January 23
23When Jesus saw, He told His disciples, “I am telling you truly that it is difficult for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24But I am telling you again, it is easier for a beam to enter into the eye of a needle than for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:23-24, The Original Gospels)
Happy Monday my friends and family! I hope that you had a blessed week. I had a busy week playing Army for the last five days. Switching gears now to try to figure out a normal schedule so I can sit down and share my thoughts with y’all on here.
Did y’all make any New Year’s Resolutions? How are those going for you? This week marks three weeks complete in 2023. Some studies show that it takes three weeks is an important milestone to build a new habit. So if you were able to wake up early everyday for the last three weeks and either read the Bible, or do a quick workout, by this time it should have rewired your brain and body to start craving those new normals. Habits can either be really good, or really bad. I am trying to build much healthier habits this year. The only one I have been able to establish so far is to stay off social media. That has opened up a little more free time in my schedule, but I am beginning to notice that I am still on my phone. Now I am spending more time reading the current news, or researching something I feel I need to learn. iPhone’s have this amazing feature called “Screen Time” which gives you an honest picture of how much time you spend with your phone open. My weekly screen time continues to hover around three hours a day, which is still a lot to me. I would like to get to the point where I am spending only an hour a day with my phone in my hand.
But enough about me. How are your resolutions going? Did you have any goals in 2023 to improve your finances? In the verses above, taken from Professor Mark A. Dumdei’s “The Original Gospels” translation, we read how Jesus feels about wealth. According to Professor Dumdei, the text originally read “gamela” which is translated as “heavy rope”or “camel”. Professor Dumdei writes that the original Greek translation is “heavy rope” (Dumdei, Mark. “The Original Gospels” pg. 36). I bring this up because I have personally sat through sermons when the Pastor stands at his pulpit and attempts to sway the truth of Jesus’ words, that being wealthy is perfectly fine in the eyes of Jesus. I have written about this misguided translation before, and how dangerous it is, especially for us Americans, as we find comfort and excess in one of the wealthiest nations in the world. Make no mistake, Jesus draws a clear line in the sand on where the wealthy will find their place in eternity. With great wealth comes enormous responsibilities and even greater opportunities to bless those all around you. Mrs. Z and I are attempting to become financially free in 2023. That is not so that we will have more money to buy things, or take extravagant vacations. We are seeking to become financially free so we can do more with the money we make to help others around us. I pray that the same spirit of generosity infects many in America this year.
I will leave you all with one of my favorite new music releases from this past week. This is a powerful new anthem from the extremely talented Ms. Katy Nicole. May many blessings befall you in the coming week. May Jesus step down and allow His presence to protect you and lead you into great things. May God continue to Bless You All.
Common Sense Reborn 