Place God First in Budgeting and Spending - Day 12

September 6, 2012

"When Jesus heard his answer, he said, "there is still one thing you haven't done.  Sell all your possissions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.  Then come, follow me."  Luke 18:22

After reading this verse for the first time, you probably had the same reaction I did...sell EVERYTHING I have??  Where would I live?  How would I get to work?  My dog Winston is my best friend; I can't just sell him to another family!  I quickly decided that this was one of those Bible verses that shouldn't be taken literally just like the scripture in the Old Testament that says women cannot teach and only have one purpose, which is to take care of the home.  Yeah, right!

Then I took a moment and tried to really consider what my life would be like if I had no possessions.  The faces of the homeless people we fed this past summer in Key West popped into my mind.  Many of them only had one small grocery gag of possessions.  One person responded to me by saying "He sure does and you too!" after I proclaimed "God loves you!"  Possessions are not what make us happy and enjoy life.  In fact, they seem to be a distraction from the glorious creation God has planted all around us.  Possessions and the inherent need to continuously accumulate more of them, has distracted us from serving God and his people.

Instead, find time away from the iPads, 52" flat screens and motorcycles, and focus on using that time for others and putting God first.  Whether you spend ten minutes comforting a lost soul over the phone, or an hour feeding the homeless on the beaches of Key West, each minute you dedicate to God and His creation, I promise you, will bring you heaven on earth.  There is nothing better we can do with our time and resources than to give them to God to serve his people.

Dear God, please help me find an extra few minutes each day to refocus my time, energy, and thoughts on You and Your abundant creation.  Guide me to turn my good fortunes into fortunes for others.  I will do all I can do to ensure every moment of my life gives glory to you and your Son.  Amen

Author:  Kelly Holloway