GREED

ALL THIS STUFF

How much STUFF do we need?
Do we need the newest car every 2-3 years?
Do we need that new flat screen television?
Do we need to keep upgrading to the biggest house we can afford or can't afford?

We know that is not why we are here. Those things aren't bad, but it seems like they can consume our thoughts, actions and checkbook. I look at the things in my closet or on the coffee table and all around the home. There are $1,000's upon $1,000's of wasted $$$.

Everyone accumulates stuff. Just look around at the yard sales in your town and you will see the STUFF that people no longer "need" or want. Take a look at Ebay and you will see all the auctions of people who cleaning out their closets and attics with a bunch of stuff. If you or your friends have kids, just look at ALL of their toys. They open a present with BIG, WIDE EYES and play with it for a while. If it is a GREAT toy they may get a year out of it before you find it in the back of the closet. But in most cases, that toy will be back there buried within a month or two. WHAT A WASTE!!

Again, I am not saying "Don't buy your kids toys." But there is SO MUCH MORE THEY CAN USE! Maybe give them, if they are the right age, a book or tape series about how to handle/manage their money. Even if they are getting a small allowance, it can add up to a whole lot!! There are LOTS of great books on the subject of finances and kids. From Toddlers (YES, TODDLERS) through college students and parents as well.

CONSIDERING WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT $$$$ AND LIFE NOW, WHAT IF YOU HAD THIS KNOWLEDGE WHEN YOU WERE A KID? HOW MUCH OF AN IMPACT WOULD THAT HAVE HAD ON YOUR LIFE?

IT WOULD BE HUGE!!!!

What would you have done with that $100 or $1,000 back when you were 10-13 years old if you knew how to use it? Give your kids or your friends' kids the Gift of Financial freedom!

Or instead of giving presents that no one will remember in a year, take a trip instead. (Maybe a missions trip)

GREED: HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH?

How much do you need? Not how much do you WANT so you can do anything you want, but how much do you really need? Suppose that someone walked up to you today and said "I want to pay you a salary every year for the rest of your life. It can be any figure you want, but it won't make you wealthy." What number would you give them? Do you NEED a brand new Hummer or sports car? Do you NEED a $500,000 house on the water? Do you NEED a Yacht? Obviously, none of these things are NEEDS. Our happiness should come from knowing Jesus as our savior, no matter what our financial position is like.

What is your Dollar figure? What amount each year would you NEED to make in order to pay your bills, have food on the table, continue to pay your mortgage, have enough to take a vacation each year, and a little left to invest in the future (of course the first money would be given to God)?

What is your Dollar amount? I'm not saying that you would need to change your lifestyle, but you would need enough money to be comfortable. If you earned this same amount each year, you could pay all your bills, etc.

The answer may be different for each person based on where they live, etc. Maybe it's $30,000, maybe $50,000, or maybe it's $75,000. Again, your goal is NOT TO CHANGE YOUR LIFESTYLE but to make ends meet, and have money left over for a rainy day.

Now write down whatever monetary figure that you need, and pray about it. Then make an agreement with your spouse (if you have one) that any $$$ above that figure each year is given back to God (this is IN ADDITION TO YOUR FIRST FRUITS (TITHE) THAT YOU ARE ALREADY GIVING).

Say your figure is $50,000, and the Lord blesses you with $65,000 for the year. That is $15,000 more than you needed. Instead of spending $15,000 on ourselves to buy that NEW car or to get a BIGGER house, give that money back to God (it's His $$$ anyway).

Giving back to God breaks us of our greed, our wants for more things, and our desires to buy more stuff just to "Keep up with the Joneses."

My point is that when you don't just blow your money on stuff, God will be faithful and may bless you with more abundance so that you can give it back to further His kingdom.

My wife and I have made an agreement like this where after a certain amount each year, 100% of the amount is given away. That is on top of our regular tithes and offerings. We prayerfully considered what our NEEDS were and wrote a dollar amount on the piece of paper. If things change, we will prayerfully consider them; but for now, any $ over our figure will be given 100% back to God.

So in other words, if our figure was $50,000 and we earned $100,000, we would give the $50,000 surplus back to God. This is On top of our regular tithes and offerings. If we made $45,000, that doesn't mean we didn't give anything back, but we tithed regularly throughout that whole year, so we did give back to God. When we decide on a monetary figure that we will give back to God, it helps us to avoid any greed that can so easily seep into our lives.

GIVING

Why would I put Giving on a website about saving? BECAUSE ITS ALL GOD'S. HE OWNS IT ALL.

Why are we on earth? Our purpose is to glorify God and become fishers of men.

Rick Warren wrote in his book, The Purpose Driven Life, that "You will not be in heaven two seconds before you cry out, 'Why did I place so much importance on things that were so temporary? What was I thinking? Why did I waste so much time, energy, and concern on what wasn't going to last?'" That is SO TRUE. And I would add "Why did I spend so much $$$ on those silly things? I could have given that money to help lead more people to Christ."

Our goal is NOT to get the biggest house, the fastest car, or the biggest television. Are those things by themselves bad? NO, but they shouldn't be our focus.

I live in the United States, one of the wealthiest countries in the world. As Christians we are some of greediest people, including myself. Just 2-3% of Christians in this country actually give 10% (Tithe). If all Christians, just in the U.S., gave 10% of their incomes back to God, that would mean almost $150 BILLION a year to fund missionaries, feed the poor, cloth the poor, etc.

Giving is a HEART issue. Whether you feel you should tithe really isn't the question. The REAL issue is looking at what God has done in your life and what he has done for you.

God sent his only Son, and Jesus paid the ultimate price for YOU AND ME. He has given you and me ETERNAL LIFE with Him, in the most amazing place that we could even imagine. Is 10% of the money that He provided for you too much to give back to Him? Is 20%?

God owns it all anyway, and he gave me eternal life. Like the song Amazing Grace says "When we've been here ten thousand years... bright shining as the sun. We've no less days to sing God's praise...then when we've first begun." After 10,000 years in heaven, we still have FOREVER to be with Him. Yet we get so caught up in our lives here for the next 70-80 years. This is small little window of time. This is NOT OUR HOME, our home is in Heaven with our Father.

Philippians 3:20 (ESV) says "But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ."

Think of it this way: You have just cashed a big check and put $1,000 into your wallet. You lose your wallet in the middle of a big city, you search and retrace your steps, but you can't seem to find it. After a couple of days, you give up your search and consider it lost forever. You will never see that $1,000 again. A week later there is a knock on your door from a 12 year old who has your wallet. He picked it up after you dropped it. All of the money, credit cards, drivers license, and everything is right where you left it. You have your $1,000 back, plus all your other things. Just a couple of days ago you thought everything was a lost and now you have it all. Do you not give him a $100 (or more) reward for bringing your $1,000 back to you? Of course! You are overjoyed to have your wallet back, so you give him a $100 reward very happily.

So why is it easier to give a stranger a reward than it is to give to God? He has given us ETERNAL LIFE.

We should be overjoyed to give. Don't think of your giving as giving to your church, missionary, or other ministry. Think of your giving as giving to the Lord and not to men or companies. The Lord is the one who has given you Eternal life with Him.

If you plan on giving to ministries other than your church, a great site to visit is Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability at this website:

http://www.ecfa.org

They list many charities and show the financial statements of the charities, so you know how much of every $ you give is actually going to missions. You can research different ministries. Maybe you really love a ministry that deals with a certain country, or maybe one that feeds and clothes the poor. Maybe you would like to support a prison ministry. Every person has his or her own interests when it comes to giving, and there are so many great ministries available in which to give. There are also some ministries that don't handle their money correctly. Make sure, when you are giving to a ministry, that the ministry is being a good steward of the $$ in which it has been entrusted. The same advice applies for the local church. That is why the www.ecfa.org is great for research.

Sign up for our FREE Newsletter you will receive an email once a month on additional ways to save and make $$$.

Email:

Thank you

Steve Hoven
alleycatnews@aol.com

PLEASE REFER YOUR FRIENDS TO THIS SITE
IF YOU THINK IT HAS BEEN HELPFUL TO YOU.

www.500bucksback.com

Can't open /home/fivhunbb/public_html/eklog/visit.txt