finances

Want to make a real difference but short on time?

While God does call some Christians to share the Gospel through overseas mission work, for many of us, our jobs, families, and other obligations can often prohibit us from having the time and freedom to make the type of difference we’d like.

The good news is: A lack of time doesn’t have to equal a lack of impact.

Sometimes, you just have to get creative -- or partner with others who are doing good work.

By donating to various Christian charities, you can join the cause to fight poverty, sickness, injustice, and more – all without leaving your house!

Whether you have a specific cause you want to support, you’re feeling inspired after reading a great Bible study on the topic, or you simply want to be a good steward of everything God has given you, here are 5 fantastic Christian charities worth supporting.

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The church was given a substantial gift of $100,000. But they weren’t yet sure how they should spend the money. Someone wisely recommended at least putting the money into savings in order to get some interest. That’s when the new pastor said it…

“Instead of putting it in savings with the low rate of return, why don’t we invest it in the stock market, it has a much better return…”

You’d have thought he was suggesting all the men in the room spit on their mother’s graves. How could the church invest the Lord’s money into the secular stock market? It was an appalling thought to them. But are they right? Should Christians invest in the stock market?

In this article I’ll try to present the best arguments for and against believers investing in the stock market, and then provide a conclusion.

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Cruze, the daughter of financial guru Dave Ramsey, like her dad, wants people to be wise with the resources God has given them.

Christians claim that our message leads people to become a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

One of the most misquoted scriptures is 1 Timothy 6:10: "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."

The way that we hear it, though, is simply, "Money is the root of all evil." That sounds like a very different story!

As someone who grew up in the church, surrounded by those who misused this verse, I've been made to believe that money is sinful and it is wrong to want more of it. But is that what this verse is actually saying?

The word for "love of money" is philargyria, which means avarice: extreme greed for money and material gain. I read that as the love of money for money's sake. The love of money simply for your own gain.

And then, later in the verse, the word for "eager" is oregō: "to stretch one's self out in order to touch or to grasp something, to reach after or desire something" or "to give one's self up to the love of money." Interestingly, the word oregō is used two other times in the New Testament to describe healthy things to long for – aspiring to be an overseer in the church and longing for a heavenly country.

So we can see that longing and desire in itself are not wrong. But it very much depends on what your heart is longing for. Is it for power, comfort, or security from worldly things? Or is it for God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven?

Both can require money! So, money in itself is not evil. It is a neutral source. But the spiritual impact of this source depends on how you use it.

As I'm processing my own beliefs around money, here are five ways I'm training my brain not to feel guilty about desiring money:

Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Romolo Tavani

A former vice president of the American Family Association is suing the conservative group, claiming he was fired after he reported allegations of sexual assault and financial irregularities.

A church in Joliet, Illinois, was ordered to return nearly $800,000 of donations following an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) into a donor for fraudulent practices.

The hit status of the Sound of Freedom has made the 6,678 individuals who invested in it a little richer.

In 1792, a group of New York bankers gathered by a famous tree on Wall Street and signed the landmark “Buttonwood Agreement.” Against a backdrop of speculation and deceit, the document signaled a return to openness, fair dealing, and integrity among New York’s financial sector. Eventually, the Buttonwood Agreement became the basis for the New York Stock Exchange. Today, corporate America faces a different crisis of values. 

Target’s loss of nearly $15 billion in market value since the start of a boycott over LGBT Pride merchandise has “woken” up other companies about the importance of staying away from controversial issues, says businessman Kevin O’Leary.