The Fuel to Feed the Fire

For those of you new to Free Money Finance, I post on The Bible and Money every Sunday. Here's why. This week we have a guest post from Jay Peroni.

You may think, I cannot succeed financially; there are too many obstacles. You may not be able to succeed on your own, but with God by your side, anything is possible. He can make things happen that seem impossible. He can open doors that you never thought could be opened. Do you have faith that the Creator of life can supernaturally turn your financial life around? He can make a way for you even when the odds are stacked against you and there appears to be no way. Don’t see God as a small-sized God but rather a God who can help you accomplish anything.
 
Do you know people who are always negative? Even if something good happens to them, they still find something to complain about. You know the type: poor me, nothing good ever happens to me, this is just my luck, etc. It is hard to be blessed when you cannot recognize a blessing when it comes. Turn your negative thoughts into positive responses. Things can always be worse. With God by your side, you can get through whatever you face.
 
Ron was at rock bottom, in his late forties and about to lose everything: his family, his business, and his millions. The 1980s real-estate market downturn left Ron with highly leveraged real estate and wiped out his net worth in an instant. A "paper millionaire" no longer, he now owed more than his properties were worth. To top it off, he was three months behind on his personal residence mortgage payments and about to lose that as well. Here Ron was, bankrupt, a failing marriage, and considering ending his life. It was painful for him to wake up each day. This went on for months, then years. He hung in there, and his family stuck around despite his behavior.
 
Finally, a friend leveled with Ron. "I know you have been down in the dumps and keep focusing on the life you lost, but think about the living you still have left to do. God loves you and can still use you for His good. Focus on the good in your life and forget the bad." His friend then challenged him, "Ron, don’t you think God wants you to do more than you are doing? Don’t you think He has better things in store for you? You need to stop being so negative!"
Ron took the advice to heart and began waking each day with a new mind-set. He concentrated on the good things in his life and worked hard to turn things around. He leaned on God and fought his way out of depression into a life full of hope, promise, and a brighter future. He concentrated on restoring his broken relationships, building back his finances, and honoring God with his attitude.
 
When Ron turned to God, he found joy, a fresh vision, and a new sense of purpose. Life is a precious gift—every second, each breath, and the start of every new day. You may never get another opportunity to do the things that matter most. You may be so busy that life can pass you by. When you realize what’s important, and create a plan to make it happen, you will reap the greatest rewards. Having a plan is important, but you also need to have a personal connection—something that will keep you motivated. There needs to be fuel to light a fire under you.
 
Without knowing what is truly important to you, goals have little meaning. Like the dieter who says, "Yeah, I’d like to lose the love handles," as he eats two more doughnuts, chugs two beers, and watches another episode of Jerry Springer. His motivation is at zero. Now add some meaning to your goals and it’s a different ball game all together. Take, for example, a woman who has a burning desire to lose her post-pregnancy pounds and fit back into her pre-pregnancy wardrobe. She wakes at 6:00 a.m. every morning, does sixty minutes of cardio, and has been keeping track of her calories. Who do you think is more likely to stick with a diet: the Doughnut Dude or the Motivated Mama?

Comments

[elaygee]

Sorry, people who believe in imaginary friends after the age of 5 need meds.

[Richard]

Did Ron get his millions back?

[poor boomer]

I'm in such bad financial shape that even bankruptcy wouldn't help me one bit.

[Forex scalping]

I do agree that people are mostly negative even if something good happens to them. Life depends mostly not on events but on our attidute towards thois events...

[Apex]

This story sounds a little more like positive thinking than religious experience or God sized providence.

To the commenter who seems to being referring to God as an imaginary friend, thats a pretty lame and uncritical attempt at addressing the issue of God. I am sure statements of such triviality as that are very convincing when arguing your point of view.

[Janette]

This is the poorest post I've ever seen on FMF. Honestly, I'm embarrassed to read it. Please don't let this guy write for you anymore.

The theological vetting of Sunday post content is important. The first paragraph starts out promisingly, but by the end of the paragraph, God is a good luck token to one's financial goals. The following story about Ron supports this idea. Ron's discoveries and realizations have nothing to do with meeting God, turning from and repenting of sin, and going forth to live a life transformed by the power and grace of Jesus Christ. One of the outcomes of God's work in Ron's life could indeed be financial restoration. However, instead we see some generic self discoveries Ron has about finding out what the "important" things in life are, none of which seem to include serving the Lord.

Basically the post was set goals, have God as your cheerleader and you'll succeed. That ideology is simply not found in the Bible. Big thumbs down for this post.