Day 10, August 18, 2011
Have you ever wrestled with marrying your passion with making money? Sure you have. We all have but what if your passion is Jesus? Is it then wrong to do so? I pose these questions because today I signed up for Google adsense and the Amazon affiliate program to be able to put ads on my blog that would have a monetary return if the ads were clicked. I want to serve Jesus with all my heart and soul and yet I feel so imprisoned by the debt I still have latched around my neck. Though I have rid myself of all my bad debt, the “good debt,” as financial gurus refer to it, feels completely suffocating. As long as I owe money to creditors, I feel as though I will never truly be free to serve Jesus because I will be thinking about how to increase my income to erase the hole I am in. So I decided not to continue either one of the programs on my blog at this time because I do not want to take away from Jesus as the sole purpose of my blog.
Did you know that one-third of the parables Jesus told were about money and that 15% of everything Jesus said referred to money[1]. We in America are suffering from a great money crisis. We can’t stop spending it. Our government is in up to their eyeballs in debt, a financial site I found said the average American has $7800 of debt, and nearly 1 in seven people file for bankruptcy in the United States[2]. We wonder why we are having so many problems and why our nation can’t seem to get back on track. It is so easy to blame the lawmakers, the war, the oil companies, and our neighbor but have you considered that our nation is this way because of you, me, and everyone else in this nation. The United State at one time was the greatest Christian nation in the world and maybe we still are but look at how much we have tarnished our effective witness by how deep we have sunk ourselves in the quagmire of debt, materialism, Hollywood movies, music, tv shows, sports, and so many other utterly useless and damaging things to our walks.
Please don’t get me wrong. I do not believe that money is the root of all evil and that is not what the Bible proposes either. 1 Timothy 6:10 makes it extremely clear that, “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” I think most of us can agree that this statement hits close to home in America today. It is time for us to stand up for what is right, to show fiscal responsibility, and to demand the same for our nation. As long as we are entangled in debt we are allowing the enemy to keep us from fully serving our Lord and Savior. We are hampering our ability to affect the world for the kingdom of God. Do you choose freedom today? I
would love to see a news report talking about all the many Christians in the world who chose to get out of debt and succeeded. Then I would love to hear the many stories of all the ways they are now able to contribute to the kingdom of God through this financial freedom. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful thing. Well it can start with you and me.
The reason I believe this issue was on my heart today is because I believe Jesus was showing me that the many idols in my life keep me from worshipping Him alone. It is time for me to clean house, to claim freedom in Christ, and to cast off the heavy burdens I carry. Through this I will be better able to truly know Jesus.
Lord,
Give me the strength and courage to stand up for financial freedom. Help me to focus on things of kingdom worth instead of the many things that battle for my money each day. May I remember that knowing you and sharing you with others should always be the primary goal and purpose of my life. I love you Lord and I want my heart to fully know you and serve you without any other masters. I lay this at your feet.
Amen
Blessings,
Greg
P.S. If you have stories of financial freedom or know people who do, I would love to hear them and also hear how much more you have been able to do for the kingdom of Christ because of this freedom. It would be so wonderful and uplifting to share stories of success for those still wading through the swamp of debt on the road to freedom. Also if you have advice that may help those still struggling with debt to find freedom faster or any methods that helped you achieve success that would also be great. Sharing encouragement and wisdom to other believers is such a wonderful and essential part of the Christian walk!
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