How Others Are Impacted By Our Obedience
In Genesis 24:53, Abraham's servant met with Rebekah's father
, Bethuel, and brother, Laban, to discuss Rebekah's marriage to Abraham's son, Isaac. Bethuel and Laban agreed to allow Rebekah to become Isaac's bride.
As a symbol of his gratitude, Abraham's servant showered Rebekah and her family with gifts. This gesture reminded me of how others around us can be impacted by the choices we make in life.
Impacted for good
Many of the choices we make in our lives can lead to good results. A great job offer can lead to a lucrative salary. In turn, that allows us to provide our family with shelter, food, clothing, transportation.
It is also likely that our income will enable us to do some extra things for the ones we love. It may mean that we are able to provide a better quality of life for our families. Instead of renting a home or apartment, we may be able to purchase one.
Rather than eating at home every day, we may be able to go out for dinner sometimes. A larger income allows for some more expensive clothing brands. We may be able to buy a new, or newer, vehicle as opposed to an older used model.
The impact can also be negative
However, not all of our decisions have great results. We sometimes make poor financial decisions that end up hurting our families.
The consequence of being irresponsible or negligent on the job is being let go. Not having a job has the potential to deprive our families of not only some of the joys we love to shower on them, but also of some of the most basic needs.
We may also find that we are just not good stewards of the resources the God has given us. We spend money foolishly rather than budgeting and planning ahead. We buy on impulse, yet don't have money for emergencies. We run up credit cards and take loans when we can't afford to pay them off or to make the monthly payments.
We don't research our investment or purchase decisions carefully, choosing not to read the disclosures in fine print. We buy bigger and more than we need or can afford, whether it's a home, a car, or name-brand clothing.
Consider the consequences carefully
Part of being a good steward is making sure to take care of the families that God has entrusted to us. As mentioned in 1 Timothy 5:8, if we do not provide for our immediate families, we are considered worse than an unbeliever.
Just as God provides for our every need, He enables us to provide for our dependents. Are we making wise decisions with the resources God has provided? Have we considered how our spending habits will ultimately affect our families? Are the choices we decide to make doing more to stroke our own egos than they are doing to make life more comfortable for our loved ones?
Moving forward, let's be more considerate of how each financial decision that we encounter impacts us and those we love.
by: Ozeme J Bonnette
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