If you return to Job 1:3, you can read what Job originally owned. He had 7,000 sheep, and he winds up with 14,000. So his flocks grow as he feeds them and breeds them. Their numbers increase to twice the original flock.
Read MoreCategory Archives: Stewardship
God Owns It All
Oscar Wilde, Irish playwright and author of yesteryear, wrote in The Picture of Dorian Gray, “Young people, nowadays, imagine that money is everything . . . and when they grow older they know it!”1Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray (New York: Barnes & Noble Classics, 2003), 35. Another statement on money I especially like […]
Read MoreGiving Is Godlike
Shortly after World War II, the saddest sight for American soldiers who were picking up the pieces in ravaged Europe, was that of little orphaned children starving in the streets of those war-torn cities.
Read MoreThe Secret of Living
When money is our objective for happiness, we must live in fear of losing it, which makes us paranoid and suspicious. When fame is our aim, we become competitive lest others upstage us, which makes us envious. When power and influence drive us, we become self-serving and strong-willed, which makes us arrogant. And when possessions become our god, we become materialistic, thinking enough is never enough, which makes us greedy. All these pursuits fly in the face of contentment and joy.
Read MoreJoyful Generosity
Thoughts disentangle themselves . . . over the lips and through the fingertips. I learned that saying over thirty years ago, and just about every time I put it to the test, it works! Whenever I have difficulty comprehending the complicated or clarifying the complex, I talk it out or write it out.
Read MoreCost and Worth
“How much does it cost?” “What’s it worth?” These two questions may sound alike, but they are different. Very different. “Cost” is the amount of money it takes to complete a purchase . . . the bill, the tab, the monetary expense required to accomplish a financial transaction. “Worth” is the usefulness of the object . . .
Read MoreBeing a Giver—Is Worth It?
Early one chilly morning an American soldier was making his way back to the barracks in London. As he turned the corner in his jeep, he spotted a little lad with his nose pressed to the window of a pastry shop. Inside, the cook was kneading dough for a fresh batch of doughnuts. The hungry boy stared in silence, watching every move. The soldier pulled his jeep to the curb, stopped, got out, and walked quietly over to where the little fellow was standing. Through the steamed-up window, he could see the mouth-watering morsels being pulled from the oven, piping hot. The boy salivated and released a slight groan as he watched the cook place them onto the glass-enclosed counter ever so carefully.
Read MoreThe Gift for the Person Who Has Everything
In our pocket of society where pampered affluence is rampant, we are often at a loss to know what kind of gifts to buy our friends and loved ones on special occasions. For some people (especially those who “have everything”), the standard gift won’t cut it. Nothing in the shopping mall catches our fancy. I […]
Read MoreStrengthening Your Grip on Money
Now there’s a fitting title! Especially in a day when our current accounts need month-to-month resuscitation to survive mind-numbing government deficits and debts. Unlike those who receive incredible salaries for playing games, making movies, singing songs, and pumping oil, most of us are forced to face the fact that the only way we’ll ever see […]
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