Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Introduction

I have almost complete my book on biblical finance and wanted an introduction that would help people keep finances in the overall perspective of their life and its lesser importance to other relationships. This is what I came up with.
Introduction

There is only one God. I firmly believe this to be true. Why? And the man was asked by God will you walk with me and he said yes. The man asked God would you walk with me? And God replied I promise on My Sons life.

I was not born in America and so my thought process and experiences have been different to most Americans. My first act related to religion when I came to America was to attend the funeral of a Hispanic boy who had committed suicide and shot himself. Why I do not know. I was invited to the funeral because I was his brother’s boss.

The main question that day was not where do you live, what kind of car do you drive or how much do you earn. The boy was Roman Catholic and the question I was asked was do you think my brother will get into heaven?

As a Presbyterian I was puzzled by this remark but I was told that the Catholic Church does not believe that suicide victims get into heaven without going through purgatory. I told the brother that day what I had heard as a child that if we believe in a merciful Christ then yes he was in heaven.

My mind had gone back to the time in Scotland when my uncle had died and my aunt had asked a similar question of the minister. Do you think my husband went to heaven, as he was not baptized? The minister’s response was the same as I shared that day in Dallas long ago. I knew my uncle was in heaven because of all the good works that he had done but especially because I knew that he believed in Jesus Christ. I knew that the Hispanic boy was in heaven because of all the tears and prayers for his soul that day from loving family and friends.

Now let me share just one of my uncles good deeds with you less you think he simply gave some money to charity.

We lived in a tiny village of brick workers, coal and clay miners. One day our next-door neighbor fell into the brick-making machine and was killed. He was quite literally chopped into fine little pieces. My uncle took on the task of going into the machine and scraping his neighbor off of its insides so that the man’s mother could bury her son. Yes I firmly believe that my uncle was in heaven even though he was not baptized.

Why do I share these experiences with you in a book on biblical finance? I want you to approach this subject with humility and understanding. I want you to realize that Jesus walked everywhere and did not fly or drive a Rolls Royce. I want you to realize that the man who betrayed him was the keeper of his finances.

I want you to listen to your heart and to God. But more than this I want you to ask yourself if I die today does my money, bills, credit score or retirement mean anything to me?

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