Except from Enough: We live in a time of excessive materialism. Many people today are on a treadmill of consumerism, and that treadmill just keeps going faster and faster. But the day will come when either we are going to break down or the treadmill is going to break down, because we cannot continue to go faster and faster in our passion to consume.
[Americans] are extremely eager in the pursuit of immediate pleasures and are always discontented with the position that they occupy....They think about nothing but ways of changing their lot and bettering it. For people in this frame of mind every new way of getting wealth more quickly, every machine which lessons work, every means of diminishing the cost of production, every invention which makes pleasures easier or greater, seems the most magnificent accomplishment of the human mind......One usually finds that the love of money is either the chief or secondary motive at the bottom of the likeness to all their passions and soon makes them wearisome to contemplate.
Here are some excerpts from the author Reverend Adam Hamilton: This is from our first week of the study: "God has a plan for your life, and part of [this plan] is that you are fruitful, that you have a chance to do his kingdom work, and that you live into his will for your life. But our spiritual lives remain immature and unfruitful as long as we're pursuing the American Dream as the culture tells us to."
This is from our second week of the study: "To be a Christian is to follow Jesus Christ and to seek to do his will in our lives. It is to say, 'Here I am, all of me! I'm yours. Put me to work, help me to serve, use me to accomplish your work' Now, if this is our life purpose, then our money and possessions should be devoted to helping us fulfill this calling...We are blessed to be a blessing.
This is from our third week of the study: "Contentment is found in our relationship with God and our relationship with others. This is why Jesus said the two most important things we must do are to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, " and to "love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37). If you keep your focus on these two things, we will find satisfaction for our souls and lasting contentment."
The first week we were given a window cling-on that reads, SIX KEY FINANCIAL PRINCIPLES to Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity
1) Pay your tithe and offering first. (2 Corinthians 9:6-7)
2) Create a budget and track your expenses. (Proverbs 27:23-24)
3) Simplify your lifestyle (live below your means). (Matthew 6:19-33)
4) Establish an emergency fund. (1 Timothy 6:9-12)
5) Pay off your credit cards, use cash/debit cards for purchases, and use credit wisely. (Proverbs 22:7)
6) Practice long-term savings and investing habits. (Luke 14:28)
We were all given a small key tag prayer to put on our key chain, so when you are thinking you really need this or need that, or want this or want that, you read this tag and it is suppose to help in making that right decision; "Lord, help me to be grateful for what I have, to remember that I don't need most of what I want, and that joy is found in simplicity and generosity". On the reversed side it reads "Contentment."
So many of us feel we must keep up with the "Jones" and where does it get you? No where, only in more debt than you were before. Some people feel they need a BIGGER house (with more to a take care of), FANCY car (that is only used for special occasions), the latest FASHION (only to wear it once and then it sits in the closet to be donated to a rummage sale later), all because they aren't happy or contented in their life. They keep searching and searching for things to make them happy and all they have to do is "LOOK TO THE LORD" and he will supply all your needs and wants as he sees fit.
The book, "Enough" is an easy read to help us in these stressful times. Here are the title of the chapters; Introduction: Faith in the Midst of Financial Crisis, Chapter 1, WHEN DREAMS BECOME A NIGHTMARE, Chapter 2, WISDOM and FINANCE, Chapter 3, CULTIVATING CONTENTMENT, Chapter 4, DEFINED by GENEROSITY, Epilogue: OVERCOMING FEAR, And Finally, FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT ASSESSMENT TOOLS
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