As January is rushing by I sit here and wonder, what will the rest of the year be like. A number of things have happened that threaten to be a challenge financially. But God has promised to supply all my needs. The biggest problem we have is that we often don't understand what is a need and what is a want. We are spoiled. As I went over my budget today I realized how easy it is to become spoiled.
You look at things that should just be a convenience as a need. I've done it. I'm working to bring myself into reality in all that I do, especially with my budget. In all honesty it is God's money. He allows me to have a portion of it and I need to use it wisely.
I need to be generous but also cautious. Sounds almost contradictory, doesn't it? In today's world more than ever there are those that will take advantage and often they are the ones that are closest to you. Or at the very least it is people you know will take advantage. We don't want to believe that they will do that, yet they do.
And if you have a basic generous nature, you may have set yourself up for that many times. But today I'm looking at anything I have and saying 'what would God want me to do?' In some cases, I haven't been generous enough. But there are others that my generosity has bordered on stupidity! We are not doing others any favors if we enable them to continue to be less that God created them to be. Often we do that, specially in the financial realm.
Who doesn't have that person (or people) in their lives that always has a financial need that they think others should help with? Who doesn't know someone that refuses to learn to budget and then complains when they don't have enough money. Or who hasn't seen the parent that thinks someone else should be responsible for their child and they should be able to blow their money. Or who doesn't know the 'child' that believes their parents 'owe' them for their entire life. I've seen all of the above. At one point in my life that whole budget thing seemed too much for me to comprehend. I made bad choices financially and it took years to get much of it straightened out.
I know it seems like I'm rambling but hang with me just a little longer. If we can understand that everything belongs to God and He will supply our needs, we can stop stressing about the future. If we can grasp that He wants us to be generous with others and not be selfish, we can stop stressing about keeping up with the neighbors, or the other church members. If we can understand that every time we give to Him, He blesses more than we can imagine we will want to find ways to give.
I need to be willing to put my wallet and checkbook in His hands and say 'direct me, Lord'. If we can just understand the reason that He wants us to allow Him to control our money, is not because He needs our money. It is because we need to stop making money our god. We need to stop thinking 'if I only had this much money, I could do this and that'. We need to be thinking and praying 'Lord, direct me to what You would have me do and help me to trust You to supply the need to do it'.
I had a talk the Lord today about something. I don't understand how He wants me to do it. But I have no doubt that He does. I have to take that step of faith and trust Him to do the rest.
After some though I realized that I need to be sure that I've totally turned my finances over to Him. I need to accept His direction and trust His provisions.
Lord, today I look at the checkbook and the wallet and while I'm not in want, there are times the budget is way too close to draining me. I am thankful for every need You have supplied and I thank You so much for all the 'extras' You have given me. I thank You for how good You have been to me and my family. I'm giving You control of my finances, I'm far to likely to make mistakes with them. And I acknowledge everything I have is Yours and it is just on loan to me.
Each time I start to try to manage or plan without You, please gently remind me that You alone know what is best. When I give help me to do it prayerfully and bless what I give for Your honor and glory. Help me to realize if I will surrender my finances then You can control them, You the God that does all things well! Thank You for the lessons You have taught me on finances and Lord, allow me to learn any further lessons by leaning on You, not by going my own way and learning the hard way. I ask Lord, that you hear this prayer for me and any reader than needs this as well. In Jesus name, Amen.
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