What we value most will dictate our life and our lifestyle. We need to put God first in our life, then give our family priority over our work. If we value our job and what others think of us more than God, we will easily compromise, but if we have the right identity in Christ and value our relationship with God first, there will definitely be some non-negotiables in our lives.
Once the family nucleus begins to disintegrate, the rest will also crumble with it, and no amount of money will be able to restore it, and if your job robs you of your quiet time, Sunday worship, and fellowship with the saints, then you need to ask if that is a job that God really wants you to have.
If our security is in Christ, we will not fear losing our job. Someone might ask what if they lose their job by placing too much emphasis on their family. It is more important to live a balanced life and one that is blessed holistically anyway. Our job security should be founded in God alone, where we trust Him to provide.
The act of tithing is a form of worship as well as a paradigm shift to trust in God rather than in man. It helps to break our reliance on self and our job. It is easy to say that our trust and faith is in God, but action is a step of faith and an outward expression of an inward conviction.
The economy will change and company will restructure, but God never changes. We must come to a point of surrender because whoever is our master will dictate our lives, and we will not be able to live out the Christian life with its values and principles if money is our master.
Only if God is our source of provision and our master can we truly follow God and pursue godliness.
Sermon: Affluenza
身份与价值观
路加福音16：13一个仆人不能事奉两个主，不是恶这个爱那个，就是重这个轻那个。你们不能又事奉 神，又事奉玛门。”
作为基督徒，如果我们要真正为基督而活，就必须理清生活中的身份和价值观，这一点很重要，因为这样我们就能比较容易作出正确的决定，以抵挡那些导致我们与世界妥协的诱惑。
我们所最重视的将决定我们的生活和生活方式。 我们必需将上帝放在生命的首位，然后将家庭放在工作之上。如果我们看待工作及他人对我们的看法超乎上帝之上，我们就会轻易妥协，但如果我们在基督里有正确的身份，并优先珍惜与上帝的关系，那么我们的生命中肯定会有一些没得商量的东西。
一旦家庭核心开始瓦解，其余的也将随之分崩离析，再多的金钱也买不回，如果你的工作侵占了你的灵修时间、主日崇拜以及与圣徒的团契，那么你需要问问这是否是神真心希望你拥有的工作。
如果我们的安全感在基督里，我们就不会害怕失去工作。 有人可能会问，如果他们因过分强调家庭而丢掉工作该怎么办？ 更为重要的是要保持一种均衡的生活，那种能带来整全祝福的生活。 我们的工作保障应该单单以上帝为根基，我们相信祂的供应。
十一奉献的行为是敬拜的一种，也是将信心从人那里转移到神那里的一个范例。 它有助于打破我们对自我和工作的依赖。口头宣称我们对上帝的信赖和信心是容易的，而实际行动却需要踏出信心的一步，是内心信念的外在流露。
经济会变化，公司会重组，但上帝永远不会改变。 我们必须来到一个屈服的临界点，因为我们认谁为主人，谁就能支配我们的生命，而如果金钱是我们的主人，我们将无法以基督徒的价值观来活出基督徒的生命和原则。
唯有当上帝是我们的供应者和主人时，我们才能真正跟随上帝并追求敬虔。
讲章系列：富贵病 – “现代文明富裕症”