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I'm on a mission this year. I see entirely too much of my pay checking going out the door each month to pay for utilities and necessities. With new and hefty expenses in my near future, I would prefer to trim all expenses down as much as possible. The problem is, everything is going ... up!
Take insurance for example. Our broker is no longer using the same insurance company, so our plans were all switched to a different company ... And our rates went up.
Next thing I notice is that our phone/internet plan is 10$ more than the previous month. I quickly looked over the bill, sure that there must be some kind of a long-distance charge or something like that, but no. It was our internet plan that had gone up.
And then there is the cost of food. We all know what inflation is doing that THAT! I remember when I could spend 100$ at the grocery store and go home with 10 bags. Now I barely have 1 bag for that same amount!
And then there is the price of gasoline ... Yes, no surprises that this one is on the list!
Of course there's also the water and sewage bill along with the gas and electricity bills…
How was I supposed to find the money to pay for the upcoming hefty monthly expense when everything just continued to go up in price???
My response?
I can’t cut out certain things, but I most certainly can try to save at the grocery store. I planted a garden to offset the cost of vegetables, and switched to a cheaper store.
I can also save on electricity. Here we sit, in the middle of a humid, southern Ontario summer, sweating under fans, going out in the hot sun to hang laundry, while our perfectly good air conditioner and cloths dryer sits unused.
I store rain water in rain barrels so that I don't have to use city water to water the garden. I only run the dishwasher and shower once every two days, I keep these as short as possible. I even turn off the tap while I lather my hands.
As I sit here typing this, I have sweat running down my face. The fans can't reach me where I sit at the computer, and later today when I go out to water the garden, I will toil under the hot sun carrying water from the rain barrels to throw on the garden!
“Crazy,” you say. Yes, perhaps. I have so many things that would make my life less complicated, but they remain unused because I want to save money...
This reminds me of yet another unused gift...
Jesus gave His life so that we could be saved: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16 NASB).
It is a free gift. All we have to do is reach out and accept it, or in Jesus' words, "be born again": "Jesus responded and said to him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.'” (John 3:3 NASB).
It sounds simple enough, doesn't it? Yet so many refuse to do so!
I mean, what about those who don’t know Jesus? Everything they need to be saved is at their fingertips, but they see no need of God.
Then there's the ones who don't feel worthy. They think that somehow they can work their way into heaven. The problem is, they don't understand Isaiah 64:4: "For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our wrongdoings, like the wind, take us away." (NASB). We forget Paul's words: "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9 NASB). Yes, salvation is at their fingertips, but they refuse to accept it.
Next we have the ones who prayed a prayer once and consider themselves to be saved; but they are not surrendered to God. They forget that God wants our obedience: "Behold, to obey is better than a sacrifice..." (1 Samuel 15:22 NASB). It isn't about saying we are Christians, it's about shouldering His cross: "And He was saying to them all, 'If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.'" (Luke 9:23 NASB).
Yes, my life could be a lot simpler and more comfortable if I would just use my dryer, my dishwasher, my garden hose, my air conditioner, etc., but I prefer to do it my own way. And so I struggle along with sweat running down my face... If I would just use the gifts I've been given... In the same way, the world also struggles along, headed down the road to hell. If only it would use the gift of Salvation that Jesus gave His life to give!
If you've never fully surrendered to Jesus Christ, then His gift is still there for you. And believe me, in the long run, it will make your life a lot easier! Worry, gone! Stress, a thing of the past! Fear, replaced by love! That trip to hell, replaced by a much better one to Heaven! Let us help you make that step, to actually use Jesus' ultimate gift! Just click here!
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart
Author, Moderator, Acting Director, Answers2Prayer Ministries
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