Blessed!

Today at church, our pastor talked about something that he rarely talks about...MONEY. As these economic times are unsure, we can easily become stingy and defensive about where our money goes. I know I am one who wonders at times where the money will come from, or how long the money will last...don't we all.

But God knows.

I am blessed to have all that I have. God has provided so I am not in want. But I am continually learning that because I am blessed with much, much is expected. I need to hold on to "things" (money, posessions, etc.) loosely....aren't they God's anyway? And because they are His, shouldn't the first fruits rightly go back to Him out of our faith in His provision. Matthew 6:26 "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"

I worry.
I ponder.
I analyze.
Ultimately...I trust.
I trust that there is more happening than I can see or comprehend.
I trust that all of this will work out for good.
I trust that there is a plan far greater than my imagination.
I trust that the God of the universe is in control, so I don't have to be.

My attitude through life, whether good or bad, has an impact on all around me. If, in these tough economic times, I find myself in want, my response should be one of joy and faith so that all around me can say..."How can you be joyful? How can you have such peace? What is different in your life?"

Charles Swindoll once wrote this short essay on attitude...

ATTITUDE

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.

And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (Message) "So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever."

What an awesome God we serve.