Every Good and Perfect Gift

The Salvation Army you're listening to wonderful words of life. Welcome back on Bernie Dake for the Salvation Army's wonderful words of life and give a hearty welcome to our host Cheryl Gillam hey everyone, this is the week after Easter.

I trust you've had some good remembrances and good celebration as salvationist as Christians I think were Easter people as we are. Yes we are. He is risen he is risen indeed.

Well, as your listeners are always giving us great feedback, especially through our online survey. We love getting requests for specific topics to cover on the show this week we begin a new series on finance Very exciting and so the title that we've gone with for this series is called the hustle and I think it is so fitting, especially in the culture that we are in today. The neat thing for me is our mutual friend Maj. Mike Harris is giving us a perspective from his position as a Salvation Army finance secretary in the great state of Texas.

I know this can be a lot to hear from Mike but I want to say, particularly in response to the coded 19 pandemic that the Bible is pretty specific about worry. Philippians chapter 4 verses six and seven says do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition with Thanksgiving present your requests to God and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus you know I think the power to be honest I think finances has been one of the sticking point for me throughout my whole life in regards to just worrying right, but I think that for me that it's really been a discipline to do at this very Scripture says and that is to for salt to say I'm not in a partner with fear right and I'm gonna give it to God and I'm then asked for his wisdom and he's in his piece is gonna cover me because I've asked for it.

So now it's it's it's been a learning journey, but it's been one that I have found if I base myself if I base my life on Scripture and I do it it says in the truth of God's word is really gonna transcend men. So throughout this series will be sharing some resources that we think will be helpful to many of our listeners and so make sure to follow the Salvation Army's sound cast on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are prayer for the series is that it can be sort of a reset button for how we view our finances. If you're stressed out about money. I pray the series can offer you a sigh of relief. This week my care starts officers by reminding us where our blessings come from in the first place.

Will Mike. It is a privilege to welcome you to our audience that wonderful words of life.

Ladies and gentlemen please meet my friend Maj. Mike Harris Mike you you are stationed in Texas, but your accent betrays you. You are not from there though. My home is a Coventry, England which belief you you established on the history is where the Shirley family came from install to the Salvation Army Philadelphia will in America if you will. So so that's my home very proud to be a country kid as we say the globe in the states 2090 is no man well I'm glad that you're here your role in Texas now is our divisional finance secretary and you oversee a number of very important aspects to Salvation Army's ministry.

Can you just explain that in brief to our audience.

Yeah so basically that the Foreign Secretary sits pretty as the representative of the division commander in all things financial, so that pertains to every Salvation Army church cool unit.

What if we want coolant so I encourage the ministers the officers of the Army in the in the stewardship if you will, as well as trying to manage things had heckled his level, but the truth is it was surrounded by people go, since I weigh the work for the Salvation Army and undo very very good job of filling in the many gaps the light that I leaf through the end of the day. My job is to be a spiritual representative on the financial side, men will like your job this week as well. Throughout the series is to really help us understand more about finances from a biblical perspective and a great place to start. Per your suggestion is talking about every good gift coming from the father above yeah social interesting role.

I have a buddy, you know, ordained ministry in this, the Salvation Army, so, so when you cost into the so the financial world as I am with financial Sec. The natural approach always is biblical and the Bible talks about stewardship and stewardship duties created believe in the in the woods of God through the pages of the Bible so so the basis of everything that we believe as Christians is face soap so stewardship has to start with faith and we we see that again through Scripture we see in Matthew chapter 6, you know, it talks about the consider the wildflowers. They don't labor spin. Even Solomon in all the splendor was dressed like one of these you know that the emphasis of faith and a belief that God is given is everything that we need is the foundation but we also in this world where we see practical things is necessary so it's a case of navigating. I think the world we live in.

In light of this biblical sense of faith in you.

You have practical opportunities to talk about faith with your team, your you oversee all of the finances for the state of Texas as an example, but you're not a financier you're not someone that's just doling out money or your helping people control their funds account for their funds, distribute as necessary, to all the good that we do in the community.

I want to help our listeners understand really the scope of your role in why you bring such expertise to us as as the listener yeah will raise the scope of what I do is is to try and help people to to be better stewards of the resources given to the mostly people I'm talking about. Again, salvation on offices, ordained ministers, the that on different communities that are trying to to continue the ministry and the work of the Salvation Army which can be hampered limited by the resources that come their way. So you little Salvation Army's that are struggling right now because they should be don't have the money to do the ministry and I see my role, but in the middle of this is to try and release them of the book.

So for instance if is a course of action on the cool church out there that sin debt and and sometimes a debt she's to headquarters to to the office I sitting I'm saying to offices.

Don't worry about the old debt.

Don't worry about that skill set that on the balance sheets can additionally be there so people in a moment to call you and say you only X amount of money from his posture. Let's start from where were at. Let's start from this point forward in trying keep ourselves above water because all and try do is release the button the great burden that comes with that there really is little more about that going forward, but instead rely on faith and and his his his something I believe with all my heart.

If we honor God by doing what is called us to do in buddy the salvationist a foundation of basis, everything that we believe is based upon the salvation of the soul. We believe that the wolf of Christ. We sing yeah you know so if we are true to that, and true to the cooling of the reason the foundation was brought into existence. We have to believe, therefore, that God will provide a point. I think I want to get everybody to include myself. Yeah and heat you know God in Scripture we read about how God cares for the birds and the lilies, and even those that all of the grass in the field, but how much more does he care for something that he created in his own likeness. Yeah, and it's is an amazing thing and and again if you if you look at this from the point of view of of God being a father. You know we we been adopted through Jesus Christ into this this most remarkable family where God is our father and as a father. The father's role in many ways is to provide to provide for his children, and in this case you got the skull that can count has on our heads down for so much easier than a friend and but but but he knows that Henry has on a heads, and he's promised promised us that he will provide for us, but I guilty parties trying to provide for ourselves and that's where this this this this is this the difficulty comes. I guess in trying to figure out your witty what it means to have faith while at the same time building under ourselves a foundation based on money based on property based on things like faith, it's a very interesting conversation to have with us. Faith again and where does self-reliance and their interesting conversation to have not don't that I never want to take Scripture out of context but were we are so used to using it as a sense of encouragement and and and some of the message notes that you sent us. You use Jeremiah 2911 for I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord fence to prosper you not to harm you, plans for a hope and a future that doesn't mean prosperity gospel in a sense you know were not promising you a future without any sort of financial burden or obligation. But you have a passionate response to that kind of idea do I do when I want to give you different would to prosper possibly come from the NIV you think you find if you look at the King James, the wood piece is there instead and and if you think about prospering very quickly and in our minds that living here in the West we think of prospering as an prospering, financially prospering you with things with with assets but can you think of anything greater than piece we just at that piece we we we we search off the things of the world to give us peace, but you never going to be satisfied. You always want a bit more. That doesn't bring peace to truth, prospering in a way is in the patient and that is of the King James uses that would like think like to think of it, will that way because for me. Bernie the baby people that disagree the cilia. If you a prosperity gospel mindset out there. I don't believe that a tool yeah I think it's very contrary, following a Savior who was homeless and as best as I can tell, have no true source of revenue.

Yeah, who rely from one town to the next on the generosity of a family that might take them in and giving some of the sleep and so much to eat. If I'm following that Jesus in Scripture tells me to them prosperity as we look at it as an accumulation of wealth has no true places not to me. A biblical principle but again we live in the society this world and even there.

I say this country where the accumulation of wealth is seen as a form of blessing, so maybe that's the word that we should be playing with is the will blessing your what is what is a real blessing in the Old Testament. It did appear to be the accumulation of wealth we see Abraham was blessed.

We see Job is blessed of all that he did, but the New Testament gives blessing is a different thing, it's that piece it's it's something that God bestows upon you that's great or anything we could accumulate here on earth and man was a good start to our first in this series with you as our guest and my guy. I hope that our listeners are getting something from us.

If nothing else first. That God is the creator of peace. A man and he created us to love him and to worship him and to trust him. Yes, you talk about faith already in this episode, I can't wait to see what you have for us in the weeks to come. Think the Salvation Army's mission doing the most good means helping people with material and spiritual needs. You become a part of this mission every time you give to the Salvation Army visit Salvation Army USA.org to offer your support and we would love to hear from you. Email us at radio@uss.salvationarmy.org or call 1-800-229-9965 or write us at PO Box 29972, Atlanta, GA 30359 20 contact us will send you our gift for this series is totally free for listeners like you, one per household, while supplies last. You can also subscribe to our show on iTunes or your favorite podcast store and be sure to give us a rating. Just search for wonderful words of life. Follow us on social media for the latest episode extended interviews and more. And if you don't have a church home.

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