5. Financial blessing
“You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth,…” Deuteronomy 8:18
As much hard work as it has been, it is such a joy to know that God blessed us with a house debt free. He has enabled us to honor the no-debt rule for our family. I know this is not true for every family but we are grateful God has provided and protected us from debt as we have desired and obeyed His direction for our family only by the power of the Spirit and His Perfect provision. All credit goes to the Lord!
When we looked at our finances and how we would like our future home to be used for His Kingdom, it seemed impossible to make it a reality as we were doing house hunting. Everything was either out of our range of affordability or not the type of house we would like to own. We were so amazed (still are amazed) by the timing of God’s provision of this “cash buyer only” house. God used the house seeking period to prepare us to make a quick decision when needed. We greatly appreciate our home, though it needed a “complete rehab” (learn more about the house here).
In case you are in doubt: Yes, it is possible to buy a house with cash! I share this to give hope. We are by no standard rich in this world. I am a full-time mom and my husband works at a community college part time. We desire to work together as a family team for God’s Kingdom full time. We see every work God led us to, not just as means of financial support for the family needs, but also tools to expand His Kingdom. We are grateful God led us to homeschool, to various ministries, to teach ESL, to a home-based business,etc.. Our life is simple yet rich with much chaos in between. God has different plans and assignments for His children. The point is to use what we have to spread Good News (Read more about Biblical Tentmaking).
We desire to advance His Kingdom through a God-centered family. God has blessed us with time to seek Him and rethink our life together, as we were looking at job options when we arrived America from China, with four suitcases and a baby on the way in 2010 (a brief look at our journey here). God provided abundantly! We are grateful for each day to store our treasure above. We are also grateful for the company we work with which provides people what they need for their health through wholefood, while also helping them with finances, and opening many opportunities to invest into people’s lives. The vision for eternity has given me daily courage to walk in faith rather than fear, especially when I feel we are swimming upstream against many streams.
Before we had kids, we were both teachers (a.k.a., not a high-paying job). We lived simply on one income not just to be frugal but to avoid feeling stuck with a double income lifestyle. After kids entered our lives, we learned more creative ways to save money in many DIY projects, purchased second-hand appliances, or graciously received many hand-me-downs, etc.. Living within our means teaches us to receive everything with gratitude and be creative with our resources. We are pushed closer as a family as we share many things (including a family vehicle) and activities together. We also learn to wait, wait on God’s timing in His perfect provision. It’s fun to look around the house and know there are so many of His stories in big and small items.
Practicing stewardship requires a lot of skill. The growing needs of my family push me to turn to the Lord for help constantly in equipping me with more homemaking and communication skills. I trust the Lord always equips us for whatever assignments He has called us to. We are still in the process of working on a budget for a variable income family and God-honoring principles in meal planning. Let us know if you have any good suggestions to share in those areas. We would love to hear from you!
We are not trying to be minimalists but do want to be faithful stewards of the Lord’s provisions. We have found Dave Ramsey’s “Financial Peace University” is a great place to start to get our finances under God’s control. After all, we don’t own anything. We are blessed to learn this valuable lesson along with our boys. “Where our treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21)” So, where are you investing your treasure? Where is your heart? We need faith from the Lord to invest visible treasure into the invisible Kingdom. One day, that Kingdom, the perfect Kingdom will come!! Lord, search my heart in my giving, and increase my faith in sacrificial giving for You and Your Kingdom! Thank you for your blood for paying all of my debts! I am truly debt free only because of YOU!
3rd Culture Living 