Savings Day – Success Can Be Deceiving
Is financial success a confirmation of God’s blessing? Hardly!
I’ve seen it many times. A man or woman is a stellar success in man’s economy but an absolute failure in God’s economy. Let me explain. Material success is far too often viewed as God’s endorsement of our actions. To avoid being deceived about financial success in man’s economy, we need to consider some criteria. First, our actions must be in accordance with God’s written Word. Some decisions are objective enough to be eliminated on the basis of direct contradiction to the Bible.
Second, we must consider the conviction of the Holy Spirit. The Christian life is not a set of rules that can be obeyed to justify our actions. We’re held to an even higher standard. This requires constant input from the Holy Spirit to do the right things with the right motives. This is especially true when we’re under pressure. We must never defile our consciences by doing anything we know will harm or hurt others on our journey to becoming successful. Operating a profitable casino is not in accordance with God’s Word. Nor is it acceptable that so many people would lose money in my pursuit of personal gain. We’re far better off aiming to be successful in God’s economy and a failure in man’s economy than the reverse. Don’t be fooled by success. Our hearts are deceitful and can lead us to rationalize any behavior. It’s a matter of renewing your mind and guarding your heart!
Now it’s easy to be deceived and fall into credit card debt. If you’re struggling to make payments, I recommend Christian Credit Counselors. They’ll create a debt management plan that will work for you. For more information call the Crown Helpline 800-722-1976 or visit online at crown.org/ccc.