Money Part 1

There is no question in my mind that money is THE most difficult part of our lives to re-prioritize (for most of us). We spend SO much of our time working, balancing, investing, planning, bill paying, check writing, and negotiating, it's no wonder that we think a lot about it.

There is nothing sinful in thinking about money. As I said today (and have said many times), Jesus spoke more about this subject than heaven and hell. He knows it's important.

But it should NOT be the most important. Jesus was crystal clear about this: Seek the Kingdom of God and His right way of living FIRST.

If you are interested in not settling for a lesser life, you have to come to grips with this. Before we can talk about less debt, living more simply, giving/tithing, etc., we have to first understand what Seeking the Kingdom of God is all about. Here are three questions you might reflect on and pray about this week. Ask God to show you some of the changes you need to make:

1) Are you setting aside some time every day to read the Bible and talk with God. There are many tools to help you with this - Daily reading plans, One-year Bibles, Three-year Bibles, and countless devotional books that combine stories, scriptures and prayers. This habit will help you re-order your life. It's an important change you may need to make.

2) Am I seeking God when I do the 'other' things? Even if you DO spend some time reading the Bible and praying every day, that doesn't mean that you leave God on a shelf and check Him off of your list. Being true to the Spirit in Matthew 6:33 means engaging with God - seeking out His purposes - in everything else on our agenda every day. During this meeting, over this lunch, at this game, while I'm driving, as I'm relaxing...in all of these things, how am I seeking the Kingdom of God? You CAN answer this question. Asking it is the first step.

3) What would my closest friends and family say about my Kingdom-Seeking? Ask them. If they say your life is a 'Seek-the-Kingdom-First' kind of life, that's an indication of perception, and likely is grounded in reality. The opposite is true, too.

I hope you will do some evaluating on Matthew 6:33 and your life. This is the best way to begin a re-ordering of your finances. You don't have to settle for being broke. Start here. This week, on this blog, I'll point you to some practical ways to continue the journey.