Thursday, November 13, 2008 at 12:00

$17.00 - paid debt to Edmond Li for a book, turkey, and ribs.

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There’s an parable in the Bible about the dishonest manager. It’s from Luke 16.

16:1 He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

“The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.

If worldly men can be shrewed in their dealings with money, how much more should we, as Christians, be wise about our relationship with money. If we cannot be faithful with the money we have now, how can we be trusted with eternal riches? I think the explicit mention of how the Pharisees were lovers of money shows the destructive nature of money. If all of our time, energy, and passions are bent toward the accumulation of wealth, it will be no surprise when self-righteousness takes deep root.

One of the reasons why I’m starting this log of my expenses is to see where I’m spending my money. I don’t want to be a Pharisee¹, a lover of money, but rather, I want to recognize the sovereignty of God in all aspects of my life by living in such a way that gives glory to God and gives good to others. I have about $150 a month as a living allowance, but I don’t feel like I’ve been making the best use of the resources given to me. It’s not mine in the first place. As a steward, when I give my account to the Lord, will I be ashamed of the way that I have spent the resources given to me?

How do you budget your money? What comes as a priority?

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Wednesday, November 12, 2008 at 2:45

$16.82 - some groceries - chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, pecans, blackberries, steak, bacon, and a box of Triscuits.

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There was a first-year dinner this past Sunday hosted by the fourth-years.

I made a roast chicken (covered with bacon while baking, of course!) and some butterscotch chocolate chip cookies.

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Saturday, November 8, 2008 at 3:49

$13.37 - Some extra supplies for nacho night. 1 block of old cheddar cheese, 5 cans of juice, 1 package of 50 plastic cups, and 1 can of Arizona iced tea.

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The story: It was last year when we had our first macho night¹. It was just Kelvin, Kevin, Calvin, and I, eating chips and talking about life, I think. We realized that it’d be nice to have a context for guys to hang out, have fun, and hopefully start or develop friendships all together. Tonight’s Macho Night was the first one of the year, smaller than before, but still very satisfying.

I’ve been thinking about submission in Ephesians 5:22-33. The tenderhearted and sacrificial quality of the man’s love for his wife is clearly evident; a man is not and should not be emasculated for the sake of “cultural-sensitivity.” Real men care for their wives; real men give up their lives for their wives². I don’t understand feminist theology that blames patriarchy as the ultimate evil of society, that develops “new” understandings about the character of God, and ultimately, destroys the beauty of God’s design in the complementary nature of manhood and womanhood. The prayer that we should take, then, is not that men and women should be equal in all roles, but rather that God would continue to strengthen us to comprehend the intricate design of men and women. I see no need for repenting when true Biblical manhood is practiced. Ephesians 5:22-33 and other passages like it cannot be simply reduced to a cultural issue, nor can they be called narrow-minded and chauvinist. Rather, they are reflections, cast in the likeness of the relationship between Christ and his bride, the Church. This is cause for celebration, not lament.

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Thursday, November 6, 2008 at 23:17

355mL can of Coca Cola: 0.75

Mr. 2 Big: 1.80

Total Expenses: 2.55

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This marks the first of (I hope) many posts about spending money. You can see future posts in the regular blog-stream or all together under the ‘Money’ category.

Today’s story: I found out I did quite well on the most recent algorithms test and thought a celebration was in order. Sugary drink and crispy chocolate seemed like a good way to go about it. Probably shouldn’t have gotten the extra-large chocolate bar. I’m getting sugar high palpitations! Also, it turns out the Daisy Mart has brown employees now… Good bye, Mr. Kim.

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