My youngest daughter's birthday is coming up next week, we visited a local fast-food restaurant for a treat. It's been a long time since actually ENTERING a fast-food restaurant and it was interesting to me evaluating what I like and didn't like about the experience.

What I enjoyed the most was the special time one-on-one with my daughter. She loved every moment of it. Her commentary was adorable as she commented about everything she saw.

A Most Valuable Gift

As parents, the most valuable gift we can give our children is our time. I have to be honest, it's an expensive gift. But it's worth it. We could be a wealthier family, if I had a 9 - 5 office job, or onsite job, a job that required 40 hours of devotion. For many, work becomes a religion, as if all prosperity comes from their own hands.

It is true that labor is required to bring about blessings:

You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands
You shall be blessed and it shall be well with you.
Psalm 128:1-2

But the sort of labor I desire to engage in is raising my children uprightly. I desire the fruit of righteousness from the labor of my hands, that things may be well and we may be blessed.

Godly Offspring

How does raising children pay the bills? It doesn't. It's costly in many ways. But it is still worth it. God has always supplied a path in both walking in His ways and in raising Godly offspring.

The LORD made them one, having a portion of the Spirit. And why one? Because He seeks godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit and do not break faith with the wife of your youth. Malachi 2:15

Knowing that God "seeks Godly offspring", He will provide the means of accomplishing this, if we are faithful in all our dealings. I believe that if abundance is cut off, that means there are issues in faith that must be addressed.

Neither Rich, Nor Poor

If God desires every father with children to leave home for the office to make money, God would have said He was seeking "wealthy offspring". But instead Yeshua said:

"Woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort." Luke 6:24

We have received our comfort, although we are not rich. But by some standards, we are extremely rich. Is God teaching us a lesson? Will what little wealth we have be taken away from us?

This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’ This is how it will be for anyone who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:21

We must be rich towards God, storing treasures in Heaven, devoting ourselves to His ways, teaching our children - lest when our lives are required we will have nothing deposited in Heaven and find ourselves destitute. It is best to be neither rich, nor poor, but grateful for our daily bread:

Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the bread that is my portion. Otherwise, I may have too much and deny You, saying, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, profaning the name of my God. Proverbs 30:8-9

Applying the Commandment: Do not Be Anxious

We are commanded to not worry about what we will eat, what we will drink, what we will wear - and by extension, how we will pay the bills. But this isn't an unconditional commandment, in addition to the command "do not be anxious" we are also commanded to "seek first the Reign of God and His Righteousness".

Seek first the Reign of God and His Righteousness and all these will be added unto you. Matthew 6:33

How does seeking the Reign and Righteousness of God first pay the bills? I see it the other way around - by seeking the mammon of this world and forsaking seeking God first, then we will cleave unto the mammon and we will be consumed with mammon. But if we seek God first and His righteousness, then we will cleave unto God and be consumed with God. When we do this, our minds will be guarded with the peace of God and blessings will overtake us.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

The inverse applies also, if we allow ourselves to become anxious and obsessed in worldly things, forsaking God, the curse will overtake us.

Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Deuteronomy 30:19

Does anxiety bring about death? Yes it does. Does worrying about serving mammon bring about a cures? Yup. But also does living by faith bring about life! Seeking the Righteousness of God and practicing righteousness brings about blessings!

The one who sows to please his flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Galatians 6:7

May we sow to please the Spirit, forsaking the flesh, and reap Life and Blessings, free from anxiety and full of the peace of God!

IF we seek first the Reign of God and His Righteousness, we will be neither rich nor poor, we will have Godly offspring, we will be rich towards God. We will have our daily bread and God will bless the work of our hands for His glory.

Joy in the Small Things

We do what we can manage working from home with limited income. But financials aside, having time available for personal interactions with my children and my wife is something that cannot translate into dollars. Our family enjoys something that billionaires could only dream of - family time together in love and harmony.

We see the fruit of the harvest when our children show care and compassion towards one another. Like when my 2-year old gives my daughter a ride on the tractor around the house.

This is the fruit of the spirit: love and kindness towards one another.

Bless the Most High!

Teach Your Children Liberty from Sin

We encourage parents to teach their children principles of Godliness, beginning with the Word and an understanding who God is and what His Son has done to form a relationship with us.

No one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, his workmanship will be evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man’s work. 1 Corinthians 3:11-13

Teach Your children Liberty from Tyranny

Second to this is the principle of self-determination and freedom, lest we loose the ability to teach our children the first principle in future generations.

Our children read the Tuttle Twin books, specifically to learn libertarian principles, which most people learn later in life. These books are useful for our family, and yours, to teach children concepts that seem complicated, but are made simple in these books. I am an affiliate for Libertas Publishing, your purchase will help our family grow financially.

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"Politicians like problems because they can claim to have solutions... but their solutions often create even more problems."