Gods Money Matters – Articles
Are You Living Beyond Your Means Trying to Keep Up with The Jones?
The really sad news is that often perception and reality are worlds apart. Many today are living a high lifestyle on borrowed funds. They look wealthy but their finances are really a house of cards – or to put it in biblical terms – built on a foundation of sand.
In Texas, they call this “big hat, no cattle”. In other words they have the new luxury cars, the big McMansion, the lavish overseas holidays and yet have no real assets. All of this is done on “easy monthly payments” that end up building huge debts that end up being beyond their ability to repay.
What does the Bible say?
The bible tells us that we are not to conform to this world’s way of managing money.
Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
Are you living by the will of God, which is good and acceptable and perfect – or trying to keep up with this world’s values and standards for your life?
Stop trying to keep up with the Jones. Stop with the Better Homes & Gardens, the McMansions, the car leasing, and Stop with the credit card spending, and living beyond our means. Let’s be transformed to the will of God, living within His provisions for us – so that we might show this world how to really live.
According to the Happiness Institute – a secular organisation- long-term happiness comes from these seven things:
- being thankful and having a grateful attitude,
- love
- hope
- prayer
- forgiveness
- using your gifts and talents
- not by having things.
Interesting isn’t it. This could have come directly out of the bible, yet it was based on secular research! Eventually they’ll catch up 🙂
As Christian’s we should be the example to the culture we find ourselves in. We might live in this world but we are called to be salt and light… and not to conform to it. We should, we must and we can show this world a different way to do life – a better way to do life.
Do you sense like I do, that this current culture is desperately seeking fulfilment, happiness and something real – yet they are chasing things we all know can’t give them what they want.
Are you living beyond your means trying to keep up with the Jones’s or are you living by God’s will and purpose in your life. Is it time to make a change and pursue the important things in life that really matter?