{"id":17706,"date":"2021-11-01T08:00:53","date_gmt":"2021-11-01T13:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/openbiblemessage.org\/?p=17706"},"modified":"2021-11-02T10:58:17","modified_gmt":"2021-11-02T15:58:17","slug":"my-journey-into-gods-economy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/openbiblemessage.org\/es\/2021\/11\/my-journey-into-gods-economy\/","title":{"rendered":"My Journey into God\u2019s Economy"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Brian Ehlers <\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n
God\u2019s loving patience was evident as He drew me from my economic construct into His. I grew up in a family of seven, with four older brothers. My dad was a depression era kid who knew how to pinch a penny, and my mom wasn\u2019t opposed to spending pennies being pinched. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
My dad would at times work two or three jobs, and after I started school, my mom always worked outside the home as well. We always had what we needed, but the financial worry in my household was evident. Research shows that financial issues are near the top of the list of marriage struggles, and that played out in my household. In that environment I pledged to myself from a young age that I was going to go to college, get a degree, and \u201cmake a lot of money!\u201d \u201cI\u201d was going to break free of the poverty mentality. \u201cI\u201d was going to be self-reliant. \u201cI\u201d was going to have more than enough. <\/p>\n\n\n\n(From left) Brian, Hannah, Abigail, and Darcy<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
When I was about 19, I was selling books door to door in the summer to earn money for college. I experienced one week when I hadn\u2019t sold many books, and I depended on those book deposits to have enough money for food. That Sunday afternoon, lying in the grass behind a motel, I had a personal encounter with God. I said, \u201cGod, I don\u2019t even know if you exist, but if you do, come into my life.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At that moment I felt a tingling sensation that started at the top of my head and filled me to the bottom of my feet and stopped. This Lutheran-raised boy didn\u2019t have any room in his theology for that. I got up and explained it away, saying, \u201cIt was the way the sun was shining on me.\u201d As far as I was concerned, nothing was going to get in the way of my goal of college and \u201clots of money.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
My dad was a depression era kid who knew how to pinch a penny, and my mom wasn\u2019t opposed to spending pennies being pinched. <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
I graduated\u00a0with a degree in finance\u00a0and began\u00a0my secular career. The Lord continued to patiently\u00a0coax\u00a0me into\u00a0a\u00a0relationship with Him.\u00a0As much as I tried, I could not deny the multiple divine interventions in my life, especially the one-on-one God encounter.\u00a0The first Sunday of\u00a0January\u00a01990,\u00a0at the age of 26,\u00a0I made Jesus\u00a0not only\u00a0my Savior,\u00a0but also my Lord.\u00a0The \u201cI\u201d\u00a0and\u00a0\u201cmine\u201d had to turn into \u201cHe\u201d\u00a0and\u00a0\u201cHis.\u201d Again, God patiently worked by His gentle\u00a0Spirit. I remember working my way up to giving $25\u00a0a week\u00a0to my church\u00a0and really patting myself on the back.\u00a0Then I\u00a0learned\u00a0about the tithe\u00a0(giving ten percent\u00a0of\u00a0one\u2019s income to the Lord\u2019s work), so I figured\u00a0that\u00a0out. By that\u00a0time,\u00a0I\u00a0was giving\u00a0nine\u00a0percent.\u00a0What\u2019s one more percent?<\/em>\u00a0I thought. Now I was really breaking my arm with self-congratulations.\u00a0I remember paying off a car at that time and then having this little talk with\u00a0my clever\u00a0self, \u201cWell,\u00a0I better go buy another\u00a0car and\u00a0acquire\u00a0a car payment or God might require more of \u2018my\u2019 money.\u201d So that is what I did. Thank God for His patience.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not long after the purchase of the new car, my pastor invited a traveling minister to come and speak to our church about \u201cfinancial freedom.\u201d The idea of getting out of debt really resonated with my spirit. \u201cOwe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law\u201d (Romans 13:8, NKJV). I took God\u2019s bait \u2013 hook, line, and sinker. I was inspired, all in. At that time, I had credit card debt, student loans, a car loan, and a mortgage. It wasn\u2019t a huge amount of dollars by today\u2019s standards, but to me it was a mountain. Nonetheless, I found that when you start doing things God\u2019s way, He gets involved. As I began to be obedient to Him, He blessed along the way. Here are a few examples of His blessing: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
God had been calling me to vocational ministry when the company I was working for was acquired. The sharing bonus and year of severance pay provided what I needed to do distance learning in theology and transition to ministry. <\/li>
While my future wife, Darcy, and I were making plans to get married, I voiced my desire for a part-time job that would meet our expenses. Soon after, I was asked to work part-time at Open Bible East at a rate that was just what we needed. <\/li>
For a time, I ministered as a full-time pastor at a salary that was only a fraction of what I made in the secular world. (This was possible because of our financial freedom.) Then I received a call from the company that had acquired my previous employer, informing me that they had been looking for me. They said, \u201cDid you know that you have some stock? The company is getting acquired and the stock has to be liquidated.\u201d My stunned response: \u201cUh, no.\u201d <\/li>
When Darcy and I adopted twin girls, we were fully prepared to pay all the involved costs. The only year that congress provided fully refundable credit of adoption expenses happened to be the year that we adopted. Even our travel expenses to Florida, where the girls were born, and back to Ohio, where we lived, were covered. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
I was a finance graduate who had to learn about God\u2019s economy. Wow, the freedom that comes with relying on God and not self is indescribable \u2013 as is the joy that fills the heart of the faithful steward of God\u2019s assets and the financial peace that comes as debt gets paid off. By God\u2019s grace I was able to climb out of debt in seven years. Even to this day, Darcy and I are thankful to have only a mortgage. I thank God that He patiently replaced a \u201cmake a lot of money!\u201d heart of stone with a pliable heart that could know the joy of generosity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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