"Show me the money!"

"SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!" -- Jerry Maguire

How many people remember this movie?  The above picture is from a phone conversation he had between himself and Rod Tidwell.  (Click the link above to see the movie clip)  Here he is asking Rod to stay his client, where eventually Rod asks him to say "Show me the money" and has him repeat it until he is shouting it in his office--with co-workers watching his bizarre antics.  What I have asked myself is how much money would it take to get me to do something like that?  First, answer the question for yourself...

For me, I think that the lower limit would be about $20.  What was yours?  Jerry was facing losing part of his income if Rod left his firm and went to someone else for contracts and public representation.  I'm not surprised he did all of that--though it is quite a humorous scene. 😁

Putting aside Jerry and all of his issues, I then asked myself, "What does God think of all of this money stuff we have in our lives?"  I mean that I just filed my taxes and needed all of the required paperwork in order to do that.  Recently, my wife and I opened savings account for our kids and that took a looooooong time.  Every month we go over our budget and make sure that we didn't overspend it.  Two summers ago we bought our first house.  And all of these things are part of how we spend the money that we've earned--and to avoid going into debt.

Years ago, my wife and I decided to get together and learn how to handle debt and money according to how God would want us to do that.  I know that I had wracked up almost $7k on a credit card, and wanted to be out of that way of acting.  My wife wanted us to be on the same page for what we spent and creating a budget.  We found an amazing program called "Financial Peace University" that was hosted by Dave Ramsey.  Before a couple years had passed we had eliminated all of our debt except student loans and were starting to build a legacy.

“We buy things we don't need with money we don't have to impress people we don't like.”  ― Dave Ramsey

This quote reminds me of the Bible verse Psalms 22:7 "The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender."  People we love don't really care about the things we own.  If I have a solid roof over my head, food to eat, and some money to tithe then I have enough.  But far too often we get to a place where we worry about having the "next" or the "better" thing.  *Cough!* iPhones?

“Act your wage.” ― Dave Ramsey 

What does this mean?  Have I been trained to buy more than I have money for, to go the extra mile (with debt), and compete with my neighbors?  Yes.  People working for financial solution businesses out there are trying to make money.  This brings to mind the idea of "contentment" with where I am and what I have.  1 Timothy 6:6 says, "But godliness with contentment is great gain." and the following verses talk about how those who aren't content and allow money drive their wagon and fall into ruin and death.  Being content means knowing what I can and what I can not spend my money on, and what I need to have in place in order to spend anything--and be perfectly okay with that.

“Pray like it all depends on God, but work like it all depends on you.” ― Dave Ramsey

What makes this plan work for me is understanding two things: 1) Everything I have comes from God, and He gives me the strength and ability to do them 2) I have to go and do my best because participation in the relationship is key.  I don't just want to get by, I want to leave something for my grandkids to enjoy!  Proverbs 12:22 says, "A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous."

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved. HELEN KELLER” ― Quoted by Dave Ramsey 

This last quote contains important information for me personally: money management is part of my character, and that "character things" are often difficult and filled with issues. I have yet to encounter something that caused me to grow that didn't involve trouble.  Either I take a view that is not "normal" or there is some other obstacle in my way.  But!  Continuing to pursue God's way always has paid out dividends in the end, though there are often times when I cannot see the way.

All of the above quotes and information on handling money come from Financial Peace University and the website www.daveramsey.com

Too much honesty?

How honest do we have to be, really?

Last night in the car my wife and I were talking about how easy it would be to permanently ruin a person's reputation these days.  How many news stories have we heard recently where a woman accuses a man (correctly or not) of sexually assaulting her?  Even if he proves himself clear, he'll never rid himself of that accusation.  Yikes!  As a father of a son, I worry about possible future ramifications for him.  What if some girl tries to accuse him wrongfully?  He'll always have that taint about him. However, as a father of daughters, I would want to be able to crush anyone that mistreated one of them in the wrong way.   Such a knife's edge we have to tread these days!

It wouldn't be an issue if we could just trust what people have to say these days.  If we lived in a culture where no one lied then that wouldn't be something to worry about.  But I guess it would be fair to say the same about the other things we struggle with.  I know that I personally have lied before.  I cannot say, "I will never lie again" either.

How do we lie?  We can outright lie.  We can tell "white lies." We can shift people's attention away from the truth.  We say everything except that one part that would be a lie and stop there.  We can share nothing at all.  We can make excuses for what we did.  We can be downright crooked in everything that we say, or even just a little false once in a while.  But either way, I know that I am still a lier. 

Does it really matter if we lie to people?  They don't really have an eternal impact on my life, do they?  But they do.  I have become really convinced in the last couple of years with how important relationships with others is.  How I treat the world around me affects what my kids will have to deal with when they are adults.  How I treat the people I interact with affects how they feel about me and my effect on my family, my friends, and the world.  How I treat myself forms what I even think is truth and where I am really at in life.  (I know that I can lie even to myself!)  I can pray to God and lie there, but regardless of what my mouth says He knows the truth even better than I do.

So what do I do?  I know that I have lied in my past.  I know that even today I don't have a 100% accurate picture of where I really am at.  I know that I will lie in the future.  But the Bible speaks against lying.  It's even one of the Ten Commandments!

Luckily, I have continued to read through the Bible, not just ending there.  Paul writes to the Romans the following:

“21So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:21-25a, NIV)

Jesus Christ has done what the rest of us are not able to do: He lived a sinless life and then died on the cross so that I would have my sins paid for with His sacrifice.  He then rose from the dead so that I could instead have a relationship with him and live an abundant life!  So regardless of what I have done in my life, regardless of what I fail to do today, and regardless of how I sin in the future, I know that His love and grace cover me!  His love then moves me to seek to be honest in my life, but I don't have to worry about failing.

Let me use a circus example.  Honesty often feels like doing the high wire in a circus show.  I can fall off of the high wire stretched above and I know that God will save me.  He asks me to climb back up and try again, but he is the safety net that keeps me from death.  He is the trainer that offers words of encouragement and correction.  He is the roaring group of spectators that encourages me and celebrates when I succeed and moans when I fail.

The answer to lying?  God very much does not want me to lie.  He desires my honesty in all things at all times.  But he has also recognized that we are very self-centered most of the time.  He has taken care of the consequences as we build our relationship with Him.  I try to not lie in any amount.  But I still do.  God knows because he knows everything--and because in my spiritual life I confess to him (and a mentor) what I do.  I find it so much better to not be perfect but to be real.  Be real too.