That was awkward…
Last Sunday, I spoke at my church – Cross Points Church. This month, we’ve been discussing money. Slice it any way you want, money is an awkward subject…especially at church.
My daughter summed it up well the week before I preached. She said, “Dad, I always think it’s kind of weird when Pastor David talks about money. I understand, this isn’t how it is, but I feel like he’s just asking people to give money to him.”
How many people feel the same way when the church talks about money? Yeah, there’s a history, but there’s more to it.
It’s really big.
Everything in life ties back to the spiritual part of our being. Money is one of those things.
However, more than anything else (possibly trumped by relationships), money is a gauge of our heart. Talk about generosity (at church or anywhere else) and we quickly find out if we own our money, or if money owns us.
How we interact with money is a part of our spiritual journey. That’s huge.
4 Milestones in our Journey
This was the focus of my talk. Where are you at in your journey? I gave 4 milestones to measure yourself.
It’s not just money either. Take any aspect of your life with God, and these milestones apply. All four places are actual locations but also archetypes or representations of places we find in our own lives.
- Egypt = Slavery | Oppression
- Jordan = Crossing Point | Point of No Return
- Gilgal = New Beginning | Base Camp
- Jerusalem = High Place | Legacy
Read the book of Joshua in the bible, specifically chapter 5, and you see all of these places but Jerusalem (Jerusalem is mentioned and conquered, but a few generations later).
The more successful you are in life, the more of these places you move through. You leave the bondage of debt (financially, relationally, spiritually, etc), cross the Jordan of true and lasting change, begin new healthy habits of saving and spending, hike toward Jerusalem to leave an inheritance for our children’s children (beyond financial)!
That’s big, but so many of us miss it. We get caught up in Egypt, at the banks of the Jordan or even at the base camp of Gilgal. We never do the hard work of fighting for our legacy.
There is more.
Next week, I’ll share more of the significance of each of these milestones. Each has their own challenge and benefits of conquering to move on. Until then, sit back and watch what I had to say on Sunday.
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