Posted on

“Is It Wrong To Be Stingy?”

Is it wrong to be stingy?

What a great question.  There are multiple ways that we can be stingy.  It seems when people think of this question they think mostly of money.  But we can be stingy with our time, strength, emotions, or money.  So here is the real question, is there a time to be stingy or should we always be full of generosity?

Stingy

What does stingy really mean anyway?  It means that a person is reluctant to give or spend; not generous.  When I think of stinginess it reminds me of someone who holds on to everything he has without any consideration of others.

It makes me think of Judas in the Bible.  He was a disciple of Jesus but we know that when it came to money he was not generous with others.  He definitely had no problem taking care of himself though.

You might be saying, “But we do have to be careful who we give to because we can be taken advantage of.”  This is true and that is where stewardship comes in.  But we have to make sure that we are not being selfish under the guise of stewardship.

Generosity

So what does being generous mean?  Here are two.  “1. A readiness or liberality in giving.  2.  Freedom from means or smallness of mind or character.”  When I think of generosity I think of someone willing to give of their time, money, and resources.  The most generous person that ever walked this earth was Jesus.  He did not think of Himself and His comforts but He was always thinking of others.

Rewards for Generosity

  1. When we are generous we have a countenance that shines because we are filled with joy.  We cannot out give God.  He will take care of us.  When God prompts our hearts to help someone whether it takes our time, money, emotional or physical strength He will supply us with what we need.  We don’t have to worry.  I would encourage you to read Matthew 6:19:34.  God will take care of you so you don’t have any reason to worry, you can be filled with joy.  As it says in Matthew 6:33, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.  That is a great promise.
  2. We have a special love for God when we trust Him.  “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.  And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all-sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:” 2 Corinthians 9:6-7.
  3. When we realize that all we have, whether time, money, emotional or physical strength belongs to God, we have a fear (respect) for the Him.  And we are rewarded for that respect.  As it says in Proverbs 22:4, “By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honor, and life.”
  4. The greatest reward is having treasures in heaven.  “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal” Matthew 6:20.
  5. When we are generous another reward is the victory over the “root of all evil.”
  6. Generosity rewards us with escaping from lusts and sorrows.  “But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” 1Timothy 6:9, 10.

Rewards for Stinginess

The “rewards” for stinginess are just the opposite of generosity.  And it brings sorry and not happiness.  There are several stories in the Bible that stinginess makes me think about and what the results were.  I think of Judas who held the money-bag.  He eventually betrayed the Son of God to His death and then he committed suicide.

It also makes me think of Ananias and Sapphira who sold their property and promised the money to help the cause of God.  But then they decide to keep back some for themselves and they lied saying they had given all.  They lost their lives (see Acts 5:1-11).  Claiming to be generous but really lying about the facts does not get you anywhere good.  “No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.  Ye cannot serve God and mammon” Luke 16:13.

Does this all mean that it is wrong to earn good money.  No, but we need to make sure that our priorities are straight.  It doesn’t mean we can’t live comfortably but we should not be living extravagantly.  As the Lord blesses we need to properly take care of our families and then help others.  And as we do this he will continue to bless us.  Stinginess does not bring happiness.  I am sure we have all known them, and it may be ourselves, people who are stingy are not happy people.  True generosity brings contentment and happiness.

What about motivation?

We do need to have the right motivation for our generosity.  We should not be doing it for the praise of others.  Our motivation should come from the realization that whatever we have is because God has given it to us.  This makes me think of the rich men who gave generously into the treasury but Jesus said a poor widow gave more than they all with only two mites.  They gave from their abundance and she gave all she had (see Luke 21:1-4).

What can we do to be more generous?

Being more generous starts with knowing that all belongs to God and dedicating all our resources to Him.  We need to practice being frugal with our money.  Setting up a budget is a good thing to do.  We can rely on God to help us know what we need to give and when.  Give of yourself as God directs you.  And as much as possible make it anonymous so that God gets the glory and we can stay humble.  “But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth.  That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which is in secret himself shall reward thee openly” Matthew 6:3, 4.

Dear Father,

We commit our lives to You.  All that we have is Yours.  We want to listen to Your voice and do those things that are pleasing to You.  Give us Your wisdom.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Give all to Him today and let Him lead and guide you.

Love you all.

How has the Lord blessed you as you have given to Him?  I would love to hear your story.

 

Posted on

“Seek What!?”

There is always this question in our minds what to pursue first.  We get out of high school and we think, “Okay, what is next?”  The answer may be college.  Once we graduate from college we usually launch our career.  And somewhere in there we get married and start having children.  Life is busy and chaotic at times, probably most of the time.

At this point we are just running one hundred miles per hour just trying to keep the heat on and food on the table, so it seems.  As time passes the expenses get higher and we start to feel choked out with everything.  Our priorities start to get all mixed up.  We suddenly, without even really thinking about it, start living a life of survival.  I have to make money, pay the bills, get a house and a car.  And I need this, this, and this.

I have felt this way many times.  You start out in life not really “planning” anything.  We think we are planning but reality is we are not.  Most of us don’t sit down to count the cost we just plunge ahead.  And before we know it we are in the rat race of life just like everyone else.

I didn’t sit down and count the cost.  Although I am glad I got married and had my children, I didn’t sit down and really calculate what it would take.  And over the years it has been way harder than I ever imagined.

We do need to calculate the cost of everything we do.  But there is one ingredient that is often be left out of the equation.  And that is, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33

We get so busy making money and trying to survive in life that we often forget what our priorities should be.  We need to be seeking God.  We need to be seeking Him every day, not just once a week when we go to church.

Some might be saying, “But I have to make a living, pay the bills and take care of my family.”  Yes, and God even says that taking care of your family is very important.  “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” 1 Timothy 5:8 This is a very strong verse.  God doesn’t want lazy people because He also says, “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.” Proverbs 6:6

It is really all about getting a person’s priorities straight.  What God says is to Seek Him First.  Here are some suggestions to follow.

  1. Seek God first. I would really challenge you in this area.  I have experienced not taking the time to seek God in the morning, as well as seeking Him the first thing.  Which requires getting up earlier.  I have found that when I do seek Him first I am less tired, get more done in the day, and things go more smoothly.  Being able to seek God in the morning starts the day before by going to bed early.  It may be hard to do but it is a must.
  2. Make a budget. Too many times we have to work more hours because we need more money.  But a lot of times if we would budget our money and really seek God on how we spend we would buy less, save more and really be able to live comfortably without working the long hours.
  3. Prioritize your days. Start by getting rid of the time wasters.  It is amazing if we really look at our day how much time we can recover just from unnecessary things we may be doing.  I have found it helpful to lay out an ideal week for myself.  It does take some time to get it to work.  The whole family could do this as well.  Each person can have their day in such a way as to have the priorities where they need to be.  We should budget our time just like we do our money so that nothing is wasted.

These are just a few things that I have found helpful.  I have found that if I am consistent with these things it makes a difference, the blessings that come our amazing.

Dear Father,

We can struggle so much in wasting our time and money and not even recognize it.  And we end up pushing You out of the picture, which just leads to more disasters.  Forgive us for getting so caught up in the things of this world.  Prompt our minds to seek You first.  Prompt us with Your Spirit every time we go to waste time or money.  Thank You for Your love and patience.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

I challenge you to seek God first.  He needs to be first in every area of our lives, money, time, etc.  It is worth it!  And watch amazing things happen.

What about you?  Have you made God first?  Do you have a story of what God has done for you when you made Him first?  I would love to hear it.  Share below.

 

Posted on

“Financial Disaster!!”

Have you experienced financial disaster at some time through your life?  I am sure most of us probably have.  There can be so many different reasons why we get into these situations.  You may have school bills that are eating you up, or maybe you have had a sick loved one or a loved one that has passed away and you are left with all the hospital bills, or maybe it has been just because of your own foolishness.  It really doesn’t matter so much how you got there but now the question is what to do about it.

All the time I have been married we have had financial difficulty.  It has been better at some times than others.  I remember when I got pregnant with our third child I cried, “We can’t afford this.”  But after she was born and losing her five weeks later, I learned that money is not everything.

But then again we do have to figure out how to make it in this world and when we don’t do things right it can be a disaster.  When you ignore things and hope they will go away, it does not work, I am speaking from experience.  The one thing about the banks, they will keep giving you credit cards and more credit until you are in big trouble.  There is no bank out there that is really interested in your good.  They are interested in making money.

One of the hardest things is when you and your spouse are not together on your finances.  That was our experience.  Sometimes you, along with the family, have to suffer until there is change.  But sometimes that is what it takes for some people to get to the bottom.  Financial Disaster!  When I told my husband it was looking like we were going to have to bankrupt he finally started to listen and wake up.

Are you feeling overwhelmed right now with your situation and wondering what you should do?  I am going to give you some steps that we have taken.  I hope this encourages you to make the step.

  1. Start with your local Bank. I went to our bank.  We had credit cards, lines of credit, and a personal loan.  Some banks are not as workable, as I discovered but our main bank was, on most accounts.  Most of our accounts, with our request, lowered the interest rates for the life of the loan, which lowered the payments and made it more affordable to pay.
  2. Contact all other credit cards or loans. After working with our local bank I called each of our other cards from other banks and lenders.  Most of them were workable also.  But there were a few that did not work with me.  I pay all those that worked with me first and if I don’t have enough to pay the ones that did not work with me, I either don’t pay them or pay what I can.  I have had them call me and be willing to lower the interest some after they did not receive full minimum payments.  It isn’t easy but you have to make a plan.
  3. Do the snowball plan. If any of you are familiar with Dave Ramsey you know all about the snowball plan.  You list all your credit cards and loans down, starting with the one you owe the least on.  Pay the minimum on each one and as you pay one-off add that minimum to the next one bill in the list and so on.  It is amazing on how it works.  I did use this method once before in our life and got us completely out of debt.  It does work.
  4. Take on extra work. We have been running our own family business for many years, which I have been a part of.  But at this point I went out and got an outside job.  The Lord provided me with just the right job for me.
  5. Trust in the Lord! I believe starting with asking the Lord for His forgiveness for our wrong choices is definitely a start, if we have brought this upon ourselves.  We can’t just ask forgiveness and sit back and wait for God to do something.  But as we step forward to make efforts, He will come along side us and help us.  I found that to be so true when I was looking for a job.  Not only did He provide me a job, as I was looking, but He also provided a job that will come to me at His bidding.  Where I work they call me in when they have extra work.  So my prayer has been that God will provide the work that He knows that I need to have.  I have had to trust Him because sometimes there has been a lot of work and other times there has not been.  But I have a job and I leave it to Him to bring in the work through that Job.  I do understand why He has given me some slack time, which I can’t get into here but I have learned that I can trust Him.

There are many other things that can be done that I will be sharing in coming blogs but for now this is a few steps that has led us along the way.  We have not arrived at the debt free status but we are heading in that direction.

Dear Father,

There are many that are suffering financially.  You know their need and I pray that You will provide wisdom and strength.  Give us peace as we do Your will.  Thank You for Your help and guidance.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Remember to trust God through the hard times and He will guide you through.  Take the steps that you need to take a He will provide.

Love you all.

Have you had financial difficulty?  What steps have you taken to get financially free?