Monday, December 09, 2019

Money, Money, Money :)



"A faith that does not do things is a dead faith."   ... James 2:17


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(My title comes from a previous post here.)


So! Guess who's been watching Dave Ramsey Youtube clips?

Gee, I like him. So far, anyway. But yeah, I understand why certain groups (like sensitive souls) don't, for oh my, he's direct and can take sarcasm to an art form.

But hey. Sometimes I like that. ツ God must use varied personality types since everybody will never listen to just one. Who I learn best from may just make you fume. Or cry.

Anyway.

Sometimes I can get all The Economy Is Gonna Implode Someday!-ish. I can. And if you've read here long you know I'm huge on 'keeping my house in order', remaining prepared for anything. A-n-y-t-h-i-n-g.

Even so, worrying being concerned a tad for what an economic collapse would--still--actually do to us, sometimes bugs me. How it would look, feel. What it might turn into. (Anyone else?)

Yet this morning, oh my. God used Dave Ramsey (here) to totally calm my heart in this area for, hopefully, forever. Here are some of those calming words from the video, "Are We Headed For a Recession?"--

"What you do at your house matters a whole lot more than what happens at The White House.... If you will use God's and Grandma's common sense, you will prosper in good times economically and you will prosper in down times economically... 

You're gonna be ok if you actually have an emergency fund... if you actually have investments... if you don't have any debt... if you live on a budget."


Oooo, I love that: God's and Grandma's common sense! 

Since Tom's layoff in 2010 when we finally listened to our conscience/the Holy Spirit in the area of finances? That list became ours. Plus, add to it "if you faithfully give to God and others." 

And we've seen terrific changes.

So color my House In Order Puzzle, finished. Oh, there's always more to do, of course, but the wondering if this planning and obedience will make a difference when it counts? That part is done. Completed, with a topping of new comfort. 

And yes! What worked for me (the Dave Ramsey clip, all my prepping, etc.) may not work for you.

But what I hope you'll remember? We all need to keep searching, fixing and applying what does work for us. Shaking our heads, tossing away our hope, fretting and fearing--those will not create wealth. 

Uh, no, Not even if you do it for years. Especially not then.

Instead, after we do our God-imparted portions, God will then do His. And oh, the remarkable things we behold when He does!






“So I say to you, ask and keep on asking, and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking, and you will find; knock and keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who [a]keeps on asking [persistently], receives; and he who keeps on seeking [persistently], finds; and to him who keeps on knocking [persistently], the door will be opened."   ... Luke 11:9-10


"But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere."   ... James 3:17



P.S. For the record, Tom and I don't do Dave Ramsey's money-in-the-envelope thing, though we do understand his reasoning. For our current lifestyle, it wouldn't work for us (i.e. I buy all our groceries online). But! He's about way more than that so we'll not just toss his other teachings aside.

Whole decades ago we grew beyond that childishness. There is limited growth in only listening to someone with whom we agree 100%.




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What a treat to find out that funny lady, Victoria Jackson, is a Christian. See her delightful interview here.


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My Sunday morning present from God--









"For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15

3 comments:

Betsy said...

Good Morning Debra. It's a crisp, foggy one here. Dennis taught Dave's Financial Peace University for years and years and we still use his envelope system in our day to day life. Sometimes he IS abrasive and sarcastic ad I cringe, but, sometimes that's what people need. The stories we could tell from our classes and talking with literally hundreds of people about finances. Oh my!
I'm slowly making my way through these days since the kids all scattered again, trying to find my rhythm without them here. It was so nice to hear their voices in the house again. In the quiet of the morning I'm reading Luke and Acts. In the evening, Dennis and I are catching up on some shows we found on Amazon that had disappeared from Netflix before we finished the series. Life is good.
Wishing you a lovely Monday my friend.
Blessings,
Betsy

Pam said...

Money affects everyone!! When I first started dating my hubby, I could tell he was quite conservative. As our relationship progressed and we were talking marriage, I told him one condition I had was tithing and giving to the needy. He had been brought up in a Christian home, but his denomination didn't stress tithing as much as mine. He agreed and the Lord started blessing us immediately. We didn't have huge salaries, and I even stopped working when I was in my late forties, following my first cancer surgery, but God has taken excellent care of our finances. It sure does take the pressure off when you learn how to save and how to spend, and one of the greatest pleasures is giving to others.

This is kind of funny, but when our daughter was a young teen, she started listening to Dave Ramsey. She even ordered and paid for his kit! She followed the principles and it has really helped her to have a strong financial foundation.

Debra said...

Betsy-- Yes, I can just imagine the stories! I've listened to lots of Dave Ramsey's phone calls--oh my goodness. Kinda wild some of them. :) And yes! It's really awesome to watch God do His part after we do ours with all this financial stuff, right?

Pam---oh! That's so cute about your daughter ordering the Dave Ramsey kit. I love that story--thanks for sharing it! And Tom and I love tithing, also. Have never stopped in over 40 years--it's too much fun watching all the blessings afterward. :)


Thanks-you, Ladies! Blessings, Debra