Honestly speaking my first thought when hearing about the economic stimulus payment was "Man that is going to be sweet!" I am married and have one child so I will receive $1500.00 from Uncle Sam (actually will receive money that is tax credit for next year). The next thought/impulse to enter my head was, "What can I spend this on.....what do I really want!" After some prayer and discernment spending this money on what I want would be the most dishonoring thing to my Lord as I could do. John Piper recently wrote
"Nobody in the world will see you spend your money on yourself and conclude that Christ is your treasure.......do we really need this money? Very few do. We would have gotten on fine without it. If we didn’t know it was coming, we wouldn’t even be feeling the desires we are feeling right now...... May I encourage you to be radically creative and hedonistic......Before the check comes dream of some person or ministry which might make much of Christ because you treasured him above your next home project."
How can we make much of Christ with this stimulus payment? I believe the key is to identify our needs verses salivating like dogs with our wants. The Lord provides for our needs if we are faithful. Identify what we need and then use the money wisely. Here are some suggestions that I have been thinking about as I know the check is on its way.
- Plan to give to someone in need or a ministry that will preach the Gospel. “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).
- Tithe to your home church
- Pay off existing bills to eliminate debt (I know that really isn't the governments hope with this project, but high - interest debt isn't cool - even though I have some).
- Put the money away and save it for an upcoming bill that you know is coming (For example, having another child)
- Make sure and buy a mother's and father's day card (May 11th and June 15th)
5 comments:
In South Dakota, Mother's Day is May 11th. Thanks for the post!
LOL - I'm really not disregarding the entirety of this post, but I personally love your last bullet on how we should spend the dough...
On another note, thanks for teh post.
I gotta take issue with your claim that the stimulus payment is an "unearned" $1500. If I understand it rightly, these are basically tax credits for next year - which means the govt is giving you back $1500 of what was your own money to begin with.
(Sigh...I think taxes should be optional anyway. how does the state get off coercing my money out of me to spend on whatever it wants? I mean, roads, cool; parks, cool; preemptive wars, not cool; planned parenthood, NOT cool)
For what it's worth, I'm going to buy a boatload of bottled root beer with my check.
Andy and Ryan hopefully I corrected my mistakes in the post and now it is a clearer more accurate read
I ALWAYS know better what to do w/my money than the government. Not sure if this was the best way to stimulate the economy, but I will reclaim it!!
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