Living for heaven is a great idea. Difficult to execute, but still a good idea. Most of us are not wired to wait. We want instant gratification and an immediate return on investments. Heaven seems like a long way off and way too mysterious. For me, this is the foundational principle that governs the way I save, the way I give, and the way I purchase. Living with an eternal mindset helps me to travel light here on earth. I am a pilgrim. I am a sojourner. I am citizen of a better place. This all bogs down when we become possessed by our possessions. I have made a decision to live by some very simple principles.
1. Spend less than I make.
2. Live with as little debt as possible.
3. Save and manage wisely.
4. Give generously at every opportunity.
These are my goals. While there are plenty of examples that point to my failures in these areas, I hope these principles spill over into more and more of my heart. At the end of my life, I want to have great memories of the earth and its blessings. I just don’t want earth to be difficult to leave. Jesus said my heart would be in the place where my treasures are stored. I hope that place is heaven.
October 15, 2008 at 11:29 am
Pastor Brady,
I started listening to you about a year ago, and I love to hear you talk about living below your means. In a self entitlement age that we live in, we feel that we are entitled to have these material possesions and most of the time, it cost us living beyond what we can afford. That is when destructive debt begins in our lives. Thanks for the continued encouragment to live generously and spend below our means. This goes along way for marriages, business owners, and ministry.
Thanks,
For His Fame!
Mark Earle
Gilbert, AZ
October 17, 2008 at 10:57 pm
Thank you for leading the church in this direction. We’ve felt led of the Lord to make changes in this area this year. This Summer we made a tough decision that has been the most blessed thing we’ve ever done. We stepped up our tithing percent, we moved out of our 3000 sq ft house into a 1000 sq ft apartment with our two kids. We reduced our bills by over $1000 a month and are now quickly getting out of debt and living well beneath our means. It’s an exhilerating feeling and the relief and pressure is off to ‘keep up with the Jones’s’. Our family feels closer than we ever have been (maybe it’s because we’re literally physically closer in that small space), mom and dad aren’t running as hard on the hamster wheel, the kids are getting more of us, God has brought extra sources of income into our lives, and we’re feeling more blessed than ever. We were literally prisoners before…trying to keep up, never getting out of debt, spending unwisely, not always able to tithe the full amount…we feel we’ve had a major breakthrough in this area this year..praise God!
October 18, 2008 at 11:32 pm
It’s unfortunate that it seems like we enjoy our material possesions too much. We often forget that there are a lot of people out there that have nothing. How are they supposed to believe in Jesus or God? Pastor Brady, you said that “Heaven seems like a long way off and way too mysterious.” I think this is a large part of the problem – I struggle with this myself at times too. But I think my struggle would be worse if I hadn’t found New Life Church. That is why I believe it is very important for us the be as supportive as possible to the church so we can show others what the house of God is really like. Pastor Brady, we are glad you are here because you have made New Life Church a place where we experience religion, not just going to church on Sunday. Finally, two thumbs up to Wendy in the previous post. We’ve got to start forgetting about the material junk and concentrate on what matters.
October 29, 2008 at 9:08 am
Thank you, Pastor Brady, for reminding me to be wise with my finances. GOD bless you and New Life Church.
November 10, 2008 at 11:16 am
Living with little or no debt is a goal everyone should work toward. Credit card debt has gotten so many people in trouble and eliminating payments one at a time takes discipline but is definitely possible. Best of all, having one less payment a month is like receiving an instant raise! Very good advice Pastor Brady, thank you!