If you’ve watched the news lately you know that…
- The stock market is down.
- Gas prices are high.
- The economy is bad.
- Unemployment is up.
- The future is bleek.
And yet, I haven’t lost one single second of sleep. In fact, I haven’t worried or even really given it a whole lot of thought.
My life and my happiness do not fluctuate with the market. My future does not depend on our economy. I refuse to panic, worry or fret, because my future is bright. My treasures are in a market that is totally secure.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” ~ Jesus
(Matthew 6:19-20).
I am a Christian husband and father, who moonlights as the minister for the church of Christ in Childress, Texas. My wife Lea and I have been married for 23 years. We are doing our best to raise our 4 boys, who are all growing up way too fast.
I agree although being within sight of “retirement” has raised my level of concern a bit. However, no sleep lost here as well brother. Just a bit more running.
Love the post…me too!
What kind of radical stuff is that? Next you’re going to be saying that we’re just strangers and aliens on the earth, and we really shouldn’t get worked up about politics.
At least let me worry about Texas-Oklahoma this weekend.
Grace and peace,
Tim
Except for a couple of really nice guitars, my treasures are up there as well!
Unfortunatly, the economy affects the company I work for by dealing harsh blows to our bigger customers. Other than that, my only thoughts on this whole situation in the world are on buying while things are low…..
I pray I have the strength to always have hope in Him even if it is all gone.
Blessings to you and yours,
Lance
Even before I became a Christian I lived by the philosophy that unless I caused the problem or am in a position to fix it, there’s no sense in getting upset.
I’m still working on more action and less worry about the problems I personally cause, but global recessions are beyond my scope of stomach-churning anxiety, thank God.
I’m still making automatic investments and I don’t plan to look at the value of my stocks for a while. They’re long-term investments for a reason.
Whether my finances work out or not, I have the greatest long-term investment, which is a growing faithfulness to Christ. The payoff has already begun and will last an eternity.
Diane L. Harris
http://www.steppingintothelight.net
This post popped up in my newsreader just after I signed up for blog action day 2008 where the theme this year is poverty. (http://blogactionday.org)
Sitting off to the side on my desk is a $5 latte from Tullys.
At home in my garage is a Ford Explorer and a Nissan sedan that gets worse gas mileage than the Ford.
In my house, we’re tripping over baby toys, enjoying surround sound, playing games on the Wii, have his/her computers, 2 bathrooms…
I’m not worried because I’ve never really had to worry. I faintly remember food stamps and subsidized lunches when I was little, but I am far removed from the poverty line.
Sadly, I think my spiritual economy is the one that is hurting most.
Jesus, give me eyes to see the real poverty that is hidden behind all the “stuff” and ears to hear your voice over the white noise of my life.
I know your first thought is I thought he was dead. We are still alive. I read from time to time.
On the post, I think the main problem is many people don’t have balance in their economic views. On the one hand we should save for the future. Proverb 6:6-8 speaks of the benefit of saving. But saving isn’t the whole answer. Proverb 23 speaks of the stingy. It is easy to get too focused and maybe even tight fisted. We should have faith in God. He is the answer.
amen!
Amen and thanks for the reminder! Even though I have now been without a job for over 14 months and my debt seems to be racking up-I am trying hard to place my trust and faith in God who has always provided.
Ha ha-I just had to add this…my word verification was
oooghd
I was just telling someone the other day that the only thing that will be different between now and when the economy crashes is that everyone else will be poor like me…
Good thought for today, Trey!
yep,
and I agree with clouse
God’s plan is BIGGER and better than what we could put together. I saw this quote “Too Blessed to Be Stressed” it seems so perfect for times like these.
I’ll admit that I have not worried much about the economy. I have not lost sleep over it. However, I have not been affected by the downturn very much yet, either.
If I lose my job and my health insurance, I will probably have a harder time with anxiety. I would be thinking, “How can I keep my wife healthy as she deals with her diabetes? Will I be able to afford my son’s asthma medication? Can I afford my wife’s medications?”
I wish I could say that I would not worry, but I have a feeling that I would. I have a strong sense of responsibility in providing for my family. Most Christians may be stronger than I am in this area, but it would drive me to my knees in prayer and anxiety every day.
Jesus said in John 16:33, "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."
Now there is a text that brings my heart peace when I begin to feel afraid & uncertain.
May we always keep our eyes on Him and know that the best is yet to come!
His,
Maria
@treymorgan Here is one of my fave McGuiggan posts-http://www.jimmcguiggan.com/perplexed2.asp?id=51, in light of your post today, we are called to trust Him & beleive that He is in control of it all despite the world we live in, which gets more & more corrupt by the minute. And we are not to get too down & out about it, if we can help it because #1, we trust Him and because #2, "there are things and people and a glorious Lord worth fighting for, worth living for and worth dying for".=)
His again,
Maria
Great reminder Trey. We’ve just had a run of 6 years with no profits on our farm (including several years in a row of bad drought) and I have no idea how anyone could possibly go through all of that without the assurances that God provides. My husband and I tend to be planners and like to have several back-up plans. A couple of years back we shared with our minister that we were up to plan “G” – G for God that is. Funnily enough, we haven’t wavered from that particular plan (or needed any back-up plans).
Good call! That might need to be posted a few more times if things don’t start improving.
Amen, brotha!!
Rick Atchley recently said that he doesn’t care who sits in the Oval Office because he knows who sits on The Throne! Cheesy line but it’s a great mentality during these trying times.
I have been losing sleep though – due to my allergies. Do you think Obama or McCain have a plan to address my allergies??? If so, they’d win my vote faster than I can go through a box of kleenex!
And that’s been pretty fast lately!
Well said. I too feel the same way!! I also know, working in the financial industry, that this has happened over 20 times in the last 50 years and so many people listen to the news (or the devil as I call it) and do silly things that put them in a world of hurt once the market returns to normal.
I wish more people strived to be wealthy and not just “rich”. There is a BIG difference and so many do not know what it is. Well let me tell them (for all of you that don’t know).
A rich man can loose it all and never recover because his “riches” are in his bank account. A wealthy man can start with nothing and build up to everything and loose it all and start again until he has it back. So many people are wealthy but they will never know it because all they care about is being rich. God grants wealth to his children in many different ways, we just have to have faith that God will never leave or forsake us.
I can see how the WORLD would be panicking but Christians should feel good in knowing that NO MATTER what happens in the world we are not of this world so we will be safe.
Okay I guess I will stop before my comment turns into a blog post itself. Lol
Love and Blessings
I wouldn’t say I worry…but I am concerned. Working in the Mortgage industry has made me more tied to economic news than most so I have to keep up. It is quite grim. But, I will be fine…one way or the other God always has and always will provide.