Wrap-Up Video

You know, when facing a crisis, nothing is more important than knowing who God is—His love, his care, and his control of the event. When we don’t understand God’s involvement, we forfeit the peace that He makes available to us.

God uses difficulties to mature us in Christ. James 1:2-4 says it this way:

“Consider it pure joy—think about that—pure joy, whenever you face trials of many kinds.”

Our Lord knows while we’re in one, we can learn things and can grow much closer in our relationship with Him.

We can’t prevent every crisis, but the healthier our finances, the better we’ll be able to cope.

Now, because God loves us - He reveals there’s a heaven and hell - a coming judgment - and that He’ll grant eternal rewards. The Lord wants the very best for us. He wants to motivate us to invest our lives and finances in such a way that we can enjoy an intimate relationship with Him now—and receive the greatest possible rewards in the life to come.

Listen to this! Life is short. Eternity is long—it never ends. But what we do during our short time on earth - including handling our money -will influence our experience in heaven.

I’ve asked Howard, the founder of Compass, to share a little more with us about having an eternal perspective.

In Psalm 90, we’re encouraged to number our days, that we might present to the Lord a heart of wisdom. And I’ve done that, and if one inch equals one year and I live as long as my mom and dad, I’ll live to be 88. That’s the good news. The bad news is that this is how much time best case I have left on the planet.

Now, let me give you some homework. Every birthday, take out a tape measure and number your days. If you’re like me it’ll motivate you to focus on making your life count for Christ.

Well when I was 28 years old a friend told me for the very first time that God loved me and that He wanted to have a personal relationship with me. John 3:16 says,

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

My friend explained that God is holy—which simply means God is perfect, and He can’t have a relationship with anyone who’s not perfect. Unfortunately, none of us is perfect, we’ve all sinned. Romans 3:23 tells us,

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

But there’s good news Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin. He bridged the gap between God and us. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life no one comes to the Father but through Me.” And Romans 5:8 says,

“God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

And this personal relationship with God is a gift. Ephesians 2 verse 8 says,

“It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”

I only had to ask Jesus Christ to come into my life to be my Savior and Lord. And I did! And I can tell after more than 40 years that a personal relationship with God is real. Nothing in life compares with knowing Christ personally. We can experience true peace, joy, and hope when we know Him. It’s the only way you can really enjoy true financial freedom.

If you want to know God and aren’t certain whether you have this relationship, I encourage you to receive Jesus Christ right now. You can Pray a prayer right in your heart similar to the one I prayed: “God, I need You. I’m sorry for my sin. I invite Jesus to come into my life as my Savior and Lord, and to make me the person You want me to be. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me the gift of eternal life.”

Well If you asked Christ into your life, you’ve made the most important decision of your life. Welcome to the family of God!

Now, let me shift gears At the risk of being misunderstood, I wanna share an experience that fueled my passion to help people learn God’s way of handling money In 1977, I was in the home alone when suddenly I was overcome by the Spirit of God I found myself prostrate on the floor, weeping.

And the Lord unmistakably revealed that during my life time our nation would experience a very difficult time financially. God didn’t show me precisely when this would occur or what it would be like but there’s no doubt it will happen.

I share this with you not to paralyze you with fear rather, to motivate you to get out of debt, give generously, budget, save and work as unto the Lord. In short become a faithful steward. One of the best ways to demonstrate your love for your family and friends is to get your financial house in order and help others to do the same.

Well, I appreciate the effort you’ve invested in this study. And we pray this has given you a greater appreciation for the Bible, helped you develop close friendships, and above all, nurtured your love for Jesus Christ. May the Lord richly bless you on your journey to true financial freedom.