Personal Finances
I mentioned to a group of ladies at my workplace the fact that the guy I am interested in is considering going to seminary. They expressed concern for the fact that both of us would have jobs that did not promise financial stability. I thought it was kind of odd.
As Christians we are called to live differently than the world. Our faith should and does affect our values. Prior to this recent discussion I thought "the love of money" was in reference to really desiring to be more than financially secure and one's willingness to sacrifice one's integrity for financial gain, but now I am beginning to wonder if "the love of money" includes the lack of willingness to sacrifice and be uncomfortable financially in order to be obedient to God's call both personally and universally.
We are all called to give. A friend and I debated the purpose of celebrating St. Nicholas Day. She saw it as a pagean celebration honoring someone for one incident when they gave out of their riches to help a poor family. After looking up St. Nicholas on wikipedia, I think both of our eyes were opened to the significance of the life of this saint. What would happen if the world stopped honoring the commercialized Santa Claus and began to follow the example of St. Nicholas and on December 6th of each year secretively gave gifts to the poor? How would the world change?
If we are to follow Christ's example and live as He did, perhaps we need to remodel our lives. Christ was willing to give up life in the heavenlies to become a vulnerable infant in a manger. He gave up the saftey of holiness and purity in heaven to mingle amidst sinful people. How does His example affect how we live?
As Christians we are called to live differently than the world. Our faith should and does affect our values. Prior to this recent discussion I thought "the love of money" was in reference to really desiring to be more than financially secure and one's willingness to sacrifice one's integrity for financial gain, but now I am beginning to wonder if "the love of money" includes the lack of willingness to sacrifice and be uncomfortable financially in order to be obedient to God's call both personally and universally.
We are all called to give. A friend and I debated the purpose of celebrating St. Nicholas Day. She saw it as a pagean celebration honoring someone for one incident when they gave out of their riches to help a poor family. After looking up St. Nicholas on wikipedia, I think both of our eyes were opened to the significance of the life of this saint. What would happen if the world stopped honoring the commercialized Santa Claus and began to follow the example of St. Nicholas and on December 6th of each year secretively gave gifts to the poor? How would the world change?
If we are to follow Christ's example and live as He did, perhaps we need to remodel our lives. Christ was willing to give up life in the heavenlies to become a vulnerable infant in a manger. He gave up the saftey of holiness and purity in heaven to mingle amidst sinful people. How does His example affect how we live?
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