Walking In God’s Favor: When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. 1Corinthians 13:11 NLT
By constant discipline & self-control you can develop greatness in character
Moving from a Level 1 Stewardship life of struggle to Level 2 Stewardship the life of stability is an individual choice. Many of you cannot see yourselves maturing from Level 1 Stewardship a life of struggle into Level 2 Stewardship a life of stability; therefore you remain in a life struggle.
Level 2 faithful stewards learn to live on a budget and give their money a mission. But more importantly, Level 2 faithful stewards are accountable to God. The Level 2 faithful steward has learned to say “no” to the person in the mirror.
One of the keys that differentiate Level 1 Stewardship the life of struggle from Level 2 Stewardship the life of stability is the will to delay immediate gratification for long-term goals. One sign of spiritual maturity is the will to choose long-term goals over short-term gain.
Self-Discipline is the key ingredient to success
I clearly remember our parents teaching us the connection between work and money. As a kid, they would give my two younger brothers and me money for doing chores like cutting the grass, raking leaves or washing the car. As soon as I received my money, I would run down to the corner grocery store to spend every penny I had earned on Chinese Sweet & Sours Balls, Red Hots, banana flavored Now & Laters, and my favorite, Hostess Chocolate Twinkies.
My parents would comment how I had holes in my pocket when they observed how quickly I spent my money. They found teachable moments to encourage me to save. They planted seeds of wisdom like ” Money don’t grow on trees” in my life. My parents were the first teachers who sowed into my life the importance of working hard and saving money.
The more discipline you become, the easier life gets
My truth is, even today as an adult I struggle with the desire to spend money I don’t have, to buy things I don’t need, to impress people I don’t know. That desire to spend money grew into an uncontrollable desire to have wealth without going through the process of developing the discipline necessary to manage wealth.
In order for you to move to Level 2 Stewardship a life of stability you are going to have to go through the process. It’s your choice. You have the ability to become a better steward of your wealth. We are living examples that God will empower your life to do that which you cannot on your own, do for yourself. Remember keep praying, keep believing, with God all things are possible.
You are invited to listen to WJOU Christian Radio Station Saturday 5pm December 8th as we tell our story moving from Level 1 Stewardship the life of struggle to Level 2 Stewardship the life of stability.
Michael J. Vance is the president of the Huntsville Independent Insurance Agents Association co-founder of Stewardship Of Wealth.com and a financial & benefit-risk manager with Hundley Batts & Associates Insurance Agency Ardella Vance volunteers her time, talents, and financial resources to causes she is passionate about. She 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 3 decades and share their lives with four adult children and nine grandchildren. They currently reside in Huntsville Alabama, and blog from their financial guide ”Stewardship of Wealth“.
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