Today’s American advertising and education have taught people to become selfish, worldly and materialistic. G. Edward Reid

Walking in God’s Favor: That you may walk,  live and conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and  desiring to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God with fuller, deeper, and clearer insight,   acquaintance, and recognition. Colossians 1:10 Amplified Bible

We Christians in America have become so materialistic in our thinking. You have probably heard someone say, ” The one who dies with the most toys wins” or “The one with the gold makes the rules.”

The things in this world are temporal, but the things of God are eternal.  We believe Jesus Christ is returning for a people – not possessions. So, what are you doing to build intimate relationships with those you love? How are you investing your financial resources to better your relationship with God, family and meaningful others?

Ardella and I had the wonderful experience of attending a marriage empowerment session lead by  MyRon Edmonds.  In his new book “40 Days of Life Changing Family Worship”  http://tinyurl.com/b2scazm   he discussed the importance of families sharing time together daily to  connect spiritually, emotionally and  physically.

When you develop intimate relationships, you do it one-to-one. Your attention is focused on one person. Their needs become your priority. Dr David and Teresa Ferguson, co-authors of Intimate Encounters says, “Intimate relationships takes time and communications.”

This includes sharing one’s feelings, putting others first, sympathetic listening, and caring for one another. Sharing your heart with family and having meaningful relationships with others is what life is truly about. Life is meant to be shared. Sharing the love of  God with those we care about is priority for the Level 4 Steward.

There is nothing like the power of your own life story. Everyone has a story to tell.  How are you being blessed today? Sharing your life experiences with others encourages them and gives them hope.  Tell others how you have overcome life’s struggles; how your faith brings stability in your life; how living by biblical principles gives you the wisdom to look around the corner to prepare for the storms of life. And finally tell others of your spiritual discovery for your life’s vision.

Prayer of Blessings: Creator God thank you for a life of wisdom to share with family and meaningful others.

Michael Vance is a senior account executive  with Hundley Batts & Associates and the co-founder of stewardshipofwealth.com. Ardella Vance is  a gifted educator and  a Master Guide in the Pathfinders  Club, a global organization empowered to teach life and leadership skills to young people.  The Vance’s have been married well over 25 years and share their lives with four adult children and four grandchildren. They currently reside in Huntsville, Alabama and blog weekly from their financial workbook ” The Stewardship of Wealth“.