Cultivating Contentment Rembrandt-The Return of the Prodigal Son We all know the story of the prodigal son, and what happened when he returned home to his father, broken and ashamed. He took his inheritance and spent it on foolish, and many times wicked things, but when he returned home, his father was so pleased that he had come home, that he slaughtered the fattened calf, and made it a day of rejoicing. The story, if by chance have not read it, is in the gospel of Luke (15:11-32) What many do not know of this story, is that the words prodigal son does not mean the lost son. The word prodigal instead means, "wastefully extravagant" or, in another word, "squander," so the story is about a boy who took his inheritance and squandered it. So, what does God say about the squandering of the money that he has provided for you? Luke 16:13 says: "No servant can serve two masters, for 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 God and money.” 1 Timothy 6:17: As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 1 Timothy 6:10: For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. The economic crisis of the last 4 years has affected all of us in one way or another, and probably none of us have gone unscathed in the process. Many have lost jobs, lost money in savings and investments. Some pensions have lost money, or are gone altogether. It has hit some worse than others, but we all have felt the downturn. But God, being a provident God, takes care of our needs, even though it may be a far cry from what we are used to. Many of us, however, still squander what money we do have coming in. The rich, the middle class, and yes, even the poor are all guilty of squandering. I quick fix of self-indulgence creeps into everyone's lives, sometimes not even knowing how we are going to pay our bills...nor do we know how we are going to replace that money that we spent in self-indulgence. The largest share of this squandering is impulse buying. How many times have we walked into a store, and just started picking up things that we don't need? It was difficult for many of us growing up, to adhere to the principals that our parents tried, (hopefully,) to teach us, about the correct way to handle our money. When we went out and got our first jobs, what were the first things we wanted to buy? For some it was for nice clothes, for others it may have been a car, but for many, it was earmarked for partying and having a good time, just like the prodigal son. Do you have any idea the amount of money that you may have squandered on partying? In our schools, they do their best to teach us reading, writing, and arithmetic, but they teach you nothing, or very little, about the art of handling money. They, instead teach you things that have little to do with the outside world and what to expect when you go out and land that first job, get your first apartment, your first car...etc. It is overwhelming, and a rude awakening for many, what responsibilities come with going out on your own. The Bible teaches us in Proverbs 22:7, "The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender." Indebtedness has been the downfall for a huge portion of the American population. We buy things that we can't afford with credit cards, or we buy a house that over stretch our limits. We buy the new cars that are flashy and pretty, and yet can't pay the insurance premium on them, or worse, can't afford our most basic of needs...food, shelter, electricity, water and gas. How does this make any sense? It doesn't. We have to ask ourselves if these things that we buy are necessary in living our lives. Is it something that we HAVE to have, or is it just something to take off of our bucket lists? Men, as a general rule, like tools. They may have 4 hammers already, but by golly they just HAVE to have another one. Or saws, or screwdrivers...whatever the case may be...it is in our DNA somehow that we HAVE to have a garage full of tools, even if we have no idea how to use them properly. When it comes down to it, most men that are do-it-yourselfers, tend to do the projects wrong, and would have been cheaper to hire it done in the first place. It takes more time and money to repair something than it does to do it correctly straight away. Another way that we squander money is by eating out. According to the Kiplinger Letter, Americans eat out on an average of 4 times per week. That figure may be high for some, and low for others, as it has become commonplace for working people to go out to lunch with colleagues, or dinner meetings, or maybe just a quick coffee at your local coffee shop. According to that same letter, if you go to a "sit down" restaurant, a family of four average ticket price is about fifty dollars. Others may just do fast food, which cuts that bill in about half, but even at half, that is 25 bucks, 4 times a week...or $400 dollars per month. Can you think of any other way that the same money could be put to a better use? What could you do...or accomplish with that money? Finances are brought up in the Bible more than 2500 times...but it is something that most preachers don't like to talk about in their sermons, although it IS a big part of our lives. It is a spiritual issue of how we tend to look at it, and what our finances are for. Are they for us just to consume, and do pleasurable things in life, or are they about doing God's bidding, for His purposes for us as Christians? If you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, the child of God, you are to have a larger purpose, a higher calling in life. To do Gods will in life, and to be a blessing to others...to bring the Kingdom of God about. A lot of us give to God last. It seems to be the last thing we worry about, when in fact, it should be our first. In Luke 6:38 it says, "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." The word give is in the Bible over 1,000 times, so we know it is important to God that we are givers. Proverbs 3:9-10 says, ""Honor the LORD with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine." And frequently in God's Word, the Lord promises that when we give, He will respond by blessing us. But why we give is just as important as what we give, and often even more so. We do not give in order to get. We don't give to get in return; we give because it's good to give. When we exercise responsible giving, God exercises bountiful blessing. There are 5 principals that we need to grow in our lives and be responsible Christians. Grab Your Copy For Only . . . $4.95 I know you will get something from this well written eBook! Remember: Knowledge is power - And Great Knowledge is Powerful. When reading an eBook can MOVE you - Isn’t that feeling worth the price of the wonderful read? ENJOY! APPLY! SHARE! I WILL SELL YOU ANY EBOOK YOU FIND THAT I HAVE FOR EITHER $4.95 OR $9.95 EMAIL: [email protected] WITH YOUR REQUESTS - I HAVE TO GO THROUGH TRIPLECLICKS - BUT I WILL SEND YOU A LINK - DON THORN - NUMBER 1 IN SFI THIS EBOOK IS NOT CHEAP - I JUST PRICE IT SO MORE PEOPLE CAN ENJOY WHAT IT SAYS. EVERYONE IS SELLING THEIR EBOOKS TOO HIGH, LEAVING GOOD PEOPLE LIKE YOURSELF OUT IN THE COLD. COME BACK IN AND ENJOY A GOOD READ BY THE FIRE I'VE PRICED THIS EBOOK VERY REASONABLY SO ANY FAMILY CAN AFFORD IT. FEEL FREE TO ENJOY THIS TITLE AND LOOK AT ALL 1,500 EBOOKS I HAVE AVAILABLE AT: WWW.VILLAGESHOPPER.TRIPLECLICKS.COM THANK YOU - HAVE FUN - DON THORN You can't have everything... where would you put it? I plan on living forever. So far, so good. Ability is what will get you to the top if the boss has no daughter. Just remember, if the world didn't suck, we'd all fall off. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile way and you have their shoes. I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes.

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