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Greater
love has no one
than this,
that he lay
down his
life[style]
for his friends.
- John 15:13 mod


Show people how much you are beating debt for the cost of one latte a year.

ARE WE EVEN MEANT TO BE RICH?

ARE CHRISTIANS WORKING TO BECOME WEALTHY
OR WORKING TO PLEASE GOD?

RichPeople Jan 18, 2010 - Gabriela Swanson. This question came to me over several before-bedtime discussions my husband and I have had over the past week.
Right now, my husband and I are studying the book of Hosea. Two verses (NKJV) really jumped out at me:

Hos. 12:8
And Ephraim said, 'Surely I have become rich, I have found wealth for myself; In all my labors they shall find in me no iniquity that is sin.'
Hos. 13:6
When they had pasture, they were filled; They were filled and their heart was exalted; Therefore, they forgot Me.

That made me question how much I really want to be "wealthy" when I finally "grow up"! Look at what devastating results Israel experienced when they became wealthy. Is that really what I want for me, my husband, and our kids?

In addition, my husband is reading The Gospel According to Judas, which referred to the following pair of verses (NKJV):

Lu. 6:20, 24
"Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God...but woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation."

Again, where is the true reward in wealth? Is it something we should strive toward? So many people work so very hard to pay off their bills so they can finally save money. To what end? Most of them want to be rich when they retire.

Is that bad? I won't say. All I can say is that it seems many people meet bad endings when they do finally become rich. These verses show us just how devastating wealth can be: it blinds us to the outpouring of love and blessings God has given us that allow us to be rich. If there's something worse than knowing God and turning your back on Him, I can't think of it right now!

[Read more here.]
 
 

Bills are Keeping Americans From Feeling Rich

“When asked to identify the biggest obstacle to achieving personal prosperity…27 percent say too many bills and not enough income are keeping them down.”
– Sheyner Steiner

Now that we have identified the problem, let’s choose to fix it.  If so many Americans feel their bills and debt are causing them to not feel rich and not achieve personal prosperity, then let’s stay away from debt!  If we have too many bills, let’s try to reduce our life[style], so we can lower our expenses and have the income to achieve personal prosperity.

[Read more here.]

 
 
 
 

Household Debt Down 5th Straight Quarter

On December 10th, the Federal Reserve released its latest findings on Consumer Debt Outstanding.  In reflection of good personal choices, personal debt went down by 2.6% for the third quarter 2009.  This is amazing because it brings the total personal national debt down to just around $13.6 trillion.  Also, for the first time ever, personal debt did not grow for the fifth quarter in a row.  This decrease was due to a 3.6% drop in household home mortgage debt AND a 3.2% drop in consumer credit.

Maybe we can interpret this data as people learning about the advantages of using cash and debit cards to make purchases.

[Read more here.]

 
 

Recovery Coming From
Materialistic Consumers?

You are not what you own Jan 30, 2010 - Eric Swanson. Since we exist in a debt-driven economy, the only way our economy grows is when a large entity within the economy takes out loans.  The entity can be the government, businesses, or citizens.  In the past, citizens took the brunt of the loan acceptance, thereby increasing the growth of the money supply and GDP.

However, the newest fear is that citizens have finally seen through this cycle and are working to get out of it.  Americans have finally understood that their debt leads to their enslavement to personal debt and financial strife. 

[Read more here.]

Learning About Control
From The International

The International movieJan 19, 2010 - Eric Swanson. Well, those who are trying to beat debt experience this “slavery” everyday.  We understand that banks and corporations encourage the use of debt instead of cash.  They encourage us to be forever indebted to them, thereby ultimately controlling our financial and lifestyle choices.  These points shouldn’t be “upsetting”, but the standpoint is surprising coming from Hollywood.  America’s “royal class” of celebrities are some of the biggest contributors to the cause of convincing people to take on more debt.

[Read more here.]

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