Tag: <span>fear</span>

Published October 22, 2009

Heavenly Investments

by John Grant
John Grant is a former Florida State Senator and is a practicing attorney
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Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”  When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.â€?
Matthew 19:21-22

An initial shareholder with 100 shares (worth $1650) at the time of Wal-Mart’s 1970 IPO would now, after 11 stock splits, possess 204,800 shares worth $10.5 million! This 6330-fold increase over four decades represents an annualized return exceeding 25%!

Christians should make wise investments and strive to make the resources God has entrusted to them grow, but the key question is our investment goal…… to serve God or serve ourselves. The Bible very clearly gives us guides for investing. Jesus teaches us to
take responsibility for providing for our own needs, but at the same time, learning to trust God for all our financial and material needs.

Worrying over our finances is futile, sinful and dishonoring to our Heavenly Father. God expects Christians, those in His Kingdom, to devote their time, talent and resources to the furtherance of His Kingdom; not legalistically nor by compulsion, but in response to God’s grace poured out on us.

There is no sin in saving and investing some of our income for the future. God does not require that we spend every cent we earn. At the same time, we are encouraged not to worry. God knows our needs and He promises to supply each one.

Be prudent and prepare for your future, but leave the future to God who provides for birds and cares for the wild flowers of the field. So, don’t be concerned to the point of worry. Leave those concerns with God and devote yourself to His concern, seeking His Kingdom and His righteousness.

Though we live in a material world and have need for money and the things money can give us, we Christians are not to be so wrapped up in material things that they become everything to us. Beware of being snared by advertisements and the “I’ve just got to have it� mentality. Jesus tells us that the world craves money and the things money can buy and so much of what we buy is physically and spiritually unprofitable. Much of it tends to be a liability to us rather than an asset. When our toys control us, we have too many toys.

Can you relax and trust God? Can you trust God for your future care? Can you be satisfied with what you have?  The Bible needs to be your prime financial guide, as it contains four times as many references to money as it does to prayer. Be sure to invest by the Book and you will receive incredible returns on your investments…. even more than on a Wal-Mart IPO. God calls us to be generous givers.
(a thought on life from John Grant)

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2009/10/22/jg_investments/

Thoughts by All thoughts by John Grant Thoughts by Men

Published October 2, 2009

When God Interrupts

by Katherine Kehler
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“Trust in the Lord with all you heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall make your path straight� Proverbs 3:5

I made an appointment for my annual mammogram. I have done this for years – since I was forty. I never give it another thought after the “squeeze jobâ€? is over. Painful, but a precautionary necessity.

This time, a few days after my mammogram, the Women’s Health Clinic called and asked me to come in to review my x-rays. They had found something in both of my breasts. Somewhat stunned, I made an appointment for the following Monday morning – five days later.

I stopped what I was doing for a few minutes and talked to the Lord and emailed my husband, who was traveling. A group of women were coming over in the next 30 minutes, so I didn’t have time to dwell on it. At the end of our prayer meeting, I told them and they prayed for me.

Between Thursday morning and the Monday appointment, many “What if’s?� crossed my mind. A friend who has gone through breast cancer recommended a book to read before the appointment. It was very helpful. I now knew what to expect and what kind of questions to ask.

Some questions I asked myself were:  What if it is cancer? Will I be able to continue working? Will my breasts have to be removed?

If it is cancer, will I be satisfied that I have followed God’s direction as best I can? Have I done what I could to bring others to faith in Christ and disciple them? Have I loved my husband, children and grandchildren enough? Have I been a good steward of the resources God entrusted to me?

If it turns out to be cancer, is there anything more I would like to see or anywhere I would still like to go? Would my journey with Christ change? Would I take a different road?

When God interrupts, a person stops, looks and listens.

Monday morning my husband I drove to the Women’s Health Clinic – rather quietly and prayerfully. Upon arriving, I had two more mammograms on each breast. Painful. Then I was called in to see the radiologist and had an ultrasound. She told me that they were cysts and nothing to be concerned about. She drained the larger cyst and the smaller one was squished during a mammogram. No cancer.

My husband and I celebrated! I emailed the friends who had prayed for me and thanked them for praying. One woman replied, “Isn’t God awesome?�

I wrote back, “God is awesome and He would still be awesome even if the tests had shown that I had breast cancer.�

God is good all the time – even when He interrupts our plans.

Thank You, Lord, for being awesome. Thank You for peace that passes all understanding.  Thank You for friends who pray. Thank You for our bodies that are so wonderfully made.  We love You. Amen.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2009/10/02/kk_interrupts/

Thoughts by All thoughts by Katherine Kehler Thoughts by Women