Author Archives: The Practical Chick

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About The Practical Chick

Heir of Salvation. Pastor's Wife. Wealth Manager. Photo Enthusiast. Practical Chick.

How Deep is Your Love?

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Dear Choosy Lover,

Ever been so enamored with someone that you just can’t imagine your life without them? Before the advent of text messaging and other social media, I can recall a time when two teens in love would chat on the phone in a conversation similar to this:

BOY: I love you.

GIRL: I love you, too.

BOY: I love you three!

GIRL: I love you forever!

And on, and on, and on they would go for hours. Then they’d both fall asleep on the phone because neither one of them wanted to be the first to hang up. Don’t front- you know you did it too! 😀

Remember that? That crazy love? That deep love? The type of love that would have you going to the ends of the earth just to make the other person smile? And then, at some point, something changes. Something goes wrong. The love you once knew doesn’t seem quite the same any more. What happened? Who changed? I bet God is asking the same question about some of you reading this post. How deep is your love for Him?

If you really want to know, you can simply look at your relationship towards the Church. The Church is the Body of Christ, and Christ is the head (Colossians 1:18). How can you truly love the Lord, and not love His Body? How can you accept part of Him and not all of Him? Let’s be honest- you can’t. There seems to be varying degrees of love and commitment to Christ- different relationship statuses, if you will. I have narrowed down these status levels into 4 main categories: Single-Minded, Superficial, Shacking, and Submitted. Let’s examine each, shall we?

Single-Minded

These are the folks who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, but aren’t looking for commitment. If they join a church, it’s out of temporary guilt/emotion, rather than a deep longing to grow in the Lord. They’re dating Jesus. They come to church when it’s beneficial for them: when they’re lonely or in need of a pick-me-up, or to receive freebies (counseling, back-to-school supplies, turkey baskets at Thanksgiving, etc). These folks are your spiritual gold-diggers. They take, take, take, and rarely give anything back to God. They have no relationship with Him. Nope. They’re just dating. They enjoy occasional quickies with Jesus. Not looking for anything serious. They just want to “enjoy” Him and “have fun”.

Superficial 

You know them well- they tout the Bible (in a carrying case, of course), shout on cue, blast their favorite Gospel radio station while at work, and share their testimony everywhere they go. They’re members of a local church and some of them are even faithful in returning the tithe. They’re in what I like to call the “loopy” stage (this can last for up 2 years- which is ironically about the same time most folks tend to “fall out of love” with someone. Go figure!). They’re “in love with Jesus”. They’ll do anything for Him- until the feelings wear off or until something goes wrong. Some may call them the “Shallow Saints”. At some point, some stop putting the effort into going to church. It’s no longer a priority. Others are simply ready to jump ship at the first sign of trouble. They say things like, “I just don’t feel the same anymore. I don’t think I’m growing here. I’m not being fed. Something’s changed.” As a result, they go from one church to another (or just stop going to church altogether) until that loving feeling wears off again. Sadly, they don’t see that it’s not the church.  It’s their shady level of commitment when things aren’t going their way. They can easily be mistaken for “Super Saints” but they really just have a superficial relationship with Christ. They soon begin to proclaim,

“I don’t need to go to Church. I have the Church in my heart. I am the Church. That’s why I’m spiritual, not religious.”

(Oh, give me a break!). Their relationship status suddenly changes from “Taken” to “It’s Complicated”.

Shacking

These Saints appear to have it all together. They faithfully return the tithe and attend Service and Bible Study. They enjoy praising the Lord. They also enjoy making it a point to tell everyone else how to live their life. They think they’re doing the church a favor by being a member. They’re kind of, well, self-righteous. Shacking Saints are really good at nagging and complaining about everything in their church, but rarely do anything to contribute spiritually to its growth. Some would consider them “holier than thou”, or “deep Saints”. They’re clothed in pride, draped in judgement, and naked of repentance. Truth be told, they’re just shacking with Jesus. They attend church religiously without relationship. They’ve been playing the role for so long, they’re now comfortably stuck. A higher level of commitment would take them too far out of their comfort zone. Oh sure- they trust God… just not enough to relinquish full control of their life to Him. They’re reaping all of the physical benefits of the relationship, but none of the intimate benefits (spiritual growth). These Shacking Saints aren’t whole in Christ. He’s just their “better half”.

Submitted

These folks are truly souled out for Christ. Their relationship with Jesus extends far beyond Sunday Morning Worship Service. They don’t just follow Christ- they live for Him. They go IN during Praise and Worship. They contribute cheerfully to the expenses of the church and the relief of the poor. They engage in regular spiritual intimacy (prayer). They are true servants and disciples of Christ. They’re ministry involvement is an act of worship. Like a submitted wife to her husband, these Saints willfully submit to Jesus because He gave the ultimate sacrifice for them. Jesus is the center of their joy. Their love runs deep for Him and His anointing overflows on them. They don’t profess to be perfect; they just want God’s perfect will for their life. Fully submitted and fully committed- that’s what they are.

Sacrificed

John 3:16 is a perfect example of God’s love for us: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Now, that’s some deep love! How deep is your love for Him? No need in lying- your track record with church is a pretty good indication, and He already knows where you stand anyway! Give Him the courtesy of keeping it real. Confess your willful disobedience. Submit to a fully committed relationship with Christ. The longer you run from His loving arms, the longer you miss out on the splendor of His Majesty in your life. He knows everything (yes, EVERYTHING) about you, and loves you nonetheless.

You have an ongoing date with Jesus. Will you show up next time? There is a well-balanced spiritual meal prepared for you each week. Your Pastor sets the table and invites you to feast on the Word of God. You can study the Bible on your own all you want, but it’s just not the same as receiving the Word from the Man or Woman of God who has been trained and anointed to give you the spiritual nourishment you need. How could you not partake in the Sacrifice that has been prepared just for you? Don’t you know your own spiritual development is dependent on it?

Jesus gave His all for you. Isn’t it about time you stopped giving Him your leftovers? Allow Him to court you. It’s time for a deeper relationship, don’t you think?

Practically Yours,

~The Practical Chick

Savings Survival Guide

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Dear Financially Famished,

A lack of cash in your savings account can lead to a decline in your overall financial health. Not good. Here’s some more food for thought…

Studies show that the average American only saves 2-5% of their gross annual salary. For an individual earning $40,000/year, this equates to an annual savings of just $800-$2,000. That’s pretty pathetic. What will you do if you’re laid off (which isn’t too unlikely in this economy)? What if the car breaks down? What if you have sudden, unexpected medical expenses? What will you do when you have no emergency fund to fund your emergencies? Oh, let me guess- you’ll go into debt.

Genesis 41:1-36 is an excellent illustration of the importance of saving. Joseph interpreted Pharoah’s dream as a foreshadowing of famine. He instructed Pharaoh to save 20% of all the grain during Egypt’s 7 years of abundance so they would survive the impending 7 years of famine. What a novel idea! Imagine how much more peace you would have in your life if you used your years of abundance to prepare for life’s imminent emergencies. NEWSFLASH: We will all experience  droughts in our life every now and then. Will you be prepared or will you panic under pressure? You must start living beneath your means if you want to get your head above water. Proverbs 27:12 says,

A sensible man watches for problems ahead and prepares to meet them. The simpleton never looks, and suffers the consequences.”

Which one are you?

Six to nine months worth of your expenses is a very nice cushion to have in your cash reserves. The best way to build this emergency fund is by saving a percentage of your gross income- ideally, 10%. If you can’t start there, try saving 5% of your gross paycheck, and work your way up. Start somewhere or you’ll go nowhere.

Here are some other practical tips for building your cash reserves:

1. Don‘t wait until all your debt is paid off before you start saving money. Yes, you will one day be debt free, but you also won’t have a cash reserve. So, what will you do when you have another emergency? Yep, you guessed it- you’ll go right back into debt. Break that cycle of bondage and start saving money today!

2. Save systematically. Begin saving a specific percentage of each paycheck and do this automatically (either through direct deposit from your paycheck or via systematic withdrawal from your checking account on each payday). Small pills are much easier to swallow. Before you know it, you’ll have a chest of medicine to treat your famished finances when times get hard.

3. Cash is king! Cash reserves should be just that- cash reserves! Stocks, mutual funds, annuities, IRA’s, employer-sponsored retirement plans, etc., are not savings vehicles; they’re investments/investment vehicles. You must save in a liquid, readily available account that is not taxed/penalized when funds are withdrawn. Credit cards, home equity loans/lines of credit, payday loans, personal loans, student loan refunds, etc., are not cash reserves either; they’re debt instruments. Your savings account must earn you interest, not charge you interest!

4. Save for feast and famine! Save for emergencies as well as the stuff you have feasted your eyes upon: a house, car, vacation, wedding, etc. These funds should be held in a separate savings account so you don’t exhaust your cash reserves when you’re ready to make your purchase. Yes, you must plan ahead for these expenses as well!

For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he may have enough to finish it; lest perhaps, after he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish, all those seeing begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build and was not able to finish.” (Luke 14:28-30)

5. Set a goal, stick to it, and monitor your progress. How much would you like to have in your savings account by this time next year? Now break that goal into quarterly goals and monitor your progress along the way. If you find yourself getting off track, you’ll be able to make adjustments in your spending before things get out of hand. And by all means, write it down! You are much more likely to reach a goal if you simply write it down. Write the vision and make it plain!

A well-fed savings account will create a storehouse of resources to help you survive life’s emergencies. Follow the steps outlined above and you’ll be well on your way towards financial fitness. Here’s the bottom line: if you don’t save for your future, you’ll bankrupt your future. Time for your dollars to start making sense.

Practically Yours,

~The Practical Chick