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August 12, 2009
Guest Post: How to Be Rich - Living on a budget changed my life
Ok. It is really Jesus who changed my life. Fact is that May 10, 1986, I understood that my life was empty, without hope, and headed in the wrong direction without Jesus. Something had to change and it did. Jesus moved into my life just as He said he would.
Wait just a minute there. I was raised in church. Actually I was in church 9 months before I was born. Mom taught Sunday School. Dad was a deacon. We had it all together, or so it seemed. For years I remember that we went to church, but it was a schedule thing most of the time. Faith was an extra and not a central piece. But I heard the truth.
In those early years my life was modeled by some incredible people: Libby my baby sitter and mom's best friend, Pastor Robert Bayles (who years later on his retirement gave me a huge part of his library), a Sunday School teacher who was missing a couple fingers (I can't remember his name) who taught me that I was "somebody," Dick Porter who taught my 4th grade Sunday School, Danny Stockton (who was there the day I got saved and poured his life out for a group of boys), Phil Dietz (my youth pastor who now has more than 10 of us in full time ministry), and the list goes on. I am in debt to these great people who taught me.
Back to where I STARTED. Yes, living on a budget changed my life. When Julie and I began to live with what we have and on a budget, some things changed in our lives and in our home. We began to live without creating more debt and to be better givers. In putting our budget together, we had to become more strategic and use what we had.
The process began by simply listening to someone who learned and had been where we were. One of the things we are beginning to offer at The Community Fellowship is some people who can lead you through this process of living on a budget. They have been there and won. There are no catches. You don't have to tithe more. You don't have to put the church in your will. You just have to be ready to live different and want to see that God will help you live with more victory than you have ever had.
I meet people every week who are at the end of their financial rope. Bankruptcy. Huge debt. And lots of other issues as it relates to money. What I hear in those conversations is the simple fact is that people need hope and they need help.
Last night I saw a message from Casey Graham where he said that people respond best with friends and when real people challenge them to be givers or to change. That is a fact.
God called the church to be people who share the truth. We must quit leaving the hard subjects for the locker rooms and courtrooms, for social services and the paid counselors. It is time to address issues. And one of the biggest issues taking place among the families who attend our churches and others is the issue of not knowing how to deal with our money.
The series How to Be Rich gave me the opportunity to share what was going on with our family. Living on a budget changed our lives. It is allowing us to give more, to be free from some things that have hurt us and more. It has taught us to teach our children better. It has given us an opportunity to offer hope to other people who are in deep trouble as we were (and are still getting out of).
In the last 6 weeks, I've given you some things to think about when it comes to living different with the money God has given you. These are not some theory or philosophy on how to get rich. I'm not talking to you out of a textbook. Here you have my heart.
God wants you to win in life. Remember John 10:10? Satan's job is to take from you, but God is a giver. He is ready to give to you. But are we ready? Can we handle the blessings? Sadly, the answer is most often NO.
It is time to get real with the stuff God has blessed you with. It is time to live in victory with your money. Will you join me? Jesus changed my life and continues to change my life as I follow Him. One of those things is this: living on a budget changed my life. Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. (See 1 Timothy 6:17.)
So, there it is. The last piece of what I will share in this How to Be Rich series. If you don't mind I need to thank some people. My wife, Julie, has helped this process work, and we are still working it. My dad and mom have stuck by me big time and been our cheerleaders and advisors. Joe Sangl is a man on a mission to help people like you and me find victory with what we have. Check him out. Thanks to my brother, Steve, for believing in me. Thanks to Northpoint and to Lifechurch.tv for getting real with series they share. I learned much from them and shared much of what I learned in what I taught. Thanks Ben Stroup for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to share. Last, thank you Jesus for never ever giving up on your kids!
Michael Harrison has impressed me with his commitment to building the Kingdom through the ministry of the local church. And he has struggled through what that means as it related to personal finances as well as church financial development. He preached a series recently called How to Be Rich. I've asked him to share some commentary on what happened both in and out of the pulpit as he bravely dealt with what some pastors believe to be a four-letter word ... cash. I'm delighted he agreed to share his thoughts. Be sure to check out his blog too.
Related Post:
Guest Post: How to Be Rich - Love More ... Expect Less
Guest Post: How to Be Rich - Good News & Bad News
Guest Post: How to Be Rich - Meet Joe Sangl
Guest Post: How to Be Rich - Winning with What You Have
Guest Post: How to Be Rich - The Lie of Riches
Guest Post: How to Be Rich - Being a Rich Giver
Posted by bstroup at August 12, 2009 8:30 AM
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