Today on MoneyLife

Chuck begins today's program talking about the Olympics underway in Beijing. He mentions Matt Emmons, a U.S. athlete who competed in the 2004 Summer Games as a rifle shooter. Matt won a gold medal and would have won a second, but he shot the wrong target on the last station.

Chuck says many people are doing the right activities in regards to their finances but have the wrong motivation. When your motive is aligned with God’s purpose, you will succeed.

Proverbs 16:1-3 tells us, "To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue. All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord. Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed."

In the second segment, Chuck continues teaching on the right motive for your financial activity. Many Christians have taken God out of their financial decisions. When we call God’s plan for managing money “common sense,” we’ve tried to make it our own wisdom.

We get in trouble when we have the wrong motive even if we’re doing the right activities. An example is becoming debt-free. Getting out of debt is biblical but if your motivation is to be your own master, you’re in the wrong.

You have to decide that your motive is to serve God, not yourself. God wants us to be able to serve Him unencumbered and go where and when He wants to send us. Being debt-free allows God to spend you on His kingdom. God wants us to make financial decisions so we’re in a position to be ready to serve Him.

Chuck mentions an appearance Howard Dayton made on ABC News last January.

Chuck also mentions a couple of Scripture verses:

• Proverbs 22:7, "The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender."
• Matthew 6:24, "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."

Chuck goes on to talk about Mother Teresa, who made great sacrifices that God might use her in a mighty way. He tells listeners that if they need help becoming free to serve the Lord, they can contact a Crown Money Map Coach.

It's important to know why you should do what the Bible teaches about handling money. Your motivation for being debt-free is to serve the Lord.

Giving is something else that can be ruined by the wrong motive. The motive for giving should be to serve others and advance God’s work. However, if you give with the wrong motive, you won’t experience the joy and blessing God intends for you to have when you give to serve Him.

Another financial activity that can be corrupted by the wrong motive is saving. God wants us to be savers, but it has to be done with the right motive. God's Word says that saving for yourself so you can rely on yourself and take life easy is wrong. God wants you to save and have extra resources to serve Him and others that He will be made known.

Chuck mentions several passages:

• 2 Corinthians 8:1-5, "And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will.
• Proverbs 6:6-8, "Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.
• Luke 12:16, "And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop."

Chuck returns to U.S. Olympian Matt Emmons. Matt met a female rifle competitor at the Olympics after he lost a gold medal. They later married.

His wife, Katarina, won a gold medal in an air rifle competition in the 2008 Olympics. Matt is now competing for two gold medals again at the 2008 Olympics. This young man has done all the right things to get back on track.

No matter how off the mark you’ve been, you can always be redeemed. If you want to be financially free, more generous, a better saver, align your heart with God and have the right motive for doing those things.

Be financially free so you can fully serve the Lord, be more generous so that God’s kingdom will grow, and save more so God can use it to serve others in their time of need.

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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