Day 9 - Thursday, January 9
Neal Norton
Finances and Stewardship

Jehovah, I proclaim to You all honor and glory and power. All the heavens and earth belong to You, and they exalt You. Riches and honor come from You, and You are the ruler over everything. 

Thank You, Father, for the Bible. It contains all of the financial wisdom we need. You are the author of financial wisdom; none compare to You! You inspired 2,350 verses about money, twice as much as You said about faith and prayer combined. Christ spent a significant amount of His time on this subject. 

We commit to understanding Your wisdom regarding money, possessions, and eternity. 

I’m humbled by how much You have blessed me. Compared to global standards, my family is rich, but all of it belongs to You. We just hold it for a little while. 

Help us to remember there are no independent financial decisions, that every spending decision is a spiritual decision. We pray that how we spend money draws us closer to You, not away from You. Help us manage our money, energy, and time to bring You glory and expand Your Kingdom. 

Father, money and materialism have become gods in our culture. Guard our hearts from putting materialism before You. I pray that we will remember Christ’s words: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” 

Solomon warned us of the dangers of indebtedness, that the “borrower is a servant to the lender” Give us wisdom with managing debt in a way that is pleasing to You. We live in an instant gratification world. When desire for something new comes, give us discernment and discipline, such as delaying 30 days to see if the need or urge is still there. 

Father, guide the steps of parents with young children as they teach their children how to be good managers of Your money. I pray that their children learn to be selfless and generous for Your Glory. And I pray that their children seek Your way of handling money and material possessions. 

I’m thankful for the open hearts and hands of our Garden Ridge community. What an encouragement it is for a community of Your children to be so dedicated to selfless giving to expand Your Kingdom! Continue to give each of us generous hearts to give whenever there is a need. 

To You, O Lord, we bestow honor and glory and power. 

Thank You for Christ our Savior! 

Amen.