Psalm 18 Helps Keep our Priorities Straight at Work - continued
Our last post discussed how Psalm 18 helps keep our priorities straight at work. We began with a sharp "wake up" call first thing that shook us out of our usual morning fog. After that, our Scripture verses offered multiple ways to connect our work to our spiritual lives. If you haven't read that post, you may find it helpful in that regard.
Today we continue our discussion, beginning with the idea of keeping money in its proper place. Despite our need to make it, we can't let it dominate our lives. And here we're exhorted to put God's commandments in the front seat, and money in the back:
"More to be desired than gold and many precious stones: and sweeter than honey and the honeycomb. For thy servant keepeth them, and in keeping them there is great reward."
Money can certainly be a reward for good work. But what could be more important than the reward for keeping God's law? But don't just pay this lip service. Right off, let's remind ourselves that money - how much of it we make, save, invest, etc. - will be left behind when we reach our true reward: Heaven. We won't be needing it for basics and/or luxuries once we exit this world. Those of us who hold on to it with tight fists will find empty hands the moment after we take our last breath.
Fair enough. And yet, even if we have our priorities in order, we can't just ignore or even minimize the importance of money in this world of ours. Even the most spiritually ordered and disciplined of us has obligations and needs that only money can address. So it's not a matter of ignoring or eliminating the time we spend on money and our finances. Rather, it's something like this: The more organized and ordered you can be with your finances, the better chance you have of keeping money in its place. While we can't offer a complete run-down of best practices in managing your finances in the space of one blog post, here are some basics that likely can be applied in some way to most of us:
So how can this help you keep God's Commandments?
For one thing, keeping your finances in order means you don't need to spend as much time with them. Heading off nasty surprises, keeping a lid on chaos, feeling at least a modicum of assurance that you've got things running smoothly will free up intellectual and emotional energy to be used for other endeavors. And following God's Commandments should be at the top of the list. Let's look at how this works in the real world with an example drawn from work.
We fallen creatures do have a natural sense of good and bad, right and wrong, what's beautiful and worth our attention vs. what's ugly. But that natural sense needs sharpening. Not everything we encounter during day at work appears in "black and white" colors. In fact, there's lots of gray in a typical day. For example,
One of our larger clients hired a consultant to consolidate the various vendors they use, of which we were one. We were familiar with the consultant's work, and their process and typical recommendations. With this, we realized we would not fit into their typical scheme of organizing vendors. We could have easily argued that their standards applied to our work were misguided and unfair, that the due diligence process used was slanted and, frankly, not the wisest of all approaches. But we also knew: a) The consultant would not have been moved; b) The client had already committed resources to this consultant, in the belief they could help them clean house in an number of areas that needed cleaning. Our practical knowledge and business acumen helped us respond appropriately. We accepted our termination gracefully.
Of course, we weren't happy with this. The critique of our services - unfair as we thought it might be - did sting. And here's where our ongoing efforts to understand God's Commandments more deeply helped. We knew that the virtues of justice and prudence had always guided our efforts on behalf of our client: When it came to the work we performed, we always diligently and carefully gave them their due. Despite our negative view of the consultant's approach, disappointed as we were with the client's acceptance of that approach, we knew that, in the end, they would derive the longer-term benefit of at least having an improved process to guide their future decision-making.
It wasn't a matter of the consultant or the client being totally wrong, or us being totally right. The benefit the client derives will - one can only hope - solidify into something more solid and long-lasting. As for the sting we felt, we simply offered it up. It passed quickly.
We'll have more to say about all this next time...
Today we continue our discussion, beginning with the idea of keeping money in its proper place. Despite our need to make it, we can't let it dominate our lives. And here we're exhorted to put God's commandments in the front seat, and money in the back:
"More to be desired than gold and many precious stones: and sweeter than honey and the honeycomb. For thy servant keepeth them, and in keeping them there is great reward."
Money can certainly be a reward for good work. But what could be more important than the reward for keeping God's law? But don't just pay this lip service. Right off, let's remind ourselves that money - how much of it we make, save, invest, etc. - will be left behind when we reach our true reward: Heaven. We won't be needing it for basics and/or luxuries once we exit this world. Those of us who hold on to it with tight fists will find empty hands the moment after we take our last breath.
Fair enough. And yet, even if we have our priorities in order, we can't just ignore or even minimize the importance of money in this world of ours. Even the most spiritually ordered and disciplined of us has obligations and needs that only money can address. So it's not a matter of ignoring or eliminating the time we spend on money and our finances. Rather, it's something like this: The more organized and ordered you can be with your finances, the better chance you have of keeping money in its place. While we can't offer a complete run-down of best practices in managing your finances in the space of one blog post, here are some basics that likely can be applied in some way to most of us:
- Don't spend more than you make.
- Check your bank accounts at least once a week. Be certain your balances are adequate to meet any demands on your checking account (bills coming due, one-off expenses, etc.)
- That means you have some sort of budget that allows you to know you have enough money available to pay your bills on time.
- Set aside at least 5% of your income for savings and investments - for a start. Ideally this should be between 10% - 20%.
- Focus more on needs than wants when it comes to making purchases.
So how can this help you keep God's Commandments?
For one thing, keeping your finances in order means you don't need to spend as much time with them. Heading off nasty surprises, keeping a lid on chaos, feeling at least a modicum of assurance that you've got things running smoothly will free up intellectual and emotional energy to be used for other endeavors. And following God's Commandments should be at the top of the list. Let's look at how this works in the real world with an example drawn from work.
We fallen creatures do have a natural sense of good and bad, right and wrong, what's beautiful and worth our attention vs. what's ugly. But that natural sense needs sharpening. Not everything we encounter during day at work appears in "black and white" colors. In fact, there's lots of gray in a typical day. For example,
One of our larger clients hired a consultant to consolidate the various vendors they use, of which we were one. We were familiar with the consultant's work, and their process and typical recommendations. With this, we realized we would not fit into their typical scheme of organizing vendors. We could have easily argued that their standards applied to our work were misguided and unfair, that the due diligence process used was slanted and, frankly, not the wisest of all approaches. But we also knew: a) The consultant would not have been moved; b) The client had already committed resources to this consultant, in the belief they could help them clean house in an number of areas that needed cleaning. Our practical knowledge and business acumen helped us respond appropriately. We accepted our termination gracefully.
Of course, we weren't happy with this. The critique of our services - unfair as we thought it might be - did sting. And here's where our ongoing efforts to understand God's Commandments more deeply helped. We knew that the virtues of justice and prudence had always guided our efforts on behalf of our client: When it came to the work we performed, we always diligently and carefully gave them their due. Despite our negative view of the consultant's approach, disappointed as we were with the client's acceptance of that approach, we knew that, in the end, they would derive the longer-term benefit of at least having an improved process to guide their future decision-making.
It wasn't a matter of the consultant or the client being totally wrong, or us being totally right. The benefit the client derives will - one can only hope - solidify into something more solid and long-lasting. As for the sting we felt, we simply offered it up. It passed quickly.
We'll have more to say about all this next time...
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