Making Wise Choices... With Our Money

- Did you know that the first modern-day lottery was started in 1963 in the state of New Hampshire. And now there are 37 states who have lotteries, including Illinois. And in 1997, statewide lotteries suckered $16 Billion dollars from Americans.

- Did you know that the state of Massachusetts, started their lottery in 1972 with 50 cent tickets and a drawing once a week. It now has 33 different games to choose from their sales have

soared from $71 million in the first year to $3 Billion today.

- Did you know, that in Colorado, the lottery organizers spend more than $400 million dollars each year trying to lure residents to gamble on lotteries. And in a $25,000 study called Mindsort they analyzed the left and right sides of the brain to understand how to manipulate players behavior in order to get them once hooked, always hooked.

- A Massachusetts Lottery Ad sums up the point I am trying to get across perfectly. In the ad they offer two choices for how to "make millions." Let me quote,

"Plan A: Start studying when you're about 7 years old, real hard. Then grow up and get a good job. From then on, get up at dawn every day. Flatter your boss. Crush competition ruthlessly. Climb over backs of co-workers. Be the last one to leave every night. Squirrel away every cent. Avoid having a nervous breakdown. Avoid having premature heart attack. Get a face lift. Do this every day for 30 years, holidays and weekends included. By the time you're ready to retire you should have your money. Or Plan B: Play the Lottery."

- I am not sharing these numbers and these facts and these ads to make you feel guilty if you have ever bought a lottery ticket. That is not my point. My point is to share a common desire among Americans, and even among American Christians. The desire to get rich. The desire for more money.

- Since so many want to get rich, I thought I would do a little research and come up with a sure fire way that this can happen. I am not kidding, I have figured it out, and as the infomercials promise, in three easy steps, you will get rich quick. You don't need to go and buy a lottery ticket, you just need to follow these three steps and it is guaranteed or your money back. Now of course you know that I am not referring to monitary richness, but Godly richness. How can we be rich towards God? So lets figure out what are some wise choices we can make with our money.

In order to get rich towards God:

STEP ONE: A Realization That Wealth Is Not Happiness

- Despite the cliché we have heard time after time, "Wealth cannot buy happiness," most of us still believe that if we only had more money, we would be happy. If we make 25000 a year, we are sure that true joy will come with a salary of 50000 a year. If we earn a salary of 50000, we are convinced that all our needs will be met with an income of 75000.

-As the beggar asked the millionaire, "How many more dollars would it take to make you truly happy?" The millionaire reaching his gnarled hands into the beggar's cup replied, "Only one more!"

- Well maybe we aren't that far gone, but we can still fall into the trap of thinking our money, or the money we don't have is the key to our happiness and to our joy.

- Listen to what the Proverbs writer had to say concerning this:

11:28 Whoever trusts in his riches will fall,but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.

23:4,5 Do not wear yourself out to get rich;

have the wisdom to show restraint.Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone,for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.

- It is Satans great lie, the lie that makes us think that fulfillment, contentment, peace all lie in the money we have saved in our bank account, or the car that we drive, or the house we live in, or the funds in our checking account. He wants you to think that what you have is not enough, so go out get some more, because that will satisfy.

- He is like the credit card companies. You know how they operate. They start off giving you just a little credit, say $2500. At first that is more than you will ever need. But as you begin to reach that limit, you realize that a little more would really hit the spot. And of course they come through, and increase your limit to $5000. Now you are satisfied, that is all you will ever need, but over time your right there at the max, and just one more increase, and what do you know they have increased your limit to $10000. Eventually, it ends in a trap that is strangling you and causing panic and fear. You are in a dark, deep hole that seems inescapable.