A Christian can never serve God & money. They must learn to serve God with money. Brian Kluth

Walking in God’s Favor: The Lord will bless you so you will become the leading nation in the world, if you pay attention to what He said and faithfully keep the commandments and laws that He has given you. Deuteronomy 28:14

Do you love God or only the blessings God gives? North America  is one of the richest countries on the planet. Mel Gipson, movie actor/producer,  earned over 350 million dollars from the movie The Passion of  Christ. Oprah Winfrey is one of the richest women of color in the world.

Such enormously powerful income can support lavish lifestyles, magnificent mansions, awesome automobiles, exotic vacations, unlimited shopping for designer clothes & luxury personal items. The social media is more than willing to unveil  to the general public the lifestyle of the rich and famous.

The American Love Affair With Materialism 

Unfortunately, many Americans believe that anything less than  excessive luxury is equivalent to poverty. If your goal is the Hollywood style of prosperity, more than likely that is something you will probably never reach. The bling bling life style of professional athletes and recording artists influence people young and old to get rich or die trying.

We believe there is a difference between riches and wealth. You can become rich without God in your life. We can easily find unethical Wall Street Bankers, greedy CEO’s, drug dealers and pornography pimps who are rich. That’s because riches are material possessions.

Overcoming Overspending  

On the other hand, wealth is obtained through spiritual wisdom, character development, and the observance of God’s laws. We should not worry or focus all our time on getting rich. But instead, focus on loving God with all your heart, with all your mind and with all your soul. It is He who gives you the power to get wealth.

Five tips for overcoming spending during the holiday shopping season:

1) Pray before you spend.  2) Plan the amount of money you can afford to spend during the holiday. 3) Do not hang out at malls & shopping centers to avoid impulse spending.  4) Make crafts or creative gifts that comes from your heart. 5) Volunteer time to a homeless shelters or the Salvation Army (You really have a lot to be thankful)God will take care of your needs according to His riches in glory. God’s plan for your life is greater than anything you could ever buy, dream, or imagine. God’s love is more valuable than anything this world has to offer.

Prayer of Blessing : Lord, thank You for your of love.

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 six grandchildren. They currently reside in Huntsville, Alabama and blog weekly from their financial workbook ” The Stewardship of Wealth“.