Financing a Battlefield

I was sitting back staring at my blog page for several weeks now wondering what on earth I could write about.  Several topics have come and gone but none of them have endured to be written about.  Then it came to me.  What plagues this society more than anything? Its not War, Its not crime, its not the economy and its not politics.  Rather, it is the Root of All EVIL. Money, Wealth, Riches.  Nothing speaks louder and creates more noise in a spiritual man's ears than money.

Money drives everything in this world.  Money talks, and often times louder than anything else in the world and this is certainly the case for both the physical and the spiritual realm too! So much so that it often becomes the center conversation for how we are going to handle, solve or even perform a given task.  Financial Burdens can be so heavy that they cause even then strongest of people and relationships to tumble. Finances, often times will decide the outcome of a war before the first battle is waged.

"THE BATTLE"

Recently finances have been a major topic of my life.  Whether it has been me, my family,friends or even a pledge drive for a radio station.  I have heard Money being talked about every place that I go.  "Can I afford this?"  "I don't make enough?" "I can't afford to give that."   These statements often lead to us measuring our happiness in life and at work by the numbers in our bank account.  The economy is down, jobs are hard to find.  People aren't as willing to hire and if they do often times they don't pay what they probably should.  Over worked and under paid while living pay check to pay check. 

Sound like you? 

How does a budget sound?  Sounds great for the majority of time, but what happens when a budget is running smoothly, the black numbers are climbing slowly and then the battle erupts with out warning.  Somewhere, something was overlooked. In a single day multiple charges appear buffed by overdrawn fees which are complimented by check bouncing fees. It appears that the whole world is falling apart? Then thoughts of in adequacy set in.  Stress mounts as you crunch numbers to see if anything can be reconciled.  Outstanding debts stand like mountains, daunting over the latest failed climbing expedition.  You look out over what future goals were on the horizon of life and you watch them begin to fade away as it all just seems so impossible.  Suddenly nothing seems right in the world.  Your work doesn't pay enough, your car cost to much, the simple creature comforts seem to be as much a hindrance as they are a haven.  It seems that you are all alone in the world and there is no relief.  Life becomes a poor me attitude an no one understands what you are going through.  Strangely, accepting help is that last thing you are willing to do no matter who offers.  You begin to alienate the people closest to you because you just can't seem to get your head above water. 

"The WAR"

You have officially been deafened by the NOISE that money makes and have been taken out by the root of all Evil and the Devil hasn't even begun to toy with you.  Now that you can't hear God because you took your eyes off of him you have opened a doorway for Satan to play with all your insecurities.  Life Choices, Relationships, Work, Goals, Emotions, and Faith all become attacked,challenged, and begin to receive scrutiny.  All because we have put our stock in objects of this world rather than just simply living by FAITH.

⁶But godliness with contentment is great gain. ⁷For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. ⁸But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. ⁹People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Paul's Charge to Timothy

 ¹¹But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. ¹²Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. ¹³In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you ¹⁴to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, ¹⁶who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.
1 Timothy 6:6-16

You can't take any of these possessions with you to Heaven.  Why would you?  Sure living a comfortable life while living life on Earth is attractive to any normal person.  God doesn't call us to be normal.  He asks for us to give all away and follow him. 

Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Mark 10:21

This verse is packed full of information.  Reading between the lines, that verse means: Come pursue me, trust me, seek me, and I will build you up so much that what you have now will seem as if you had nothing.
Surely Christ didn't expect a man no to be able to sustain his health and family and their well being. Why would he ask that if there wasn't a plan for us? 

 ¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  ¹² Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴ I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. ^[b] I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."  Jeremiah 29:11-14

"Trust me, Seek me, Come find me.  I will be here when you are in your moments of greatest need or in the moments when you don't need help. I will build you up and I will not leave."

So the next time that Money talks.  Remember to Trust Him, Seek Him, and Find him.  For only in him will we ever find peace and rest. Have Faith because of where you have been and Hope in where you will be.