.png)
Philippians 4:19
"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."
Is a lack of quality family time causing you to lose money? We get it. Money and stress go together like peanut butter and jelly, Abbott and Costello, Tom and Jerry, Ben and Jerry....
You get my point.
The issue with this is that many people are suffering in silence. But even if we don't say anything, our children are looking at us for guidance. So it is imperative that we display healthy money habits to set them up for success in the future.
It was found in an American Psychological Association (APA) 2014 "Stress in America" Survey, money is consistently among the leaders of stress year over year. Not to mention that parents with children, were more likely to display negative behaviors around money than those without children.
In today's scripture, it let's us know that God will meet all of your needs. When we take this perspective, the stress of not making enough goes away. Even though, many of us have felt the pressure at some time in our life, the feeling of lack.
But it is the fear of not being able to survive that scares us and projects a bad stigma around money and the uses of it. The reality of the situation is that the parents that are unable to provide the Christmas gifts, or the birthday gifts, has tied their self-worth to their ability to purchase goods for their children instead of their love for them.
It is this ideology of money makes you worthy that is pressed upon our minds from this consumer culture that keeps us broken and downtrodden.
When you focus on spending quality time with your family, you no longer have to buy their happiness. The $1000s that you spend on gas, dinner, vacations, hotels, rental cars, and souvenirs, can be used to cultivate a loving environment at home.
Many seek the happiness they can buy BEFORE they consider the happiness that they can CREATE!
I love vacations. I love a lovely dinners. But those things are meaningless if they are not spent with the people you love.
The more time that you spend with your family the more fulfilled you will be and you won't seek the simple pleasures of food and shopping. Because you have something more meaningful in your life.
Now the money you earn, is money that you can save.
Now, as your children grow up, they will understand that with a healthy money mindset, money is used to purchase our needs, and not a substitute for our happiness.
Speaking of happiness.
In a recent interview on Financial Advisors Say The Darndest Things Podcast with Bracha Goetz, How to Find Happiness By Climbing The Pleasure Ladder. She breaks down the 5 rungs of the ladder to reach true pleasure.
Here they are:
Physical Pleasure- Food, Exercise, Dance (Anything we can experience with our senses)
Meaning- Things that give our lives purpose a craft, a job, or a mission.
Love- Connection with things, and with people you enjoy being around. Relationships.
Creativity- The ability to express yourself and create something out of nothing
Transcendence- Your Oneness with God and the Universe around us.
As you notice, that love and meaning, are higher than the physical pleasures that the world tries to sell you. When we have a higher purpose, the lower levels of pleasure are not as appealing. They tend to be temporary, but the higher you go on the ladder, the longer the pleasure lasts. A good meal last maybe 30 minutes. Exercise, an hour. But love and creativity, can possible last a lifetime.
The more time that you spend on the pleasures of Meaning, Love, Creativity, and especially Transcendence, the less you will have to PAY for pleasure that only satisfies the lowest rung of the pleasure ladder.
So today, I want you to find a person you love, and I want you to thank them for bringing happiness into your life. Because that meaningful love connection is worth more than money itself. Spend the love, save the money.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we want to thank you for providing us with a life full of pleasure. We know you did not send us into this world to suffer but to enjoy the beauty of the things you have provided. The glowing of the sun, the cool breeze, the stars in the sky, and the sound of the birds chirping. Most of all, the ones in our lives. All of these things we ask in your name. Amen.
Thank you for reading!
Subscribe today and receive our Christian Resource for Tithing Christians
4 Biblical Principles Every Christian Should Know About Finances and Creating Generational Wealth.
About the blog:
Many Christians struggle with the seemingly conflicting views about our faith and the pursuit of financial gain. They were taught that poverty was piety and that a lack of money was the only way to truly detach themselves from the love of money. Our blog debunks some of those claims, teaches you that you can be rich and righteous, and at the same time fulfill your obligation to tithe and give to the less fortunate. We are dedicated to helping you become cheerful givers by organizing your personal finances, providing investment tips to help you create wealth, and encouraging you to create a gifting strategy that will make your family and God proud.
Meet the Author:
A.B. Ridgeway, MBA (info@abrwealthmanagement.com) is the owner and Christian Financial Advisor with A.B. Ridgeway Wealth Management. With a decade in the finance industry, his goal is to give believers clarity around the most confusing topic in the Bible, money, and tithing. A.B. Ridgeway helps tithing Christians become cheerful givers but unlocking their money-making potential, so they can prosper and be the great stewards of the wealth God has entrusted them with.
This communication is not intended as an offer or solicitation to buy, hold or sell any financial instrument or investment advisory services. Any information provided has been obtained from sources considered reliable, but we do not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of any description of securities, markets or developments mentioned. This is strictly for information purposes. We recommend you speak with a professional financial advisor.
Comments