Money, The Devil, and the Details: Some Thoughts on 1 Chronicles

I just finished reading 1 Chronicles today. God rocked my world on a few things and got me thinking on some others. Here’s a mind dump for you:

1) The Details – Over half of this book is genealogies. God is a God of purpose so He has reason for putting it all in there. I read the whole book today and I went away saying “wow!” after seeing all of the details. The cliff notes: God is interested in the details of human existence, including YOUR details.

2) 1 Chronicles 21 – In this chapter, Satan incited David to do a census of Israel. Yeah I know in 2 Samuel 24 it’s says GOD incited David. What does that mean? Not quite sure but my take is that God allowed it. I know that. But beyond that, not quite sure. But, what it’s NOT is a contradiction because it’s all God’s word. Yo, my mind hurt’s now. Ok, I regress.

Anyway, what really stuck out at me from this passage is that God was mad at David for taking the census. So God gives David a choice of punishments. Some from men and some from God. In verse 13 David chooses the punishment from GOD. He basically said that he would rather fall into the hands of a merciful, yet angry, God than into the hands of man. Can you imagine the TRUST in God and wisdom that David demonstrated by this choice? It’s mind boggling. Which punishment would you choose? Which shows more trust in God?

At one point, David sees this giant angel with his sword drawn to demolish Jerusalem. David says to God that the people are just sheep. David reminds God that DAVID made the mistake. God relents. Think about the faith that David demonstrated.

3) 1 Chronicles 28:19 – “All this,” David said, “I have in writing from the hand of the LORD upon me, and he gave me understanding in all the details of the plan.” – God gave David the details AND understanding of the plan to build the temple. I know sometimes we must move before we know everything. We would hardly ever get going if we waited on every detail. But, how often do we seek the details AND understanding of the plans God gives us. Contemplate that for a bit…

4) 1 Chronicles 29:28 – He died at a good old age, having enjoyed long life, wealth and honor. His son Solomon succeeded him as king.- What struck me here was the word “enjoyed.” David didn’t just have those things, he ENJOYED them. 1 Timothy 6:17 says “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” God wants us to ENJOY our lives, ENJOY our wealth, and ENJOY all of the things he gives us. We can only enjoy things if we keep them in the right perspective… it ALL belongs to HIM and it’s ALL on LOAN from HIM. If we have that perspective, the pressure is OFF. We can just enjoy what He gives us. What do you enjoy? Why does it honor God to enjoy what we have? Do you enjoy your stuff or does it control and consume you? What’s your perspective on your life and your stuff?

Your thoughts?

Don’t Let Christmas Mess You Up

The Christmas season is here. For most people that means family, friends, fun, and presents. That’s a good thing. But for almost just as many people it means debt, discouragement, and distress. (hmmm 4 F’s and three D’s… sounds like my first semester at Texas A&M.)

The negative feelings come because so many people let Christmas mess them up financially. The causes are obvious: They go into to debt for all or most of everything they do… They use their tithe to buy the presents they give, robbing themselves of the presence of God’s blessings… and they are more worried about what people might think of them if they don’t give an expensive gift. It’s all messed up.

Here’s a plan to keep all of those negatives from happening. It’s a simple plan, but it will work if you do it…

1) Only use cash for Christmas presents. I know this is almost a foreign language, but it’s what HAS to happen. You have to stop spending money you don’t have, especially on things that break or get lost in just a few days. What if you don’t have any cash? If that is the case, you have four options, the way I see it. First, you could fake your disappearance and then you won’t have to give gifts. Not such a great option. Second, just don’t give gifts. I’m not too fond of that one either. Third, you could get a second job for the holidays then use that money to buy presents. That’s a good option. Fourth, you could MAKE people presents instead of buying them. This is a great option. Two of my favorite gifts I have ever received, two gifts I still have today, are a Texas Aggie “T” my sister made me when she was a “poor” college student and a graduation gift my buddy at A & M made me from the announcement I sent him. Both gifts could be made for about 2 bucks in TODAY’s dollars. Both are very meaningful to me because they took TIME and FORETHOUGHT.

2) Stay faithful in bringing your tithe to God at the place where you worship. Your tithe should come off the top of what you make and not from the leftovers. It’s the first ten percent of your income. It doesn’t matter if it is the Christmas season or if the world is in the throes of a complete financial meltdown… income comes in and the tithe comes off the top of it. When you tithe, God promises to protect you from the financial pests in life that “nickle and dime” you to death… car troubles, health troubles, thefts, etc. It doesn’t mean that these things will NEVER happen. It just means that He will protect you from them and when He allows them to happen He will provide for your needs. Check out Malachi 3:6-18. It’s all there. Really, tithing is the foundation of any mentally healthy financial plan.

3) Give a “Reverse Christmas Gift.” Giving to others who are in need takes our mind off of our own problems. To give a Reverse Christmas Gift, just sit down and figure out what you normally would spend on gifts and then decide to only spend a percentage of that amount on presents, say 90%, then give away the rest to someone less fortunate than yourself. This could be a family in need, a ministry, or a charity. When you do give gifts to people, let them know that this year you also gave a Reverse Christmas gift.

Your thoughts?