Moving Out For His Glory

So I just recently started renting an apartment. My parents own it and it is a good deal. But, I realized that life gets expensive quick. I have lived on my own before. I lived in a tent, an RV, peoples' couches, and even paid for an apartment for a year that I only stepped inside once(long story). So, this isn't new news to me. But, I want to make sure that I do it in a way that glorifies God. If you walk into my apartment, it would seem pretty barren. I have only a couple pieces of furniture that were loaned/given to me by some missionary friends. They were home on furlough living at my current apartment before I moved in, and left furniture for me to use. It actually looks like a homeless person found an abandoned apartment and spare keys and moved in. I have a bed, a night stand, one table, a coffee pot, a TV, some towels, and a stack of dirty clothes. I know I have the liberty of buying furniture and making it look a little nicer.
But, here is what I am trying to do; I want my apartment to be a picture of how in love with Christ I am. I have debt. I think it would honor God a whole lot more if I payed that debt off before spending money on stuff. It would honor God to pay my credit card bill and my medical bills before getting my own sofa or matching curtains. This applies to my car too. I am in desperate need of a car. I have a vehicle that I am currently driving that belongs to my uncle. It is such a blessing! In fact without it I would be riding a bicycle to work... but I have resolved to pay off as much debt as I possibly can before buying a car. And when I buy a car I do not need to get a nice shiny one that makes me look like a stud... I can get a neon, corolla, jetta, or civic. Basically, I want a car that can get me to Chicago to see my Ashley and get me to work. Nothing extravagant. I think it glorifies God a whole lot when our finances reflect our concern for his Kingdom. I want my checkbook to show that I spent a ton on His Bride (the Church). And, that I spent a ton on missions and evangelism and reaching out with the love of Christ.

I want to exhibit a war time lifestyle. A lifestyle that says that heaven and hell are in the balance. Peoples' souls are being fought over. The way I spend my money and energy is to advance the kingdom of God. Not to live in peace! Not to get comfortable while the world perishes around me! A couple people that have helped me see the immense value of this is John Piper and Francis Chan. Piper is the pastor of a large congregation in Minneapolis Minnesota. Chan is the pastor of a church in Simi Valley California. Both have chosen to receive very little compensation for their work in comparison to the culture surrounding them. In fact Piper lives in the poorest neighborhood in town. When he could easily receive a much higher salary and live in a safe and comfortable neighborhood. Chan has never taken a raise since he first took a significantly small salary from the church he planted 14 years ago. Now Chan is giving away an unprecedented amount away! Chan's church has committed to cutting expenses and giving away 50 percent of their income. They are taking the bible seriously when it says, "Love your neighbor as yourself." Whatever amount they spend on themselves they will match by giving to the community and mission organizations. Praise God for a church like that! Lastly, my friend Ralph Meloon has been an example to me. He is retired now but he has previously been Chairman of the Board of Correct Craft boats. His family started the company in the 20's and now it has become one of the leading ski boat manufacturers... He has been audited on several occasions by the IRS because he gives away the majority of his income every year!?! They are constantly pulling up his info and saying, "this can't be right! No one gives away this much of their income?!" I want to be like these men. I want my finances to point to the risen Christ saying, "He is my treasure! Not my possessions, not my comforts, but Him Alone!" Let me finish with this quote from pastor Piper about wartime lifestyle:

"I need to hear this message again and again because I slip into a peace time mind-set as certainly as rain falls down and flames go up. I am wired to love the same toys that the world loves. I start to fit in. I start to love what others love. I start to call earth "home." Before you know it, I am calling luxuries "needs" and using my money just the way unbelievers do. I begin to forget the war. I don't think much about people perishing. Missions and unreached peoples drop out of my mind. I stop dreaming about the triumphs of grace. I sink into a secular mind-set that looks first to what man can do, not what God can do. It is a terrible sickness. And I thank God for those that have forced me again and again towards a wartime mind-set." (Don't Waste Your Life page 112)