STEWARDSHIP
For the last year business has been lousy. It started taking a nose dive around May of last year. Every month we hope and pray for more customers. We are capable of doing at least double the sales that we are currently experiencing. Despite our prayers and a great deal of enterprising management we are still barely holding our own. Part of the problem right now is that I haven't reduced my salary during this downturn. And the reason that I haven't done that is that I spend my entire salary every month just to pay the bills. We have no other source of income.
The most effective thing to do at the moment is to sell the house that we are in, move into a more affordable home, and reduce our income accordingly. That could make the difference between the business making a profit or not. On the other side of the coin is the ever present possibility that business will return to normal, in which case we can cruise along quite nicely as we have in the past. I've got lots of reasons for not moving. One of the reasons is financial. It has been predicted that our property value will go up substantially over the next three years. I'm no stranger to greed. I like to put it in the category of strategic financial planning, {doesn't that sound good?}, but really behind it is greed. And the mixture is familiar to most Christians. We are to make the most of the talents God gave us. Thus the parable of the talents. At the same time, we are to continually surrender both the talents and their profits to the Lord, which will keep me from trusting in money. I don't know about you, but I am looking at this delicate balance on a daily basis.
What to do, what to do, what to do. God wants me to make wise decisions. He calls me to be prayerful in my spending. I don't want to take what could be an obvious sign from Him to downsize, and throw it out of the mix, simply because I believe that He will restore our business income and this entire letter would be for naught. So here I sit, doing the waiting game.
In my men's Bible study this morning, we talked at length about God's will for our lives and how that plays out in day to day living. Everyone has a slightly different take on the subject, and personal experiences abound. One thing I think is fundamental is not to ignore a clear calling. Another thing I think is fundamental is not to put my own comfort ahead of sacrificial living and giving. The other thing that I think is fundamental is to stay constantly at the ready to move out in faith.
I'll end this with a short story. I know a couple, who just like us, surrendered their business to God and lived moderately. After years of prayerful giving they were living on 40% of their gross salary and giving 60%. Now as you can well imagine they comforted themselves that their giving was an area of their life that was in no need of repair. After many years of giving at this level, the husband began waking in the middle of the night with the call from the Lord to pray about raising their giving. He was defiant. He was upset that his sleep was being interrupted. He was very self satisfied that their giving far exceeded most believers and therefore need not be amended. Finally one middle of the night prayer led him to be prostrate on the floor in tears, and with that he stepped out in faith and bumped the giving up to 80% of their gross salary. I talked to this man several years after that episode. He was still walking by faith and continually looking up.
For the last year business has been lousy. It started taking a nose dive around May of last year. Every month we hope and pray for more customers. We are capable of doing at least double the sales that we are currently experiencing. Despite our prayers and a great deal of enterprising management we are still barely holding our own. Part of the problem right now is that I haven't reduced my salary during this downturn. And the reason that I haven't done that is that I spend my entire salary every month just to pay the bills. We have no other source of income.
The most effective thing to do at the moment is to sell the house that we are in, move into a more affordable home, and reduce our income accordingly. That could make the difference between the business making a profit or not. On the other side of the coin is the ever present possibility that business will return to normal, in which case we can cruise along quite nicely as we have in the past. I've got lots of reasons for not moving. One of the reasons is financial. It has been predicted that our property value will go up substantially over the next three years. I'm no stranger to greed. I like to put it in the category of strategic financial planning, {doesn't that sound good?}, but really behind it is greed. And the mixture is familiar to most Christians. We are to make the most of the talents God gave us. Thus the parable of the talents. At the same time, we are to continually surrender both the talents and their profits to the Lord, which will keep me from trusting in money. I don't know about you, but I am looking at this delicate balance on a daily basis.
What to do, what to do, what to do. God wants me to make wise decisions. He calls me to be prayerful in my spending. I don't want to take what could be an obvious sign from Him to downsize, and throw it out of the mix, simply because I believe that He will restore our business income and this entire letter would be for naught. So here I sit, doing the waiting game.
In my men's Bible study this morning, we talked at length about God's will for our lives and how that plays out in day to day living. Everyone has a slightly different take on the subject, and personal experiences abound. One thing I think is fundamental is not to ignore a clear calling. Another thing I think is fundamental is not to put my own comfort ahead of sacrificial living and giving. The other thing that I think is fundamental is to stay constantly at the ready to move out in faith.
I'll end this with a short story. I know a couple, who just like us, surrendered their business to God and lived moderately. After years of prayerful giving they were living on 40% of their gross salary and giving 60%. Now as you can well imagine they comforted themselves that their giving was an area of their life that was in no need of repair. After many years of giving at this level, the husband began waking in the middle of the night with the call from the Lord to pray about raising their giving. He was defiant. He was upset that his sleep was being interrupted. He was very self satisfied that their giving far exceeded most believers and therefore need not be amended. Finally one middle of the night prayer led him to be prostrate on the floor in tears, and with that he stepped out in faith and bumped the giving up to 80% of their gross salary. I talked to this man several years after that episode. He was still walking by faith and continually looking up.
posted by Terry L. Burr | 1:05 PM
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