Faith Minute

Does Money Bring Happiness?

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Research on the relationship between money and happiness shows that people who are poor and happy will be happy if their income increases. Conversely, people who are poor and unhappy will still be unhappy if their income increases. The studies show that six months after a significant increase or decrease in income, most people are as happy or unhappy as they were before. In other words, an extra million dollars probably won’t make you happy if you’re not happy now!

Warren Buffet, one of the richest men in America, once said, “If you were a jerk before, you’ll be a jerk with a billion dollars.”

The Bible tells us, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have.” The test of whether or not we love money is to ask ourselves, “Am I 'content with what I have?' "

Who's Most Generous

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0500

America leads the world in charitable giving and it’s interesting to me how generosity often comes from those without wealth. Mississippi ranks 45th out of the 50 states in terms of income—that’s pretty near the bottom—but sixth in terms of giving. That means that the people in one of the poorest states are among the most generous!

There’s been lots of research about giving in America related to such things as age, income and race, but by far the single greatest predictor of generosity is faith. People with faith in God are remarkably more generous than other people. And it’s not just in giving money to religious causes. Two-thirds of all non-religious charitable giving in the United States comes from church members.

Jesus told his followers that it’s more blessed to give than to receive, and it shows in their giving!

Facing the Future with Courage

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Suppose I told you that next Tuesday you were going to die in a collision on an interstate highway? How would you live between now and then? Would you be filled with fear? Would you make sure that you were as far away from the interstate as possible that day, or would you go straight toward it?

Let me tell you what Jesus did. He clearly knew what the future held for him. He knew he was destined to die and exactly when, where and how it would happen. He knew how horrible it would be. He could have changed his mind and escaped, but instead, he went straight to Jerusalem and the cross. He faced incredible difficulty with courage.

Whatever we’re facing – hard decisions, opposition or even suffering – we, too, can be courageous if we are followers of Jesus. Not because we’re stronger than others, but because we have God.

Hostile Feedback

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0500

I love reading feedback from listeners to FAITH MINUTE. Most of it’s positive, but sometimes it’s critical and hostile. One e-mail said that it was obvious that Leith Anderson had never experienced tragedy in his life.

My first response was defensive and I started making a mental list of family crises. Then I stopped and realized that the listener was probably right. I’ve never been diagnosed with a terminal illness, my home has never burned down and our children are all alive.

None of us seeks tragedy for ourselves nor should we ever wish tragedy on others. However, sooner or later, we’ll all taste some flavor of tragedy. The question is, how will we respond? To me, one of the most comforting things about faith in God is the confidence that God can and will use tragedy for good in our lives.

Using Conflict for Good

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Christianity was born out of conflict with the paganism of Greek culture and the traditionalism of the Hebrew religion. What’s true in history is also true for us. Many of us can look back at turning points in our lives and see how conflict produced good results. God is the master of using conflict for good.

In American history, the Watergate scandal that took down President Nixon is an interesting case in point. Nixon’s special counsel, Chuck Colson, was sent to prison for his part in the scandal. Out of this experience, Colson came to faith in Jesus and eventually founded Prison Fellowship, a Christian ministry that has transformed the lives of prisoners around the world.

What a comfort to know that God can take the worst conflict and use it for good in our lives.

On Whom Do You Focus?

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Some people center everything on themselves. It’s said of former President Teddy Roosevelt, that he was “the bride at every wedding and the corpse at every funeral.” Jesus wasn’t like that. He was happy to give attention to the other person.

When Jesus was only twelve years old, his parents found him in the temple courtyard, dialoging with the leading religious teachers of the day. He was a good listener and a good questioner. He focused his attention on others.

Another insight into Jesus is that he was a continual learner. Whenever Jesus talked with people he started out with questions, finding out where they were from, what they thought and what they were interested in.

The example of Jesus is powerful. Focus on others. Ask questions more than you give answers. Listen. Learn. And grow.

The Issue is Trust

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0500

When you talk about any aspect of Christianity, it always, at some point, comes back to the issue of trust. Christians are to trust God, not only for the big things in life, like our eternal destiny, but also for the everyday things, including money. God is more trustworthy than any bank, preferred stock, Social Security or family trust. He’s more trustworthy than the currency or the government of the United States of America. God is absolutely dependable and we can have complete trust in him.

But trusting God also involves responsibility on our part. Trust is counting on God to help us show up every day for a difficult job. It’s making do with less than the best sometimes, and it’s not worrying about things that might someday go wrong. For the Christian, trust is a way of life.

Six Pence None the Richer

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0500

“Six Pence None the Richer” is a band that performed on the Late Show with David Letterman. After they sang, Letterman asked the lead singer, Leigh Nash, where the group got its name. Nash replied that it came from C. S. Lewis’ story of a father giving his son sixpence (that’s six pennies) to buy a gift for the father. The father was none the richer when he received the present, because he originally gave the sixpence to his son. The analogy is to God who gives us gifts that we are to use to glorify him. But God’s not richer because of our presentations, since he originally gave the gift.

Letterman said, “That’s a beautiful story. If people could actually live by that sort of thing, our world would be a better place.”

Letterman was right. The world would be a better place if everyone realized that all that we have comes from God.

Living Within Your Means

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Former president Calvin Coolidge once said, “There is no dignity quite so impressive and no independence quite so important as living within your means.” But being content with your means and living within them, can be very difficult in our culture.

Contentment is being able to say, “I may have less than others, but I will be content with what I have and live within those limits.” But it’s not easy. Little children are quick to say, “She got more, it’s not fair!” Contentment is choosing to enjoy the gifts that God gives us, and choosing not to constantly compare what we have with what somebody else has.

Choosing contentment can make our lives happier and give us a better attitude toward life in general. And then, should God choose to give us more, we will be grateful to him.

Early Edition

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Do you recall the television series Early Edition? It was the story of a man who received a copy of the Chicago Sun Times one day ahead of time. By reading this early edition, he knew what was going to happen before it actually happened. The plot of the program consisted of how he intervened to change the future.

Did you know that Jesus gave an “early edition” to his followers? He told them about his coming death and resurrection, but he didn’t intervene to change what was about to happen. His purpose in coming to earth was to die.

Jesus made predictions for us as well. He said that our lives would contain trouble and suffering, but he promised to give his followers peace, courage and the hope of eternal life. We don’t know all the details of the future, but we know that God will never leave those who are trusting in him.