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25 minutes ago, Yowm said:

What do you do with instructions as these from our God?...

give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” (Luk 6:38)
 

Believe them. God is light, His promises are true, and remember, they are given to his children, us, from our heavenly Daddy. He will bless beyond measure. Test Him.  I say over and over, you can't out give God. The blessings beyond measure are sometimes monetary, the best are eternal. He is our rock, and our fortress, and our deliverer, our God and our life. He provides all our needs. Not always monetary! My families  greatest blessings were during our leanest years. I am the richest man I know.

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10 hours ago, Yowm said:

What do you do with instructions as these from our God?...

give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” (Luk 6:38)
 

Hi, What do I do?

Well, I testify that my Lord leads me in those areas. And that He is rather helpful for He knows this saint was once a hard crusted atheist. So he uses a kind of double blind process where  what is needed somewhere is what my own little effort fits into perfectly. Not so well with great excess that I can boast,  and not so little that I am shamed, but instead absolutely perfect for the need. It has happened  many times, and I am still in awe that my Lord will be bothered to make it so, for my reassurance, that it is He that is sovereign over all matters big and small.

At this time in my own life, there is both great blessing, and also results of hard trials that I have had to walk through. I am blessed, to have to think and pray and read on what my Lord will have me to do today. Is there retirement from service to him? If not, where is my new  post now? I can see it was time for me to go  from the post I served for 14 years, but what now? What can I do at His local body of saints?

And what am I to do with the "modest" and perfect means He has set up  for me to tend today?

More and more I feel convicted to consider the three servants given  sums by their master who went away and returned later. They were to be stewards of specific funds. When he returned each had invested differently according to their own mindset. He was flat out mad at one, accepting of another, and full of praise for a third.

I look at where I am, and I pray and i read and I am led to study how might I today be like that third servant and have his mindset to risk his masters funds for the greatest return. I can spiritualize that  or I can monetarize it; or I can do both, putting skin in the game for my Lord's honor and His Glory.

And- that is work real hard daily work that I have not really done in some long time.

When I lift my head up and survey the horizon I see that  so many have not done well at all. They were not especially frivolous, but they never put anything at risk either, they didn't sacrifice to save and invest. And now they have nothing, not a thing except the hope of a very small government stipend each month. 

 

How does the church body help them today? How do I participate? And what do I do with  what the Lord has for me to be steward over? Those are the questions and the subjects of prayer reading and thought that I have today.

Does that make for a different take? Maybe, but I am satisfied that my Lord is leading me still, to somewhere, and I just never know where it is to be, I simply need to be ready, and willing.

Perhaps a small part is to just type on a little Christian message board - prepare for your future for the Lord will still be calling on you, then to do His will. Be frugal with the provisions he provides today  for they are indeed perfect for your need and he wants you to grow and to flourish within the means of those provisions. No matter how hard, be saved, and save. Plant the seeds, water them harvest and replant, do not just store up and hide away the canned goods.

 

 

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Long decades ago, I was involved as an employee of a nonprofit enterprise a 501C3 that invested endowment care funds into things that grew in value faster than what a simple savings account in a bank would pay by far, and way way faster than US treasuries would gain increase.

The IRS came down on the firm with a vengence. Stating that nonprofits could not invest, they must  preserve their capital. That they have a fiduciary responsibility to  to so. They could take no risk. The only acceptable  fund was US Treasury notes.

Well inflation has outstripped T-Bills by far over the decades, and the funds will never be adequate when needed.  The idea of sitting on one's assets is folly.  My Bible instructs me to do otherwise with all things, whether money land, work itself. I am not to sit and hold. I am to do better and better and be diligent at learning how to make increase, while doing all things done, to the Glory of God.

Does that mean I should consciously tend to even the little things, like buying a latte? Hey there will always be lattes, they can wait while the greater need and the higher pleasure is worked upon today. Thatgreater  pleasure? Trying to be the better servant than I was yesterday. How? By reading praying thinking and putting it into action  as led by the Holy Spirit.

 I just wish some days that I could see beyond the bend in the road, and know how fast to be traveling is all. But I guess that  is the little bit of trust and faith of a mustard seed that God not I am in charge that I must endure. And that I too can grow as big as a mustard tree from the little speck of a seed, that faith of Jesus in me, as I learn through the Holy Spirit's indwelling guidance and encouragement. 

 

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17 hours ago, Gary Lee said:

Quick to listen, slow to speak.   Not vise versa.

Warren Buffet is from parents and grand parents of the Great depression. As is Neighbor and I. The modern generation has no understanding of the word thrift, nor what it means to be frugal.  How to invest in the future. Everything is ''I want it now"  Live for the present.  As kids, we washed the tinfoil. Day old bread, and produce, half price. Never saw a bright yellow green banana without brown spots  till I went to boot camp at eighteen.  I live in a dark house most of the time. I cut off lights when not in the room. I clean paper plates for reuse. No food down the drain, something needs it, dogs or chickens or the garden. Kids learned to save for their bike. Not a new one, but the neighbors used one. And that bike was for the paper route. To make MONEY. Money is not good or bad. How it is obtained, how it is used. God talks a lot about money, riches, and being poor. He blesses with riches! Sometimes it's even in money form! (gotcha :) ) Tis better to give than receive. I am mister cheap. Never owned a new car, never will. Our family has no debt, for many years now.  My wife and I decided on how to invest our savings. In our kids, and them to their kids. They all know how to save. That is wise. We not only THEN support our own needs and desires, we are able to help those who cannot. Those who did not have money set aside for emergency. Savings. God has supplied all our assets, money, home, land, etc. He owns it, and we are His steward of them. As cheap/frugal as we are, we live better than most of the world. Blessed beyond measure. I save for the future because it is the right thing to do. My barn has hay in it, not money. Daniel stored for the future, for the bad years. We could learn from the bible.

A penny saved, IS, a penny earned.      Ben Franklin 

Why we are evidently so old we  remember when tinfoil was tin.

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38 minutes ago, Neighbor said:

Why we are evidently so old we  remember when tinfoil was tin.

Worthy Metallurgy 101;

I only remember the chore of washing dishes, including 'tin' foil. But just found out (WIKI)  it was actually aluminum foil, replacing tin foil in the forties. Everybody still called it tin foil though. As I mistakenly still do. I never knew.        Thanks, Neighbor.

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2 hours ago, Neighbor said:

More and more I feel convicted to consider the three servants given  sums by their master who went away and returned later. They were to be stewards of specific funds. When he returned each had invested differently according to their own mindset. He was flat out mad at one, accepting of another, and full of praise for a third.

I look at where I am, and I pray and i read and I am led to study how might I today be like that third servant and have his mindset to risk his masters funds for the greatest return. I can spiritualize that  or I can monetarize it; or I can do both, putting skin in the game for my Lord's honor and His Glory.

A number of years ago, I took a look at that passage and wondered the same thing.   I remember sitting there and asking myself, what if Jesus was literally talking about our jobs and money?   Could I really justify playing it safe at working 40+ hours/week (where a big corporation was reaping the profits of my labor) to pay the bills and save a bit away and doing the same-old same-old ministries at church for the rest of my life with leftovers of my time and energy.

As I see it, money is merely a tool for conversion of our time into other things.  Being wise about using that tool effectively and efficiently can allow us to do much good with our lives and have more freedom and liberty to serve Christ.  Money and capital that is invested well can yield a passive income stream (theoretical for me at this point :( ) that can be used for ministry and giving and giving us even more free time.

 

 

 

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2 hours ago, Yowm said:

 

IOW, you don't know what to do with that verse.

Ha, that it may be.

Surely, if you say so it most be so, but really  I am  a work in progress, pilgrim.

God does not let me rest on my own laurels for long. In fact he tends to kick fanny, often mine.

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1 hour ago, Gary Lee said:

Worthy Metallurgy 101;

I only remember the chore of washing dishes, including 'tin' foil. But just found out (WIKI)  it was actually aluminum foil, replacing tin foil in the forties. Everybody still called it tin foil though. As I mistakenly still do. I never knew.        Thanks, Neighbor.

May you profit greatly from this new knowledge.

 

I also remember being  a witness to the many conversations on Oleo margarine.

Was it ever going to be allowed to be colored, or must it remain as a white lard looking substance with a separate tube of yellow color for mixing in by the end consumer to look like butter?  All so that we the consumer would be protected from deception mistaking it on our tables as butter.

All the time ships were dumping real butter by the tons off the Pacific Ocean  coast of San Pedro California.

 

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33 minutes ago, GandalfTheWise said:

A number of years ago, I took a look at that passage and wondered the same thing.   I remember sitting there and asking myself, what if Jesus was literally talking about our jobs and money?   Could I really justify playing it safe at working 40+ hours/week (where a big corporation was reaping the profits of my labor) to pay the bills and save a bit away and doing the same-old same-old ministries at church for the rest of my life with leftovers of my time and energy.

As I see it, money is merely a tool for conversion of our time into other things.  Being wise about using that tool effectively and efficiently can allow us to do much good with our lives and have more freedom and liberty to serve Christ.  Money and capital that is invested well can yield a passive income stream (theoretical for me at this point :( ) that can be used for ministry and giving and giving us even more free time.

 

 

 

 

Yes, and it is that  "theoreteric" part that gets painful, very painful.

Personally I find the stock market of today to be less investing and more just hoping to find a greater fool than I later on, a speculation.

Right now I am afraid that I am,  or have become over time, more like that first servant that buried the funds of his master. I am working at getting away from that  attitude once again and to have more confidence in my Lord's desire that I make his wealth grow. For all that I have, from salvation to personal assets, are not of me at all, but are all of my Lord. I am merely a steward of both my salvation and physical assets.

Some days I think,  oh just go go and put it all on Red one spin of the wheel , if I lose - game over; but then if I win, geesh I have to be responsible with that too don't I?  Do I put it on Red again?  Nooooo, don't think so.  even saving and investing brings about a new responsibility,  doesn't it? At the end of the day I am so appreciative of my Lord's patience. I rejoice in it.

Even as I think how is it so many are in so much  trouble, so poor, as to be facing old age  as exceptionally poor individuals? It is likely too late for many. So how does the larger community of saints help fellow saints at the local body of Christ Jesus?

I know we have a benevolent fund, and we do go out and have work days to help fix home,s and apartments, and septic systems  and the like for our impoverished widows. We do have food coupons for local grocery stores for our poorer to use as needed.

We do all that  already.  What might be done to help the younger avoid the plight of so many of our older saints? 

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@Neighbor  I ran across a Christian a few years ago who was researching creating communities for a Master's thesis.  Taking large unused buildings of various types and making them into combinations of apartments with big common spaces and small business spaces, and getting a wide range of Christians, from newlyweds to young families, to the elderly to live and work in these communities.   With adequate income and capitalization, these would be self-sustaining and then with a certain level of savings,  it could be duplicated without debt.  

My instincts tell me that one big problem for the common person is interest payments.  Be it a mortgage payment, tuition payment, car loan, or even the extra cost of renting that goes to cover the landlord's mortgage interest, the hyper-rich have put themselves into a position to collect a cut from most transactions and purchases.  Creating a community that could run on a cash basis with no loans keeps more of the money within the community, reduces the cost of living, and probably raises the standard of living.  Eventually, if large enough, some degree of group policy self-insurance and some degree of medical and dental support might be possible as well.

Of course, many potentially sticky issues to consider, but I thought the concept was interesting.

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