Finding Blessing in Your Personal Finance and Career
Hey guys - We are continuing this week on our Wheel of Life series, using practical application of the Scriptures to create growth, momentum and fulfillment in all areas of our lives and to find God’s will for our lives.
Pastor Jeff gave a powerful message Sunday concerning Finance and Career and how to bring this area into the context of our Christian walk.
Context: Matthew 6: 19-24
Store your treasures in heaven. Wherever your treasure is, there will your heart be also. No one can serve two masters, because you will hate one and love the other. You cannot serve God and money.
This is NOT saying that you cannot have any money. We should aim to live our financial and career lives within the boundaries and context of our Christian lives. Either our finance will be in the context of our Christian walk, or our Christian walk will be in the context of our finance. You can’t have it both ways. You will love one and hate the other. But, if you can make your finance and career fall into the context of your Christian life, you can love them both. Your career and finance will be a sense of joy and every spoke of your wheel will be working together for good, in synergy, toward God’s perfect plan for your life. The only true fulfillment we get in this world is when we submit to his will.
Stewardship: Matthew 25:14-16 (NLT): Parable of the talents
This parable is a beautiful story. In the beginning of the story, the master invested in his servants. The master loves his servants, who are his children. He gave them gifts in proportion to their abilities – not in punishment or favoritism. God has given you something. If we can take stewardship over what we have been given, we will fulfill our destiny, reap God’s blessing for our lives and live in abundance.
Here is the key: The servant with five immediately began to invest what the master gave him, and God doubled it. You focus on the gifts that God gave you. Cultivate it and make it happen to bring your dreams into fruition. Trust the gifts God gave you.
Practical: How to improve your Finance and Career spoke
1. Our financial and career spoke should never go out of the context of our Christian walk because when that happens you find misery in that area. If your job is falling into the context of what God has for you, you will love your job because you know it is part of the calling that God has for you. The first step on any journey is that your need to figure out where you are – where you are starting from. Where are your finance and career? Be honest and start from there.
2. You have got to set a goal. Figure out where you want to be. If you don’t, you will pretty much end up back where you were. Set your eyes on your goal.
3. Plan out ways to get there. Develop a detailed plan to get there. I know that seems obvious, but have you done it? Take time to learn how to plan, invest and manage.
4. Write it down. Get it in front of you everyday. See it – focus on it. Write down the vision, see it and run to it. Take hold of it.
The most important thing about your finance and career spoke is this - this spoke provides you either an abundance of or a lack of choices. Your finance can take every bit of choice out of your world. If you can’t serve God in the capacity you want to because of your financial and career situations, that will hold you back and bring you misery. We want to release people out of that. It’s not about money. Rich isn’t the call. Abundance is the call and abundance brings joy, fulfillment and the ability to serve God in the way that you were called to serve.
