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Interview with Crown Financial CEO Chuck Bentley on The Root of Riches

07.11.2011 by Matt Jabs //

We have a special treat today folks, an interview with Crown Financial Ministries CEO Chuck Bentley about his insightful new book The Root of Riches.

The Root of Riches

“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”  1 Tim 6:10

In the interview Chuck shares how our Lord revealed to him what the root is and what a crucial part it plays in our lives.  Chuck’s life was change and now his personal testimony centers around this concept of keeping our hearts and motives pure in relation to money, possessions, and any other idol that gets in the way of us loving Christ fully.

The book focuses on matters of the heart rather than on financial behavior.  This sets it apart from much of the Personal Finance advice given these days, and helps us better understand what a proper relationship with riches should be.

Please enjoy the 12 minute video and head on over to the RootofRiches.org website where you can download a sample chapter of the book for free.  You can also purchase the book to help to support the awesome ministry Chuck and Crown Financial have been doing for decades.

(If you are unable to see the video in your email click here to view it on the web.)

Thanks again to Chuck for sharing his time and ministry with all of us here at Debt Free Adventure.

Categories // Spirituality Tags // books, interview, jesus

Give In Secret To Give With More Joy

06.24.2011 by Jon the Saver //

God’s Word instructs us to give in secret.  But why, is it some sort of holy law or does God have a greater purpose for instructing us to give secretly?  Before sharing my thoughts let’s take a look at what the Bible says:

“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”  -Matthew 6:2-4 NIV

The Bible seems clear on the matter but how should our giving manifest itself? And more practically, how does this affect a Christian?  Let’s break this passage down to better understand the how and why of giving in secret.

Giving in secret glorifies God, not you

Giving your money back to the Lord is an act of worship and brings glory to the Lord. It’s never about us.  Some may whip out their massive checkbook or make sure people can see their wad of cash going into the offering bowl.  God hates this and calls these types of acts “dirty rags.”  By giving in secret, we avoid the temptation to show off to others and bring attention to ourselves.

It prevents pride

Giving in secret is an unselfish act that puts all the attention on the Lord.  It’s easy to let self-righteousness build inside us.  Giving to pump the ego is a road best left untravelled.  Perhaps we should go further than giving in secret.  Why not have money automatically withdrawn from your account for regular tithing.  This way, you don’t even realize it’s happening and avoid the temptation to think about “how great you are” for giving your money away. Remember, it’s not your money in the first place!

Matt’s note: Though automatic giving has plenty of benefits be careful not to let it disconnect the giver from the need.

Christians vs. Christian

What about comparing Christians as a group to a singular Christian?  When individual Christians give publicly, selfish motives may more easily creep in.  Perhaps giving in secret with other Christians and focusing on the furthering of God’s kingdom would help guard against selfish giving. When the corporate church is generous, God is glorified.  If a church is giving generously and secretly, the Lord is glorified.  It all comes down to glorifying God.  We have to make this our focus.  Once we do, giving in secretly comes naturally.

It’s a matter of the heart

I know that some of you might be reading this and have questions about the issue of legalism.  I don’t want to give that impression.  The Bible does not make it a requirement to give in secret.  What it does do is continually refer to the heart.  Take the New Testament for example.  Jesus sees a widow giving two of her coins in Mark 12 41-44, “Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

Now, was the widow in the wrong for not giving secretly?  Of course not! It comes down to the giver’s heart.  As long as your heart is in the right place, God honors that. The reason giving in secret is recommended is because it’s tempting to fall prey to pride and selfishness. God encourages secret giving because He knows our weaknesses and wants to help us give with more joy!

In conclusion, consider giving in secret from now on but mostly, work on your heart.  Get back to the basics of giving generously and joyfully.  Store up treasures in Heaven, not here on Earth.  You won’t regret it!

Categories // Giving, Spirituality Tags // Giving, jesus

Sin Debt and the Payment For Sin

04.16.2009 by Matt Jabs //

Sin Debt and The Payment For SinSince we are always talking about debt and the repayment thereof, I would like to spend a little time today discussing the debt our sin creates, if that debt can be paid, and more importantly how that debt can be paid.

Whether you are a Christian or not history shows that a man named Jesus of Nazareth lived and died around year zero.  History also shows that Jesus was a great prophet who performed many miracles, has many faithful followers, and did indeed disappear from the tomb on the 3rd day after His death (Happy belated Easter).

Let us now examine His life, His death, and this notion that He died as payment for our sin debt.

The Debt Owed

In the Old Testament Eve was tempted by the serpent into eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  Eve ate of the tree, then gave to Adam to eat and sin occurred.  Sin occurred because God had told Adam he could eat of all trees except the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17).  The disobedience of Adam & Eve was sin.  Sin caused the fall of man and created separation between man and God.

This establishes that even one sin in the life of any man will cause him to become separated from God.  This separation exists because God is Holy and cannot have fellowship in the presence of sin.  Thus our fellowship with God is broken and the separation is created.  The bible rightfully states that all have sinned.  Let’s take a moment to consider our own lives, examine our own sin, and understand that according to the bible we are all indeed separated from God because of our sin.  That separation caused by sin is the debt owed.

Following the fall of man through sin, the Old Testament delivers a clear message that a blood sacrifice is needed for the atonement of sin and for the reconciliation of man to God.  This is why the Jewish people practiced animal sacrifice in their temple.

The Foreshadowing of Payment

Since God requires a blood sacrifice for the atonement of sin, He instituted the rituals of animal sacrifice through the law He delivered to Moses.  Does the blood of animals cover the sin of man?  Simply put, no, it does not.  The rituals of animal sacrifice The Lord instituted through the law of Moses were only meant to be a picture of the necessary sacrifice yet to come. That necessary sacrifice was the blood sacrifice of a man.  However, since God cannot accept the blood sacrifice of a man who has sinned even once, therein lies the problem that no son of Adam can bridge this gap between man and God.

Enter Jesus of Nazareth.

Who Can Make Payment?

As told by the Holy Bible, Jesus had no human father but His Father is the Spirit of God Himself as told in Luke 1:34-35:

“Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?  And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”

Jesus existed long before He was born of Mary, in fact the bible says that He has always existed.  He was simply incarnated when He was born of Mary.  Jesus is then both God and human.  His Father is God Almighty, and His mother is Mary; because Jesus had no earthly father He is not of the seed or race of Adam, but is still a man because He was born of a woman.  Jesus then is of the race of God the Father, making it possible for Him to live life without sin.  The Godly heritage of Jesus is what makes Him the only one whose blood can atone for the sin of man.

The animal sacrifice introduced in the law of the Old Testament was always a picture (a foreshadowing) of how Jesus would come to this earth, would bleed, and would die as a sacrifice for the sin of all mankind.  Jesus is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world.

The Payment Itself

The most amazing part of the bible, and the part that causes men to flock to Christ once their eyes are open to the sheer depth & breadth of what He accomplished, is His willing & sacrificial, though brutal death.

The scripture & law exist to show us our need for atonement and reconciliation to God.  The more we read the bible, the more we will see how far we fall short of the glory of God.  However, the good news is that we can be justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus

Jesus of Nazareth is indeed Jesus the Christ.  He came to this earth and sacrificially gave His life as an atonement for our sin that we may be reconciled to God.  Jesus paid the ultimate price for sin when He willingly laid down His life for the sin debt!

That is the good news my friend!

Our Leadership Example

Today we will define true leadership as “the process of social influence in which one person is able to enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task”, and to further define leadership Alan Keith of Genentech said “Leadership is ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen.”

In death Jesus showed us how to lead.  Consider the type of leader you would follow.  I would wager to say you would most passionately follow someone who was willing to die for your common cause.  What is your cause?  What is your purpose in life?  What will people say about you after your life is over?

What About You?

What do you want people to say about you after you die?  If you died today, would people say what you want them to say? If not, then use this information as an excuse to reevaluate your purpose in life.  Consider your end and come up with a few ultimate goals that you want to accomplish before your life is over, then break those goals down into achievable chunks and pursue them and be willing to die for them!

My goals in life and the things I want said about me long after this life are these:

  • Matt Jabs loved the Lord his God with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his mind.
  • Matt Jabs loved his neighbor as himself.
  • Matt Jabs was passionate about helping others love God.

I have broken that down into the following attainable tasks:

  • Use my God given gifts to introduce and expound the glorious gospel of Christ to as many as possible
  • Help others become debt free using biblical principles
  • Help churches & bible non-profits develop a strong web outreach ministry

What are your goals in life?  How do you plan to use your gifts to accomplish your goals?

DFA exists to help you become debt free. If there is something you like or dislike; something you would like to see more of or less of, no matter how trivial it may seem to you, please let us know.  The best way for us to improve for your liking is to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth. If you have been reading but have never commented, I encourage you to do so now.

Categories // Debt, Spirituality Tags // christ, Debt, jesus, payment, sin, Spirituality

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Disclaimer

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