"The root of evil" - Wednesdays Weekly Word

This week's devotion is "The root of evil". I have been studying the book of PROVERBS and I invite you to join me and see what God has stirred up in my heart. It is my prayer that somehow my writings will lead you closer to God and understanding His Word!

MONEY is a window to the human heart. This is why Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (found in Matthew 6:21) Our attitude toward money is a spiritual issue as much as anything else.

~ Our values can be reflected in our spending ~

• Some families spend only to survive...Others have barely enough to survive but find small ways to give!
• Some families spend only to enjoy things...While others make a lot of room for enjoyment but also make room for giving!
• Some scrimp and save and keep as much for themselves...while others foolishly give away and never save!

God cares what we spend and how we save. He cares about how we view money. He cares how much we trust in it and how much we use it for good or for bad. God demands our heart, as well as the things we treasure!

Having God's philosophy of money will save

a lot of pain and anxiety in life.

PROVERBS 11:24 "There is one who scatters, yet increases all the more, and there is one who withholds what is justly due, but it results only in want."

So many times the verse in 1 Timothy 6:10 is misquoted. Many people think it says that "money is the root of evil". However, it actually says the evil is the LOVE of money. There is nothing wrong with money in itself, it is the improper love of it that leads to all kinds of evil.

Have you ever considered why a person who works long hours just remains exhausted and poor while another barely tries but still becomes so successful?

Many of us dream of being the second, but Solomon reminds us that this kind of dream is not worth a great deal of our time. "Don't wear yourself out to get rich." (Proverbs 23:4)

There are certain things in life worth wearing ourselves out about, but, wealth is not one of them. Having wealth is not a bad thing, but if all of your time and effort is focused on making the money, you won't have any time or desire to be generous with your money.

I love to see Christians who have attained God's blessings, turn around and give back to someone in need. Have you ever considered what it would be like to just write someone a check for ...

• $5,000 just because you could and just because you saw a need?


• Maybe you can't for $5,000 but what about $1,000? Wouldn't that be awesome to pour a blessing into someone because God has blessed you.


• $1,000 is out of your reach? how about $500...certainly that would be incredible to do.


• You can't do $500 ~blessing someone with a $100 would be awesome!

To be a giving Christian such as what I just described does not take an overabundance of wealth, instead it takes a person who is wise and generous. It is difficult to be generous if you are not in the position to be generous. In other words... are you unable to be a giver because of the debt you find yourself in. Society makes it easy for us to get in debt and remain in debt.

PROVERBS 22:7 "The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower becomes the lender's slave."

Many people are stunned by their financial situation they find themselves in, "I just don't know where the money goes."

In last week's YOUR OPINION MATTER'S POLL, I polled the readers about their financial wisdom, "how do you rate on financial wisdom?" The top 3 votes were:

1. 53% of the readers voted and said, "I DO FAIRLY well, but I won't be able to retire until age 105."
2. 23% of those polled said, "I'M PRETTY GOOD but I have enough credit cards to play a hand of rummy."
3. 15% polled said, "MONEY disintegrates in my wallet and disappears."

We all NEED money but the solution to becoming WISE with your finances will take alittle hard work: make a budget, balance your accounts, reconcile your statements and keep records. Solomon tells us that we should "know the condition of our flocks, and pay attention to our herds" (Prov. 27:23)

In other words KNOW WHAT NEEDS TO BE PAID, AND TAKE CARE OF IT!

If you fall into the 15% bracket and have that "evaporating" kind of money, don't worry, you too can become like the giver I mentioned above ~The one who writes a check to someone in need. Finances will not take care of themselves, so don't bury your head in the sand. Create a plan to place yourself in a position that giving abundantly will not cause a financial uproar in your life and in your pocketbook!

PROVERBS 19:17 " Kindness to the poor is a loan to the Lord, and He will give a reward to the lender."

If you need help in the area of your finances, Larry Burkett was a great Christian Author of financial management and has several resources available. You may also consider a financial accountability partner to help you stay in tune each month with your finances. This should be someone you trust and who is impeccable with their finances (and a Christian!). God wants you to not only be a giver ~ but a cheerful one at that!

YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL....Please take time to vote in this weeks poll! It is located on the side bar of this blog and check back next Wednesday for the results! YOUR OPINION MATTERS!

A PIECE OF MY HEART...do you remember?

DO YOU REMEMBER 9/11?

Have you given any thought TODAY about this tragedy that hit our country 7 years ago?

You might be saying to yourself...ok Laurie...you are alittle late with this posting. The anniversary of 9/11 was five days ago! YOU ARE RIGHT. I knew that.

Anyone can remember the ANNIVERSARY but how many can remember the loss, the lives, and the change that took place 7 years ago on September 11?

In order to remember all these things, one must remember more frequently than once a year.

It's one thing to remember what you were doing on September 11, 2001 but have you remembered the lives that were lost that day? Have you given it any thought since five days ago when it was plastered all over the news channels reminding us to remember?

• When is the last time you remembered the children that were killed that day?
• Have you thought about the firefighters that gave sweat, tears and for some, their lives lately?
• When is the last time you remembered the families of those who perished in this tragedy?

Was it today? Was it yesterday? Was it 5 days ago? Has it been 7 years?

The 9/11 tragedy is not an anniversary rather, a memorial. A day that we remember what was lost, but may it not be just a remembrance one day a year.

Please remember the sacrifice of the lives given that day and since that day.

• The sacrifice of the children.
• The sacrifice of the emergency workers.
• The sacrifice of husbands.
• The sacrifice of Mothers.
• The sacrifice.

We have another opportunity to remember the 9/11 tragedy and that is coming up on November 4th, 2008.

On Election day...Remember the sacrifice.

• Remember the sacrifice of my son who is overseas in the Air Force.


• Remember the sacrifice of someone's daughter who is in Iraq with the Marines.


• Remember the sacrifice of the little girl's daddy who is in Afghanistan with his Army unit.


• Remember the sacrifice of the grandson who is with the Navy in Iran.


• Remember the sacrifice of your friend who is serving right here stateside with the National Guard or the Coast Guard.

Remember those that laid their lives down for the freedoms that you enjoy today...

...for the ones that died for your freedom!

...for the ONE who died for your salvation!

ROMANS 5:8 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

Please remember the sacrifices of all the Americans before entering the voters booth on November 4th.

MAY WE ALWAYS REMEMBER THE SACRIFICE AND NOT JUST THE DAY!

AT THE WELL...Purity is Power!

I am meeting my friends over AT THE WELL today where we discuss some great topics each Monday. This week, TRACY is our discussion leader and she is leading us in the topic of purity.

" How do we teach the next generation (both our daughters and other young Christian women) how to live a life of purity?"

WEBSTER defines Purity as...

...1. The quality or condition of being pure.

...2. Freedom from sin or guilt; innocence; chastity.

...3. The absence in speech or writing of foreign words, slang or other elements deemed inappropriate to good style.

So how do we apply Websters definition to our Christian values as a young woman in todays culture?

First and foremost...being pure is exactly what God would want our young ladies to be! Just as Webster says...it is a quality or a condition (or A CHOSE) that we all have the ability to make. Society screams something different at our daughters, but God makes it clear that He desires us to be pure in our thoughts and in our actions.

Secondly... Remaining pure will save our daughters from a life of regret, a life of sin and definitely a life of guilt. Advertisement is selling our daughters this..."Everyone is doing it!" But that is not true...NOT everyone IS doing it! So don't listen to that lie! And if you have already fallen for it, if the enemy has already entrapped you...Webster got it right when it said there is freedom from sin...God washes our sin whiter than snow. You can't erase what happened yesterday, but from the day of repentance you can go forward with a different tomorrow.

Thirdly...Webster says to be pure - you should be absent of inappropriate speech and actions. Purity begins in your mind and in your heart. The old saying is true..."what goes in must come out!"

What are you allowing to penetrate into your mind?

• with the music you listen to?
• the movies you watch?
• the friends you hang around?

Usually whatever you fill your mind with will eventually come out thru your speech and your actions. I have heard young ladies say that they are not affected by those type of things. The nudity in movies, and magazines. The foul language their friends use. But yet, what starts out as a thought (in our minds) will eventually penetrate to our hearts and what is in our hearts will come out in our actions and our speech. What goes in must come out!

HOW CAN WE HELP OUR YOUNG LADIES BE PURE IN THEIR THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS?

1. PRAY. We must pray for our daughters and young women in our lives that God would protect them from these things. The enemy will not give up easily until he has our young ladies.

2. LEAD BY EXAMPLE. We must teach our young girls what God has to say about the issues that they are bombarded with. Sex before marriage. Same sex marriage. Being unequally yoked together. Being set apart from the World. We cannot just tell our daughters that these things are right or wrong - we must show them in God's Word and explain it. "Because I said so" just does not wash with this generation of young people. It may have been enough for you in your generation, but this generation needs to know WHY! Tell them!

3. GIVE THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES. Once a year our church hosts a "Purity is Power" retreat for 5Th and 6Th grade girls. Why this age? We target this age group because they need to know about purity guidelines PRIOR to Jr high. In Jr. high we have girls having babies! I think waiting until then might be too late. This retreat gives an opportunity not only for godly women to mentor these young ladies into godly purity character but it also gives the girls an opportunity to ask questions that they may have like ....

• my boyfriend says if I love him, I will give in, what should I do?
• at what age is it OK to date a boy?
• my Mom won't let me shave - how old do you have to be to start this?
• I have a friend that is a different color, is that OK?

"Purity is Power" is NOT a sex education weekend...however, it is a time to let girls express themselves and ask questions that they may not otherwise ask. It offers an opportunity to guide these girls towards Gods plan for remaining pure. At the end of the retreat, our Assistant Pastors wife, who leads this each year, has each of the girls to sign a "commitment to purity" contract, stating that they will strive to lead a pure lifestyle with God's help.

With guidance and help from godly role models, and the leading and prompting of the Holy Spirit I believe that THIS is the generation that is going to break that mold "If it feels good ... do it!" It is time to SNATCH our girls back from the clutch of the enemy!

1 TIMOTHY 4:12 "Let no one despise our youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity."

P U R I T Y .......IS..........P O W E R ! !

To get in on more discussion on this subject of PURITY, please join us over at THIRSTY FOR HIM. Find the chatter HERE!

THEN SINGS MY SOUL SATURDAY...my life, my love, my all

Today on THEN SINGS MY SOUL SATURDAY, I want to share with you a video from Kirk Franklin. Whenever you want to spend some time in worship and reach heaven with your praise...Kirk will take you there!

MY LIFE, MY LOVE, MY ALL...

"His blood has made me new"

(please scroll down to my blog music on the sidebar and MUTE my music before playing this video - otherwise you will have two songs playing at one time..)

Please join AMY and all the other Worship-filled hearts over at THEN SINGS MY SOUL SATURDAY. Find them HERE!

WORD POWER...pistos

I have heard it said that there is power in the words that we use. Not only "which" words we use, but "how" we use them and "knowing the right time" to use certain words. Timing can be everything. I am doing a study about words. I hope to share with you some words to ponder on...so we can all strive to have power in the words that we speak! This week's word....

PISTOS (Pis-tos')
(adj.) - trusty, faithful, easily persuaded

1. TRUSTY, FAITHFUL

a. of persons who show themselves faithful in the transaction of business, the execution of commands, or the discharge of official duties
b. one who kept his plighted faith, worthy of trust
c. that can be relied on

2. EASILY PERSUADED

a. believing, confiding, trusting
b. in the NT one who trusts in God's promises
.....1. one who is convinced that Jesus has been raised from the dead
.....2. one who has become convinced that Jesus is the Messiah and author of salvation

If the word PISTOS means faithful, there is only one that I can totally believe in and have complete faith in. GOD is the One that I can confide in and whom I trust. He will never leave me nor forsake me, so I know that I can count on Him and put my faith in Him and in His ways!

1 CORINTHIANS 1:9 "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."

GOD IS A FAITHFUL (or PISTOS) FRIEND TO HAVE!

Now That's A Word Packed With FAITHFULNESS!

THANKFUL THURSDAY...brotherly kindness

HAVE YOU EVER HAD SOMEONE DO AN ACT OF KINDNESS FOR YOU THAT TOTALLY WENT OVER THE TOP?

I love it when Christians look for ways that they can bless someone. Recently, we had such a thing happen to us. So today, on THANKFUL THURSDAY, I want to give thanks for those that give kindness to others out of the goodness of their hearts!

For two years my husband has been praying that God would give him a car. Yes, you heard me right - G I V E ! ! It is really interesting to see the faces of people when you tell them that you are praying for a car to be given to you. I guess that is kind of out of the ordinary, but is it impossible? NO, "what is impossible with man is POSSIBLE with God!"

A few months ago, a friend told my husband that he had a car "just sitting" in his yard and he wanted to give it to us. There's that word again ... G I V E ! ! He wanted to do some work to it before he gave it to us. So he did. Rebuilt the transmission and who knows what else.

Last week, he brought us our "new" car. A 1995 Ford T-bird. (Ok...I didn't say my husband prayed for a BRAND NEW car!) This is a classic car though. Our friend took really good care of it, inside the interior is perfect with leather seats, and a sunroof. The outside also perfect, no rust, no scratches or dents. WOW. With some new tires and a little engine work done ...it runs like a baby.

What a blessing! Every time we get in that T-bird we reflect just how good God is! He is so awesome. It is His desire to meet ALL of our needs. And who knows who He will use or what He will use to make it happen.

I am so thankful first to God for loving us so much to meet this need we had for a different car, and I am so thankful to our friend who was obedient to God and gave sacrificially from his heart.

2 PETER 1:5-7

"But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge (6) to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, (7) to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love."

BROTHERLY KINDNESS...what do you have that you could bless your brother or sister in the Lord with?

• A lawnmower?
• A refrigerator?
• A television?
• A computer?
• A car?
• Your time?
• Your money?

WHY NOT "GO OVER THE TOP" WITH YOUR BROTHERLY KINDNESS!

Thank you Bill for going over the top!

May God pour out His blessings upon you!

For other THANKFUL THURSDAY posts, please join me and Iris over at STING MY HEART. CLICK HERE to join us!

WEDNESDAY WEEKLY WORD..."pruning"

THERE ARE THREE KINDS OF PEOPLE IN THE WORLD:

Those who HAVE made mistakes

Those who ARE making mistakes

Those who WILL soon make mistakes

As Christians, we tend to think that we are immune to correction. As adults, we might think that discipline is only for children. Solomon warns us in the book of Proverbs that there is a penalty for resenting criticism (or receiving discipline).

PROVERBS 13:18 "The path of pride leads to poverty and disgrace."

DISCIPLINE AND CORRECTION ARE ABOUT AS FUN AS A ROOT CANAL!

We cannot escape discipline and correction:

1. In the grocery store line next to you, a child is throwing a tantrum over something mommy won't buy....the noise drives your stress level up and makes you wonder why the parent does not discipline their child!!

2. In the break room at work, a colleague rolls her eyes as she talks about some criticism she received in her annual performance review...as she relates to you her supervisor's criticism, you know there is truth to it. Yet she indicates she has NO plan to grow in that area and she is expecting you to agree with her!

3. While driving home from a church gathering, your spouse says that you've been spending a little too much money lately...You feel your anger rising and think to yourself, "It's MY money, I'll spend it if I want to!!"

In last week's YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL, I asked the readers to vote on the following, "How do you react to receiving correction?" The top 3 answers in the poll are...

• 35% of the readers said they don't enjoy it and they often respond with anger or an insult.
• 29% of the voters polled said that they can take it from a friend easier than a stranger.
• 23% polled voted and said that it was easier to receive correction from a stranger but not a friend.

The reason we hate being corrected is pride. We want to be the authority in our life and we resent anyone else stepping in. Accepting discipline is part of humility. Those too proud to learn from mistakes and from advice do not grow.

Not all criticism or discipline comes with the right attitude. Even when people criticise us from bad motives, there is often truth in what they say. Be open to learn and grow. Sometimes the hardest people to receive correction from are those we love the most. Good friends or close family can hurt us the most, yet, we should care more for their opinions than anyone else's (except for God).

PROVERBS 27:17 "Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

Discipline might be compared to pruning. Too much pruning can kill a plant, so, in a way, the pruning does hurt. Yet, a vine grower who wants many grapes that are sweet will prune his vines to mere stumps. It is only the new wood that will make good fruit. This is the same image God uses to describe the way He disciplines us: "He prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit." (John 15:2)

We may want to consider this verse next time someone corrects us or disciplines us...God might be using others to do some pruning in our lives. Like so many other aspects of wisdom, heeding correction is a habit. Learn to listen and care about what others are saying. Listen especially for criticism. Consider it fertilizer for your character growth and even for your spiritual growth.

PROVERBS 12:1 "Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid."

Thank you for joining us for this weeks WEEKLY WORD! I have been studying the book of PROVERBS and the subject of accepting discipline was not easy for me. As a perfectionist, (or one with OCD -over compulsive disorder) I fell into the 35% who said they don't enjoy it and usually respond with anger. I have been looking at it in the wrong light...discipline is a way for me to grow in knowledge of areas that God is trying to prune in my life.

If you struggle in this area, would you join me in memorizing Proverbs 12:1?

NEW POLL: Please take time to vote in this weeks YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL. This week I ask you to rate your financial wisdom. You can find the poll on the side bar of this blog. THANKS FOR VOTING! Your opinion matters!