😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace be with you. You may be familiar with Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University (FPU) program, which can teach anyone how to live a debt free life. I’m a firm believer in the power of this program, but you have to actually follow the principles. An interesting fact about the program is that the principles are Biblically based. FPU is kind of like the difference between knowing about God and actually knowing God. Knowing about Him is head knowledge, but knowing Him can save your life and bless others in the process. Knowing the FPU principles is head knowledge, but working those principles can save your financial life and allow you to be a blessing to others. I’m currently walking someone through the 9-week FPU program and this week’s lesson was about saving for retirement. There are a couple points in week 7 that are always great reminders. And God knows we all need those reminders.
First is, “Pray as though everything depends on God. Work as through everything depends on you.” Dave credited this quote to St. Ambrose, but I’ve also seen it credited to St. Augustine and St. Ignatius of Loyola. I’ll tell you what, praying like things depend of God and you working as if they depend on you, makes a powerful combination. We already know that God is giving 100% of Himself to you. So, what would you and God be capable of if you gave 100% also? He actually gave me a glimpse of this incredibly powerful combination last Sunday. We’ve been working on designing our house to fit into a budget and our desired lifestyle. Well, with lumber pricing being as high as it is, we’ve had to rethink and redraw our plans multiple times. It was becoming rather discouraging. Sunday morning before, during, and after Mass, I kept talking with God asking Him to show me what I haven’t been able to see in the past, as far as designing our home. Once we got back home, I sat down and started drawing. It was amazing! He showed me exactly what I asked Him, which included being able to place our entertainment area (kitchen and living area) exactly where we wanted it to be and keep the same size area in the smaller home, that was in the original larger home. It was really cool to see it unfold as He guided me from room to room, ending with the entertainment area we desired. I don’t know about you, but I think it’s really cool watching God work like that.
The second thing that Dave mentioned in week 7 is the book The Tortoise and the Hare and how the tortoise always wins. It doesn’t matter how many times you read the book, the tortoise always wins. There is definitely something about approaching those marathons of life with a slow and steady attitude and pace. So, Sunday we figured out the house plan and then Monday we received some other good news. We were originally supposed to close on our land in December 2020, but due to a title issue from five sales ago the process has been prolonged. We were given the option to close in December, with basically a band aid kind of fix on the title, but that certainly would have caused issues down the road. We were told it could take six months to clear the issue, but we decided the clean title would be worth the wait. Oh, there were times that we just wanted to close on the land, but God had us waiting for a reason or two…or three. I believe He was protecting us from building a home bigger than we needed and also was keeping us from building during the peak of lumber pricing. The good news is, we will be closing on our land at the end of this week.
God also applied those two items to aspects of my work life. That’s another thing I like about God, He will utilize something to improve multiple aspects of my life at the same time, making me a better, more well-rounded person. We all need reminders of God’s presence in our lives and how He wants us to work together with Him. With Him, not for Him. We as humans are so easily forgetful of the MANY gifts that God so sacrificially gives us. Where are you at today? Have you found yourself recently in situations where God is blessing you with the opportunity to refresh parts of your life? What can you do today to pray as though everything depends on God and work as through everything depends on you?
Bless others and be blessed.
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#DaveRamsey – FPU
Third Day Devotions 