. She had to sell the oil in order to get money to pay off her debts. It takes a whole lot of faith and practicality for us to live in the abundance we are called to live in. God is not a fan of ignorance and does not appreciate us rejecting knowledge and making unwise decisions, expecting him to do miracles we did not participate in.
We are lazy to use the minds we've been blessed with at times, we know too much about what we don't have but won't spend a minute going through what we do have, which we can give to God to expand. Read from Genesis to last amen, you will see the principle that God involves people in the miracles he wants to do for them. Some will leave behind what they know like Abram, some will laugh in God's face like Sarai, some will have excuses like the widow of Zarephath, and some will willing give their lunchbox like the young boy in the crowd; but one thing, they were all part of their miracle.
So what am I saying? Use both your faith and your mind when it comes to financial decisions. Remember the Thessalonians? They thought they could just live off faith, but God came and said "If a man will not work, he shall not eat" (2 Thes. 3:10). A few verses down, Paul actually instructs them to settle down, which is to cool of from their 'spirit hype' and earn the bread they eat.
Hope I haven't stepped on any toes, if I have, askies, but you needed to hear it *hides*
Blessings!
I'm reading a book by Robert Kiyosaki titled Rich Dad Poor Dad. There are many things he teaches, some I don't agree with, but some are very practical and really get you thinking. Having done accounting in school, I was sceptical when he explained that he defined assets differently from the norm. But as I read on, I came to understand what he meant. It's simple really, a true asset puts money in my pocket, everything else is either a liability or an expense. He challenged the way we normally think of assets, majorly our houses and cars which in most cases we mortgage through a bank. In essence, those two things are a liability for a long time before they are really an asset, if they ever really make it to being one.
"The rich buy assets, the poor only have expenses, the middleclass buy liabilities they think are assets."
Nothing like the norm huh. I then realized that I have been crying and complaining to God that I don't have a liability, my biggest problem was that I don't have a car that I owe or an apartment that will never be mine. Sounds like a joke now, but that was how I thought and I saw no problem with it. Until now. It sounds crazy to even think one can live a debt-free life, it sounds unreasonable. But for some reason, I believe it's possible.
I don't think it glorifies God to be deep in debt, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free, right? Remember that famous lady with the oil we always read about in church when collecting offering? I feel we miss the bigger picture with that text.
"The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves." 2 Kings 4:1
The issue wasn't oil as we emphasize in our sermons, the issue was debt. This God-fearing prophet failed to reflect Jehovah-Jirah in his life. The problem is that when we think of God's provision, we only think of 'daily bread', we don't think of the bread that will never fail in supply, not only for us but for generations to come (Cf Ps. 37:25). This man of God probably did great things for others but failed his own family by leaving them with no inheritance but the opposite instead.
In solving this debt problem, Elisha insists the woman asses what she has and let God work on that. But it doesn't end there, oil wasn't going to stop the creditor from coming, money was. She had to sell the oil in order to get money to pay off her debts. It takes a whole lot of faith and practicality for us to live in the abundance we are called to live in. God is not a fan of ignorance and does not appreciate us rejecting knowledge and making unwise decisions, expecting him to do miracles we did not participate in.
We are lazy to use the minds we've been blessed with at times, we know too much about what we don't have but won't spend a minute going through what we do have, which we can give to God to expand. Read from Genesis to last amen, you will see the principle that God involves people in the miracles he wants to do for them. Some will leave behind what they know like Abram, some will laugh in God's face like Sarai, some will have excuses like the widow of Zarephath, and some will willing give their lunchbox like the young boy in the crowd; but one thing, they were all part of their miracle.
So what am I saying? Use both your faith and your mind when it comes to financial decisions. Remember the Thessalonians? They thought they could just live off faith, but God came and said "If a man will not work, he shall not eat" (2 Thes. 3:10). A few verses down, Paul actually instructs them to settle down, which is to cool of from their 'spirit hype' and earn the bread they eat.
Hope I haven't stepped on any toes, if I have, askies, but you needed to hear it *hides*
Blessings!
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