Genuine Love

Today’s Scripture…
17 As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. 19 But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.'”
20 “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”
21 Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 At this the man’s face fell, and he went away very sad, for he had many possessions. 23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!”   Mark 10:17-23 (NLT)

Devotional Thought…
Genuine… a word that means the “real deal.”  When you are blessed to meet someone who is genuine, it is a breath of fresh air.  It is always nice to be with someone who isn’t pretending to be something they are not.

Today’s passage tells us the story of a wealthy man who had a genuine question.  He really wanted to know what he needed to do to secure his place with the Lord.  He had been taught all the rules and regulations of being a good person, and had done a decent job of following the rules.  Yet he knew something was not right, and he came to Jesus to get His perspective on it all.
Jesus knew that this man’s actions didn’t really line up with what he really worshipped. 

It is interesting to note what the Bible says Jesus was feeling on the inside about this man.  Even though the man was a conflicted, spiritual mess, the Bible says Jesus felt genuine love for him.  It was from this “genuine love” that Jesus spoke, and helped the man see that his “doing good deeds” was never going to be able to get him eternal life.  Eternal life comes as we lay down all of our sin, our striving, and our stuff and follow Jesus Christ.  Through Jesus we receive genuine forgiveness and find the genuine purpose for our existence.

Today’s scripture gives us some great truths to meditate on…

Jesus genuinely loves you.  In a world where more times than not people love us because of our performance, we can be tricked into thinking that Jesus’ love operates the same way.  But that is a HUGE lie, for Jesus loves us to death (John 15:13).  He loves us in spite of our conflicted-ness and even in spite of our unwillingness to change.  Have you ever just been still before the Lord and thanked Him for his genuine love for you?  …His love not based on performance?  …His love despite your mistakes?

The rich man missed out, because instead of running to genuine love, he ran back to his first love… his wealth.  As we enter into this study on financial peace, the Lord may lovingly make you aware of specific things you need to do to come follow Him fully.  Have you ever ask God to show you ANYTHING in your life that is keeping you from following Him?  If you will genuinely ask, He will show you!  (Jeremiah 33:3)

Kingdom Focused!

Flora M. Kynard, author of
Prosperity Renewal: 14 Biblical Principles for True Financial Freedom
info@prosperityrenewal.org
www.prosperityrenewal.org
Excerpt from DAILY DEVOS, a ministry of First Baptist Church of Allen, Texas.  We would love to hear how God is using this ministry to help you find and take your next steps with God.

As lending requirements tighten even for the most responsible consumers credit scores are becoming increasingly more important. In order to get a loan these days, a consumer’s score not only needs to be healthy, it needs to be in fighting form.

Today, a FICO credit score of 750 or higher is considered the gold standard among lenders, says Ben Woolsey, director of marketing and consumer research at CreditCards.com, whereas in the past borrowers with scores of 720 or higher could land the best rates (FICO scores range between 300 and 850).

Banks are only lending to people with stellar credit and I think that will continue for some years, says Linda Sherry, spokeswoman for consumer advocacy group Consumer Action.

Those whose score falls well below this all-important 750 level can expect to hit some hurdles. They may have a harder time getting decent rates on a mortgage or student loan.

The problem is there are all sort of ways your score can get decimated and we’re not just talking about an overdue bill. Some strikes come unexpectedly and the damage is done before you know it. To prevent any surprises, here are five not-so-obvious ways your credit score can get tarnished:

Too Many Inquiries

Each time a lender looks into your credit history, the credit agencies take note. If too many creditors start dipping into your file within a certain timeframe — say six months to a year — it starts to have a negative impact on your credit score, explains Gerri Detweiler, credit advisor for Credit.com.

The problem here is that consumers don’t always realize when their credit is checked. If, for example, you shop for a new cellphone plan, the service provider will typically check your credit report and use the information in its decision to sign you up. Most utilities, including cable providers, fall into this category, as do (surprisingly) car-rental agencies. An inquiry shows on your credit report and can degrade your score if you actively sought out the credit relationship; inquiries made unsolicitedly (like when you receive a credit-card offer in the mail) won’t hurt your score, says Craig Watts, spokesman for Fair Isaac.

Similarly, when shopping for a mortgage or auto loan, Sherry advises that consumers apply for loans within a 30-day period. The FICO scoring model recognizes that if you go out to six car dealerships within two or three weeks and they all pull your credit, it’s seen as shopping for one car, not six, says Sherry. But if you visit six different dealerships over a span of several months, it might look like you’re shopping for six cars. You want to take your time but not too much, she says.

Small, Unpaid Debts

Believe it or not, that parking ticket you put off paying can come back to haunt you. The same things goes for the movie you returned a week late to Blockbuster and the book you borrowed from the library in 1999. After a certain period of time has passed, some cities will turn a bunch of unpaid debts over to a collection agency. The agency pursues the overdue amounts, and when a collection agency record shows up on your credit report, it will absolutely hammer your credit score, says Watts.

Store Credit Cards

Landing a 15% discount on that new winter coat — just for signing up for a Banana Republic store card — can be really tempting. The problem, though, comes when the collection of cards in your wallet look like the store directory at the mall. All those cards for individual retailers means you have a lot of open lines of credit, which the credit bureaus tend to view as potential trouble, especially when the cards aren’t affiliated with a national provider such as MasterCard or Visa, says Woolsey. The negative impact on your credit score will most likely outweigh those one-time discounts at the store, he says, not to mention that APRs on retail cards can reach as high as 26%.

Authorized Users

Whether it’s to make sure their college-age son or daughter can access emergency funds or pay for a hotel room over spring break, many parents add a child to their credit-card accounts as an “authorized user.” This means the principal cardholder (in this case, let’s say the mother) allows her son to use the account, but does not hold him responsible for making the payments. For the most part, it’s a win-win situation for the son. He not only gets to put pizzas for his friends on the family plastic, he also gets the added benefit of building up his short credit history. But if Mom is late paying the bill even one time, her credit score will drop and so will her son’s, says Watts.

Name Changes

Something as innocuous as a middle initial can impact your credit score for the worse. Say you’re known as Jenny E. Smith on your credit report. You apply for new credit one day and drop the E, or decide to go with Jennifer instead (or you take your husbands name). The credit bureau will create a separate file for you even though Jenny E. Smith and Jenny Smith both live at the same address, says Watts. To prevent these kinds of errors from spoiling your credit score, notify your creditors and the credit bureaus of any name change, says Watts, and make sure they understand you’re the same person.

*excerpt from October 20, 2008 article by Lisa Scherzer at SmartMoney.com. All Rights Reserved.