Having worked with thousands of people, it isn’t too difficult to see their gifts and talents. It doesn’t take long to recognize that some are not salespeople but they may be great in accounting type areas. However, it may be harder for individuals to recognize their own God given talents or gifts.

To help me understand talents and gifts in others, I read where Hippocrates over 2400 years ago divided people into four basic categories which he named Sanguine, Choleric, Melancholy and Phlegmatic. Each temperament has both strengths and weaknesses. They become a part of our nature throughout life. Even though each individual temperament includes both strengths and weaknesses they are not always evenly balanced. It is quite possible for two people with identical temperaments to be as dissimilar as a banana and an onion if one of them possesses the strengths of this temperament and the other has its weaknesses. Negative or positive traits are often developed in childhood where one child grows up in a positive environment where parents are encouragers and another child grows up in a negative environment where parents are criticizers.

The Bible tells us that God created us with certain gifts and talents, physically and mentally. It also states that once God gives you a gift He doesn’t change His mind and take it away. Yet, most waste and squander what has been given to them. Do you have special gifts that you never use? Do you have temperaments that stress your weaknesses more than their strengths?

How many of us have gifts that we have never used because we didn’t know we had them? I have seen people with gifts and talents that they were unwilling to take the risk in using them. Could you have the gifts, talents and temperaments to become a millionaire and yet have financial problems throughout life?

I never had the slightest thought that I had the ability to write. In school when term papers and essays were required, I was close to being a total failure. A few years ago, a close friend suggested that I write a book on things I learned as a Christian in managing people. He helped me write and we put a book together. Our publisher stated that I needed to write Christian blogs. Five years ago, I started writing two blogs a week and have written 620 that have been read over 61,000 times. Most of them will show up on Google, BING or Yahoo. Had someone not encouraged me, I would never have realized that God had given me that gift, that was dormant for years, and that the Holy Spirit would inspire and show me where to find the material to write.

Remember, when God gives you a spiritual gift, He also gives you the power of the Holy Spirit as you use that gift for His ministry. Regardless, evil spirits will continually try to deceive you: you really don’t have that gift; you don’t have the knowledge or the ability to use that gift. To whose voice do we listen? This is why it is so important to be knowledgeable of God’s promises. Every time we use our God given gift for Him, He will bless us. How? Possibly: good feelings, satisfaction, a passion and excitement, sensing the Holy Spirit is helping us know God is pleased, feeling a part of God’s family, etc. This I had to learn!

Some of us need to be challenged and encouraged to do things we do not believe we can do. We will never know what our gifts and talents are if we are unwilling to risk doing different things. We often let our environment determine what we can or cannot do. We struggle with all kinds of emotional hang-ups. Determine what some of the obstacles are that keep you from trying new things? Most of us see ourselves as just average people. That doesn’t mean that in some things we may be extremely capable.

We must realize that God has a plan for our lives. This plan can be determined through heavenly wisdom. We are to live wisely lives according to Scripture. We must see things through God’s perspective. My experience was that I continually prayed that God would give me wisdom and guide me to fulfill the plan I believed He created me to do. I was offered jobs to become a high school coach, to be a production foreman and then a store manager. Due to circumstances; I believe I was called to become a financial advisor. Some 27 years ago, I started my own business and have been able to help a number of people financially. I thought of it as my ministry to serve and help others.

Proverbs 2:1 – 7 – “My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding—indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds success in store for the upright; he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,”

The Bible continually tells us the importance of faith and confidence to fulfill our life’s purpose by using the gifts and talents we have been given. If we have a passion for doing something, chances are we can do it exceedingly well. Have you ever done something that you wanted to do continually? Ask yourself: “Are you doing what God designed you to do?” If you are, there will be a feeling of achievement and success. Money is not what determines success. Millionaires can sometimes be the most unhappy people.

I Peter 4:10 – “ Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”
God had given us gifts often to serve others. Every Christian has been given a spiritual gift. Some more than one, but everyone has a gift. The gift is not to make us better than others or to draw attention to ourselves. God has given us a gift that we might use it to serve the body of believers. The gifts that God gives, does not give us the right to use them as we please. When we use our gifts helping others, they will see Jesus in us and praise Him for the help they have received. (Matthew 5:16) “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Romans 14:12 – “So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.”

When I meet God to give an account of my life on earth I do not want to hear: “Don, why didn’t you use the gifts that I gave you?” I don’t want to hear that I could have done so-and-so or could have been someone else. Wouldn’t it be nice just to hear that we were a good faithful servant?

The American workplace is changing: Management styles, markets, individual qualifications, and what it takes to succeed. If you can’t keep up, you will be left behind.

Successful businesses focus on efficiency and improved productivity and quality. To meet these goals, managers have learned the value of treating employees with a measure of respect: listening to suggestions, heeding criticisms, and promoting teamwork. However, many of these same managers privately view their employees as expendable as Pentium 1 processors. Job security, even in management, is a thing of the past.

Marketplace factors, not human factors control the marketplace. Managers hire, promote, and pay employees based on the company’s need and the employee’s ability to produce. And they are fired if they are unable to produce efficiently.

The new climate in America’s workplace is insensitive, even brutal, and it is not likely to change any time soon. Today’s successful business/people must make objective decisions. Only the bottom line warrants consideration. The workplace has no room for sentimentality.

This new objectivity has opened doors for those who are professionally qualified regardless of race, gender, or social position. Success, in terms of money and prestige, is based upon merit rather than on social or economic background.

Prestigious universities are still important, yet employers now place more emphasis on what workers have learned rather than where they learned it. Although some obvious pluses accompany this new objectivity, is it truly the best way to conduct business?

Unfortunately, many Christians jump into the workplace with little forethought as to how they intend to meet workplace challenges, gain and keep respect, or increase their income. They don’t consider that the workplace is a microcosm of the culture. Pitfalls that exist in the neighborhood, city, state, and country will also be in the workplace. Like anyone else, Christians can be solely driven to make the bottom line black and fat, but they do not always understand that they have access to an advantage that transcends the bottom line.

Thirty-plus years in management have taught me that the most successful people consistently buck popular trends. They have learned to understand the trends and know which ones to buck and when to buck them. In today’s workplace, Christians have an inside track on both “what” and “when,” yet they frequently fail to act on it.

I have been a business and management consultant. I confess to often scratching my head and wondering why Christian clients fail to see or acknowledge their tremendous advantage in the workplace. They don’t seem to understand what it is much less what to do with it.

This book is about just that—the Christian’s advantage in the workplace, what it is and how to use it. Those who have received Christ as Savior and invited the Holy Spirit’s guidance into their lives will learn how to make the connection between their spiritual lives and their careers, prepare for the tasks at hand, make wise business decisions, submit to chains of command, and develop healthy coworker relationships.

Everything in this book is based upon what the authors have learned in the workplace and/or in the Bible. The message is directed primarily to people who often wonder how God fits in the workplace and desire careers in leadership, entrepreneurship, or management; therefore, we have included a number of biblical references and encourage you to study them. The book is divided into three parts. Part 1, “Basics,” lays a foundation for the Christian advantage; Part 2, “Working,” explores surviving and thriving in the workplace; and Part 3, “Managing,” addresses several issues every manager faces at one time or another. At the end of each chapter is a summary of the main points and questions for you to consider and answer. This book can be used by individuals or in a group study.

The Bible is many things; it includes a manual for living. God told the Israelites how to live a healthy and prosperous life. He taught them sanitation, what to eat, how to raise their crops and animals, how to live a life of purity, and how to be prosperous. “He who trusts in the LORD will prosper” (Prov. 28:25). When I was younger, this didn’t mean a whole lot to me, because in the world’s eyes, I had not prospered, nor did I believe I needed to know how to live in this world.

I have since learned that every Christian can become prosperous. It starts with Hebrews 13:5: “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have.” The world says that everyone can have anything they want. All they have to do is to buy on credit. Many Americans believe it is their right to have a home, a new car, and the latest fads and gadgets. They are entitled to eating out and keeping up with the latest fashions. But what happens in volatile economic times when the credit stops flowing and we have declining housing prices? A believer who heeds the verse that says “Let no debt remain outstanding” (Rom. 13:8a) will not live like the world lives, but rather as God intended, mostly debt free and with adequate savings.

In Matthew 25:14–30, Christ tells the parable of the talents. A master gives one servant five talents (for example $50,000), to another two talents ($20,000), and to a third, one talent ($10,000). All were given according to their ability. Two went to work and doubled their master’s money. The one-talent man took the money and buried it. When the master returned and saw that the two servants had doubled his money, he said, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” The servant who had received the one talent and had buried it was told: “You wicked, lazy servant.” The master took the talent from him and gave it to the one who had been given five talents.

What kind of stewards are we? As believers are we serving God as the two servants did, or are we living self-serving lives as the one-talent man did? We must first understand that as believers we have received the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes into our lives and does many things. First, He becomes our partner and helps us to mature in Christ. And second, he aids us in living righteous lives: making good and ethical decisions and assisting us in changing how we think. We then live as God intends and not as the world dictates, which can get us into all kinds of problems, particularly financial ones.

It is my belief that too many Christians have accepted Christ as their Savior but fail to live by the guidelines given in the Bible. It is difficult to give up the ways of the world. From birth, we lived as the world lives. Once saved, many Christians continue living just as they always have. They experience little or no change in their lifestyles. They buy homes they cannot afford, purchase cars that are too expensive, and run up credit card debt with monthly payments too difficult to meet. Too often pride overcomes heavenly wisdom. We then pray to God to get us out of our financial disaster.

The book was written to share with Christians that they have a unique advantage, having the Holy Spirit to guide them in making decisions, in leading and having a servant’s heart. God has not planned that Christians fail. If we fail it is because we have not followed Biblical guide lines. If we do follow the Bible and fail, it is to build our faith and strengthen us for a better future. God will use adversity to change our direction. The Holy Spirit is the best guide for life we can use. We must not ignore God’s Spirit.

If a church is not growing it may not have the right vision. Today, there may be more churches losing members than gaining new converts. The Bible says that in the later days there will be a falling away of the saints. We read in the Bible that people can be religious and lost. In the last days, people will only love themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God. We are seeing the beginning of a massive rebellion against God. We are seeing it in our schools, our government and society in general. We are seeing it in churches where people are abandoning God or giving up one’s faith.

2 Thessalonians 2:1 – 3 – “Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,”

Matthew 24:9 – 12 – “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.”

The purpose of the church is to worship God, partake of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, to help each other and to evangelize the world. Due to my career and many transfers I have been a member of eleven churches. In most, the membership is less today than a few years ago. However, our family has belonged, over 30 years, to a church that has grown from 470 to over 70,000, which includes churches and satellites we have started, on special weekends.

However, traditional churches are struggling to maintain their growth, while evangelic churches are growing. It makes a difference as to who the church is targeting. Some traditional churches are preaching to those who have been Christians for years. They use terminology that is not meaningful to those visiting. To young people and many visitors, the music and messages are boring and not fulfilling.

Our membership growth did not actually happen until we changed our vision to making a difference in our community and beyond. Many of our senior members disliked the more fast paced music and sermons that were meaningful to unchurched visitors and younger adults. We believed that we had to change our services to the culture within which we lived. Many churches were losing young people and we believed God wanted us to concentrate more on what it would take to change their lives.

There are more than 30% of American adults, 30 years old and younger, that have no religious affiliation. This trend started in the early 1990s. We wanted to change our approach to bring the gospel message to this group as well. In Las Vegas, there may be a higher number of unchurched adults than elsewhere. It appeared some churches were losing their passion for the ministry. Their traditions were not meaningful to these unchurched folks. We had to ask the question: “Were we being affective?” Were there too many rituals and ceremonies? We had to address the culture of our metro area. It seemed we needed to develop more modern means of reaching those who were not going to any church and were unaware that they needed to find Christ.

We believe God called our church to spread the gospel as stated in Mark 16:15 & 16 – “He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

That required a drastic change. We were preaching to the choir, those who had been Christians most of their lives. When we accepted our call to reach out to the community, we saw an immediate and rapid growth in attendance. In fact, it was just a matter of time and our facilities were not adequate to support the number attending. Yes, it required millions to relocate and build to provide for the growth. However, we believe it was God’s will that we changed our purpose for the church.

The church has a specific purpose. We are told to reach out to all creation. However, a major problem is that people detest change. They are mostly unwilling to change for those who are not even Christians. Had we continued to be a true traditional church preaching doctrinal sermons and our Sunday service traditions, we may still be that small church of less than 500. Thank the Lord that we received a new vision that helped more than 50,000 receive salvation and have a changed life.

The world does not believe the church demonstrates the kind of love Jesus taught. It is the kind of love that has no limit. How do we test this love? We test it by our relationship with God and examine how much we love Him and others.

We must not confuse the definition of love:
EROS is a physical and sexual attraction. It is instinctive and natural.
STORGE is a family affection or love. It is often called brotherly love.
PHILIA is a warm personal friendship and it is an affection between two individuals.
AGAPE is a unique love in that you love without expecting love or anything in return. It is an unconditional love. It is called a Christian love. This love is not easy to define but it can be demonstrated and this is the love the world expects from Christian. It is a forgiving love without demanding any return. It is a divine love that is a gift from the Holy Spirit.

What is a Christian told to do? Mark 12:30 – 31 – “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Christian love can create circumstances in which conflicts can be solved. The gospel message is that love corrects man’s selfishness and perverted love. God’s love, as we know, is unconditional, unlimited and impartial. This love is not automatic or mechanical. It is this love that changes a person’s life. This is the kind of love Christ wants us to accept and practice. The more people that practice this type of love the more peaceful the world would become. Love is the one thing that can change everything!

The moment one is saved from our sins, our goal is described in the 13th chapter of I Corinthians verses 2 to 8 – “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.”

The Bible tells us to live a holy life. Living a holy life is not possible without love. Love only exists when a person feels free. You cannot force someone to love.

Romans 13:8 – 10 – “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love fulfills the law.”

How can we learn to love others as ourselves if we first do not love ourselves? It is a Christian’s obligation to love others. To a degree, it is our responsibility to help others that are unable to help themselves. We need to be aware and actively engaged to see that their needs are met. Whenever love demands, we are to do to others as Jesus would certainly do for us. This used to be something that we did for others. Now we are asking the government to release us from this responsibility. However, God hasn’t!

Paul wrote that God is love. It is God’s nature to love and man’s carnal nature is to serve self. Christian love is neither weak nor spineless. Love comes from courage. Strength comes from a pure heart. God’s love allows for a difference of opinion, others to be free and creative in voicing their beliefs. This love does not destroy indifference or isolationism.

A Christian can love their neighbor, with a universal love, not confined to just certain people. It is not restrained to those who agree with him or her on opinion or in having different forms of worship. We are not to love only those who love us or those we are intimately acquainted with.

Christ says we can know who His disciples are by how they love God and how they love others. This love that God asks us to have is not easily defined but it can be demonstrated. It is a love that is not partial and it is a love that is forgiving. Someday, we will live with people all having an unconditional love. There will be nothing on this earth to be feared. Animals, snakes and nature will all be under control of God and will be compatible with each other as described in Isaiah 11:6 – 9 – “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together;and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”

This is the kind of love the world expects from Christians and I believe it is the kind of love God also expects from us. How can you be a true Christian and not make love a number one priority? If you are struggling loving others you may want to examine your spiritual health. This will be the number one requirement in eternity.

God Expects Our Obedience

Disobedience is not necessarily a sin if one refuses the command of a supervisor to do that which is not moral. If we are disobedient to God or the Holy Spirit’s command or God’s ways, we sin. God’s Word tells us what is sinful and what the consequence of sin was.

To understand how disobedience to the Holy Spirit is; man’s sin starts in the Garden of Eden. God created Adam and Eve with a ‘free will’ to be either obedient or disobedient. Disobedience is a form of rebellion.

The first to rebel was Lucifer who was created holy and pure. His pride made him want to be like God. His sin separated him from God and he was placed on earth.

Genesis 2:15 – 17 – “The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden—except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”

They were warned of death but Satan deceived them into believing they would not die but they would become like God and know the difference between good and evil. God was not stating immediate physical death but immediate spiritual death. Adam lived more than 900 years. However, he and Eve died spiritually and immediately. The resulting consequence was guilt, fear and separation from God. They were no longer holy and innocent because of their rebellion and they received their sinful nature. From then on their conscience knew the difference between good and evil. From these two, everyone born received their sinful nature guaranteed to be forever separated from God, once they received the age of accountability, unless they accepted Christ as their Savior.

Ephesians 2:1 – 5 – “Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)”

As Gentiles we were full of ourselves and disobedient to God. Our sins made us dead men as we lived as the world lives. We were controlled by Satan as everyone is who is not a believer in Christ and we were under the control of Satan’s evil ways. As a result, we would not only die physically and lost but be dead spiritually. Being spiritually dead meant separated from God forever.

The air is filled with demons and evil spirits and they are at work in those who are disobedient to God. The Bible says we are sons of Satan and have his nature and his character that prompts us to rebel and disobey God unless we have been forgiven and accepted into God’s family.

As born sinners, we were disobedient and had to be taught to have self-control and obedience. God provided a way that we could overcome this disobedient spirit that we had inherited. His plan was for everyone who would accept Christ as His Son and Savior for all mankind, could learn, by copying the life that Christ lived, we could become obedient. That does not mean we would no longer have a desire to be rebellious and a tendency to be willing to allow the devil to deceive us in ways and be tempted to accept and sin. We do not lose our natural desires and lusts. We learn to practice that self-control and refuse to be tempted.

It has been sin that has kept us from knowing and understanding God. We had no idea how angry God was of disobedient sins. Before salvation we were without God, the Holy Spirit, Christ and hope. But thanks for God’s grace and mercy. We are told that God’s great love was able to forgive us of sins of the flesh, body impurities and excess in things such as envy, uncontrolled rage, pride and selfish ambitions.

As God raised Christ from the dead, He will raise us from the death that resulted from sin and will bring us into His family and we will live with them through eternity.

Have you wondered why a number of Jews are anti-Jewish? There are wealthy Jews that are promoting a one-world government. There are those who are against Israel. It was brought to my attention the number of Jewish politicians who will not attend the speech given by Benjamin Netanyahu who will speak to our congress. I was surprised to learn that we have had Arab leaders who were Jews by birth who promoted the destruction of Israel and the killing of its people.

As I researched I found that if you follow the bloodline, many came from Abraham through Ishmael and Esau. History tells us that when the Babylonians captured the Jews in 597, the Edomites, descendants of Esau, encouraged the Babylonians to destroy Israel and kill all of the Jews.

Esau gave up his birthright to his brother Jacob and Jacob stole Esau’s blessing. As a result there are those descendants that believe Israel should be their property. Abraham had a son Ishmael with Hagar the Egyptian who was Sarah’s handmaid. Ishmael had 12 sons and many Arabs come from this bloodline. Abraham’s other son was Isaac by his wife Sarah. You often hear of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We hear little about the descendants of Esau and Ishmael.

Genesis 28:9 – “So Esau visited his uncle Ishmael’s family and married one of Ishmael’s daughters, in addition to the wives he already had. His new wife’s name was Mahalath. She was the sister of Nebaioth and the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son.”
Genesis 36:3 – “ He (a descendant of Esau) also married his cousin Basemath, who was the daughter of Ishmael and the sister of Nebaioth.”

Genesis 18:18 – “For Abraham will certainly become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him.”

Acts 3:25 – “ You are the children of those prophets, and you are included in the covenant God promised to your ancestors. For God said to Abraham, ‘Through your descendants all the families on earth will be blessed.’”

In the early 1900’s, millions of Jews immigrated to America. Their bloodline goes back to Abraham. However, we must consider whether they came through Jacob, Esau or Ishmael. Many of the descendants of Esau and Ishmael are enemies of Jacob and his descendants. If you hear, but not always, a Jew who is an anti-Semitic, if you were to trace their bloodline they probably did not come from the line of Jacob.

The way Gentiles can be blessed through Abraham, is through Jesus. Jesus came and died so that we could accept Him as our Savior and His blood connects us to the bloodline of Abraham. Without this connection, Gentiles would be lost and unable to go to heaven.

Mohammad taught, in the Koran, that martyrdom in service to Allah was the only guarantee that would send a worshipper to Paradise. Thus, we can understand why so many are willing to blow themselves up to be guaranteed Paradise. If are you are a young Muslim and believe that you will go to heaven by being a martyr and will have a harem waiting for you; would you join forces with ISIS?

Jesus preached love and salvation and by receiving the Holy Spirit was the Gentiles and others guarantee to heaven. Maybe some of you did not know about the family feud going on in the world.

Don’t confuse knowledge with wisdom. Many times there are things we think we know but don’t. There are some things that are just not knowable. I cannot say with certainty when Christ will return to rapture the church. However, my role as a Christian is to be ready and help others to get ready also. I try to help them understand that at a certain time this will happen and at that time, it will not be possible to negotiate or make a last minute decision. Not being spiritually ready has a real negative consequence. So how do we convince those who are not ready to get ready for the rapture or life after death?

We are faced with a number of priorities. We need to prepare financially for our future and retirement if the Lord delays the rapture and He has for 2000 years.

Too often those who fail to prepare to meet Christ also fail to prepare for their financial futures. However, more people want the better things of life and are willing to do whatever to get them. They have learned there is no shortcut to excellence. They are willing to do whatever it takes to accumulate material things but give little attention to worshipping God and living according to His ways. When it is suggested that spiritual things come first, you just don’t seem to have time for making yourself financially successful and spiritually ready at the same time, according to too many.

To do both, most often requires a lifestyle change that may be painful and require sacrifice. You must have the discipline to be willing to sacrifice and have a mindset that will dictate the outcome’s first priority and that must be eternity with God. If I put God first in my life, I must realize it will not be an easy process and will require hard work with self-control. It may mean I might have to give up something I may consider of value to doing what God requires. It could mean making an investment in Bible study and prayer time. I must keep in mind, what the Bible says will be to my benefit and rewards for being a member of God’s family when I reach eternity.

Investment advisors are often asked: how much should I save, how long should I work, when should I draw Social Security and how much can I draw each year from my investments? They will ask this question: “How long do you expect to live?” A woman 65 will probably live to 86 and a man to 83. College graduates live longer than high school graduates, high earners live longer than low-wage earners, then there are health habits, family history, how long did your grandmother live and response to stress will affect your life expectancy. They need to know if you smoke, drink alcohol to excess and how much you weigh. Once they gather all of this information they suggest you plan on living to 90. This means you need to work longer, save more and withdraw as little as necessary once retired.

Research at Duke University finds that optimistic people work harder, get paid better and win more regularly at sports. They are healthier, live longer and are usually happier. When it comes to our children; a positive attitude on life matters. One study stated that unhappy children normally make 30% less when they become adults.

Do you realize how important faith, confidence and attitude are when setting spiritual or financial goals? The Bible says what a man thinks in his heart so is he. How important is faith or confidence? Do you honestly believe you can do all things through Christ that gives you strength?

Over the years, I have worked with thousands of employees. Many times I have found that many do not use common sense. I have also found that there are those who have unusual wisdom. It seems like wise people are capable of realizing the need to prepare both for now and their retirement but not all are concerned about what happens after death. I have also learned there are two kinds of wisdom. One comes from experience and knowledge and provides an added dimension in making more correct decision than incorrect ones. There is also a heavenly wisdom that comes from God via the Holy Spirit. It is apparent that those who have matured spiritually have a certain wisdom that gives them an advantage in knowing how to live life, providing for one’s family and retirement but also knowing the need to prepare adequately for life after death.

Wouldn’t the greatest security be to have all of your financial needs met and still know that when life was over you would be going to heaven? Therefore, shouldn’t we be praying for heavenly wisdom? God asked King Solomon what we wished for. The King’s reply was wisdom! As a result he was one of the wisest men to ever live and also was the richest.

However, he was not wise enough to realize that life was not all about wealth and having every desire and lust met. After many years, his wisdom allowed him to realize that his life was wasted on material things and too little was given to spiritual and godly matters.

A truly wise person will put God first yet, realize that one can do so and still become successful. The greatest deception is to believe that becoming wealthy is more important that serving God and living according to His ways.

We have seen professional athletes that have been super successful yet have put God ahead of their careers. Why can’t people become wise enough to realize that both can be done? However, our priorities must start with planning for eternity first while we are trying to fulfill our material dreams.

I have met a number of financially successful people who are tremendous examples as Christians. They were able to return a large portion of their wealth to God’s ministry. It is my personal experience to believe that both can be done and one should start first, living for God as one strives for success. I have also found that the Holy Spirit gives us an advantage in the workplace. We should all live by the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Our God is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscience. He has unlimited power; He is everywhere; He has infinite knowledge. He knew that Lucifer and one-third of the angels would rebel and would have to be expelled from heaven.

Why would Lucifer and the angels, living in paradise, reject God? Probably for the same reason that so many on earth have done. I do not believe God created angels to be robots to automatically worship Him. That wouldn’t be family. They were created with free moral agency. But as so many, their hearts became hard and they had sinful desires. They wanted their independence and to separate themselves from God.

Have you ever wondered why God created the universe, the angels and put Adam and Eve on earth? Scripture does not answer many of these questions but I have always wondered and have let my imagination run wild.

We have learned, through Christ, the characteristics of God. We know that God loves having a family and wants each of us to love Him with all of our heart, mind and soul. Like most parents, we want our children to love us, respect us and be obedient to family rules. If our children show that they love and respect us and are obedient to our principles we will bless them and meet at least their basic needs. However, if they reject us as parents, become disrespectful and totally independent and separate themselves from the family, our tendency would be to leave them alone. As we study the Old Testament, we learn that God would bless the nation of Israel and when they rejected and ignored Him, He would leave them alone, unprotected. There were times when He would discipline them but it was for their own good.

This is what I imagine God doing. He decided to build a huge laboratory called earth. He then would put a man and a woman in the laboratory and allow them to chose whether they wanted to become a part of His family and live with Him forever or if they would choose to make the same choice that Lucifer and his angels made. I believe God wants a family with Him forever that is willing to love and worship Him and be obedient and live according to His will, by choice.

Every one of us has been created to live in God’s laboratory for a period of time before our death. During that time we are given all of the pros and cons of how we are to live. Lucifer, the devil, and his angels show us all of the pleasures of this world and try to get us to accept their way of living. Christ came to show us the reward for living as believers, worshipping and being obedient to God’s will. We are not robots and have the free will to choose to follow the ways of the world or live holy lives striving to live as Christ taught.

God’s love is so great that His desire is that everyone will choose to live with Him forever. But He doesn’t want anyone unwilling to become family. We have a choice: are we willing to live 75 plus years worshipping, loving, respecting and being obedient children or do we find the devil’s way more attractive? What are you willing to do for five million dollars? What are you willing to do for unlimited resources in eternity?

Romans 12:1 – 2 – “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

We are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, we are not to conform to the patterns of this world and we are to be transformed with a new mind. The greater our understanding of what God has done for us, the greater our commitment will be. It seems like Christians who have the most to have forgiven, have the most love and more willing to repent and live a holy life. Every Christian should realize that they are to totally surrendered and be committed. This isn’t asking a lot. We are to have a new life having renounced sin.

Once we have committed our life to Christ, we should not revert back to our former selves. We must be careful what we read and watch. We must not be afraid to challenge the ways of the world. It is important that we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. To be transformed, the Holy Spirit must renew, re-educate and redirect our minds. Keep in mind; it may be a gradual process. We are not to become impatient and frustrated because it doesn’t happen instantly.

Every one of us will be tempted and tested while living in God’s laboratory. We have a life-time to prepare. Which choice will we make? What is more important: instant gratification while we are on earth or our future in eternity? Which direction will you go as you leave the laboratory? What’s a mere 75 plus years compared to forever?

The Bible is very clear; it is very easy to receive the Holy Spirit and salvation that assures one of eternal life with God and Christ. It starts with faith in Christ being the Son of God and dying on the cross that we might be redeemed. John 6:40 – “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” Romans 10:13 – “ for, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Ephesians 2:8 – 9 – “ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” John 6:40 – “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

There is Scripture that I believe every Christian should be concerned. It is Matthew 7:21 – 23 – “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” He is talking to those who practice or continually sin. A Christian cannot practice sin and if you do your salvation was not sincere.

If one thinks by attending church, doing good deeds and believing that Christ is the Son of God, it may not be enough to be assured of you getting into heaven. Why would Jesus say to those who believed they were Christians he told: “I never knew you. Away from me! You can be religious and lost!

I John 3:3 – 9 – “All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.”

We must develop a relationship with God and Christ. We must study the gospel and understand what Scripture requires of a Christian. We know that without faith we cannot please God. We must boldly pray to God and develop a relationship. We must live a repentant life, living differently than we did prior to being saved. We must be able to forgive because we are told that if we won’t forgive others God will not forgive us. We must realize that our salvation came from God’s grace and it wasn’t something that we earned.

Ephesians 5:1 – 7 – “ Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them.”

This is rather gross but during Paul’s time, sexual promiscuity was taken for granted. Men didn’t bother with marriage and had a mistress or more than one. These pagan practices were considered normal and not immoral. It was always God’s idea to establish marriage and the family and it is Satan that hates the family and family values. The Bible indicates Satan would be for divorce and a breakup of the family. His goal is to change the morality of society. Today’s moral values are becoming very similar to what they were like in Paul’s time, which Paul condemned.

Sexual immorality or any kind of impurity or greed is unthinkable for a Christian. If we want to be an example for Christ and not grieve the Holy Spirit we will refrain from obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking. Our world has lowered the standards of morality. The language of the gutter is in books and also on the air. What use to be considered pornography is now hard to avoid.

Paul is saying that any person who is immoral, impure or a greedy person, such as an idolater hasn’t any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. If you were saved as a young person and then begin living the life Paul says you must not live, you will not inherit the kingdom of Christ and God. Paul challenged the notion that people can be saved and still habitually commit the gross and grievous sins he was denouncing. We know Paul was describing people who do these things regularly will not be part of Christ’s kingdom. No true child of God can compromise when tempted to take part in immoral behavior. The Holy Spirit is your guarantee of going to heaven. If you have the Holy Spirit and live a sinners’ life, the Spirit would be so convicting that you could not live with the guilt. Therefore, we believe a true Christian cannot practice sin and will practice righteousness.

Professing Christians who live immoral lives proved by their behavior that their profession of faith was insincere. I do not believe a person can receive the Holy Spirit and not be so convicted that they stop living as they may have lived previously. Our conduct as Christians will reflect the moral qualities of goodness, righteousness and truth.

When a Christian makes a choice they must ask: Is this behavior acceptable to the Lord? A truly saved Christian is empowered to live this supernatural life by the supernatural indwelling and filling of the Holy Spirit. The new life in Christ stops us from living the life we lived as sinners, if we are sincere. We were spiritually dead before we were saved. If we do not accept salvation and develop a relationship with God and Christ we could be separated from God and Christ forever.