Divine connections are some of the best avenues of God's workings. A dear friend connected our ministry with some passionate African pastors over the summer. We began discussions and assessed their needs. The rest is now history! Below is a repost from my incredible husband on that assignment. We look forward to many more. Read. Reflect. Receive. Refresh. Repeat. Love & Blessings!!
Stewarding money is one of the best way to gauge other areas of one’s life. The Bible is full of money and stewardship lessons to guide us along life’s way. A well-known Bible verse is 1 Timothy 6:10. This scripture is often misused and interpreted that money is the root of all evil. However, the scripture states, it is the “love of money” that is the root of all evil. My beautiful wife and I just finished a 5 weeks webinar class, teaching 23 African pastors from 2 countries, some of what we have learned through the years about managing money. These pastors are laboring in some of the challenging countries where Christians are facing persecution for their faith. Despite the time difference, their dedication to learn and help their flock ministered to us in a special way. Some of the lessons we taught, came from the books The Power of Irresistible Prayer and Take Back Your Ground! It's Yours In Christ. Though some of the economic terrain is different here in America than in many African countries, the principles about money in the Bible is still the same and relevant in all cultures. It is always an honor serving God’s people. He has been so faithful and we are very thankful!
We have a responsibility to our younger generation to not only teach but mentor them about fiscal responsibility. When our daughters were little, they each received weekly allowances for doing odd jobs and not the usual household chores. As a Dad, I wanted to transfer some key Biblical values about money to them. It was important to me that, they knew why tithing was important as a follower of Jesus Christ, why generosity was important, why budgeting was important, why having a good credit score was important, why having a savings was important, why investment was important, why estate planning was important, and why fiscal responsibility is a personal responsibility and not a delegated responsibility.
Imagine the joy, fulfillment and proud Dad moment when our oldest daughter this summer paid off her car and college loans without any promptings from me or her Mom! She went to college with partial scholarships. It’s that moment as a parent, when you realize that all the years of praying were seeds sowed for their future! They do listen, glean, retain and apply what they hear, learn and obey. What gives me the greatest joy is seeing the quest my oldest daughter now has to help her peers to be financially free! Check out her recent interview with Bronxnet. We are seeing fiscal responsibility and legacy unfold right before our eyes. To God be all the glory!
Beloved brothers and sisters, we have a responsibility to prepare our next generation of followers of Jesus Christ to be fiscally responsible. They must learn to budget and only spend what they have and not what someone else has. They must learn to live within their means. Hebrews 13:5 ESV states, "Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” God honors such godly wisdom. God Bless you!
For The Cause of Christ,
Dr. Johnson Obamehinti