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Do you suffer from insecurity? Do you feel that maybe you got the short end of the stick when it comes to financial well-being? Do you feel that everyone has it better than you?
Well this is the post for you.
Scripture: Matthew 7:1 -Judge not, that ye be not judged.2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
In our scripture, Matthew is explaining the problem with judging others. We usually assume it is in poor taste because of what it does to the other person.
But what is it doing to you?
And this judgement can be good or bad.
Just because you judge someone favorably doesn’t mean that it can not have a negative effect on you. That is where we get comments such as:
“She is gorgeous, I could never look like that.”
or
"He is muscular, I’m so out of shape."
You see how by us judging someone else by their looks, we are also judging ourselves?
Matthew doesn’t distinguish between who is doing the judging. What I get from this scripture is if you just allow things to be what they are, it will give you the freedom to be who you are.
The same for your finances. If you are judging the growth of someone else’s portfolio by the Alpha, which is the amount of excess return above a given benchmark, then you will judge your portfolio that way as well.
Now, Alpha is a good way to judge performance in a portfolio, but it is not the only way to determine success. It is very narrow and doesn’t take into consideration that you may not need to take that much risk in order to be successful.
So when it comes to your finances, you want to compare apples to apples, and oranges to oranges. Compare your finances to how happy you are in your life.
Happiness, faith, love, and quality of life...these are qualities we want to be measured by.
In business we call them KPIs or key performance indicators.
What are your key performance indicators for your life?
How do you know if life is going well or not for you?!
Different companies have different KPIs that they track and the combination of those metrics are unique to that company.
So once again, what mix of KPIs are you using?
Is it increased net worth, lower liabilities, debt management, real estate acquisitions, vacations taken, or your gifting strategy?
What is it?
If you don’t know. Today, take some time and reflect on your finances and figure out what are the things you need to be financial secure and focus on those things. And remember not to judge yourself or others.
There is a difference between tracking your finances and judging your finances.
As a financial advisors, I don’t judge people’s finances right or wrong, I only track them and give them the reality of their situation as benchmarked against their goals. '
Track! Don’t Judge!
Prayer: Lord, please remove the mentality of judgement from my heart. Allow me to have the freedom to live in peace as I give others that same freedom. To be who they want to be. Lord, allow me to look at my finances without judgement, so I can grow in prosperity and in faith.
Thank you for reading!
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About the blog:
Many Christians struggle with the seemingly conflicting views about our faith and the pursuit of financial gain. They were taught that poverty was piety and that a lack of money was the only way to truly detach themselves from the love of money. Our blog debunks some of those claims, teaches you that you can be rich and righteous, and at the same time fulfill your obligation to tithe and give to the less fortunate. We are dedicated to helping you become cheerful givers by organizing your personal finances, providing investment tips to help you create wealth, and encouraging you to create a gifting strategy that will make your family and God proud.
Meet the Author:
A.B. Ridgeway, MBA (info@abrwealthmanagement.com) is the owner and Christian Financial Advisor with A.B. Ridgeway Wealth Management. With a decade in the finance industry, his goal is to give believers clarity around the most confusing topic in the Bible, money, and tithing. A.B. Ridgeway helps tithing Christians become cheerful givers but unlocking their money-making potential, so they can prosper and be the great stewards of the wealth God has entrusted them with.
This communication is not intended as an offer or solicitation to buy, hold or sell any financial instrument or investment advisory services. Any information provided has been obtained from sources considered reliable, but we do not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of any description of securities, markets or developments mentioned. This is strictly for information purposes. We recommend you speak with a professional financial advisor.