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The core of spiritual renewal is when the Holy Spirit takes the biblical truth of the gospel and all of it’s implications and lights it on fire explosively and experientially so that it works it’s way deeply into a person, family, congregation, community, city even a country. An extraordinary amount of the ordinary work of our extraordinary God. The person and work of the Holy Spirit is what takes the plans of the Father and the finished work of Jesus Christ and makes it vitally real.
Actress Marlyne Barrett from Chicago Med shares about her faith and career and how God is working in both.
We’ve established that God should be in control of our finances and that we should be good stewards of those finances. We said before that our money is personal, but it’s not private. Our money affects others. What kind of legacy are we leaving? When we invest in God’s kingdom, there’s always a return. This doesn’t mean a return like good health or absolute wealth. However, we can take something as meaningless as money and in God’s hands it can produce a spiritual harvest. What really matters in life is people and there’s always more we can do. Generosity produces joy; it’s more blessed to give than to receive (living upside-down). Generosity is not about giving equal amounts, but it is about equal sacrifice.
In the first week, we talk about how God should be the master of our finances. For week two, we’ll talk about our responsibility to be good stewards of finances. That includes budgeting well and keeping track of our money. How am I implementing a financial vision for my part in God’s kingdom and where am I sending God’s money? Money serves as a litmus test for people’s hearts; where your money goes most easily reveals what you love. For some, the idea of tracking the details and implementing a financial plan is difficult. For those who are skilled money-managers, they have the opportunity to use their gifts and abilities to assist others in being good stewards. Are you tithing? God is willing to be tested. Try it out! It’s much better to have God 10% involved in your finances than to refuse giving to further His kingdom.
Money can be a destructive source when misunderstood or mismanaged, but when it’s handled wisely, it’s a source of immense good in our society. We often think of our money as being a private issue, something no outside force has a hand in. The truth is while our finances are personal, there’s nothing private about it. How we spend our money affects others. Who’s in charge of your finances? Jesus teaches that man cannot serve two masters. Either you’re in charge or God is. For instance, bad debt is simply the idea that I am unwilling to live under the current limitations God has set. Not all money is destructive, just like not all killing is murder. Money becomes destructive when it contributes to the spiritual kingdom of “self”. Are you clinging tightly to your money or have you entrusted your finances to God?
This week we took a look at the wise men and foolish kings. Jesus is constantly pointing out two ways to live. Herod is interested in power and sees Jesus as a threat, making him a foolish king. The wise men see it the opposite way; their lives are supposed to fit into His plan. This week we’ll talk about the contrast between the two. Jesus is seen as both a stumbling block on King Herod’s path to success and as the One the wise men choose to find and follow. When they find Him, unlike Herod, they take a knee.
The Holy Spirit is the person who transforms us mentally; renews us to sanity. Reshaping our mental processing based on the gospel changes them to lead to life and away from death. Union with Christ means that everything that happened to Jesus happened to us. Thinking this all the way through transforms us.