Wednesday September 29, 2010

Speaker: Ben Sigman

Theme: What I Said Yes To

Weekend Music links on iTunes: Let the Praises Ring - Lincoln Brewster, Run - Hillsong - Jesus Culture, Let God Arise - Chris Tomlin, How He Loves - David Crowder

Read: Matthew 7:24-27, 1 Corinthians 7:28, Matthew 19:4-6 

Think: This week, Pastor Ben talked about marriage dreams that turn into expectations, dreams like princess weddings. He also mentioned that unrealistic expectations make love difficult. As young people start their lives out together setting realistic expectations will influence successful marriages. Let’s say: 

The average price of a wedding is $18K to $30K

The average price of a college education is $20K to $60K

The average starting salary of a college graduate is $48K

It will take 6 years at $700 per month to pay off $38,000 @10% interest

It will take 50 years at $700 per month to pay off $90,000 @ 10% interest 

The cost of weddings is going up, the cost of college education is going up and the average starting salary of a college graduate is going down. In these economic times the expectations that television (Say Yes to the Dress), media (over 50 wedding magazines) and peers put on young people considering marriage are unrealistic. One of the leading causes of divorce is financial problems, so building a marriage on a foundation of substantial debt is dangerous. 

God talks about the foundations we build on in Matthew 7:24-27.  We need to figure out how to build on bedrock so that the troubles that Paul predicted in 1 Corinthians 7:28 will not cause our houses to fall. 

God asks us to enter a holy contract in Matthew 19:4-6 and in signing up for this contract we need to give ourselves the best chance we can to fulfill it. 

Do: If you are considering marriage or just need to check the foundations of your life, sign up for financial counseling or the Dave Ramsey course at Timberlake. Have someone work with you to align your dreams with your reality.

Pray:  Lord, help me seek out and understand Your priorities for my life and lay those down as my foundation.

The eDevotional is written each week by a team of volunteers from Timberlake Church.

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