Children who receive an allowance often still do not learn how to handle money. What is missing?

Frequently the allowance is not about money at all. The allowance is frequently used as a club or a carrot to produce compliance or to get the child to do what the adult wants him/her to do. Almost every day I hear a parent say to a child, “If you don’t do your homework (or your chores, etc.), you’re not going to get your allowance. The only good thing about this statement is that the child has been warned.

Poor management of the financial side of life is one of the main causes of personal stress and discomfort as well as being a big part of family strain and disharmony. Additionally, good stewardship cannot be effectively and joyfully practiced unless good financial management principles are an integral part of one’s lifestyle.

When an adult does not understand and practice sound financial management, the cause can usually be traced to not having been taught these principles as a child.

So the adult who wants to prepare a child for this very basic part of life will do well to see that they teach and train their child how to manage money.

These are the reasons that I’ve developed THE 5 POINT PLAN TO TEACH CHILDREN FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT. My purpose is not to add more to your already overloaded life. I believe that when you implement this plan you will find that you have become solution focused, will have more time and energy to invest in relationships and you will have reduced your stress level. I also believe that you will experience the benefits of living with a more cooperative child.

Don’t let this opportunity pass to simplify your life while at the same time laying the groundwork for your child’s future successes.

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Lowell E. Becker, M.D.

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His Yoke

In Matthew chapter 11, Jesus knows that John is isolated and wavering in his faith and simply reminds John's disciples to remember the miracles and the preaching of the gospel as confirmation that He is the Messiah. Jesus then goes on to authenticate the ministry of John the Baptist. Confronting His listeners with not repenting when hearing John preach, Jesus reminds them of their lack of repentance in the cities where He performed most of His mighty works. He censured and reproached them. Compared them unfavorably to Tyre, Sidon and Sodom! Judgment is the certain consequence for lack of repentance.

Abruptly Jesus changes focus. He prays audibly to His Father. Thanks Him for hiding truth from the wise, clever and learned (Amplified). Truth is revealed to the childish, untaught and unskilled (Amplified), and to those who know just how needy they are. What happens then? One of those very subtle and nearly imperceptible transitions that when realized, becomes a "WOW!" or "AHA" moment in Bible study.

Jesus very smoothly goes on to do what He says that only He can do. He deliberately chooses to reveal the heart and mind of God. "Come" is God's invitation. The overburdened are offered rest. Soul refreshment. GRACE. Mercy. Peace. God's way. Not man's self-centered way of rules and regulations, physical bearing and pomp, but by GRACE. "For by GRACE are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast", Ephesians 2:8,9, KJV. Further emphasis that salvation and peace with God is first and foremost God-centered comes from the Old Testament, where we read in Isaiah 43:25, "He blots out our transgressions for His own sake", KJV.

The rabbis used the word "yoke" for school. In this passage, Jesus was contrasting what was taught in the rabbis school with what He was teaching in His school. The school where God reveals Himself through Jesus is where we learn about GRACE, to know God and find soul rest. Further, this school is wholesome (useful, good) not harsh, hard, sharp or pressing, but comfortable, gracious and pleasant; (Amplified). The textbook in this school is God's Word to us, the Bible.

Jesus goes on to say that His burden is light and His yoke is easy, [due in no small part that we can "cast our cares on Him" (1 Peter 5:7, Psalms 55:22], in contrast to that of the Pharisees with all of their burdensome impossible-to-keep rules and regulations with the emphasis on the external. His burden is light and His yoke is easy because He has paid in full the price for us to be reconciled to God. GRACE. Nothing less, nothing more. Further we read in Romans 5:1,2 that justification is by faith and in Romans 8:1,2 that there is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. KJV.

This indeed is good news!

Lowell E. Becker, M.D.

NEEDINESS Revisited

Every person is needy, whether recognized as such or not. We all need food. We all need clothing. We all need shelter. And if we are to Function According to God's Creative Design, we need to be involved in Life Long Learning, Serving Others in Love and developing Relationships. (See Living According to God's Creative Design in the Family Resource Library.

I have often pondered the question, "Why is it that so many apparently seem so satisfied with so little?". So little not in terms of material possessions or status in life, but so little in being satisfied with shallowness of life and relationships. I am increasingly convinced that lack of awareness, denial or misidentification of personal neediness is playing a prominent role.

Neediness, according to many is the equivalent of weakness. In today's world, self sufficiency, independence, "do it yourself", self-reliance and emphasis on personal strengths, skills and abilities are all prominently featured and highly promoted. These concepts contain elements of truth. However, without the perspective of a Biblical world-view, the result will be belief systems that are inaccurate, incomplete and distorted. Such belief systems unfailingly form the foundation for thinking and behavior that is unbalanced, narrow and unfulfilling resulting in attenpts to please others. In both the short and the long term, the end result is to blunt, deny or hide our personal neediness.

The mind is the battleground where today's real wars are being fought.

The Bible tells us in Romans 12:2, "Adapt yourselves no longer to the pattern of this present world, but let your minds be remade and your whole nature thus transformed. Then you will be able to discern the will of God, and to know what is good, acceptable, and perfect" New English Bible.

The above verse tells us to let our minds be remade. The truth of the Scriptures is not only redemptive but also is regenerative (remaking our minds), setting us us free and making it possible to no longer adapt ourselves to the pattern of this present world.

Jesus said in John 8:31, 32, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. Again in John 8:36, "So if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed". NIV

Free! Free to no longer be bound by the world's view. Free to "let our minds be remade and to have our whole nature transformed by the truth of the Scriptures".

Free to be needy.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled" Matthew 5:6 NIV. Neediness experienced and expressed as hunger and thirst. In this section of Matthew, commonly referred to as the Beatitudes, Jesus taught his disciples that not only was neediness acceptable, but also was central to His provision for us in this present life and untimately to our reward in heaven.

In daily life, claiming that we really don't need God serves to distance ourselves from Him. However, acknowledging our dependence on God is an expression of personal neediness and allows us to draw closer to Him and Him to us.

The following Scriptures relate to this:

"Yet I am poor and needy; come quickly to me O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay". Psalms 70:5 NIV.

"Does the clay say to the potter, What are you making?" Isaiah 45:9b NIV.

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing". John 15:5 NIV.

"Not that we are comptent to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God". 2 Corinthians 3:5 NIV.

Yes, indeed. Free to be needy.

First, a word of caution and then a word of encouragement:

A word of caution: Let us be careful to follow Biblical principles and teaching as to neediness so that we don't become sidetracked by developing concepts of neediness that are man centered. The neediness that we've been talking about has been divinely placed in us so that we will seek Him and will be divinely satisfied so that we will praise Him.

A word of encouragement: God is waiting to generously and lovingly fulfill His promises to us, so as we become aware of our neediness, let us move promptly and joyfully to receive His provision. "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus". Philippians 4:19 KJV.

Lowell E. Becker, M.D.

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THE PAST, THE PRESENT, THE FUTURE

THE 3 L's X 3 + 1

LEARN from the past, then LET GO and LEAVE it. The past cannot be changed. Experiencing God's forgiveness positions us to forgive others and ourselves, making it possible to LET GO, and LEAVE the negatives of the past. Then we can LIVE in the present and LOOK forward to the future. (The default is to languish in the past because not to decide is to decide to stay stuck in the past). The way to leave the past is by living in the present and looking forward to the future.

LIVE in the present by LOOKING for opportunities to LEARN and LEAD. Opportunities, including those that are disguised as problems, come our way every day. Welcomed or not, they are God's provision to initiate the process whereby we are prompted to invite Him to enter our daily lives, live in His presence, seek His wisdom and allow Him to demonstrate His grace, power and love. Let every opportunity be a learning experience and become a stronger leader by serving others in love.

LOOK forward to the future by LOCATING the prize and LEANING in that direction. The prize relates not to the temporal, but to the eternal. We can lean in that direction by developing a Divine Perspective on life, where the things that are most important to God become most important to us.

Lowell E. Becker, M.D.

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GOD PROVIDES

GOD PROVIDES ACCORDING TO:

• His sovereign will. Psalms 33:10-11; Psalms 115:3; Isaiah 46:9-10; Job 42:2
• What will advance His kingdom. Matthew 6:10
• What will glorify Him. Philippians 4:20
• His supply. Philippians 4:19
• His timing. Ecclesiastes 3:1,17
• What is for our good. Jeremiah 29:11
• Our acknowledged neediness. Jeremiah 33:3; Matthew 5:6

Lowell E. Becker, M.D.

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