City Life Starter

I. THE WORD:

Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” – Hebrews 13:5

Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! – Ecclesiastes 5:10

II. Study Questions:

1. Do you believe you could ever possess too much money for your own good?

2. Are there any ways you are struggling to obey God as it relates to finances?

3. Which do you meditate on more throughout the day, God or money?

There’s a popular study that reveals a bell curve relationship between happiness and wealth. At a certain point the law of diminishing returns kicks in, and the more you make beyond that point results in an overall decrease in happiness.

I believe our family has found that point in our financial lives where we experience the greatest amount of happiness without being in want for necessities or having such abundance that it becomes a burden.

Here are three ways we have been able to keep the love of money out of our lives:

Working for God

There are countless stories of the wealthy coming to ruin because they treat money like God. There are far fewer stories of people of great wealth being able to keep money in its rightful place. Therefore, my wife and I decided when we got married we were going to work hard to have more of God in our lives rather than more money and let the cards fall where they may. I have no doubt that choice has paid unimaginable dividends.

Tithing

Being part of a church for the last 16 years means we have tithed a pretty good chunk of change. It’s easy to think about where else that money could have gone to help our family out. Fortunately, from the beginning, we were able to trust and act on God’s word when he said to tithe faithfully. And we can honestly say that God has been faithful to open his storehouse of blessings over our lives. It’s worth it!

Giving

Some may not know this, but Natalie and I went into full-time ministry right after we got married in 2003. We had to raise our support team, and we know how daunting of a task that is for people who just want to share the love of God with others for a living. When we exited full-time ministry a few years later and entered the marketplace, we committed to support as many missionaries as possible as our businesses grew and our income increased. Today we are able to support multiple missionaries, some here in Houston and others across the world. I can’t tell you how amazing it feels to get partner updates on a monthly basis and to see God’s love and truth being spread across the planet. Giving in this way is a great way to stay connected to the Great Commission even if you can’t be the one out there.

PRAYER

God, you are the greatest giver of all time. Thank you for setting the example for giving through Jesus. He gave everything for us so we could be reconciled to you. Our debt has been removed in Jesus, hallelujah! Everything we have is yours, God. It’s all on the table. Speak to me today, and ask me for anything you want. I can’t wait to share what I have with you. I trust you, God. Amen!