Today on MoneyLife

Chuck begins today's program sharing how he encountered God while taking the Crown Small Group Study in 2000. Chuck says the study taught him more about God than about money.

Chuck admits he has a passion to see other people study God’s financial principles and learn more about God in the process. He says you can learn new behaviors, but only if God changes your heart.

In the last eight years as he's learned more about God, Chuck has also saved more, given more, and become more financially free than ever before. More importantly, however, he says he's prospered in his spirit and grown closer to Christ.

Chuck says God's Word radically transformed him and he’s seen it transform others, too. If you want to experience real abundance, it happens in the heart. Today, Chuck wants to focus on changing the heart and renewing the mind.

In the second segment, Chuck asks listeners, "What impresses you?" What we're impressed by is the clearest indication of the direction we're going in life.

God uses several passages in His Word to get our attention. Jesus was impressed by the widow who gave two coins, because it was all she had, while one of the disciples was impressed with a beautiful building.

Jesus was not impressed with the temporal things of this world. The widow was impressed with God, which is why she gave everything.

The financial principle in this story is that God deeply desires for us to be impressed with Him, so much so that we trust Him with everything we have. There's nothing wrong with having wealth or being significant in the world, but we’re not to be impressed with things that aren’t eternal.

Chuck cites the following verses:

• 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."
  
  
• Mark 13:1-2, "As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, 'Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!'

  'Do you see all these great buildings?' replied Jesus. 'Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."

• Psalm 49:16-19, "Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases;
  
  for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him.
  
  Though while he lived he counted himself blessed—and men praise you when you prosper—
  
  he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light of life."

In the third segment, Chuck explains that God not only wants you to be impressed with Him, but also with His Word. If you let God change your heart, He will also change your behavior. God wants you to be impressed with the things He creates instead of the things man creates.

Chuck cites Hebrews 12:28, "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe."

Chuck’s closing thoughts:

• God wants us to be impressed with Him, His Word, and His creations
• When we are impressed with Him, our behavior changes and our finances come into line with His principles
• The process starts in the heart, not with external behavior

The Plans of Tomorrow

Life is fragile. Consider where you are investing your time and energies.

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Teaching God's People God's Principles

God calls each of us to fill the gap in order to spread His Gospel to all parts of the world.

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Finances and Your Relationship with God

This generation’s greatest need is for God’s Word to be taught clearly and undiluted. The next greatest is for Christians to demonstrate that it works.

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God and Money

Once we understand how God uses money and why He chooses to use it in a particular way, we can better understand His directives regarding finances.

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Other Resources:

• ABCs of Money Package
• Career Direct
• God's Pinciples for Operating a Business
• Business By the Book
• Crown Mvelopes