Taking Care Of Business – Your Money!

     I was not sitting under my "Friendly Shade" but having lunch when one of my clients called me on my cell phone, no less.  For three months I had been trying to find a way to contact her.  She was upset that I was going to start foreclosure on her property.  Duh! Where have you been?  Finally after many calls to whoever I could think of,  I finally was able to obtain her phone number and had to call on my personal cell phone in order to get a response.  I call that negligence!

     Life is about “taking care of business.”  The first part of taking care of business is acknowledging Jesus, accepting Him as Savior, and following His Word in all walks of  life. 

     The second part of “taking care of business” comes with the wisdom obtained through reading and studying His word.  Part of that is the handling of our money.  We are to be good stewards of our money.  There is a responsibility to budget in order to care for our needs.   Often, some people do not apply financial wisdom very well.  There is an unwillingness to establish budgets and priorities toward spending.  Many buy what they cannot afford.  They then neglect creditors when they fall into despair over being unable to find the means to repay debts.  Many become so disillusioned with the amount of debt they have incurred that they just continue to charge and continue to increase their debt load.  There is no plan of action and no decision made to take control of their actions.  They are simply unwilling to deny themselves some of the finer things of life in order to live within their financial situation and feel the peace of knowing they are not having to live “paycheck to paycheck.”  

     On the other side, there are those who will sacrifice for themselves but not for their children.  This is good to a point, but when the child is given all he wants and provided with designer clothes just to be considered on the same level as another child, the parent will sometimes fail to instill the basic concept of what is really important.  It is not about how the child dresses but more about loving God, responsibility, respect, unconditional love, and peaceful living; it is about how the child learns to feel about who they really are irregardless of their social status.  We also do our children an injustice when we fail to teach them about saving, about tithing, and the way to live within a given allowance or budget.  They need to learn, at an early age, that they cannot always have what they want and what others may be able to afford. 

     I have found, in my own personal life that it is a big mistake to shop when there is no tangible need.  The desire and the temptation is too much!  What looks so enticing and irresistible is “old hat” tomorrow, but, yet, the expense does not disappear.  A big chunk of change has already left my purse, never to be recouped, and I am too quickly ready  to toss the item out to good-will.   We all want pretty things, bigger cars, expensive vacations, and on and on but, let's face it, some of us just cannot have those things.

     As a banker, I realize the importance of “taking care of business,” as well as the need for a lot of people to resist the urge to shop and spend.  I have helped too many people refinance homes in order to payoff credit cards only to see them return within a few years and repeat the cycle all over again.  I have also been disappointed in the unwillingness of some to act responsible when they, because of their desires, have created a debt.  A simple act of respect; a phone call with an honest explanation goes a long way in being able to assist clients and work out ways for them to be able to repay their debts.

     In Matthew 25:14-17 we are given a parable of the bags of gold whereby one was given five bags of gold, another two bags, and another one bag.  The one with 5 bags turned it into 5 more bags of gold, the one with two bags gained two more, but the man with one bag went off, dug a hole and buried it.  Later the lord of the servant who gained the most wealth was told, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things.”

     Money is a big part of life.  We must have it to live, to eat, to obtain electricity,   water, and so much, much more.  How do you handle your money?   Can you say, “Well done?”   

Life Without Jesus Is No Life At All

     There is so much beauty to behold here on earth, and it was all given to us by God.  Our peace and our comfort truly comes from the One above; the One who watches over us throughout our daily lives.  It is God who protects us, cares for us, and prepares us for every event in life.  Without Jesus working in every aspect of our life there would be sadness, loneliness, fear, worry, illwill, and a constant seeking for unreachable goals.  I can truly say that life without Jesus is no life at all.  

 

Life Without Jesus Is No Life At All

 There are some who have no clue

  what to do when problems are about to brew.
But there is One upon whom you can call.
He takes care of it all!

Others do not know where to go

  when they suffer from loss,
  but there is One who died upon the cross.  
Jesus is the One to call.
In His hands are the burdens of all!

Some turn away when their world turns upside down,

  but Jesus can wipe away the sadness and the frown.
He is the One waiting for you to call.  
His plan covers it all!

Where there is worry, there is hope.

Where there is brokenness, there is healing.
There is a lifeline to help you cope.
Jesus is the One to call;
He has your back when you're up against the wall. 
Life without Jesus is no life at all!

Jesus will turn the darkness to light.

He is the Shining Knight;
  the One who'll answer your call.
He'll hold you up and not let you fall!

Jesus is the One to whom you can go,

  when life brings you down and you’re feeling low.
He is the One guiding from within your soul;
  the One upon whom you can call.
Life without Jesus is no life at all!  

Popular Phrases For My Walk With God

     As I sit underneath my “Friendly Shade” and wondered what I would write about for God, I decided to try my hand at using common, popular phrases just to see how they would apply to our walk with God.  Below are a few I came up with: 

When God gave us beauty on earth, it was “only the tip of the iceberg.”

When He promised us an eternal home, it goes “beyond our wildest dreams.”
When God inspired the written Word, He gave us the greatest Book ever written, “hands down!”
When He promised never to leave or forsake you, He meant He’d never leave you “high and dry.”
When God asked us to seek Him, He never meant it to be “a hard pill to swallow.”
To witness for God, we must be willing to “go out on a limb.”
He’ll return in the blink of an eye just like “greased lightning.”
We don’t have to see God, we know He lives within our hearts.  It’s more than “a gut feeling.”
When you see heaven, it will “knock your shoes off.”
To love God is a “no brainer.”
God is our Savior, and that’s “no ifs, ands, or buts.”
We are asked to believe in God, “no questions asked.”
You don’t have to be the “sharpest tool in the shed” to know God exists.
When you reach heaven, you will be “on cloud nine.”
When you seek God, you will be “on the same page”  with Him.
Love God, and you will be “seeing eye to eye.”
When you follow God’s Word, troubles will disappear “easy as pie.”
It you deny God, it will be like  “ships passing in the night.”
When God returns I pray for those that get “the short end of the stick.”
When you seek riches and fame and leave God out, you will be seeking “fool’s gold.”
When you have God in your life, you won’t be “in a pickle” when troubles come your way.
When you don’t seek and wait for God’s direction, you may be “jumping the gun.”
When God returns for His people, “the jig is up.”
When you feel your “back is to the wall,” seek God and “keep on trucking!”
Bring up your children in the admonition of God, and you’ll be proud when people say, “Like Father, like Son.”
Believe in God with all your heart and “play for keeps.”
Read God’s Word every day; give Him “quality time.”
With God in your life, you will be able to “roll with the punches.”
Be careful who you follow in life, and it won’t “rain on your parade.”
Be strong in your Christian walk, “talk the talk and walk the walk.”
They say “you can’t judge a book by its cover,” but I say, people recognize a strong Christian walk with God, and you can "judge a book by its cover."

     I could go on and on but I must end with one last comment.  I am so very thankful that I had Christian parents who brought me up in the church, and I am not lost out in the world seeking something I cannot find like a “needle in a haystack.”  I am so glad that God does not require that I "walk a mile in His shoes."   All He asks is that I "accept and believe!"

 

 

Getting To Know God

     I was thinking as I settle in under “My Friendly Shade” about how often I ask God for help to solve my problems, but how little time I take to simply get to know Him.
     Who is Jesus?  How was He treated?  What does He do for us?  Oh, to only know Him and His ways!

Jesus is:

Alpha – Almighty
Bread of Life
Comforter-Christ-Creator-Counselor
Deliverer
Everlasting Father
Father of All
God of the Universe
Healer – Holy Ghost- Head of the Church
I Am –Immanuel
Jesus- Jehovah
King of the Jews- King of Kings
Lord of heaven – Lamb of God - Light of the world – Living Bread
Messiah- Mighty God – Mediator
Nazarene
Omega – Only Begotten Son
Prince of Peace – Physician
Redeemer
Savior – Shepherd – Son of God
Truth – Tree of Life
Upholder of all things
Vine
Way
Young Child of Mary
Yahweh

 He was:                                        He is:

Accused                                    Alive! Always Available
Beaten & bruised                     Beside us every day
Condemned                              Comforter in times of need- Covers with His Grace
Despised                                   Deliverer from our sins
Executed                                   Emergency line - Ever present
Forsaken                                   Forgiving
Greatly feared                          Giver of good gifts
Hurt                                           Healer
Ignored                                     Intermediator
Judas betrayed                        Judge
Kicked and knocked down     Kind   
Lied about                                Loving to all
Mocked                                    Merciful 
Nailed to the cross                  Nutritional way to eternal life- Never-ending love
Oppressed                               Omnipotent presence
Persecuted                               Protector
Questioned                              Quarterback in the race of life
Rejected                                   Ray of light    
Smitten                                     Shelter in the storm -Savior    
Tempted                                  Teacher through His Word
Unmercifully treated              Unchangeable
Victimized                               Valuable friend and lifeline
Wounded & whipped           World-wide caregiver and worthy of worship

                                   

                                   

 

 

 

Intimacy

     With all the controversy over same sex marriage, now we have some people coming out and saying they do not even believe there should be an institution of marriage at all.  Our world is gradually deteriorating, and the blame is being placed on the breakup of the marriage and the lack of a missing parent in the home. 

     Just why are marriages failing?  Could it be a lack of intimacy?  When I say intimacy, I am not talking about a familiar sexual act but, rather, a close, warm familiar personal relationship; something that runs deep within.  There can be no deeper intimate relationship among a husband and a wife than to just be able to pick up the spouse’s hand at any given moment in time and pray together.  I remember the first time I shared a burden with my husband.  He instantly reached for my hand, and we stood right there and prayed.  I was overwhelmed. 
     Just a simple action places a spiritual friend deep within your soul, and this special, oh so special friend becomes the intermediary, not only between you and God, but also between disagreements that occur in marriages, as well.
     Prayer in family relationships, as well as the personal life, results in many blessings.  Yet, we often forget that God seeks a friendship with us and not just as a giver.  Most of us, including me, see Him as a giver because that is what He does.  He wants to bless us; He wants to give to us.  Maybe that is why so many of our prayers are rendered as “give me” prayers.  We know He loves us, and we want to claim His promises.  However, before we seek Him to fulfill our desires and wishes, we are first and always supposed to praise Him in name.  We need an intimate relationship with God.  The example given in Matthew says, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” 
     There is no greater intimacy in marriage than for a spouse to simple pick up the other one’s hand and pray, “Thank you God for being the Master of our home. Thank you God for the many blessings you bestow.  We love you Lord for all you do,” and then seek Him with your current needs and concerns. 
     It is so easy to pray for someone, but how easy is it to pray with someone?  It will change your relationship.  Intimacy - such a simple act but it makes so much difference!