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For 30 years, Christian leader and spiritual adviser Billy Graham has been offering advice to the thousands of readers who share their problems ...
Read more about By Billy Graham, Tribune Media Services.
For 30 years, Christian leader and spiritual adviser Billy Graham has been offering advice to the thousands of readers who share their problems ...
Read more about By Billy Graham, Tribune Media Services.
Is My Stingy Uncle a Good Christian?
By Billy Graham, Tribune Media Services
Q: My uncle is very strict in his behavior -- no bad habits, no
dishonesty, no missing church, etc. But he's one of the stingiest
people I've ever met (although he's very successful). Even the people
who work for him don't get paid fairly. Is this the Christian way to
act? -- K.B.
A: Your uncle apparently wants to do what is right, and I hope you will respect him for the good things he does (and the bad things he avoids doing). The Bible tells us to "Avoid every kind of evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:22).
But your uncle may have overlooked one of the Bible's most important truths: When we come to Christ, He wants to become the ruler of every area of our lives -- including our money. From what you say, over the years your uncle has been very careful with his money, and this may be one reason for his success. Hard work and thrift aren't necessarily wrong; the Bible says that ants are "extremely wise" because "they store up their food in the summer" (Proverbs 30:24, 25).
But thrift can easily turn into greed -- and greed makes us stingy and grasping, and also causes us to be selfish and insensitive to the needs of others. Jesus said, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions" (Luke 12:15).
Pray for your uncle, that he will turn every area of his life over to Christ -- including his money. And if God opens the door for you to say something to him, express your concern about this. Most of all, make sure of your own relationship with Christ. Have you given your life to Him?
========
Send your queries to "My Answer," c/o Billy Graham, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, N.C., 28201; call 1-(877) 2-GRAHAM, or visit the Web site for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association: www.billygraham.org.
(c)2008 BILLY GRAHAM DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
This news arrived on: 07/29/2008
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Posted Comments:
07-31-2008 13:09
jbw wrote:
MAN LOOKS ON THE OUTWARD APPEARANCE BUT GOD LOOKS AT THE HEART OF MAN. ONLY JESUS CAN TRANSFORM A HEART AND A LIFE. THEREFORE, IF ANY MAN BE IN CHRIST HE S A NEW CREATION; OLD THINGS HAVE PASSED AWAY-ALL THINGS HAVE BECOME NEW. THE "LOVE" OF MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL, BUT WE ARE COMMANDED BY GOD TO BE GOOD STEWARDS OF OUR MONEY-WORKING-TITHING-RESPONSIBLE AND GIVING TO NEEDS. IT MAY APPEAR YOUR UNCLE IS STINGY, BUT CONSIDER HE COULD BE THRIFTY AND WISE WITH "HIS" MONEY THAT GOD HAS BLESSED HIM WITH.
07-29-2008 10:57
Granny Pam wrote:
Greedy Uncle
There may another way to look at this. Was your uncle brought up during the depression or was his family poor? It may be his way of trying to look to the future in case there is another depression, as we can see oil and food are getting out of range for many families. Maybe he is thinking he will have enough to take of him in case he has to go to a nursing home. My father and mother in law were very much like that. They came up through the depression and felt they needed to keep everything stored up for the future. By all means, do pray to our Heavenly Father for understanding. I do feel you may feel a bit left out. Proverbs tells us if we work hard and not be lazy we will have riches. This may well be the case with your uncle. Pray for "wisdom and understanding" for help in looking at your uncle in a different attitude. If you ask this with great sincereity the Holy Spirit will help you. God Bless You.
07-29-2008 09:15
Revmark wrote:
Greedy Uncle.
Also, it would be a good idea, to maybe talk to his pastor, confidentially, so that maybe he can talk to your uncle, because it is usually easier to hear certain things from your pastor, then it is to hear them from another family member.
The pastor will have more wisdom in talking to him on a spiritual level, only because it doesn't benefit him one way or the other about the issues that you raised.
The pastor will have more wisdom in talking to him on a spiritual level, only because it doesn't benefit him one way or the other about the issues that you raised.
07-29-2008 09:10
Revmark wrote:
Greedy Uncle.
Money seems to be one of the number one reasons for contention in families now. I see it more and more, there is the rich family member, and then the ones that have nothing but the very little that is just about enough to live on.
2 things have to happen here. Number one, you need to not focus on what he has, because it may not seem like it now, but the more you focus on it, the more you will become envious of it, because once Satan gets even the smallest seed of envy in there, he will build on it. The Bible says to not give place to the devil, Eph 4:27.
Number 2, pray for your uncle to see the way that Christ intended for him to be, and be an example to him of Christ, as well, because sometimes, all one needs to correct their ways, is an example of how they should be doing things. But do not approach him judgementally about it, if God opens the door for you to talk to him, and by all means, pray about it first as to what to say, and don't rehearse it in your mind, because we end up adding to what God shows us to say, thinking we are helping God.
Just tread lightly, because there is a fine line here, that when crossed can disrupt the whole family.
God Bless.
Revmark
2 things have to happen here. Number one, you need to not focus on what he has, because it may not seem like it now, but the more you focus on it, the more you will become envious of it, because once Satan gets even the smallest seed of envy in there, he will build on it. The Bible says to not give place to the devil, Eph 4:27.
Number 2, pray for your uncle to see the way that Christ intended for him to be, and be an example to him of Christ, as well, because sometimes, all one needs to correct their ways, is an example of how they should be doing things. But do not approach him judgementally about it, if God opens the door for you to talk to him, and by all means, pray about it first as to what to say, and don't rehearse it in your mind, because we end up adding to what God shows us to say, thinking we are helping God.
Just tread lightly, because there is a fine line here, that when crossed can disrupt the whole family.
God Bless.
Revmark
07-29-2008 07:41
Grandma wrote:
Billy Graham has a way of getting his message across so politely yet covering all angles. I respect him very much for this. However, I probably wouldn't be quite so polite. I suspect the writer with the question is maybe spending his/her own money too freely on unnecessary things and figures the uncle should hand some over because he's rich. Maybe the uncle has other plans for his money and doesn't want the younger one to squander it, at least not now. The uncle probably understands hard times and doing without, much better than his neice/nephew. I would hope he has a will, naming exactly who he wants to give his money to. If he is a good Christian, I believe he'll choose wisely and if he chooses to give it to a good cause or different charities, that's his choice.
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