Posted on June 11, 2023 Posted By: HCCCategories: journey
Heartland Community Church
THE JOURNEY
Building Wealth Wisely
By Bill McMurtrey
When you think about the best, most enjoyable times of your life, was it during financial hardship? Do you look back with joy at times you didn’t know how you would be able to pay the mortgage or make the next payment? Worse yet, where your next meal might be coming from? Do you smile and relish the thought, "Oh wow, it’s gonna cost how much to fix the car?" Probably not. We have complicated emotions around money, don’t we?
Some say, "I’d rather be broke and happy than rich and miserable." Really? Do you want to be broke? Do you think because someone worked hard in their lives, achieved stability, and has financial means, that automatically makes them miserable? Or that if someone has wealth, they are automatically evil? I once heard comedian Steve Harvey say: "Money is not the root of all evil. If you are a bad person, you are going to do bad things. If you are a good person, you are going to do good things." He is right.
I’ve been broke before, with zero money for food, and lived in a truck during the winter. Those were NOT the happiest times of my life. We’re not talking about struggling in college eating ramen noodles every night. We’re talking about being broke, having nowhere to sleep, and having no food to eat.
Whether a person has little or has much, the posture of their heart can turn toward wisdom and create a margin in life to allow one to be generous toward others.
I have a buddy who is 58, like me. He owns 37% of all advertising done on any podcast, anytime, anywhere, in the United States of America. He created an opportunity to build margin into his life. Like myself and all of you reading this, he is active in his church. He serves in his community and goes on mission trips. He invests his margin to help build other churches.
As a professional stock trader, I believe "get rich quick" does not exist. As a follower of Jesus, I think money alone does not make us happy OR miserable. Money offers a chance to live a more stable, healthier life. We need it to pay for our living spaces, food, healthcare, and children’s education. We can also invest in keeping the lights on so people can attend church or providing scholarships so kids can attend camp. Anyone with margin . . . not just the rich, not just the poor, and not just the middle class, but all God’s people can be part of building a community and investing in eternal endeavors.
As you go about your week, what can you do to create more margin in your financial life? Where might you invest in the things God cares about? Who can you talk to for help building your life in God’s wisdom?
The Journey through Proverbs
What is the book of Proverbs about? Watch as our friends from the Bible Project explain its major themes and gain a deeper understanding of its place in the biblical story through these two brief videos.
Read the chapter of the day 2-3 times, and take note of what stands out to you. Ponder the words of wisdom throughout the day, and answer these questions:
What picture or instruction does God give me about building a great life?
Is there anything I notice here that runs contrary to my normal daily life?
What do I want to remember or work on . . . write it on a card or add a note to your phone to remind you.
CLICK HERE to visit The Bible Project site and explore their super simple, super informative Bible videos (and other resources). You can also download The Bible Project App HERE.
CLICK HERE to get the Read Scripture App, from our friends at The Bible Project.
CLICK HERE for more on how to use the observe-reflect-apply approach to getting the most out of your Bible reading.
The Bible App Get the free YouVersion Bible for your phone, tablet, or computer. Experience the Bible anywhere, with options to highlight, save notes, and share what you are reading with others.
The Bible App For Kids YouVersion partnered with OneHope to develop the Bible App for Kids, designing it specifically to engage children with Bible stories on an age-appropriate level. The Bible App for Kids is a free app for Android, Apple, and Kindle devices, available in over 60 languages.
Bible Gateway Provides advanced Bible searching capabilities, which allow readers to find passages in scripture based on keywords, phrases, or scripture reference.
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