I named this 31-day series Financial Freedom for a reason, because there is a way that you can be financial free. And it doesn’t come from gaining wealth.
Many people think that if you plan, create budgets, get out of debt, save for the future, and continue to gain wealth that you will become financially free… but it won’t. There’s no freedom in getting rich. You’ll just want more. As soon as you reach your financial goal, there’s another one to reach. I have seen this in my life — as soon as I reached a financial goal, I want more. The $1,000 that took me months to save up for suddenly didn’t seem enough.
Freedom comes from giving it away.
Now, I know some of you aren’t religious and tune out with Jesus jargon. But can you pay attention for just a little longer? Because this is the gospel. This is the Good News. And I can’t talk about freedom without sharing with you how to become truly free.
We all deserve death. All of us. Even you, the one who thinks you are good — you aren’t. None of us does what is right, myself included. And God is perfect. Holy. Separate, Righteous. Good. He is so holy that anyone with sin would perish in His presence. But He loved us sinful, awful people so much that He sent his son Jesus into this world to live a perfect death and die a terrible death and rise back from the grave so that if we merely accept this gift, God will pardon us and give us the undeserving abundant and eternal life He promises us. Jesus took the death that we deserved, and that is the greatest gift ever given.
And when you realize all that God went through to save you? After you realize He gave Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for your sinful self? The natural response is to worship. Thank him. Give back in a spirit of worship and thanksgiving. Praise Him for His love, compassion, and gift. And tell others about this amazing grace.
I give back because I have been given much.
Ironically, my pastor just preached on money and giving this past weekend at my church. I highly recommend listening to the sermon, if you have a chance. Think about a time when you may be able to listen — at work as you’re doing data-entry, on your commute, while you are cleaning at home, or before you go to bed. It’s very good.
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This is post 29 of a 31-day series on Financial Freedom. Click here for all of the posts in the series. Thanks for reading!
Great post! I think that financial freedom is being able to have all your basic needs met but it’s easy to forget what’s a basic need and what is a nice want. And rich is a very relative term. There are many people in this world that would consider a person who has the leisure time to blog about the internet to be very wealthy.
I really like your blog, except when you veer into your religious beliefs. It’s been increasing for awhile now and it really detracts from the actual content of the information.
Jane – thanks so much for reading my blog! It means a lot. I am sorry you don’t like it when I share my religious beliefs, but I use this blog to share my thoughts and my heart and what I believe is an important of who I am. I understand if you decide to discontinue reading here and I appreciate your honesty.
You’re so right “it’s easy to forget what’s a basic need and what is a nice want” — great reminder! Thanks so much for your comment.