KNS Financial

Personal Finance From a Biblical Perspective

How to Choose A Career Path

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When considering a career path, one can feel overwhelmed by the various choices. In order to help you narrow down your choices, some well-meaning friend will tell you, “do what you love”, while another will say, “choose a career that will pay a lot of money”. Who is right in this case? How can you determine what path to take?

I was reading an article titled, “Doing What You Love Versus Doing What Pays” that looks at common advice on the subject. In reading the comments to that article, it seemed as though most of the readers would advise someone to choose a career path based on the potential income. Others still stuck with the “do what you love” advice that many hold to.

Career Path
Career Path

But is it really that simple? Let’s take a look at a few of the pros and cons to both of these views, and also see if there isn’t some other choice that we can make.

A Career Path that you don’t love but pays well:

Pros:

  • You will make a good amount of money
  • You will more than likely avoid the stress that comes from having a lower income (of course this ultimately depends on your financial discipline)
  • The added income may give you the financial freedom that you need to pursue what you love, as a hobby – or at least to not focus on the income it generates
  • You may be able to retire faster and then do what you love full-time

Career Path
photo credit: HikingArtist.com

Cons:

  • If you dislike a particular field, it may be harder to gain enough of an expertise in order to be highly compensated (for instance, those who hate math will not make top notch engineers)
  • You may be required to give up quality time with family and friends in order to accomplish your salary goal
  • Some people with higher incomes find it harder to exercise financial discipline than those with lower ones
  • Many high paying careers paths are also considered to be the most stressful
  • This stress will impact your relationship with family and friends over the long run

A Career Path that you love, regardless of the pay:

Pros:

  • Your love of that field will make you a great student, and so you may excel to the point where you are a top earner in that sector
  • You will have a sense of fulfillment and happiness from your work
  • The lower salary may force you to develop financial discipline
  • You may have lower levels of work-related stress

Career Path

photo credit: icadrews

Cons:

  • Lower salary – you may have to live a much simpler life
  • May take you longer to retire – this may not be a big issue for you if you absolutely love your job
  • If you lose your job, it may be harder to find a new one – although there are a few low paying jobs that are in demand

A couple of things to note. First, this is by no means an exhaustive list. Actually, I am counting on your comments below to help fill in the missing pieces. Second, you will notice that many of these points use uncertain terms like “may”, or “many”; this is due to the fact that many of these will not be true in EVERY case.

My take on choosing a Career Path is this:

I think that the answer to this question is different for everyone and is a matter of prospective. My initial reaction to this question was, “If you can get paid a ‘decent’ living wage for doing what you love, go for it! We wouldn’t have teachers, social workers, or pastors if people didn’t follow this line of thinking.” I also said to myself, “Money isn’t everything, and if you have to be miserable for 10 hours/day just to make a few extra dollars, it probably isn’t worth it.”

Do what you love, and if the pay isn’t great, lower your standard of living to match your pay. You can’t determine your standard of living apart from your income. In other words, LIVE WITHIN (or actually below) YOUR MEANS! This is true no matter what your income turns out to be.

However, for many there is little to no career opportunity in what they “love“. In that case, find a balance. Do something you like, and if it doesn’t pay enough to maintain your desired standard of living, try to make a few bucks from what you love. Like others have said, don’t choke the life out of what you love by focusing on money, but maybe you can be a consultant in that area or start a blog giving advice about it.

Ultimately, we should be content with whatever financial/work situation in which we find ourselves. In the words of the Apostle Paul:

Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. ~ Philippians 4:11-13

We see from this passage that our situation should not be able to determine our satisfaction or contentment in this life – especially if we are slaves to Christ!

Personally, I happened to “like” a field that is in good demand (Economics & Finance). However, my true love is Theology, and that may be something that is in my future.

What about you? What choice did you make? Any regrets? How would you advise someone in choosing a career path? Would you tell them to look for money, happiness, or both?

To help you in your choice, Payscale.com has released it’s list of “Best Undergrad College Degrees By Salary”:

Degrees Degrees
Methodology
Annual pay for Bachelors graduates without higher degrees. Typical starting graduates have 2 years of experience; mid-career have 15 years. See full methodology for more.

Not an engineer or an economist? Here is the full list: http://www.payscale.com/best-colleges/degrees.asp

Be sure to leave your comments below.

 

photo credit: jeremy.wilburn

True Christian Conduct

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The one another verses of the bible remind me how fruitless it is to focus on God-honoring finances if we dishonor God by failing to love our brothers and sisters in the faith. This was something that our Lord condemned in the Pharisees (Matthew 23:23). This thought was placed upon my heart recently, and I wanted to share it with you.

One Another Verses True Christian Conduct

My wife and I drove down to her parents house for an early Memorial Day celebration. While we were having a conversation about God and Christian living, my mother-in-law shared with us a passage from her daily devotional (I believe it was Our Daily Bread). It focused on how we, as Christians, are to conduct ourselves toward one another.

The One Another Verses

We are to:

Love one another – John 13:35 – By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

Admonish one another – Romans 15:14 – And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another.

Bear one another’s burdens – Galatians 6:2 – Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.

Be kind to one another – Ephesians 4:32 – Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

Be subject to one another – Ephesians 5:21 – …and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

Comfort one another – 1 Thessalonians 4:18 – Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Live in peace with one another – 1 Thessalonians 5:13 – …and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another.

Confess sin to one another – James 5:16 – Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

Be hospitable to one another – 1 Peter 4:9 – Be hospitable to one another without complaint.

Living Out These Admonitions

This is not an exhaustive list of the one another verses in scripture, but these examples serve to show as a breadth of service and selflessness we should extend to other Christians. It reminds me of Christ’s example of humility and service in Philippians 2, as He humbled himself, to the point of death, on our behalf.

By nature, I am a very private person and I tend to keep to myself – that makes it difficult to be obedient to some these commands. I have noticed that the more time I spend in prayer and in studying God’s word, the easier it gets to obey God. This is one of the reasons we are commanded to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), and to “lay aside [our] old self” (Ephesians 4:22).

I am going to be sure to incorporate each one of these things into my prayers every day! It is not enough for us to wear the title “Christian”, but we are to be transformed into the image of our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 5:17).

I ask that every believer reading this continue to pray that my wife and I will submit to God in these areas, and that our love for God will be displayed in how we act toward our brothers and sisters in Christ!

Reader Questions

How do you ensure to have these character traits when relating to fellow believers?

What advice would you give to someone who is seeking to follow these commands?

How do you handle struggling in these areas?

I would love to read your comment below.

The Purpose of Christ’s Death … And Why It Wasn’t Financial Wealth

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A few days ago prosperity preacher Creflo Dollar posted this on Twitter (it has since been taken down): “Jesus bled and died for us so that we can lay claim to the promise of financial prosperity. #ProsperityInChrist #WealthyLiving #AbundantLife”

A phrase like this is exactly why we started our business – not only do money issues matter, but MORE importantly, spiritual truth matters.

Honestly, I started this post the SAME DAY because I was upset. I was feeling a LOT of things. When Khaleef came home, I rallied him into doing a Periscope with me on the subject!

It wasn’t my most polished moment … Khaleef was fine and a lot more articulate. I was just emotional. And, there is a way that I’m fine with that. Here is the video that we recorded that same night (follow this link if reading via email):

But I’m glad that I’ve had time to settle down and really think about what should be said about this.

To be honest, Creflo Dollar’s statement shouldn’t be alarming because it’s the same message he and others have been sounding for at least three decades and since the recession, thankfully, more Christians have evaluated their thinking about God and the long-term effects of that theology.

Addressing the True Reason

But what still needs to be addressed, in my opinion, and magnified, is the reason why Christ did die.

The truth of the gospel is what matters. Khaleef and I believe that if you get the gospel right – if you get Christ right, then everything else He gives will help you to get the other things right, like your finances. So we need to start here.

The Purpose of Christ's Death

I can assure you of this, as Christ sweat blood in the Garden of Gethsemane, prayed all night to the Father, and asked that the cup of death and punishment of sin that He was about to drink be passed from Him…

As He prayed for His disciples and for the disciples of future generations that were to come, for their unity, for their love, for their safety…

As He went to the cross and fulfilled what He set out to do before the world began — based on these things expressed so beautifully in the scriptures, I am assured that temporal comfort or success for you and me was not on His mind.

The breach between us and the Father, that animosity that existed, because we were blinded in our sins, that we didn’t even know about? Yeah, that was on His mind. (Psalm 7:11, Romans 1:18, Romans 5:5-8)

The magnitude of Christ’s death can not be fully understood while we are on this earth, but the bible does allow us to see some important points on why He had to bleed and die for us.

Why Did Christ Shed His Blood:

Hebrews 9:15-22

15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

16 For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established.

17 For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive.

18 Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. 19 For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,

20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.”

21 And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship.

22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. (emphasis mine)

Matthew 26:27-28

27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;               

28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. (emphasis mine)

From both these passages we see that the significance of Christ shedding His blood had to do with the Old Testament sacrifices and the protocol that God put in place so the transgressions (sins) of the people would be forgiven. These sacrifices were temporary and were powerless to free us from sin.

Christ served as our sacrificial Lamb, His sacrifice being perfect, lasting, and eternal. Christ’s blood had to be shed for the perpetual forgiveness of sins. Period.

Reasons Christ Died:

1. He died so we can be reconciled back to God.

Romans 5:10

10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

2 Corinthians 5:17-19

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ[,] God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

Colossians 1:19-22

19 For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

21 And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, 22 yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—

2. He died so we can have eternal life.

John 3:16-17

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 

1 John 5:11-12

11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

3. He died so we can be forgiven for our sins.

1 John 2:1-2 tells us:

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

That word ‘propitiation’ means that he satisfied a requirement for our sins.

Our sins come at a cost. A cost that had to be paid. And if you don’t know Christ, you still owe that debt, but there is good news!

Here it is from someone who is way better at explaining it than me :-):

The good news, the gospel, is that God while being just and holy, is also gracious and merciful. And so He offers complete forgiveness for all violations of His Law. And He offers complete escape and deliverance from just punishment. To whom is this given? It is given to all who have saving faith in His Son Jesus Christ. For anybody who believes in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, who repents for sin and embraces Jesus Christ, there is forgiveness, forgiveness of all sin and deliverance from the penalty of sin, eternal damnation. And instead, there’s the promise of eternal blessing and holy perfection. That is the gospel. That is the good news that follows the bad news.” – John MacArthur

Christ’s sacrifice was a lot more glorious, eternal, and urgent than financial wealth! I’ll save all the warnings about going after riches for another article. I’ll also add that for the believer, Your Heavenly Father knows what you need and is faithful to provide!

Blessings, acquiring wealth, doing well, etc., these are all things that can be good and have their place – but it’s always at least second place (I would honestly even say a comfortable fifth or sixth). And to see someone (who claims to believe as I do) merge the most important event in history, and the most significant event for our eternity, with something so ordinary and terrestrial as financial gain is disheartening.

 

 

 

 

 

3 Ways To Keep God In The Center Of Your Financial Chaos

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With the beginning of a new year, the internet is a-buzz with resolutions about saving money and getting out of debt. We have a few of our own goals, and since our savings challenge went well last year, we are doing it again this year with a few changes.

As Christians, we share a lot on this site about finance from a Biblical perspective. We believe the Bible has answers for many of the financial situations people find themselves in, and that God’s desire is for us to have a healthy relationship with money as a resource, while not allowing the love of it to take root in our hearts (1 Timothy 6:10).

Bible Money

When we are weighed down by financial stress, or are singular-minded in our desire to overcome debt’s hold, it can become easy to focus on our own abilities or helplessness and forget that we have a heavenly Father who sees our situation, is in control of it, and actively involved in working it out for His glory!

I have to be reminded that my finances are not separate from anything else in my life, and certainly not separate from my spiritual life. The same Biblical truths that govern everything else, should apply to how I view my financial situation.

1. Remember That God Cares About Your Situation

Whether I’ve made made poor financial mistakes and gotten myself into a mess, or am doing well and trying to decide what to do with the surplus funds I am taking in – God cares! In the sermon on the Mount, Jesus reminds the people that our Heavenly Father knows what we need and that he will take care of us (Matthew 6:28-33). While we should (prayerfully) plan and be diligent, those things should not lead to unhealthy anxiety and worry. Whatever is out of our control can never be out of His!

We are not alone in our sea of financial concerns just as we are not alone in our relationships, in our problems, in our struggles with sin. As you consider your next step on your financial journey, remember Who is walking with you, and already has the future all mapped out.

2. Remember That God Has Given You the Ability to Be Content in Any Situation

Many Christians struggle with contentment: the inward state of satisfaction (regardless of the outer circumstances), yet that is what God wants from His children. Contentment does not equate to complacency or surrender, nor does it mean that you have to put on a pretense of joy in times of hardship.

In Philippians 4:11-13, Paul says, “ Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

In many places, including the passage above, the Bible exhorts us to look to Christ as the source of our strength and our joy. Your happiness shouldn’t be determined by whether you can afford a certain luxury, or pay off your student loan. Those things are nice, but the contentment in your heart should not be affected by them, not if the true source of your happiness is the Lord.

3. Remember That God Will Use Your Life For His Glory

One of my favorite passages, and one I’ve heard many times in my life is Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” It used to make me feel great because it meant that eventually things were going to be okay.

But there is more than just the first half of the sentence, the last part is equally important  “called according to His purpose”. Being a Christian means that my life is not my own, I follow and serve Christ. There are other passages that talk about the need for our focus to be on God and glorifying Him, like 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, or the end of the passage from the sermon on the Mount that I mentioned earlier – Matthew 6:33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you“.

Even though things may not happen in the time frame you’d like, or the way that you’d like them to turn out, remember that God’s plan for you is bigger than what you have for yourself. The things that we go through serve reasons that go beyond our temporal success or satisfaction. While we are alive, we are also being made holy, and sometimes that happens through trials (James 1:2-3). That is only one of many possible reasons,  we may never know the answer to until we meet the Lord.

As you go through your financial journey this year, whether with hope, gusto, or trepidation, please remember that God is your source. He is your strength, and your great reward.

Every Sunday I am blessed to look at this scripture on a banner in front of me during our service, and it is one I think of daily. I pray it will bless you also as you focus on God:

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight”.

Setting Our Goals Based On God’s Word

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Since we are at the beginning of a new year, many of us will take the time to reflect on the past year to look on our accomplishments and failures, as well as make plans and set goals for the next year. For the Christian however, we must not only consider the goal but we must look at what motivates us.

Setting Our Goals Based On God’s Word

The Bible makes it clear that it is not enough to think about what we do, but we are to think about who we are – our character, our desires, and our passions. God is much more interested in who we are than what we do; because who we are should ultimately control our actions.

Many times when the Bible gives a command, or we are exhorted to do something, we are usually given the motivation or reward behind those actions. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:14 that he was constrained (or controlled) by the love of God. He later told the Philippians that he, “press[ed] on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus“. There was something that was motivating him – the eternal promises of God, and the love of Christ – it wasn’t just about checking off a list of achievements!

Biblical Goal Setting

Ephesians 4:25-32: A Model Of Biblical Goal Setting

If we were to go through the Bible and examine all of the key commands and admonishments, and take a look at the promises or even logical reasoning and motivations for them, this article would turn into book; so instead, I want us to look at one passage of Scripture to see how our behavior (in essence, our goals) should be directly tied to a strong and godly motivation.

Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. 26 Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not give the devil an opportunity. 28 He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need. 29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. 30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. ~ Ephesians 4:25-32

In Ephesians 4:25-32, we are given a list of God’s goals for our lives. Even the specific motivations given for these goals have at their foundation a deeper goal – to “not grieve the Holy Spirit of God…” (verse 30). In an overall sense, we are to do this by following what is laid out in Ephesians 4:22-24 – that we should “lay aside the old self”, be renewed in our way of thinking, and then put on a new way of living (the entire second half of the book of Ephesians is about our walk – how we conduct ourselves in the world). These 3 steps provide us with an outline for our worthy walk (verse 1).

So in each of these commands (in verses 25-32), we are admonished to stop doing something, replace that sinful behavior with something else, and then we are given the reason or motivation for this change. So we can see from this list of imperatives that the motivation is just as, or perhaps even more, important than the actual goal.

We will look at each one of these briefly to show why and how we can make these goals a part of what we’re trying to accomplish in our lives, as well as applying this way of thinking and living to all goals that we want to set:

Goal #1 – Being Truthful (Eph. 4:25)

Truth Newspaper

The Sin To Put Off – Therefore, laying aside falsehood

The Virtue To Put On – Speak truth each one of you with his neighbor

Our Motivation – For we are members of one another

Here we are given the command to lay aside falsehood. Not only does this refer to outright lying, but it also speaks of deceitful motives and actions (making false excuses, breaking promises, etc). Every day our goal needs to be putting off lying and all sorts of falsehood.

The great thing about this section is that we are not simply given a command and then left to figure the rest out on our own. Paul next instructs us to speak the truth with our neighbors (cf. Zechariah 8:16-17). By practicing being truthful, we will be in a better position to overcome the temptation to lie when it comes around. We can more easily put this sin to death because we are now practicing godly behavior in its place!

Of course we are not able to do any of this without the power of God working within us (cf. Eph. 1:19-20, 3:20), but that is beyond the scope of this article.

So after Paul gives us the command to stop being deceitful, and then encourages us to replace that with the characteristic of being consistently truthful, he then shows us why we need to do this. The motivation for these goals is the fact that “we are members of one another“. Now, we can’t unpack all that this means here, but it is enough to say that we are all members of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12), we are called to love each other (1 John 3:11-5:4), and we have all been adopted into the family of God (Romans 8:12-17).

So, our goal is the laying aside the old man’s sinful propensity to lie and putting on the character of truthfulness. This is to be motivated by the fact that we are now members of one another, through Christ, and we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to accomplish this.

Goal #2 – Dealing With Anger In A Biblical Manner (Eph. 4:26-27)

Angry Cartoon Dog

The Sin To Put Off – Sinful Anger (or allowing righteous anger to lead to sin)

The Virtue To Put On – Examining the reasons behind your anger, and getting things right (immediately)

Our Motivation – Do not give the devil an opportunity

It would seem here that Paul is making the case for a righteous anger – hating immorality, injustice, blasphemy, and and sin in general – as Jesus did (cf. Matthew 21:12, Mark 3:5, and John 2:15 – note that the temple cleansings recorded here are 2 separate events [John at the beginning & Matthew at the end of His earthly ministry], which indicates that this wasn’t just a rash reaction). Again, this one verse can (and should) take up and entire sermon, so we don’t have room to exegete every detail. But I’ll share a few of my observations…

First, even if this is discussing righteous anger (sometimes referred to as righteous indignation), the verse still indicates that even righteous anger can lead to sin and bitterness, and needs to be dealt with in the proper way once it is identified. The second thing to note is that if righteous anger can lead to bitterness, then it’s a given that unrighteous anger (that which comes from impatience, discontentment, pride, or a lack of faith among other things) can lead to bitterness and other kinds of sin if it isn’t confessed and put to death immediately. In either case, we are simply told that we are not to sin in response to our anger.

Instead of allowing our anger to lead to sin, we are to deal with the issue and get it right as soon as possible. If you become angry with a person, then you are to work things out with them as soon as you are physically able. Even if you are not able to before the literal setting of the sun, you are to forgive them (in your heart) as soon as possible, and then work through it with them whenever time allows. Allowing anger to go unchecked will cause bitterness to settle in your heart and lead to all kinds of sin (Hebrews 12:15).

By examining our heart for unchecked anger (and even frustrations) and attempting to get those things right as soon as possible, we will avoid “giv[ing] the devil an opportunity”. This literally means to not give the devil “a place” (it’s translated “leave room” [NASB] in Romans 12:19), and I think it really shows just how subtle he can be when our anger is not dealt with biblically and immediately. When we don’t follow this command, we are actually giving the devil a place from which he can more easily entice us to sin.

So, our goal is to be sure that we handle both righteous and unrighteous anger in a biblical manner. We do this by constantly examining our reactions and our heart to ensure that any anger is dealt with immediately. We do this because we are motivated by the fact that not doing so will give the devil “a place” or “an opportunity” to tempt us to sin.

Goal #3 – Working With Integrity (Eph. 4:28)

Hard Work

The Sin To Put Off – Stealing

The Virtue To Put On – Hard Work

Our Motivation – So that [you] will have something to share with one who has need

The command here is pretty simple, “he who steals must steal no longer“! Stealing here refers to the act of taking anything that doesn’t belong to you. It doesn’t just mean physical possessions, but can extend to time, money (many do this by not working as hard as they should for their employer), mismanaging something over which you were made a steward, and countless other areas. God is very clear and direct about this…if you are stealing in any form, stop it!

Instead of stealing to provide for ourselves and our families, we are to engage ourselves in honest, hard work. Hard work is the primary means by which we are to support ourselves (cf. 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 esp. 10, and 1 Timothy 5:8), and it is the perfect way to put off the temptation to steal. Stealing really does show a lack of faith in God’s ability to provide, and it is something that we all need to root out of our lives. Just because you aren’t taking clothes from the local department store doesn’t mean you aren’t stealing.

Even though we talked about hard work being the primary means by which we are to support ourselves, God gives us another motivation for making this a goal: We are to work hard so that we will have something to share with one who has need! We saw this type of attitude at work when the church was first being established (Acts 2:44-45, 4:32-37, 20:33-35), and it is how we are to be toward each other today (cf. 1 Timothy 5:3-16 esp. 9-16).

I am sure that hard work is a part of many goals/resolutions this year, but we should really dig deep and ask ourselves what the motivation is behind that goal. Do we just want to be rich so we can feel secure (1 Timothy 6:17-19, Matthew 6:33)? Are we seeking wealth because we think it (or what we can buy) will make us happy (Mark 8:36-37)? Are we trying to work hard for a promotion so that men will esteem us because of our title/position (Galatians 1:10)?

So even as we evaluate a noble goal such as working hard and refusing to steal, we have to make sure that part of our motivation (see Eph. 6:5-8 for another part) ought to be the fact that we want to have something to share with one who has need. Our love for Christ and our brothers & sisters should be what propels us to strive in this area daily.

Goal #4 – Godly Communication (Eph. 4:29)

Communication

The Sin To Put Off – Unwholesome Speech

The Virtue To Put On – Wise & Edifying Conversation

Our Motivation – So that it will give grace to those who hear

Now Paul moves on to our speech. The command is that we not let any “unwholesome” words come our of our mouths. The Greek word for “unwholesome” literally means “rotten” or “foul”, and gives the idea of spoiled, putrid meat. As Christians, we are not to allow these rotten, corrupt words come out of our mouths. In Matthew 15:18-19, Jesus said…

“But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.”

This shows us that the things that come out of our mouths are an accurate representation of what is going on in our hearts! James 3:6 tells us that the tongue “…defiles the entire body“. The fact that we now have a new heart means that these evil, corrupt, rotten words should not so easily come out of the mouths of Christians (cf. James 3:3-12, esp. 9-12).

Instead of the rotten or foul speech that was a part of our “old man” (Colossians 3:5-8), our goal should be the consistent use of edifying words (words that build others up). Our speech should be characterized by encouraging, helpful, instructive, beneficial words – this should be true even when we must point out sin or correct wrong thinking/doctrine (Proverbs 15:23, 25:11-12).

The motivation that we are given for changing our speech is the benefit that it will provide to others. Paul says that we are to cultivate a heart and tongue that works to edify, “so that it [our speech] will give grace to those who hear“. The idea of our speech being graceful calls to mind the command found in Colossians 4:6, “Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person“.

The fact that we now have the power to put on the new man, and speak words that can minister grace to others should motivate our goal to put away unwholesome words and instead, edify one another.

So again we are given a command/goal of putting off and putting on, and we are also given a motivation for that goal. This time, the way in which we communicate with others is in view.

A Summary Of Our Goals/Commands (Eph. 4:31-32)

Paul then gives a summary of all the changes that occur once we are rescued from the kingdom of darkness (Eph. 2:1-7). He first mentions all of the things we are to put aside, then he lists the things we should do. Instead of just firing off a list of commands, he gets more at the root of what causes the actions he mentioned earlier:

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. ~ Ephesians 4:31-32

These are things that can be the underlying cause of some of the sins which he gave more attention in the previous verses. So the goal to avoid all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice should lead to putting off falsehood, sinful anger, stealing, and unwholesome words. The same is true with being kind, tender-hearted, and forgiving others as God has forgiven us.

We are given an underlying motivation for not only this summary section, but all of the commands/goals listed in the larger section: “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” ~Ephesians 4:30

Our ultimate motivation for putting off these sinful behaviors is the fact that the Holy Spirit of God will be grieved if we don’t. So, on top of all the other motivation that we are given here, knowing that the Holy Spirit will be grieved when we continue in the sinful behaviors from which we have been saved and freed, is what should cause us to put these sins to death!

Following A Biblical Model For Setting Goals

Setting Goals

In this passage we see a wonderful model for setting goals. Not only is the end result important, but we also need to make sure that we have a godly motivation.

Having A Biblical Motivation

Of course, these and other biblical goals should come first and we should be motivated by all of the exhortations, promises, and warnings found in scripture. We aren’t just following a list of dos and don’ts, trying to earn favor with men or even God by doing certain things, but we are actually “work[ing] out our salvation with fear and trembling” Philippians 2:12. We are compelled by the love of Christ to live out the faith which is within us.

We are told to, “be holy, for [God] is holy” (1 Peter 1:16), and we are even exhorted to let our focus on the future promises of God impact our behavior/mindset here on earth (2 Peter 3:10-18). Motivation is everything to God. He looks at the heart, rather than the outward appearance (1 Samuel 16:7), which is why being merely a hearer of the word is useless, and even sinful (James 1:22-27).

Examining Our Hearts Is The Key: Seeking To Glorify God

Before we set any goal, we need to examine our heart and our motives to ensure that we are seeking to honor God. If your goal is to lose weight, make sure you are doing it to honor God with your body (which is really His – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20), rather than to turn heads when you walk down the street.

If your goal is to save money, check your heart to make sure that you are not looking to a huge savings account or wealth in general to provide you with security, but that instead you gain your motivation from the command found in 1 Timothy 6:17-19!

There are many other common goals that we may set for ourselves, but when we examine our motivation, very little (if any of it) has to do with bringing glory to God. We are told in 1 Corinthians 10:31, that everything we do, no matter how mundane, should be done in order to bring glory to God:

Whether, then, you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

If our goals and motivations do not line up with this principle, then we need to do some serious heart-searching and prayer in order to get our goal in line with God’s will. Setting goals, no matter how noble and praise-worthy from a human standpoint, can easily be worthless at best, or even sinful in God’s eyes.

Reader Questions:

  1. How easy do you find it to set goals without considering God’s will?
  2. Why is it so rare to find the type of godly goals mentioned here or in other passages, in our own list of goals/resolutions?
  3. How often do you examine your goals to see if your motivation is godly or just a part of you seeking your own glory?

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