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This week’s devotions are based on “The Key” Week 5: “Let Grace Lead Your Finances!” (WATCH HERE)

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Philippians 4:11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength. 

I will be the first to admit.  I struggle at times with contentment.

We are bombarded in our world with messages to make us discontent with our current circumstances.  Watch any advertisement that comes up on TV, YouTube, Facebook or anywhere else and the goal of that advertisement is to make you discontent with your current circumstances and desire to have a need filled with their product.  As you scroll Facebook or Instagram, are there not times when you desire the life or vacation you see your friends or random people have?  Would you not agree that no matter what your present station in life is, there is a subtle unrest in your heart yearning for something different?  If you’re at work this morning, you may be longing for retirement.  If you are in retirement, you may be wishing you had something meaningful to do.  If you have plenty of resources, you may be longing for the next level of social status.

Discontent is not an amount of money or material things.  Discontent is a matter of the heart.

Really, the heart has been discontent from the beginning because we are all born with a sinful nature.  Our sinful nature thinks first of ourselves.  Ask any mom who has had to wake up to an infant crying for food.  Our first reactions in life are caused by discontent, even though we are way too young to label it as such.  To be clear, I’m not saying a person shouldn’t express their needs when they have them, but again, discontent is a matter of the heart, not a situation or station in life.

Paul wrote to the Philippians in 4:11-3 two times, “I have LEARNED to be content…” Contentment has to be learned.  It is not natural to us. He had to LEARN the secret to being content.

What is the secret to contentment?

“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

This popular passage is on may plaques and wall hangings and often applied to every situation in life.  Yes, it is true we can get through any situation in life with the strength the LORD provides, however, Paul writes this as the answer to discontentment.  I can be CONTENT because the LORD gives me strength.

Discontent comes when my trust and hope are in material things. Contentment comes when my trust and hope are in the LORD.

So how does that work?  If I have plenty.  I am content because I trust that the LORD has provided.  If I am in want, I am content because I know the LORD will provide all my needs. When the Lord is the strength of our heart, our heart can always be content in the LORD, no matter what our external circumstances, our internal circumstance rests in the strength of the LORD.

Here’s the truth: When God’s grace leads our finances, we can always be content.

 

Apply: Evaluate your heart today.  List the things in your life right now that are leading you to be discontent.  What truth of God’s Word can replace the messaging of discontent and lead you to be content in today’s circumstances?

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for providing every day for my needs.  Forgive my heart of discontent and replace it with contentment that only comes from your presence and strength.  AMEN. 

This week’s devotions are based on “The Key” Week 5: “Let Grace Lead Your Finances!” (WATCH HERE)

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1 Timothy 6:9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

On Sunday, I told the story of a couple of raccoons that have found the treats that my wife has set out for the delivery drivers.  One night they enjoyed trail mix, cheetos, doritos, and even got some of a bottle of gatorade.  Of course they found an easy opportunity and things that taseted good, but we don’t want the raccoons around the house.  So, I borrowed a trap.  The challenge is to put something in the trap that would entice the raccoons, but not the neighborhood feral cats that my wife likes to feed…another story for another time :). So, I put a bag of doritos in the trap.  The next morning the doritos were out of the trap and the empty bag was in the front grass.  They got the chips, but didn’t get caught.

Paul tells Timothy that riches can be like a bag of doritos in a trap.  They are enticing and we go after them.  Sometimes, we get away with it and so it emboldens us to chase after riches more.  Perhaps to the extent that we completely ignore the trap that the love of money can set.

Eventually we will get caught when our hearts are loving money above all else.  

Jesus put it this way: Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” 

Money is a blessing. The love of money is an idol.

The love of money has sent many people into ruin.  When the love of money leads our heart, it leads us to be dishonest.  It leads us to make gaining wealth our top priority above anything and anyone else.  It leads us into a trap we think we can get out of, but ultimately when our hearts love money, we step away from the love of God and focus our life on the accumulation of wealth.  

Satan sets this trap for our hearts.  We need to turn from it and as enticing as it is and as much as the culture around us promotes us, heed the spiritual warning Paul gives.  “Flee from all this!”

Repentance turns our heart away from the love of money back to the love of God.  WIth the love of God we find forgiveness and God’s grace.  It is God’s grace that turns the trap of money into a blessing that can be a tool to be a blessing.   When God’s grace takes the lead in our hearts.  So what happens when God’s grace is first in our hearts and money is led by grace?

Money becomes a blessing that we use in ways the Lord gives to support his work, provide for our family, and give to those in need.  Money serves the cause of God’s grace rather than being a hindrance to God’s grace.  When grace fills our heart, we can go to work not just to gain money, but rather to serve the Lord and serve people…what we get paid becomes a bonus!  Our hearts aren’t filled with worry about finances because grace leads us to become good stewards and manage our wealth in a way that honors the Lord, putting him first and living within the means God has given.  Grace leads us to live and give with joy and generosity.  Money becomes a tool which is used to carry out the good works God has planned for us.  Paul wrote to the Corinthians (9:7) Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 

So don’t fall for Satan’s trap.  I like Doritos too.  It’s tempting to pursue after them.  But I love God’s grace more and it’s his grace that will lead my finances and bring the greatest blessing from them.

Apply: Evaluate your heart.  Has the love of money become an idol?  Is your heart set on financial gain or God’s grace?  Ask God’s Spirit for power to replace the love of money with the love of grace!

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your grace.  Let me notice and avoid every trap Satan sends to get me to love money more than you.  AMEN.

20,000 went.  6,000 returned.

More than 2 out of every 3 did not come home.

Yet even the 6,000 that survived were willing to give up their life and have carried the scars of war throughout their lives.

This was just one division of army soldiers deployed during World War II.  One of the 6,000 that came home after fighting on the European front of the War is our member at Crosspoint. At 98 years young, his memories of battle and the heartache of war are very real.  With a tear in his eye, he too honors those that fell in battle and sacrificed all to give him and all of us the freedom of the country in which we live. 

I will forever be grateful to Ralph, the soldiers he fought with, and all those that sacrificed all in the heat of battle to preserve the freedom in which we live.  They have given and done what I never could.

Memorial Day is a sobering reminder of the cost of war.  It is not glorious, but brutal.  In talking with Ralph just yesterday, he asked, “Why must war take place?”  

It’s a good question.  The “war that would end all wars” didn’t live up to its billing.  The world wars didn’t end all wars…neither did Korea, Vietnam, Iraq or Afghanistan.  American blood continues to be shed at the costly expense of human lives.  

Each individual who gave his or her life in sacrifice for our country is to be honored today.  Every individual life is also a reminder of the brokenness of sin in our world and the heart that desires to take vengeance on others.  Wars between countries and individuals does not solve the spiritual battle that wages within us and between us.

Others can give their life to protect our country and our freedoms.  Unfortunately, no other human being can give their life to settle the spiritual battle sin creates.  Psalm 49:7-9 states: No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them—

8 the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough—

9 so that they should live on forever and not see decay.

The only one that could enter the battle over Satan and come out victorious is our Savior Jesus.  He was willing to give up his life so that we might live with him forever.  His heart was one of service.  He wasn’t looking for glory or acclaim.  He wasn’t looking for power and prestige, but just to serve his fellow man by giving his life as the ultimate sacrifice.  Jesus himself put it this way:

Matthew 20:26-28 Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Thank you Jesus for doing for me what I could never do for myself!

Jesus said that until he returns there will be wars and rumors of wars.  The list of lives we honor on Memorial Day will, unfortunately, continue to grow.  The sinful hearts of mankind will continue to spark wars and physical conflicts.  Men and women will give their lives to prevent the freedoms we enjoy from being removed. As we remember these individuals, each one is a small reminder of the ultimate sacrifice Jesus gave for us so that whether our life ends in  war or in time of peace, our freedom in heaven is secured forever!

 

Apply: Take time today to give thanks to God for those who have preserved the freedoms of our country by offering their lives in the line of duty.

 

Prayer: Lord, thank you for providing bravery to our military to enter battle at the cost of their lives.  Let us never take for granted the freedoms you have allowed us to have and let us leverage them for the sake of your Gospel and proclaiming the One who gave his all for us!  AMEN.

This week’s devotions are based on “The Key” Week 4: “Share Grace!” (WATCH HERE)

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1 Timothy 4:15 Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. 16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

 

It matters.

Paul was passionate about people hearing and believing in the grace of God.  He loved Timothy as a brother in Christ and was greatly invested in Timothy being a great leader for the Lord in Ephesus.  But more importantly, he was concerned about the soul of Timothy and the others around.

Our world offers many causes to be passionate about.  We can invest time in politics and getting platforms pushed through local and state legislatures.  We can be all in for a group that is researching the solution to cancer, heart disease, or other physical ailments.  One can stand up for the unborn, the neglected or the abused.  Another takes on the issue of pets that are abandoned.

Noble causes.

But there is no more noble cause than the cause of the Gospel.

It is the only cause that impacts individuals souls for eternity and Paul wanted Timothy to know how much it mattered for him and all his hearers.

People need to hear grace.  People need to hear about Jesus.

But it starts with grace permeating our hearts and lives.

It continues as that grace grows more profoundly in every aspect of our life.

It multiplies as we share grace with others.

To perpetuate the cause of grace, Paul encourages three things in these verses.

First be diligent in these matters.  All the things that Paul wrote about in 1 Timothy 4 were to be prioritized for Timothy.  Recognize when people are going astray.  Ground your heart in grace and be bold to proclaim grace.  This wasn’t a passing encouragement, but a strong directive: “Be diligent in these matters.”

Second, be all in.  “Give yourself wholly to them.”  Any athletic coach is looking for people who are “all-in.”  These athletes dedicate their life to improving in their craft.  When people see them between games, they think, “He/she’s getting better!”  So it is true of our Christian faith and life.  Do people notice you growing deeper in your faith and walk with your Savior?  Do they recognize every  month, “Wow, they are getting better as a follower of Christ!”

Third, recognize your impact.  To be clear, the reason a person ends up in heaven is 100% God’s doing and a gift of grace.  In the process he has chosen people like you and me to share grace with others.  The impact of this is that our actions have impact on ourselves and others.  For example, if we are not daily developing our faith and training in godliness, the strength of our faith will stagnate or decline.  If my faith is not growing, I am not sharing and if I’m not sharing, others aren’t hearing the message of Jesus.  If others aren’t hearing the message of Jesus, they too cannot believe on the one they have not heard of.  

Paul’s statement is not one to hear from the point of view of the law.  That is don’t read these words, “If you don’t share your faith you are going to hell.”  No.  Our salvation is secure in Jesus.  However, read these words as the profound privilege and impact you can have as God’s Spirit uses you to share grace.  “You will save yourself and your hearers.”

Now that’s pretty cool!

 

Apply: Ask the Lord for his Spirit to give us commitment to grow in grace and share grace!

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the gift of grace the privilege to share it with others.  Keep us growing in your grace and bold to share your grace with others.  AMEN.

This week’s devotions are based on “The Key” Week 4: “Share Grace!” (WATCH HERE)

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1 Timothy 4:11 Command and teach these things. 12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. 14 Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.

Have you ever felt inadequate to share the message of grace with someone?  You wouldn’t be alone.  I certainly have had those moments in life where I have thought (probably incorrectly), “Who am I to share the message of Jesus with this person?”  Sharing our faith can be daunting at times, intimidating or make us feel insecure.

But why?

Usually when I reflect on why I felt “odd” sharing my faith is because I was creating an impression of myself that I dreamed up.  I’m not the one to do it.  I’m not experienced enough.  I’m not old enough, seasoned enough, clear enough…etc.  We can give ourselves many excuses to not speak about our Savior.  Some of them are perceptions we create on our own and perhaps others are created by what someone else has said about us or to us.

So should we listen to those voices?

The short answer is “No!”

Messages that tell us not to speak about grace are not coming from the Spirit of God who desires that every person on the planet hear about grace.  Rather, these messages have the look and sound of the deception that Satan loves to present to us to get us to remain silent when opportunity comes to share Jesus.

So what counters the voices that keep us quiet?

The voice of God.

This time through the Apostle Paul and his encouragement to Timothy.  So try these messages on and see if they build your confidence to speak about grace.

God is the one who directs us to command and teach these things.  Timothy wasn’t embarking on sharing the Gospel because it was his message.  No, Paul wanted him to teach and share these things because God was using Timothy to be HIS messenger.  We are just the messenger of a message that God has given to us.

We are not too young or too old, but God uses us when and where he desires.  I have heard some of the greatest witness of the Gospel from people under the age of five.  Just recently a little girl said with a smile, “Grandma is in heaven because Jesus died for her.”  She’s not too young to share Jesus!  We create our own insecurities and God says, “Get over yourself.  Don’t listen to what others say.  I love you and have chosen you to share grace.

We can’t control how others respond; we are responsible for us.  Paul wanted Timothy to “set an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.”  We have no control over how someone will react to an expression of grace, we do have control empowered by God’s Spirit how we live out grace in our own lives.  A small example just happened yesterday as I was selling my van on Marketplace.  I listed the issues that were wrong with it and someone commented, “Wow, that was honest!”  Of course, why would I not want to be honest?  God’s love compels my behavior to reflect the impact of grace in my life.

Use the gifts God has given to us!  To say we “can’t” or we are “not good enough” to share grace is to discount the gifts God has given to you.  Maybe your way of sharing grace will be different than mine, but that’s ok.  God’s grace is the same, the gifts he’s given us are unique.  One may have a gift of hospitality and invite someone over to develop a relationship in which grace is shared.  Another many have the gift of empathy that is able to meet people in a challenging time in life.  Another may have the gift of logic and ability to answer tough questions.  The list goes on.  

Here’s the bottom line.

God has given YOU grace and all YOU need to share HIS grace!

 

Apply: Evaluate what “lies” are keeping you from being more bold in sharing your faith.  What gifts has God given to you that you are neglecting, but could be a strong asset to communicate God’s love to someone?

 

Prayer: Lord thank you for your grace.  Give me boldness to share that grace wherever and whenever you give me the opportunity.  AMEN.