Money Talks

by Tim Howard

I started the Christmas season like many others by visiting some of the local stores in hopes of purchasing a few gifts for those I love and care about.  I’m glad to say I’ve finished my Christmas shopping. As I made my way through various places, I was reminded of that familiar phrase “Money talks!”

I heard its voice: It shouted, “Spend me!” and whispered, “Save me!”

Someone said, “Money talks: mine is always saying, ‘Good-bye!’”

That phrase means money has power and influence. Money talks…and one of the things it says is: “love me.” This is the most dangerous!

1 Timothy 6:6-10 “But godliness with contentment is great gain. …We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. If we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People 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. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and created for themselves many problems.” Money is intrinsically neutral but loving money opens the proverbial Pandora’s box.

I recently saw a presentation of ‘A Christmas Carol,’ which is an 1843 novella by English author Charles Dickens. Many have seen or read this great fictional and prose narrative and if you haven’t you should. The story tells of a sour and stingy man named Ebenezer Scrooge and his ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation resulting from supernatural visits from Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come.

Before the radical change, Mr. Scrooge LOVED money and USED people when he should have loved people and used money. When anyone confuses these two priorities, life is altered for the worse.

Jesus summed up the two greatest commands this way:  “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ When a passion for God and a compassion for people become your top two priorities, you experience what Scrooge missed. Life and True Love!

Money talks, but God also talks and says: Don’t love money but rather love people and use money!  It’s a tool for helping others. In this season of giving, remember the greatest gifts can’t be purchased. You don’t need to go into debt to prove you love someone. Don’t spend more than you earn and you will be a lot happier. Loving people doesn’t require a great deal of money.

Money’s important if you want to eat but God says one thing very clearly in his Word: Money is not the most important thing!

Churches talk about giving money and businesses talk about making money. Frugal people talk about saving money while extravagant people talk about spending money. Penny Pinchers talk about wasting money, Financial Consultants talk about investing money but God talks about Stewarding His money. The Bible has over 2000 verses that specifically address these issues and we would do well to check out some of them as we walk through this season and hear the voice that shouts:  Spend, spend, spend!

Money talks but God talks as well. What voice are you going to listen to?

Fa-la-la-la Focus

by Andrew Cromwell

December is here and that means the Christmas season and all that accompanies it. Love or hate the incessant and ever-present Christmas music, the cheery sweaters and the bright decorations, you certainly cannot avoid them. Some of us come kicking and screaming into the season, but come we must. Even the Grinch couldn’t avoid it in the end.

Whether you have more in common with the Grinch or Cindy Lou Who, let me encourage you to keep your focus on those things that matter the most during this season. Retailers will tell you what is important is to show the ones you love (including yourself) that you love them by buying them gifts. The key word here is “buying.” Every type of ad imaginable will tickle and taunt your senses seeking to entice, cajole or bully you into trading your dollars for their devices, your pittance for their paraphernalia and your cash for their crap. Before you know it, you will be right back where you were last year—deep in debt just because you want to make others happy with manufactured miscellany that they probably didn’t even need in the first place.

And if it is not the mad rush to shop till you drop, then you can easily be drawn into the pressure to do everything and be everywhere. There are so many family parties, gatherings with friends, holiday spectaculars, tree lightings, school plays and seasonal celebrations, that if you try and do them all, you will make yourself and your family sick or miserable (or both). In an attempt to try and do everything and make everyone happy, you will only end up hating what is supposed to be a joy-filled season.

This Christmas, why don’t you do things differently?

First, buy less. So much of what we give on Christmas is out of a sense of obligation we put on ourselves. We give things people don’t really want with money that we don’t have. And even if they really do want it, we are spending money we don’t have (hint: if you are paying with your credit card, you don’t have the money), then we are just dumb.

Second, plan more. Make a game plan with your family now. Decide which events and activities you want to do together. Make a quality decision to focus on each other. Preserve your energies so you can best enjoy the things you should do together.

Finally, focus on the real reason we celebrate Christmas to begin with.  The true gift of Christmas was found not at Sears, Best Buy or Apple, but in a dusty half-forgotten village.  It was there in Bethlehem that the world received it’s greatest gift in the form of Jesus.

The pastors in Kings County would love to encourage your family to see the real reason for the Christmas season.  You may even plan to make a family trip together to church! 

The Greatest Gift

by Tim Howard

Today is December 1 and it doesn’t merely suggest a new month has begun, it reminds us of a great celebration, which is only 25 days away.

Christmas is all about giving! When I consider that statement and contemplate the greatest gifts I’ve personally received over the years, FORGIVENESS ranks highest without a doubt. 

At the heart of Christianity you will find the message of forgiveness and it’s more than simply saying: “I forgive you.” It may be conveyed in words but it must come from the heart. Matt. 18:5 confirms this understanding. Forgiveness is something Jesus ‘does for’ us and not something he merely ‘says to’ us.

A former inmate of a Nazi concentration camp was visiting a friend who had shared the suffering with him. “Have you forgiven the Nazis?" he asked his friend. "Yes," the friend replied. “Well, I haven't” stated the first man. “I'm still consumed with hatred for them.” “In that case,” said his friend gently, “they still have you in prison.” 

This story affirms that those who choose not to forgive, by default, choose to live in a self-imposed prison where anger, bitterness, and despair control their lives. The price you pay for not forgiving is exorbitant. In a parable recorded in Matt 18:21-35 we find 3 reasons we need to learn forgiveness.

1. You must learn to forgive others because God has forgiven you! The parable talks about a servant who was so far in debt, he could never get free. The king, however, showed mercy and offered forgiveness with no strings attached. It was free gift. What a king!

There is a parallel in this parable.  The Bible says I owe a debt to God and you do too.  "All have sinned."  The Bible says the debt is so big I can never repay it on my own and neither can you.  But God has chosen, in His love, to forgive us, wipe the slate clean, cancel the debts and say, "Let's start over."  That's the good news!

God expects me to do to others what He has done for me. He has forgiven my sins and I am to forgive other people.  

2. You must learn to forgive because resentment makes you miserable! Like the former inmate of that Nazi concentration camp who wouldn’t forgive, his life remained dismal. When you fail to forgive, God doesn't have to lock you up in jail.  We do it to ourselves.  We lock ourselves in a jail of torment and pain.  We rehearse the hurt over and over and it gets bigger and bigger and continues to hurt us long after it's happened.  There are millions of people who are imprisoned and enslaved by anger and anxiety and they are tormented by resentment, year after year.  The forgiveness of Christ is the key to unlock the jail.  It can set you free.  

3. You must learn to forgive because you will need it in the future!

If you're going to live the rest of your life in perfection you don't need to forgive anybody else. When we pray the Lord's Prayer, however,  "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors" - it means: God, will forgive you as much as you forgive the people around you.  Is that something you really want to pray?

Is there someone you need to forgive? As you move through the Christmas season and consider the gifts you want to give, why not give some the gift of forgiveness? And while you are at it, why not forgive yourself! 

Give Thanks

by Andrew Cromwell

During this season it is traditional to give thanks. A popular activity on Facebook this month is to post “what I am thankful for” each day. The holiday serves as a wonderful reminder to us that we need to live with an outward focus rather than an inward focus.

In order to give thanks, we must first recognize that there is someone apart from us that has given us something. This recognition is actually bigger than it may sound at first because far too often we live our lives as if we are the only one in the universe. I suppose in a sick, twisted kind of way, just the reverse is also true for some people — they see themselves at the center of the universe and so they are unsurprised (and not particularly grateful) when things come their way.

  

Perhaps more importantly, in order to be truly thankful we must recognize that we have a need — that we are missing something. It is not that you can’t be grateful for something you don’t need (like that special Christmas sweater from grandma), but there is a whole other level of thankfulness when we receive a gift that truly meets a need (like the gift of help when we just won’t be able to finish that project all on our own).

Scripture says that every good gift comes down from the Father of lights (James 1:17). In other words, God is the origin and cause of every good thing in the universe. Without him, we could not have good things to begin with. He was the One who gave the first gift and made it possible to give every other gift. So when we give thanks this season, we should remember who is the true source of every good gift.

When we give thanks to our Father in heaven, our thanksgiving is deeper and more meaningful. Psalms 136 says, “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love endures forever.” As we move away from Thanksgiving and into the Christmas season, let’s decide not to leave the spirit of thanks behind. Instead, live with a spirit of thanksgiving each and every day, recognizing the One and true source of all good things in our life.

Why Not Be Thankful?

by Tim Howard 

Next week many families and friends will gather for a Thanksgiving Day celebration. Our country has set aside one day on our calendar each year to remind us of the importance of giving thanks.  One day to press the pause button and say: THANK YOU GOD for all you have done.

Among many statements found in the Bible about thanks and praise, David said in Psalms. 92:1 “It is good to give thanks to the Lord.”

It’s good because it opens the door for a heart of gratitude to grow within each of us. Giving thanks is something you say and do but gratefulness is a condition of the heart. An Attitude of Gratitude flourishes when life is lived with thankfulness.

Not only that but it replaces the ugly sounds of criticism, sarcasm and complaining with the reverberation of joy, hope and appreciation. Granted, there’s much to complain about but when you realize over half the world earns less than $2.00 a day; no more than 5% of the world population owns a home and the majority don’t have a car to drive, maybe we have more to be thankful for than we realize.

People who complain and criticize continually are not fun to be around. Thankful people, however, bring a fresh perspective because they are content with what they have and don’t worry about the things they have yet to obtain. They bring joy because they choose to fill their mouths with praise rather than complaints. They create an atmosphere of levity because they accentuate the positive. A grateful heart expressed through thankful words and demonstrated with acts of love will change the atmosphere around you.

Jesus asked a very important question worth answering when he was on his way to Jerusalem. The narrative is found in Luke chapter 17. It was the time he healed ten people stricken with leprosy.  He spoke a word of healing and here’s what happened:  “And as they went on their way, the leprosy disappeared. One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God, I’m healed!” He fell face down on the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done… Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where is the other nine?

Maybe the nine didn’t return because they failed to realize the part Jesus played in their healing. Why give thanks to God when it was just lucky or happenstance? Failing to realize God’s involvement stifles thanksgiving.

Then again, maybe they were so caught up in the present moment and their new found health they simply forget the goodness of God.

It’s easy to lose a spirit of thanks at any time. Especially when you experience hurricane type winds and huge amounts of rainfall that creates flooding like the recent experiences of those on the East coast.

Whatever the case may be, Romans 1:21 reveals what happens when people fail to give thanks: “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their views of life, and their foolish heart was darkened.” Thanksgiving will blow the clouds of darkness away and keeps the lights on. Only then will you see life through positive lenses.

As I approach Thanksgiving Day next week, I’m going to invite family and friends to enjoy a common meal. I plan to give every person the opportunity to give thanks to the Lord. As you celebrate, why not give thanks? 

Reality Check

by Andrew Cromwell

Every once in a while it is a good idea to make sure that you are living in reality. My impression is that there are many people who don’t do this often enough and they walk around with a false set of beliefs. Sometimes these beliefs are harmless, even if wrong (like believing there’s a frog on a log on a hole in the middle of the sea). Other times, wrong beliefs can cost you great grief and suffering (like believing that the stock market will always go up in the long run).

There are a few beliefs that it is incredibly important for us to get right. If we get these wrong, we risk losing everything. Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, be afraid only of God.” We spend a lot of time worrying and being afraid of so many things, but if we can get a few things straight, then everything else will fall into place.

There is a popular belief these days that sincere belief equals true belief. We hear this expressed all the time when people say things like, “I’m spiritual but not religious.” What this means is that people want the freedom to pick and choose the elements of spirituality that they like but they do not want to be bothered with the parts they don’t like.

People want to be able to talk to God, but don’t want to be told that they have to change their life. They want to do spiritual stuff—light a candle, spread a prayer rug, quote a verse—but they don’t want to have to do difficult stuff—adjust their behavior, change the way they talk to others, pray when they don’t feel like it.

People want to believe sincerely that God is okay with them and their life.

But what if He isn’t? What if God isn’t okay with the pick and choose, consumer oriented spirituality? What if sincere belief is just not enough? What if He requires more from us?

Well, if He does, then we had better change our perspective!

I am inclined to believe that when one reads the Bible, there is a picture that emerges of a God who is loving and powerful and who wants to have a relationship with all human beings. But in order for that relationship to happen, we humans have to hand him the direction of our life. We have to be willing to put him in the driver’s seat.

The trouble is, we like the driver’s seat. I know that I do! But I have found that when I let Him drive, the trip is always better. 

Prayer

by Tim Howard 

Lily Tomlin once said: "Why is it that when we talk to God we are said to be praying. And when God talks to us we are said to be schizophrenic?" People who struggle with schizophrenia may experience auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions among other things. Unfortunately, people who admit they hear from God are often put into a similar category. If you admit to others you hear from God, be prepared for strange looks.

The answer of course is that people do all kinds of stupid things and blame it on God. God told me this… Two days later God changed his mind and told me something different… Many who have claimed to hear God are locked away because they are self-delusional. Everyone who claims to hear God accurately doesn’t! 

Communication is difficult on a human level so it stands to reason communicating with God will require a learning curve. Just because we don’t always hear God’s voice accurately, that shouldn’t stop us from communicating with Him anymore than it would if we were communicating with anyone else.

Husbands and wives have trouble communicating! I don’t always get it when my wife speaks. I’m sure she wonders if I will ever ‘get it.’ I sometimes misunderstand, misinterpret or just simply miss her point. That doesn’t mean we stop speaking and sharing on various levels. We continue to learn each other’s love language so we can communicate on an intimate level. 

In the Bible, 1 Samuel chapter 3 records a narrative of a young man named Samuel who didn’t know how to distinguish God’s voice. The account is not only interesting but it helps us gain some insight in regards to hearing God. Here are a few things we can glean: 

1. God is speaking but we don’t always recognize his voice. Samuel finally figured it out with the help of an old Priest named Eli. It’s always wise to check with other people who have walked with God for some time when you think God is speaking. They can help you discern his voice.

2. You will hear more clearly if you stop speaking and listen more intently. The Priest told Samuel: “If the Lord speaks again say, speak my Lord for your servant is listening.” Too often we view prayer as only talking to God. A monologue rather than a dialogue. Too often we say: “Listen my Lord for your servant speaks. You can’t hear God if you don’t stop yapping…

3. Samuel was at rest when God spoke. We live in a noisy world where it’s sometimes hard to hear God above the commotion. Do you know what most of us do with silence? Fill it! We fill it with noise. God can speak through the noise, or even over it, but usually, He waits for us to be quiet. Take a time out and press the pause button in your life. “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalms 46:10.

4. Samuel was in the Temple when God spoke. I personally believe God can speak to you while you are mowing your lawn, fixing the car, shopping for a new dress or taking a shower but meeting with others in a Church setting is important. It is so significant that the author of Hebrews in the New Testament said: Don’t neglect getting together with those who believe in Christ.