Righteous Rewards

by | Nov 28, 2015 | Proverbs

Proverbs 11:30-31

The bible perhaps can be best understood by having a grasp of its major covenants, also known as the Old Testament and the New Testament. To be sure there are seven major covenants in the bible, but these two bring understanding to the others. In the New Covenant we now live in the age of grace whereas in the Old Covenant they lived in the age of the law. The covenants dictate how God related to us and it is vital that in these times we view our relationship with God through the lens of grace even when we are reading from the Old Testament.

 

30 The seeds of good deeds become a tree of life; a wise person wins friends.

There are three primary ways that you can “sow a seed” – thoughts, words, and deeds. When seeds are planted there will always be a harvest in accordance with what was planted. You will never reap a harvest of something that you did not plant. Whatever you sow you will reap. When you sow seeds of good deeds, those deeds become a tree of life. In Psalm 34:8 David says, “Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him.” When we perform acts of kindness, smile to those who frown at us, feed the homeless, visit the sick, assist the disenfranchised, etc., we become trees of life that others can “taste” and “see” (through demonstration) that the Lord is good.

 

31 If the righteous are rewarded here on earth, what will happen to wicked sinners?

Although as saints we have been given the gift of righteousness through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross and are daily recipients of his grace this does not exempt us from the temporary consequences of decisions that do not expressed or specific will of God for our lives. God disciplines us because he loves us, but what about those who do not know God through Jesus Christ. The literal Greek rendering of this verse says, “If the righteous are barely saved, what will happen to godless sinners.” The grace and faith to be in relationship with God has been extended to all and if those that are righteous (or better yet have been made righteous by Jesus) if they are only righteous not because of what they have done, but because of what Jesus has done, what will happen to those who have yet to trust in Him? I think we all know the answer and that’s why it’s so important that we become trees of life, cities of refuge, and water in the desert to those that are lonely and lost.

3 Lessons God Taught Me About Money.

by | Nov 27, 2015 | Proverbs

“Trust in your money and down you go!
But the godly flourish like leaves in spring.”
—
Proverbs 11:28 NLT

I want to be real. I’m 25 and I started a non-profit, which means I’m broke. Well, not anymore, but I’ll get there. I’m married, I have bills, and a life insurance policy so there’s expectations on me. I want to quickly share some lessons God taught me on my journey from an empty bank account to a comfortable monthly income.

Backstory:

I started Press Bible when I was 21. I had no clue about building apps, an organization, and especially earning money. I made the leap and began doing Press Bible full-time after college. During the leap, I got married. Enter RESPONSIBILITY. I was working like crazy building a nonprofit, but there was no steady income coming in. My wife was the one bringing in all the money. I had myself a world class Sugar Mama.

There was nothing wrong with this for a short season, but this season was off-and-on for about 2 years. Also, we were financially supporting our non profit—remember it was bringing in no money. So we’re trying to sustain something that wasn’t sustainable. Things needed to change.

After an intervention with my wife and business partner, I finally began to explore ways I could make money. I discovered that all these computers skills I had been learning could make me some cash. I started doing freelance video, web, and project management. My income has grown from $0 to anywhere from $2000-$4000 a month in last 6 months! Yes, I work over 40 hours a week. I work stinking hard. Full time on projects that are not Press Bible related, and full time on Press Bible. Also, please understand I’m sharing these things to brag, but to be TRANSPARENT, which is a great segue.

 

1. Get Real About Your Financial Position.

For some reason I fell into this weird, heinous habit of not talking about my financial position. When people asked me what / or how much I made, I couldn’t look them in the eyes. I was ashamed. I would mumble a bunch of nonsense like, “Well I’m in the process of looking for a job,” or “God has me in this learning ‘season’ right now.” Lies. Thankfully, God introduced me to people that could see past my BS. They challenged me to man up and stop hiding behind Christianese. Stop making excuses. Do whatever it takes to financially support your wife. They were right, but beneath all of this, was a crippling thought that prevented me from taking the next step…

 

2. Making Money is Not Evil.

I couldn’t go out and make money because I viewed making money as a shady thing. I am a CHRISTIAN, I don’t want “money to be my idol.” Stupid. I thought “selling” was synonymous with trickery. I didn’t want to pressure someone to buy my product / service they didn’t need. The problem was that I had no concept of value. Here’s what I eventually learned…

Money is the result of creating VALUE for people. Think about the products, services you pay for. Why do you pay for them? It’s because they add value to your life.

We hire designers, plumbers, tutors, counselors, because they’re solving a specific problem. You pay money so that a problem (that is important to you) can be solved. So I started to ask: “What problem am I trying to solve for another human being?” “What uniques gifts do I possess and how can I use my gifts to add value to someone else’s life?”

This mentality is all about PEOPLE. It’s all about solving people’s problems. Creating a positive difference in their lives! So if money is about solving problems, then why wouldn’t I want to be a part of this process? Why wouldn’t I try to help as many people as I possible! Making money is not evil, It’s a unique gift God has given you!

 

3. Money Has Trust Issues.

Over the course of the last year, I have met people that have A LOT of money. Like, pay for their nice cars / houses with cash kind of money. But here’s the lesson they’ve taught me:

Money creates the illusion of security, but true security comes from the Lord!

Here’s where they got that from:

“Trust in your money and down you go!
But the godly flourish like leaves in spring.”
—
Proverbs 11:28 NLT

Money doesn’t bring security. Sure you can pay your bills, but there is much more to life than having your physical needs met. Like I said earlier, I’m currently making more than ever, but let me tell you, that hasn’t made my relationships with anyone better. Nobody cares how much I make. You think my wife shows me more love because my monthly income has grown? My wife shows me love whenever I pray before we go to bed; Whenever God is directing my family’s decisions.

Here’s the secret I learned: the number in your bank account won’t make you sleep better at night. Maybe it does for a short season, but you will flourish whenever you turn your trust from money and focus on the one who gave it to you! You see, money-focused individuals have trust issues.

 

Takeaway:

Work hard to create value for people and once you have been paid, put your trust into the one who gave you it to you!

Feasting on Hope

by | Nov 26, 2015 | Proverbs

Proverbs 11:26-27

Sometimes it is so easy to focus on the evil going on in the world.  It seems extremely justifiable to continually look at all the negative things that are happening. Media is constantly shoving all the things wrong with mankind down our throats, but we have a unique responsibility as believers to bring hope and life to a seemingly darkened world. We have a light that all will see, and we can’t keep it to ourselves any longer.

I rarely watch the news, because every time I do all I see is more hurt, pain, and fear. Those may be the facts, but we believe in a truth higher than the facts. Our culture is in need of a light and a hope, and it’s about time we stop keeping it to ourselves and give them the very thing they’ve been waiting for.

The more focus we place on evil, the more we will see it take place and the more it will become present in our lives. That’s why James 4 says to resist the devil and he will flee from you. We only need our sights on him long enough to pull the trigger. But the Devil hates when we refuse to give him the attention he is so constantly begging for, and place our adoration on God alone. Searching for goodness means searching for God. When we search for God, he returns favor and lavishes love on us. It’s time we pull our focus from the negativity we are fed every day and feast on the fact that this generation is in the midst of the greatest revival ever to take place in history.  Miracles, signs and wonders are pouring out all over the world, the dead are being raised, and God is on the move.

Freely Give

by | Nov 25, 2015 | Proverbs

Proverbs 11: 24-25

24 Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything.

There is a saying I love. It goes like this, “You cannot out-give God!”  I’ve always considered what He did for me and how freely He did it. Not just with His life, but with His words, love, and an uncanny amount of grace.  There is no way I can out-give Him. None.

But no one told me I couldn’t try.

Maybe the writer of Proverbs, was merely talking about money. I sometimes think money is the easiest thing to give. No strings attached and certainly no responsibility tied to me.

The things I find the hardest to give freely are grace filled words, love without condition, and crucial conversations with those I love.

I have come to understand, that the more mature I become, the more of myself and my words must be given away without hesitation. This is how you become wealthy. Giving grace filled words, to encourage someone else, my wealth grows. Loving beyond my capability creates an opportunity for relationship and growth. Crucial conversations are difficult! Jesus, never backed away from one of these. EVER.  Have one. Stand firm.

Giving these things makes us wealthy.

Withholding them, is purely self focused. This leads to selfishness and it’s “all about me”. Being stingy: we lose everything. The world does not revolve around me or you.

I don’t want to live this way. I want to give it all away….freely. cheerfully, and without hesitation.

 

25 The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

I love this verse! The generous will prosper. Be generous with your words, grace, and mercy refreshes others. Think about it, when was the last time your gave encouragement to someone else and realized you were refreshed?

Simply breathing kind words of refreshment to someone else. Someone who’s heart was broken. Someone who was struggling with that sin.

Next time someone needs money, give it generously. Then have a crucial conversation with them that will leave them refreshed because of the words spoken, the love given, and the grace poured out in their life.

Then see, if you are not more prosperous. I guarantee it won’t look like what you expected.

It will be better than you imagined.

 

Photography: @mattglenn

One of These Things Doesn’t Belong Here…

by | Nov 24, 2015 | Proverbs

Proverbs 11: 22-23

Have you ever had someone say to you, “I didn’t know you were a Christian?” You’re left thinking to yourself, “hum… Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” I don’t know about you but I start doing a mental checklist of my attitudes, and conversations. I think to myself, “did I say something that may have turned someone off from knowing Christ?” OR “was I so thoughtful and kind that they could see Christ in me?” I’m definitely shooting for the latter part of that.

22 “Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout so is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.”

I can read this two different ways and both still apply, discretion is the word that sticks out to me the most.  It may as well have been written in bold letters, it’s the meat of this particular scripture. What good is a beautiful person or a Christian that spews offensive things or acts in a way that doesn’t match what we preach? The God that we so passionately want others to know about doesn’t look to appealing when those things happen.

In the Jewish culture it was a common ornament for women to wear nose rings, however they thought of pigs as unclean and filthy, so why put something that was meant for beauty on something filthy. One of these things just doesn’t belong here. Your beauty is wasted without discretion, what happened to our sense of responsibility? Beauty isn’t a bad thing, God created it. Queen Esther is a perfect example of what it means to have beauty and discretion. Because she listened to God, used integrity and made good decisions, God used her to help free her people.

23 “The godly can look forward to a reward, while the wicked can expect only judgement.”

When you desire to live a life of integrity and good decisions God rewards you. However, when you don’t live by what Christ says then it only leads to angry frustration.

It’s not always easy to be a Christ follower, but it is rewarding!

 

 

We Aren’t Fighting Alone

by | Nov 23, 2015 | Proverbs

Proverbs 11: 20-21

“20Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the Lord, but those of blameless ways are his delight. 21Be assured, an evil person will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered.” Proverbs 11:20-21 ESV

 

This scripture contains something a little scary in my personal opinion. Being an abomination to the Lord? An evil person will not go unpunished? God ain’t messing around!

 

On a lighter note, ‘The ways of the blameless are His delight’. I read this and immediately start racking my mind for a way I can earn blameless bonuses. Pray more, do that bible study, encourage a friend… Once idealism passes, I quickly shift focus from being a blessing to just avoiding a scolding. I think we can all have that mindset from time to time. Thankfully I feel the Holy Spirit wanting to interrupt me, ‘No no no. You are counting the tallies all wrong.’

 

Like myself, you might find your good tallies in the list I stated previously. You may find your bad tallies in forms of problems, stresses, relationships gone mislead and life’s direction undecided and unknown. But I want you to read this scripture not solely focused on the cause and effect statements but also another theme. That even the righteous find themselves in need of deliverance. The promise isn’t so much that life is going to be effortless, we all know better than that, but the promise instead is that we won’t be fighting our battles alone when we choose to walk in God’s way. Next time you are tempted to evaluate your life based on circumstance or good and bad tallies, refocus, and remember that it’s the heart that the Lord looks at. When our hearts seek His way, we can rest trusting that we will also find His deliverance.