Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “The fear of not having enough”
Our Bible verse for today: “So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the idolaters eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” Matthew 6:31-33 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Stop living in fear of not having enough.”
Some years ago a middle-aged woman came to me for counseling. Her family was struggling in many ways, but especially financially, and she was therefore worried about their financial security and the future. I found their situation slightly inexplicable because for one thing, we live in one of the lowest cost-of-living regions in the nation. But for another thing, her family income was more than $100,000 and therefore they should have been doing just fine. But I’ll never forget her comment to me about that. She said, “$100,000 doesn’t go as far as you might think it would.” So she was worried about finances.
In another case I received a phone call from a fifty-something woman who lives in another part of the country. I had known her and her husband for decades. She too was having family problems and again one of their biggest issues revolved around finances. In their case both husband and wife were accomplished professionals with six figure incomes. Their $450,000 home was paid for. Their savings and investments approached $1,000,000, and both of them had assured retirement income that would combine to provide them with a six figure income in retirement. But still, the husband was deeply concerned that they did not have enough savings, investments, and retirement income to really be secure and he was obsessing about it to the point of anxiety and marital strife.
I’ve always found it amazing that although we live in the most affluent nation in the world, the fear of not having enough is pervasive in our society and spans the spectrum of income brackets. Because it is such a big problem, I’ve done a lot of preaching, teaching, and writing about this over the years. In one recent survey of millionaires, seventy-eight percent of those with $1,000,000 or more in assets admitted that they still worried about their financial future and thought they needed to have at least twice as much as they do have in order to feel secure.
God recently brought to my attention a wonderful little book on this subject and I have decided to share some of its lessons with you. The book is “The God Guarantee: Finding Freedom from the Fear of Not Having Enough” by Jack Alexander. The book is insightful and very helpful and I highly recommend it to you.
Throughout the month I will draw on some of the lessons and themes Jack brings out in his book, combined with my own insights and experiences, and together we will learn more about this fear of not having enough and how to stop it.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 