Can Understanding a Savings Account Help Us be Closer to God?
The last article was “How should we live?” It asked, “How do we live out this Christian walk and respond to God’s grace?” This article will focus on one aspect of that walk. Growth.
As in the common saying, God accepts us as we are, but doesn’t want us to stay the way he found us. How do we know that? II Peter 3:18 tells us to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”. Also, we can see an expectation of maturing as Christians when Romans 5:12 talks about milk vs. solid food. The whole chapter of 1 Corinthians 8 revolves around different groups of Christians that don’t have the same knowledge or understanding about food offered to idols, and then covers how to protect individuals in the local church while maintaining unity. Those groups are not at the same level of growth, but they are all Christian brothers and sisters.
Clearly, we need to grow. What practical principles will help us grow? Let’s look at something very familiar to us.
Do you have a savings account? Did you know that compound interest has been called the 8th wonder of the world? Why?
Because small amounts deposited over a long time can produce something much larger than expected.
For example, putting $25 per month for 40 years in a cookie jar will amass $12,000. But, if that money is earning 8% interest, it will become $87,857 – much larger than $12,000.
Small choices or actions can do the same thing in your life. They do need to be thoughtfully made and consistently repeated. But individually, they are small choices. Like the small regular deposits.
A choice, a thought, or an action that is repeated – either on purpose or unconsciously - produces what? A habit!
Habits allow us to overcome inconvenience or a lack of motivation. Habits can reduce our mental burden and free us to focus on more important things. Or habits can keep us in a rut of mindless repetition.
Choices and habits can build us up or tear us down. So, we need to be careful to repeatedly make good choices so that we build helpful habits.
Habits can create default actions. When those actions have a moral component, habits can mold character.
Where does that action start? Where does the choice come from? From what you think!
That’s why we need to focus on things that are pure, holy, and uplifting. Philippians 4:8 says it like this: “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
We renew our minds (Romans 12:2) to avoid being like the world. We seek to “have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16) in us and be guided by the Spirit. We “take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5)
The blessings, the trust, and the opportunities created by good thoughts, good choices, good habits, and good character are like the interest mentioned above that builds up over time to be much more than we could do by ourselves.
I hope the savings account example was useful. You may want to think through similar parallels to savings accounts, like in exercising and farming. All three require consistent choices over a decently long time and can have outsized results.
Go make good choices.
As in the common saying, God accepts us as we are, but doesn’t want us to stay the way he found us. How do we know that? II Peter 3:18 tells us to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”. Also, we can see an expectation of maturing as Christians when Romans 5:12 talks about milk vs. solid food. The whole chapter of 1 Corinthians 8 revolves around different groups of Christians that don’t have the same knowledge or understanding about food offered to idols, and then covers how to protect individuals in the local church while maintaining unity. Those groups are not at the same level of growth, but they are all Christian brothers and sisters.
Clearly, we need to grow. What practical principles will help us grow? Let’s look at something very familiar to us.
Do you have a savings account? Did you know that compound interest has been called the 8th wonder of the world? Why?
Because small amounts deposited over a long time can produce something much larger than expected.
For example, putting $25 per month for 40 years in a cookie jar will amass $12,000. But, if that money is earning 8% interest, it will become $87,857 – much larger than $12,000.
Small choices or actions can do the same thing in your life. They do need to be thoughtfully made and consistently repeated. But individually, they are small choices. Like the small regular deposits.
A choice, a thought, or an action that is repeated – either on purpose or unconsciously - produces what? A habit!
Habits allow us to overcome inconvenience or a lack of motivation. Habits can reduce our mental burden and free us to focus on more important things. Or habits can keep us in a rut of mindless repetition.
Choices and habits can build us up or tear us down. So, we need to be careful to repeatedly make good choices so that we build helpful habits.
Habits can create default actions. When those actions have a moral component, habits can mold character.
Where does that action start? Where does the choice come from? From what you think!
That’s why we need to focus on things that are pure, holy, and uplifting. Philippians 4:8 says it like this: “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
We renew our minds (Romans 12:2) to avoid being like the world. We seek to “have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16) in us and be guided by the Spirit. We “take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5)
The blessings, the trust, and the opportunities created by good thoughts, good choices, good habits, and good character are like the interest mentioned above that builds up over time to be much more than we could do by ourselves.
I hope the savings account example was useful. You may want to think through similar parallels to savings accounts, like in exercising and farming. All three require consistent choices over a decently long time and can have outsized results.
Go make good choices.
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