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God and Money.

Melissa Beene Ford/ Deep Thoughts

In Mark 12:41-44, “Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money.” Notice the passage doesn’t say, “Jesus happened to see. . . .” No, Jesus deliberately watched what people were giving. God makes no apology for paying attention to what we do with the money he’s entrusted to us, and no apology for having a strong opinion about what we ought to do with it.

That quote came from my favorite author Randy Alcorn’s Facebook status yesterday.

He wrote, among many other amazing life-changing novels and such, one of the most life-changing books on money that I’ve ever read, called The Treasure Principle.

And I’ve read lots of books about money. In fact, one of my friends used to call me Suze, as in …. Suze Orman… because I read and quoted from her books so often.

Though, to be honest, I’m not the biggest fan of Suze and I’d rather he called me Dave or Mary… or even Larry. Yes, I’ve read them all… don’t let the balance in my checking account fool you.

I was fortunate to be raised by thrifty parents who preached that debt is a sin and lived debt free always. They worked hard, lived beneath their means, saved money, and paid off their house at age 35. They paid cash for my first two cars and paid cash for my sister and me to go to college, which has been an enormous blessing to me in my adult years as most of my friends are still saddled with student loan debt; because of their frugality and discipline, I had the privilege and blessing to start out in life with no debt and money in the bank.

Not much, mind you; but black of ANY amount is better than red any day.

My parents were Dave Ramsey before Dave Ramsey was cool, and I’m grateful for their sacrifices and their example. 

I’m not going to make MY goal of a paid-for house by age 35, or even age 40. Events of recent years have annhilated my financial situation and I’ve found myself in a different financial boat than I ever would have imagined.

And I imagine lots of people in this day and age, in this economy, have found themselves in a different boat than they ever would have imagined, as well.

Luckily, I’ve learned from the best how to pay cash, spend less than I make, clip coupons, and buy used or not at all; use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without. With that in mind, I want to talk about what the Bible says about money as well as what I’ve learned about how to live beneath your means and survive as a single mom on a Social Worker income.

Not that I do it well all the time…. its a struggle. And I’m as tempted by materialism as the next person, really like Starbucks and eating out, and LOVE me some retail therapy. 

But though I miss the mark often, God has some clear-cut direction for us in His Word…. principles to help us be free from bondage to our finances so that His will may be done in our lives.

And that’s the subject for my next few blog posts.

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  1. Joseph says

    August 15, 2011 at 2:31 am

    I am looking forward to this. You go girl!

    Reply

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About Me


Hey there... I'm Melissa! Texas girl. Mom to three + one goldendoodle. Believer. Old house fanatic. Creating a happy + healthy home with purpose is my passion. I'm so glad you're here!

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I don’t know who’s big idea it was to strip 80 I don’t know who’s big idea it was to strip 80 years of paint off of this door down to the wood and start over… but that person has no business starting new projects. 😅 My neighbors must have thought this project would never end. *I* thought this project would never end. 😰 If you’re thinking of doing this yourself? Just don’t, ok? Throw the whole door away and buy a new one. 😂🤣 Just kidding.  Old house weirdos like me… we can’t just do things the easy way. Anyhoo… after some trial and error, @sherwinwilliams Celestial is what I landed on, and I have to say… I like it. Periwinkle-ish blue looks great with the yellow house and will look even better when the azaleas are in bloom. Was it all worth it? That’s not important right now. 🤭 Will I do this all again in two years? The magic eight ball says… without a doubt. 👏🏻 I’ve already picked the next color. #gluttonforpunishment #somefoolsneverlearn #oldhouselove #oldhomelove #makinghome #southernliving #gardenandgun #azaleadistrict #tylertx
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Salt Lake City is always magical ✨ Salt Lake City is always magical ✨
2022 had its highs and lows for sure, but scrollin 2022 had its highs and lows for sure, but scrolling through my pics from the last twelve months made me realize how blessed and content I am. Prosperity, love, and peace have been ours in abundance, in spite of the pain of losing my dad. The second picture is the last picture of him… the last time I saw him. 💔 But God has been good to my family this year and 2022 is ending far better than it began. 😄 #2022inreview #thanksforthememories
Who wants a Christmas tour of my home? 🙋🏼‍ Who wants a Christmas tour of my home? 🙋🏼‍♀️
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That’s it. That’s the tour. (Slide two). 
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It’s a new trend I’m starting: bare Christmas tree. Lowe’s tag still attached (so quirky and unexpected)! Christmas ornaments still in boxes. Coming soon to an Anthropologie window display near you. 
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Every year I think, “next year I’ll do better. Next year I’ll have it together.” And then, here we are on the SIXTH Christmas that we’ve been in this house, the sixth Christmas I’ve dragged our chaotic bunch of Christmas mess out of a chaotic garage I still haven’t unpacked from our move six years ago. 
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Maybe this year is the year I’ll organize it all and put it back neatly so that by Christmas number 7, it will be smooth sailing. People will flock to my social media to see how I’ve pulled everything off SO PERFECTLY. Next year will be my year. 
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Seems every year there’s less and less bandwidth for all these things. There’s more grief and stress, less money. More demands, less grace. 
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I put this sign on the wall in my office so I could keep it in front of my eyes: Love. Joy. Peace. And all that. I am SO unlike Jesus most days. So lacking in all of these character qualities. And that’s WITH waking up most mornings and spending my first 30 minutes with God Himself. 
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How lost would I be without that? Geez. I can’t fathom. I REQUIRE being transformed by renewing my mind every single morning, and even then, responding to people and life with love, joy, peace and patience doesn’t come naturally. 
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It’s the goal, though. 
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This weary world needs that from us Believers during this season, more than ever… even more than an Anthropologie-window-display worthy Christmas home tour. 
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I’m working on both.
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