FINANCIAL FREEDOM, GOD'S WAY

Biblical principles of savings & investment

A missionary arrived in his mission field, its a small town. He wanted to mail a letter to his family back home. He stopped a young boy on a bike and asked him where the post office was. The boy gave him directions, and the missionary thanked him.

“If you come to church this evening,” the missionary said, “I’ll tell you how to get to heaven.”

“I don’t think I’ll be there,” the boy said. “You don’t even know your way to the post office.”

Surveying the Cross: A place of directions.

Like it or not, life is about progressing on in a certain direction:
• long straight road;
• winding & complicated, some parts steep where the going gets very tough;
• travel for a long while the realized have to make a u-turn to undo a mistake made earlier;
• many: diff juncture, we find ourselves coming to a cross road of decision: left , right or go straight?  (holy week –each night meditation). How do we decide on the direction?

1) Running The Race of Life
The author of Hebrews has likened life to be a race. We are all here for a purpose, and that purpose is to live our lives in fulfillment of God’s intent for us.

But most of us do not start out this way. We either just drift along and go with the flow or strive on to excel in the rat race, fulfilling personal goals and ambitions.
 
Then, somewhere along the line, we come to the awareness of Someone else in life, (someone with a capital S, a higher power). This race in life then take on a new direction as we begin the life of faith begins by accepting God into our lives.

Hebrews 11:13-16 (The Message)

They accepted the fact that they were transients in this world. People who live this way make it plain that they are looking for their true home….they were after a far better country than that—heaven country.

Pause for a moment, and think with me. Is that a description of your life? (5 sec)

I am a transient in this world. I lived longing for my true home…. a heaven country.

Do you ever see your faith in this manner?

We compartmentalize our lives. Being a Christian has added 1 more compartment—spiritual life. In this compartment contains things like our devotion, Sunday service , serving God. (very good oredi compared to many luke warm Christians)

Being a Christian means running the race in life for God, It is doing something now, in view of the future, that Christ is coming  again.

It should stir us to move out of our comfort zone, cause us to want to do something that has impact on eternity. What is that something for you?

2) Fixing our eyes on Jesus

 Only one factor can make consistent endurance possible, and this the author states clearly in verse 2: Let us fix our eyes on Jesus.

 a) Jesus at the finish line

We hear the encouragement of the crowd in the stands, but we see Jesus waiting for us at the finish line. We see more than Jesus standing there, cheering us on.

In these verses, in fact, the writer allows us to see right into the soul of Jesus. The author He wants us to see the magnitude of the sin that could have entangled Jesus and the hope, the joy that motivated him to lay it aside.

 The joy

Jesus was motivated in his own race by “the joy set before him.” There was joy set before him in his return to the Father; there was joy in the fulfillment of his destiny, in completing the Father’s will, and in the redemption of humanity, which gave him brothers and sisters to reign with.

 The temptation

But before Jesus can sit down on the throne, he first had to be lifted up on the cross. So he “endured the cross, despising the shame.” The writer particularly focuses on the shame of the cross. Crucifixion, a Roman form of execution, was designed not only to be a painful way to die but a shameful way as well. The criminal would be exposed for all the world to see, with the written charge against him also affixed to the cross (Matthew 27:37).

 The word “despising” in this context could be understood as “disregarding.” Jesus disregarded the shame. It’s not that the shame didn’t exist or didn’t matter or didn’t hurt;

 It’s that the shame did not keep Jesus from running the race set before him. He could have avoided the shame of the cross. From start to finish, this was the devil’s plan. In the wilderness, he tried to tempt Jesus to fulfill his destiny in a way that avoided the cross (Matthew 4:8-9), and when Jesus was on the cross, the devil tried to tempt him to come down (Matthew 27:40-43). Yet Jesus went to the cross and remained on the cross, never letting the shame deter him, because of the joy set before him.

 Seeing Jesus as the example, its not so much of telling ourselves that if He could do it, then so could we. Its like a bad parenting method, “if so and so can do it, why you cannot?”

a)     looking to Jesus keeps us from being distracted

Illustration

Watch cartoon (Tom & Jerry)— Jerry pointed, look there, when Tom turned his head, Jerry stole the cheese.

 As simplistic as this strategy of distraction sounds, it’s similar to a scheme Satan uses on Christians—and it works. He has developed hundreds of ways to say, “Hey, look over there!” All he has to do is distract us, and he has us doing something other than serving or glorifying God.

 One of the goals we should have as we strive to live for the Lord is to keep “looking unto Jesus” (Heb. 12:2). We look away from Jesus when we put our attention on others to criticize them. We look away when we let everyday concerns make us worry.

Hudson Taylor: “God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply.”

b) look to Jesus when we grow weary and lose heart

 What should we do with these feelings that sap us? The writer of Hebrews says to lay them aside, and to disregard them as Jesus did. This doesn’t mean denial. To lay something aside, one first needs to acknowledge it and take hold of it.

We need to feel what we feel. But insofar as the race is concerned, we can’t drop out because of them. We can’t drop out because the race is to hard, because we feel too bad. We can’t give up following Christ because following Christ is too hard.

In the face of such overwhelming feelings, how is it possible to live this way?

Identify with Jesus in His death & resurrection. As I looked back, at many instances, I think I’ve died, but I also experienced the resurrection.

Though youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous young men stumble badly,
Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary. (Isaiah 40:30-31)

 The reason we can walk and not become weary, the reason that we can resurrect is because of this…. because He is the author and perfecter of our faith” (12:2).

b) Jesus in us

There is more than example in him—there is also empowerment! Moment by moment, day by day, week by week year by year, as we look to him, we shall find strength imparted to us. He is not “out there” somewhere, in the spectator seat cheering us on.

 Paul reflects in his prayer of Ephesians 3:16: “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.”

 As this epistle has made clear, he is within us, by faith. He has entered into the sanctuary, into the inner person, into the very place where we need strength and grace, and is available every moment to help us in time of need.

Conclusion

Picture the scene. You’re in the stadium, running the race. It’s been a hard race, and you’re exhausted. The stands are filled with the likes of Abel and Enoch and Noah and Abraham and Sarah and Isaac and Jacob and Joseph and Moses and Rahab and countless others. When they see you, all of them cheer you on. You draw strength from their encouragement, and you keep moving forward.

In the distance, you see another figure – one who’s not seated in the stands with the other veterans, but one who’s waiting at what looks to be the finish line. There is a finish line! As you keep running, you see him more clearly – so clearly that you can somehow look into his soul. This one, you know, is like no other. No one has run the race like he. As deafening as the crows noise is, you hear his voice above all others. Cheers and encouragement pour out from his soul, from the race he ran. You decide you want to fix your eyes on him. The race is still hard; maybe it’s even harder than ever, but there’s something about that guy at the finish line. You sense that when you get to where he is, all will be well, and that you will know joy as you never have. As you get closer, you can’t wait to see his face.

Finally, you cross the finish line and collapse into his arms. He embraces you. Now he fixes his eyes on you. He says, “I’ve been waiting for this day since before time began. I’ve been waiting for you since before time began. I’m so pleased with you. You ran so well. Well done, good and faithful servant. Come and be with me ”

By Rev Helen Hoe Chiew Ngin (Charis Methodist Church)

GOD WANTS YOU TO BE PROSPEROUS AND TO PROSPER YOU – do you believe it ?

Yes…. can you believe that our God who owns the whole universe is always ready and willing to prosper us as we are His children ?

Look at Jeremiah 29:11…”For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future…..”

For some of you who has been a Christian for many years, this verse can be a familiar one. However, we may think that we have understood what this verse means but it resides only mentally in us. We may not expect nor believe that we can receive God’s promised prosperity in our lives. Or we may think that it is God’s job to download this prosperity to us without us having to do anything.

To have a deeper understanding of Jeremiah 29:11, we need to look into the context and content where this verse was spoken. A good way is to read the whole chapter of Jeremiah Chapter 29 instead of just plucking one verse out of it.

Jeremiah Chapter 29 describes a time where the Jews were taken by King Nebuchadnezzar as exiles in Babylon. God spoke this verse to Jeremiah as a promise that He will deliver His people from exile in Babylon back to their country, with God as their king instead of King Nebuchadnezzar and lives as citizens of God’s kingdom instead of being exiles under the Babylonian kingdom.

As you read further down the chapter, God also spoke of the conditions for the fulfilment of His plans.

There are the Do’s and Don’ts the Jews must comply with:-

The Do’s :-
Jer 29: 12             Call upon Him, Pray to Him…..God will listen to You
Jer 29: 13             Seek Him with all your heart ….You will find God

God wants His people to seek Him earnestly and place Him first in their lives. Without this, they will not know nor experience God’s plans for them. Without this, God’s intended prosperity will not be able to flow through.

The Don’ts :-
Jer 29:19              For they listen to my words ………….. Disobedience
Jer 29:23              For they have done outrageous things …………. Continual Sinning
Jer 29:31-32        False teaching, lies, rebellion ………….Godlessness and Lawlessness

Just as we are in our lives, if we have not walked in obedience and continue to sin in our ways, we will not be able to see the revelation of God’s plans in our lives. We may have a form of religion with our religious practices and traditions but denying God’s power in our lives. We are not allowing God’s great and wonderful plans for our lives to be realized.

Psalm 1 : 1 – 3 
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither
Whatever he does prospers…

The first chapter of Psalms remind us once again that we do not walk, stand nor sit in the ways of unrighteousness. Instead we should take delight in the law of the Lord and on his law we should meditate day and night. Then we will be like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruits in season and whose leaves do not wither and whatever we do prosper.

God says when we abide in Him WHATEVER …WHATEVER we do, we prosper !!!
What a great promise and God will surely honour it when we honour Him.

God wants to prosper us in these 7 areas:-

1) Spiritual - To continue to grow and being built up in Him through His Word

2) Social – To have good relationship and network with those around us

3) Mental – To be equipped increasingly with knowledge and wisdom

4) Physical – To be physically healthy and taking good care of your health through healthy lifestyle and habits

5) Family – To have strong family with good relationships with spouse and children

6) Work - To work diligently and faithfully as serving the Lord

7) Finance – To manage your financial matters well to provide for your family as well as for others.

So check it out! How has God prosper you in 2011 in these areas?
How do you want God to prosper you this year 2012?

What is the purpose of being prosperous?
Being prosperous means that we are equipped with resources to be in a position to be able to bless others. How can we give if we do not have? Very often, we can just provide for ourselves and our family members.

In Acts 20:34, even the apostle Paul said “You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions.”. We must learn to live beyond ourselves as a blessing to others in the community, to our country and to all other nations.

Dare we live by faith that our great God who is able to prosper us abundantly so that we can be channels of blessings to nations?

What does it mean to us in the market place?

Sowing our resources into Kingdom ministry
We must be good steward as the Lord prospers us. We must be disciplined and faithful in sowing our resources into Kingdom ministry. Our resources of Abilities(A), Time(T) and Money(M) which I call the ATM of our lives which should be faithfully and diligently used for the advancement of God’s Kingdom.

This is especially so in the marketplace ministry where all of us are also called into the priesthood role and ministry. Therefore, I would like to challenge all of us to serve the Lord wholeheartedly with the resources He has given us and make a greater impact for 2012.

Teaching, training and mentoring believers
The Lord Jesus also called us to make disciples of every nation. Therefore, we are also called to teach the Word of God, provide training to equip believers and takes on spiritual leadership. This is not a role just for pastors or full time workers in the Christian ministry but is expected of every believer in Christ.

In the market place, believers do not only teach the biblical principles in the work and business but live an exemplary lives based on God’s Word

Preaching and sharing the Word with unbelievers
Believers in the market place are comfortable in sharing amongst fellow believers. We must move out of our comfort zone to have the boldness to preach God’s Word to unbelievers in the market place.

The market place is where we come in contact with unbelievers through our work and businesses especially during the weekdays. This is where the tremendous opportunities presented to us to reach out to them and we must learn to seize these opportunities for the glory of the Lord..

So let’s arise… and respond to God’s plan for our lives… only one life to live.
Live our lives as being led by the Spirit and grounded in the Word of God.
Receive the prosperity God intended for you for 2012 onwards !!!

Steven Liew

In a employment tight market like Singapore, we work hard at our jobs so that we can provide for our family. We feel stress but we have to “bite the bullet” in our job even though we do not like the job cos we need our salary to support our family.

According to Robert Kiyosaki’s book “Cash flow Quadrants”, we need to create positive cashflows instead of having negative cash flows. Money should work for us instead of we working for money.One of the strategies to make money is to create Multiple streams of Passive Income. Passive or Residual Income is income earned from the fixed deposits, stocks, rental income, business and royalty fees.

One stream of passive income can be from the Internet business.The Internet is one of the greatest inventions ever because you can literally find any piece of information by simply hooking up to the Internet. It is global and the cost of starting an Internet business is little compared to a traditional business like setting up a cafe or a retail shop selling clothes.

Your Internet business is 24/7, 24 hours a day, 7 days in a week.It continues to work even while we sleeps at night.You can also make money even though you do not have any product to sell through Affiliate Marketing. You earns a commission by referring someone to buy a product.

You can also setup a E-business platform and sell products through E-Bay. Simply setup the products that you would like to sell on E-bay at a minimal cost and let it run for a week.You will receive notifications when a potential buyer is interested in your product. You may also sell information products like E-books, music files, audio programme on the Internet.

As Chinese around the world celebrates the Chinese Lunar New Year & the Spring Festival, we are reminded of Spring, the mark of the beginning of another new year & season.

In life,there are also 4 Seasons of life.The Bible says “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. (Ecc 3:1) Spring, the 1st of the 4 Seasons are the formative years of our lives. (Ages from birth to 20) These crucial years are the times when we need to learn basic life skills like listening, speaking and communicating with those around us. We learn to jump,cycle, swim,play the keyboard and to sing in tune. In this IT era (Information Technology),we also need to learn computing skills like how to send emails or surf the Internet so that we can connect to the rest of the world.

We are financially dependent on our parents to provide for our financial needs as we do not have the skills or resources to earn an income.We need to go to school for education so that when we graduate,we can get a job and start to generate an income for ourselves and our family.However, we also need to learn in financial education (Financial IQ). With the financial knowledge, we know what is an asset and what is not.For example, we know that a car or a TV is not an asset as the value will depreciate with time.

During these formative years, it is crucial to be grounded in God’s words. We need to let our little ones know Jesus more each day.We can teach them how to pray to the Lord whether they are happy or when they are stuck with a problem.We can also teach them to say Christian songs and train them to memorize the Scriptures.As they grow and move towards the rest of the seasons of life, they can confidently trust in the Lord always…