money...

i usually don't post on religious topics, because i never want to come across like i'm preaching, but yesterday's sermon was pretty moving, for me anyways, despite the fact it was about money. the most interesting point made in the sermon, that i sort of felt was directed toward me personally was "if god can't trust you with keeping a relationship with him when you are single, why would he bless you with someone who would lead you to probably stray away from him even more?" i have never heard that, and it was almost like a slap in the face. it's evident in my daily life that i struggle with keeping my relationship with god close and because i struggle with that, i am not always the best person to view as an example of a godly woman. part of that could be because i grew up in church and often become burnt out on what is so often taught every sunday because i've heard it my entire life. lately, though, my worship time every week has become more exciting and meaningful than it has my entire spiritual life. i've felt personally connected to god moreso in the past few weeks than i have my entire 22 years of life. i kind of got off subject there, but it's exciting for me to finally see myself get excited about spending eternity praising the one who made me.

anyways, i was on the subject of blessings and giving. tithing has always been one of those areas where i've never fully committed to god. in the book i got at church last night, called the treasure principle, by randy alcorn, he talks about how money and faith go together and how important it is to keep both in check. i love how he puts it here:

why did jesus put such an emphasis on money and possessions?

because there's a fundamental connection between our spiritual lives and how we think about and handle money. we may try to divorce our faith and our finances, but god sees them as inseperable.

that is so true, but somehow, i never thought about it that way. because money has such a way of feeding our selfish desires of having what everyone else has, constantly comparing how much we don't have to what others do, it distracts us from what we should really be concerned about: who doesn't have the gift of eternal life and how can we be the vehicle to their salvation? interesting observation, huh?