Deuteronomy 8:18 – ‘You must remember the Lord your God, for he is the one who gives ability to get wealth…’
Do you know the statistics of the wealthiest people alive? Are you aware that a person who earns in excess of $32,400 USD ($623 per week) is within the top 1% of income earners on this earth? In fact, according to Oxfam, the top 1% of income earners holds 48% of the world’s wealth. Nearly half!
Consider people who are in the other 99%. The vast majority of people on this earth earn and must live on less than $32,400 a year. Now this figure may be desirable to you – that’s ok! Or perhaps it’s a lot less than you’re used to living on. There’s a challenge to consider!
As you consider your desire to earn more, think about why you want this. As you earn more, you learn to spend more. Don’t be fooled into thinking, ‘if only I earned X amount per week, then I’d be able to save…’.
The key to saving is not earning more; it is instead learning to live on less than you earn. Once you have this established, if in the future you are blessed to earn more, then you can save even more! Your saving isn’t because of the increased earnings, but because you’ve disciplined yourself to make your budget work.
Remember there will always be people who earn more than you. And there will always be people with less money than you. This is irrelevant when it comes to your money, budget and saving. Be thankful for the amount you bring in and work hard to develop a viable budget.
The Bigger Picture
If you’re in that top 1% however, then recognise the blessing God has bestowed on you and make it a priority to help those who aren’t.
Set some priorities right now: give to God’s house, save as much as you can, live on as little as you can, reduce any debts you may have.
It is my prayer for you:
- That you will be able to look at your earnings and recognise how truly blessed you are.
- You will be further motivated to adjust your budget and make it work so that you can live, give and save.
- That you will see the bigger picture in regards to income around the world.
Today’s prayer:
Lord I thank you that you have blessed me with an income. I thank you that it is so much more than some people are forced to live on. I pray that you would help me to be a good steward with the money I bring in; help me to stretch it so that it not only provides for me, but is able to be used in building Your Kingdom, too.
Actionable ideas:
Pray to God about your financial situation regularly. Pray for Him to guide you on your giving, how much to save and ways to invest your finances.
*these posts are from Wealthy Christians, a 30 day devotional. You can download it free on Smashwords.
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