We’re recently started a new series called “reset”.  In the first week, we talked about how Jesus makes it possible to reset all of life, giving us a fresh start in life that impacts every key area.  We’re going to look at many of these in depth, and this week we see how Jesus resets our use of money.

Have you ever dramatically changed your priorities around money?

Some examples would be at the birth of a child – people usually budget for fewer restaurant meals, and more diapers.  Suddenly RESPs and life insurance all become more important.

On news of a serious Illness, if one’s future earnings are suddenly in doubt, spending priorities change.  Or in a recession, when jobs are being lost, and investments are losing money.

On a nicer note, getting a new job can mean a new budget with less debt, and some important expenses finally covered.

There are many more examples, not always tragic, but following that usual pattern.  New priorities in life get reflected in how we spend our financial resources.

Sometimes we realize it should have been this way all along, and have our eyes opened.  We look back now at some financial choices in our past, and realize we were being short-sighted, lazy, cheap or any number of other missteps.

Sometimes we should have known better at the time, other times we couldn’t have known better, just lack of experience and wisdom.

Following Jesus is meant to be that kind of moment where you completely reassess, reset life, including finances.

Quote: Our chequebooks and appointment books say as much about our faith as our prayerbooks.

Question: What kind of life event would make you completely reassess your finances?

Read the Bible in Sync Today

Ryan Sim - January 16, 2014

Thursday - Act On It - Reset

Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Jesus is describing how he pushes the reset button in life. He uses imagery that sounds like baptism. Baptism is when someone is washed with water, to show on the outside what God is doing on the inside, washing away the sin from our hearts. When adults are baptized by becoming fully immersed, one can plainly see the imagery of them having died to sin, and then rising out of the waters to new life. We are baptizing our first RTC member this February. It will be her reset moment. Looking back on her life, she says this represents a new beginning. In the Christianity 101 course, we illustrate the life of faith with a line with markings at 0, 50 and 100. Whether we’ve run as far from God as possible, stayed close, or jumped around – what matters most is where you go from there. Will you move closer to God by following Jesus, or run away? The 50 point is when someone decides to do this intentionally, and although that moment is important and has a real impact, there are many moments to follow when the Holy Spirit transforms a Christian’s life. New decisions, directions and priorities all come with time and relationship with God through the Holy Spirit. In this series we’re going to look at a number of ways a “reset” life is different from before. Specifically: Reset: Goals Reset: Time Reset: Money Reset: Work Reset: Body & Food Reset: Sex & Marriage Reset: Family Reset: Compassion Reset: Nature Reset: Society Reset: Death Challenge: If you’d like to reset life, here are some steps to consider. Take our live Christianity 101 in the Cafe Course in Pickering starting next week to explore the first steps. Consider being baptized, to show on the outside the reset that has taken place inside. Just get in touch with Ryan if you’re interested! Reminder: Coffee hours are tonight at 7:30pm at Starbucks in the Ajax Chapters Store. See you there! Reminder: We are reading the Bible in sync as one community - so check out today's reading here. Reminder: The best way to grow spiritually this year is to join our Christianity 101 in the Cafe Course in Pickering starting January 22nd. Register for you and a friend today!

From Series: "Reset"

When our computers get bogged down and unmanageable, we know to hit a reset button to simply start over. Wouldn't a reset button be great in life? We know it would be complicated, with all our responsibilities and routines to consider, but imagine the freedom and refreshment of a new start in life! What would you do differently? What would you pay more attention to, and what would you ignore? How would you avoid getting bogged down and broken again? The great news is, in coming to earth as Jesus Christ, God has begun to "reset" our universe, our world, and even us. We're invited to start over with him, in what he calls his kingdom. We're invited to start a new life with a clean slate. What gets wiped clean, and lived differently, when God resets our lives? We'll explore how God resets these key areas of our lives: Reset: Goals Reset: Time Reset: Money Reset: Work Reset: Body & Food Reset: Sex & Marriage Reset: Family Reset: Compassion Reset: Nature Reset: Society Reset: Death Join us for the next several weeks, and invite God to reset your life.

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