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CONTENTS
AN EXCERPT: Who Invented Sex? Who invented sex, God or the devil? Many people believe God must hate sex, because He set down prohibitions about its use. The corollary of this belief is that sex must be Satan's idea, and that he incited Adam and Eve to commit the sin of having sexual relations. But no matter how many people might think this, the Bible contends that:
The 17th century poet John Milton graphically portrayed Satan's opinion of sex in his masterpiece "Paradise Lost." If you can tolerate some old-fashioned English, here is a scene in which the devil peeps at Adam and Eve while they are making out.
Do you hear the devil's sniveling jealousy? He can't stand to see a husband and wife imparadised (what a fabulous word!) in one another's arms, enjoying a healthy, profound, fulfilling sexual relationship. Why did God invent sex? As we grow into puberty and adulthood, we all are asking at the core of our being:
When God created human sexuality, His intention was to give us the gift of intimacy. What is intimacy? It is to authentically and deeply know another person. Building on that, we can also define passion. Passion is to be excited about and committed to authentically and deeply knowing another person. Such intimacy and passion is implied in the way the Bible describes sexual intercourse. Genesis 4:1 says: "Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain." Note the use of the word "knew." The Hebrew verb used in the original text of this verse, means both "to know" and "to have sexual intercourse." In God's plan, there is no deeper knowing than for a husband and wife to expose themselves both emotionally and physically in order to share the pleasure of sexual relations.  Gaining Control of Your Finances CONTENTS
EXCERPT: LEARNING THE ABCs I once was a financial ignoramus. Even what I thought I knew was wrong. I knew how to stay out of debt, but I knew nothing about increasing wealth.
Luckily, there is a cure for financial ignorance. It's called learning. In two years time, here's what happened.
I haven't become rich, but I've learned the ABC's of handling finances and building wealth gradually. Would you like to learn the same? Other ABC's Worth Knowing At the time I was first learning about finances, I met Greg, a struggling young screenwriter who pays the bills by working as a part-time investment adviser. One day Greg said to me, "Dad and Mom were wonderful Christians who raised a large family on a tiny salary. But now they have nothing to retire on. Here they knew all about God, but when it came to saving and investing, they didn't have a clue." "Are you saying," I asked, "that it's more important to know about money than God?" "No, I appreciate everything my folks taught me. But wouldn't it be better to be well informed about both God and financial management? They aren't mutually exclusive topics. In fact, they enhance each other." Greg's comments stuck with me. As I learned about finances, I was surprised to find parallels between wise money management and Christ's teachings. To experience well-rounded success in life, we need the ABCs about both kinds of wisdom. Therefore, in this booklet, I'll be teaching them side by side.
ANOTHER EXCERPT: STAYING DEBT-FREE The basic rule of money management is: Spend less than you earn and save or invest the rest. That's easy. Easy until advertisers urge you to purchase items on time. Easy until every trip to the mailbox contains another credit card offer. However, two basic tools will help you stay out of debt. Fantastic Financial Tool #1 The first basic tool is a budget. A budget is simply a plan of how you intend to spend within the limits of your income. How do you design a budget?
Repeat steps 4-10 every three months. For those comfortable with computers, software programs like Quicken will do most of the mathematical grunt work for you. Fantastic Financial Tool #2 Even with a budget, some people run up high-interest credit card bills they can't pay. To begin the journey toward freedom from credit card debt, all you need is Fantastic Financial Tool #2. It's called a scissors. Take a scissors--any scissors--and cut all your credit cards in half. (If you must have one card, spare just one.) Bludgeon the rest! You'll be amazed how this simple act of plastic carnage lowers the risk of living beyond your means. However, even one credit card can tempt you to indulge in deficit spending. Keep a close rein on that card. If it leads to high-interest debt, don't hesitate to use Fantastic Financial Tool #2 again. IN HOCK WITH GOD In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus advised us to pray: "Our Father in heaven,... forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." In a previous section we saw that God gives life to all people free of charge. So why do we need to pray, "Forgive us our debts"? We don't owe God for the use of life's blessings. But we do owe him for our misuse of them. Picture this. Your neighbor Rob borrows your car. You don't expect Rob to pay you anything. You let him drive it because he's your friend. But when he brings it back with a crumpled front end and broken headlights, now Rob owes you--not for using your car, but for misusing it. But Rob makes excuses, "It's just a little dent. Big deal. I didn't do it. It looked like that when you loaned it to me." Calling the police, you learn an accident report was filed and Rob was ticketed for reckless driving. Rob has done more than smash your car. He has damaged your friendship--maybe beyond repair. Just as Rob didn't like to hear about his debt to you, so people are reluctant to hear the truth about the debts they owe to their Generous God. Whether in small, secret ways and in big, public ways, at times we all:
What if you kept a notebook in which you jotted down every time you misused the good things and people God provides you? The total would astound you. When Rob tried to deny his guilt, that shattered your friendship. It works the same with God. The Lord is worthy to be our financial and spiritual adviser, but we would rather not listen. Whether in small, secret ways and in big, public ways, at times we all:
Do you feel yourself sliding deeper and deeper into debt with God? I know how you feel. We all belong to the Broke and Bankrupt Bunch. None of us have the wherewithal to even the account between us and God. No wonder the Lord warns us: "Your iniquities have separated you from me" (Isaiah 59:2). "Iniquities." Now there is an archaic word! What does it mean? It's related to the words "inequality, " and "unequal." We can't seem to get away from the idea of debt. In the face of this fact, a question arises: Gulp!--how do I ever get out of hock with God? CONTENTS
EXCERPT: A universal topic which everyone can relate to. This booklet is the most widely translated and widely distributed title I've had the privilege to write. When I get to heaven, I hope to meet brothers and sisters who are there, because this booklet brought them hope in Christ in the midst of daily troubles. CONTENTS
To Order These Booklets You may order 1 copy for free. Larger orders are 40 cents each. These booklets are published and distributed by Lutheran Hour Ministries, and evangelistic media mission. Web site: http//www.lhm.org.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. |