Getting money and God right:
Your light bulb moment

Getting money and God right will be a turning point in your life.

For many people, this moment comes like a bolt out of the blue. For others it takes years of dissatisfaction before the truth sinks in.

We singles have a difficult time with this because consciously or not, we're all looking for approval. In my own life, this revelation came only after I changed churches. I'm not recommending anything as drastic as that, but I do want to point out some signs you can look for that will make this quicker and easier for you.

Getting money and God right was one of the major themes of Jesus Christ's ministry. He knows we need money to live, but what attitude should we have toward it? How can we grasp God's will for us in this all-important matter?

Let's see how the world has changed since Jesus' day—and how it hasn't. His teachings are always timeless. This has your name on it fellow single, right here, right now.

What occupies you?

Jesus said our thought-life is a measure of what matters to us. He often used the metaphor of "the heart" to describe our deepest yearnings:

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Luke 12:34, NIV)

What do you treasure? What occupies your thoughts in your waking hours? If you're like me, you think mainly about yourself and your problems and needs. But it's not just us single people. Every human being on this planet is basically self-centered.

Take a quick inventory:

What do I spend my extra money on?
Why do I spend my money on those things?

When you take out the necessities (food, housing, utilities, car, insurance, medical), you're left with discretionary spending. Today, many of us don't have much spare money. That's why somebody invented credit cards.

IMPORTANT INTERRUPTION: I'm not going to lecture you about frivolous spending. This is leading toward a major discovery in your life. When you get money and God right, you'll decide to make changes on your own.

Back to what occupies your thought-life. Do you ever buy things to impress other people? Listen to what pastor and Bible teacher Adrian Rogers said about that:

"It's about time we stopped buying things we don't need with money we don't have to impress people we don't like."

Why do we choose clothes with the labels prominently displayed on the outside?

When I was young and my confidence was low, I did that a lot. I'm not sure who I was trying to impress, but it didn't work. Like most young people, I fell into the trap of believing what advertising and commercials said: "Own this and you'll be respected and admired." Today, fifty years later, the ads are much more subtle, but the message is still the same.

Why do we choose clothes with the labels prominently displayed on the outside? Because we want to be part of the exclusive, cool, "in" club. We want to announce to the world that we've got it together. We're brand-conscious.

Some people are so lost they rely on Internet influencers for all their buying decisions. What?? It's ironic that young people who are so concerned about individual rights would be so eager to become a slavish member of the pack.

How shallow is a life that jumps from one fad to another, all based on being cool or hip or whatever the fad term is now? What's even more sad is singles in their 20s and 30s playing this expensive game.

Do you see where this is heading?

Getting money and God right: Whose approval?

You may think I'm an out-of-it geezer who believes everybody should live a dull, Puritan life. I'm not, and that's not what this is about.

Look, there's nothing sinful about wearing nice clothes or having a nice car, but single friend, there is something sinful about depending on the approval of other people.

If you're a Christian, you know where you should look for approval: God. You and I know, but we don't always act like it.

To realize you are unconditionally loved and approved by Almighty God is the most freeing experience you will ever have.

Millions of singles go through their entire lives never grasping that truth. When you finally comprehend it, getting money and God right will soon follow.

When you have God's approval (and as a believer you do), the striving is over. The need to impress disappears. You see through the high-school-type pressure to be part of the clique. Foolishness is replaced by this light bulb moment.

You finally get it.

Now money becomes a tool not to get the approval of other people but to help those who are going through hard times. You're all right with the One Who Matters Most, and he loves you, imperfections and all.