Financial Peace – The Arrow Preacher

Play Well With Others

What are your values? Where do you gather your value system and how that treats to others. Matthew 6:21 “Your Treasure is where your heart is.” Men share facts, women share feelings. How does this cause problems in our relationships? When life is an experience how do we experience things differently? Men we are goal, or mission oriented. Women are experience oriented. Take shopping for instance, we have our differences, but how does this affect the relationship? Women will hunt for the best deals, men we negotiate with conflict. Men loose self esteem in financial hardships. Inside men struggle when financial hardships are present. Women have terror when there are financial hardships. Men we need to learn to reassure our women that things will be okay. Women reassure men that they aren’t worthless because the bank is low. We need to learn how to manage our stress and how we work together. This isn’t just in relationships of the intimate variety, but in all relationships we have.

As a people we must learn to unify with our fellow Christians. When we are at work do we leave Jesus at the door on our way out? When we are ‘Yoked Equally” When we are with people who are unified, we are stronger then we can ever believe when we help carry the cross. When we are together we will fill in for the others weaknesses. We are all weak in different areas, and when we find mutual goals, we can lift up one another when needed. We can be amazing Christians if we decide to work towards the same mission.

When I think of playing well with others I think of Batman and the Justice League. Individually Batman works alone or with a select partner. Batman wants to control the situation because he is wired to have control over his life. When he lost his parents he had no control, and after that he decided he never wanted to not be in control anymore. When there’s a need though, Batman is able to let go of some of his control issues and he works together with the rest of the League. We must learn that we all bring something special to the table. Each of us has our own gifts that are unique to us, and with that, we are special because we are perfectly created by God. When the Avengers first came together they being strong personalities rubbed each other the wrong way. This happens sometimes, but when it starts to happen the right things to do is take a step back, check your own personal pride, and your own ambitions, and ask yourself how you are inhibiting the group effort. We have our own ideas, and we have our own goals, but whether it’s at home in a marriage dealing with money or raising children, or dealing with people at work.

Where are you on the spectrum of dealing with people? Are you someone who can manage to work with people, or are you a loner? No matter where you are on the spectrum Luke 6:27-36 applies. “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic[a] either. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. 32 “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.”

It’s hard to love everyone, and to be a team player all the time. We don’t want to allow people to take advantage of us, but in our home life, in our work life, and in our public lives we must learn to get along and work together. No matter if your Batman, or Tony Stark, you should learn to place nice. We will always be put into situations where we will be forced to work on things we may not like. God always wants us to grow, and to quote from my favorite Android, “To grow beyond my original programming.” (Data) Whatever you do in your life always push yourself to be exceptional, not just ordinary. Push yourself to grow, and never stop growing. Make sure your values and your compass point towards the word of God. When your compass points in the right direction, dealing with difficult situations can often be difficult, and a challenge even for the most devout, but in all things be Christ like.

Financial Peace, and Gifts

The stories that tell us of our lives and the stories that shape the future in such a simple setting, like an old kitchen table. The reality over the dream is the truth we all must face at some point. We all look at our own battlefield with shame, guilt, and hopelessness. The battles we face aren’t the end, and although it’s hard, and terrifying, and it’s sometimes a huge hole we find ourselves in, there is one undeniable truth, one truth that buries the so-called truths that the world shoves down our throats, God’s word. God’s word sets our path, and it’s a tried and true path that no matter what battlefield we are on, the Word of God shows us the trail we must walk. That path isn’t easy, it’s not fun, and it will often kick you in the face.

Are we a nation of doers or reactionists? We are a nation that we react when bad things happen, when we walk through the path it’s like we pick up the rocks and place them in our packs till we can’t stand anymore. We pile so much on ourselves that we become over encumbered. We find ourselves unable to move and we don’t know how or why we can’t move. When we realize how we got to where we are that’s the first step. Once you get to the point where you’re tired of carrying the dead weight, you must first realize you have to stop doing what you’ve been doing. Change the way you think about your life, and change the focus and once you do, it’s only a matter of time for you to push away the rocks, and you can one day stand back up and get back on the right trail.

We must learn to stop embracing the bad decisions, we must learn to make the hard choices, and pick up the right cross and follow Jesus. We do have a choice and with that choice we must understand that anything worthwhile is worth putting forth the effort. No matter what we want if it’s good for us we must learn to work towards it. If we learn how to live a Godly life, and we learn to focus our emotions and eventually we will learn to reap what we sew. No matter where we find ourselves we must learn to be ready for the storms for when they come, not if they come. Make sure that you have your insurance policy to prepare you for when life happens. Scripture is our insurance, our understanding of life, and when we change how we live our lives, we will actually see the change in how often the ‘bad’ things happen.

When I was on a trip to Indiana on my return to North Carolina I hit something in the road and it cost me a few hundred dollars to fix the car. When I had the money to fix it and I wasn’t freaking out. I had the money, and without a second thought I was able to put the tire on the car, drive home, work out the insurance claim, and within a few weeks I had my car fixed and my money back. When we are disciplined in our faith we find that we actually becoming spiritually mature. Hebrews 12:11 “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.“ Positive it’s going to rain.” (Dave Ramsey) In Dave Ramsey’s words an unexpected event will happen to 78% of people in 10 years. It’s our job to not just think of this in a sense of money, but in every aspect of our lives. We need to prepare for what’s to come because it’s not a matter if they come, we know for sure that Murphey is going to knock on the door, and we want to be able to tell Murphey we’re ready for it. It’s almost proven that when you show God you’re ready, you’ll actually have less problems.

Proverbs 21:20 “Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling, but a foolish man devours it.” When we use up all of our savings, or we don’t save at all we are a fool. I personally believe this isn’t just about money. We have so many blessings in our life, and I believe that this also means we shouldn’t take those blessings for granted. We shouldn’t hoard our natural treasures. We must be faithful with the gifts we are given. We must learn to save up for when the troubles start. Proverbs 26:20 “For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.” We must never take for granted the abundance but instead share, and plan for the tough times. When we appropriate God’s grace, we will remain in favor. We don’t want to squander what we have and get lost along the way.