Today is February 21, 2019
Verse of the Day -- 1 Peter 2:15
. . . such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

When you know what to do, do what you know.

MINI BIBLE STUDY FOR THE DAY

God wants us to understand how important it is to act like what we say we are-Christians, which means "Christ-like." You are to emulate Christ. Paul said,

 

Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ -1 Corinthians 11:1.

One of the reasons, of course, is that you never want to discredit the Kingdom:

 

Giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited. -2 Corinthians 6:3

And there will be a reward for those who hang in there:

 

Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. -Galatians 6:9

Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial . . . he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. -James 1:12

 

QUESTION FOR THE DAY

Dear Compass,

I just learned some charity organizations pay their CEOs anywhere from $500,000 to over $1,000,000 a year in salary. And that many charities are routinely investigated for fraud and unaccounted money. Also, my friends and I have felt pressured at our jobs to donate to charities we would normally not support.

It seems very deceptive when thousands of earnest people sacrifice to send in $10 and $20 checks, thinking they are helping so many victims, and not realizing they first have to pay millions in big administrative salaries before even one penny goes to actually help people.

I believe God wants us to be wise stewards of our money. So if we see hypocrisy, shouldn't we warn others, like the watchman on the wall? Do you have any scriptures that could address this issue?

ANSWER:

Checking out a charity prior to donating should be a must for Christians.

 

How blessed is the man who . . . gains understanding. -Proverbs 3:13

For instance, the Susan G. Komen Bowl for the Cure, the breast cancer "pink" campaign seen in the pro football games in October each year, openly sends hundreds of thousands of dollars that they collected for breast cancer-to Planned Parenthood.

Research shows a link from both birth control pills and abortion to breast cancer. Most Christians would never send money for breast cancer research if they knew any portion of their donation was going to Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the U.S.

But many have not done their research and, without realizing it, are donating to Planned Parenthood. And all those professional football players wearing pink in October, many who profess Christ crucified, apparently haven't done their homework either.

Regarding work, if you give to a charity you disagree with, in order to keep your job, you are making this life more important than the next. It would be better to be broke and trusting God than to have money and trusting anything else.

 

. . . I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his descendants begging bread. -Psalm 37:25

Yearly salaries are harder to use to determine the worth of the individual to an organization. A person making several hundred thousand dollars a year may actually be worth the expenditure if he/she is professionally managing a $100,000,000 organization.

You generally get what you pay for. But if a charity pays $500,000 per year in salaries to manage total revenue of $600,000, that of course would be a red flag.

Since all income is allowed by God, you're always managing God's money. So charitable contributions should go to those who reflect Biblical values and are best managing their revenue for their stated purpose and mission. Here are five things to evaluate when considering support:

1. Does the ministry adhere to sound Biblical doctrine? Galatians 1:9
2. Is Jesus Christ central in the ministry's work? Colossians 3:17
3. Does the ministry employ good financial practices? Luke 16:12
4. Does the ministry depend on God's people for support? 3 John 1:6-7
5. Is God using the ministry to change lives? Galatians 5:22-23

(Note: Bill Perkins, Founder and Executive Director of Compass, and his wife Susie, who also works in the ministry, are paid a total of approximately $16k from Compass. Compass' payroll is less than 4% of total revenue.)

References:

 

http://www.lifenews.com/2011/10/13/behind-the-pink-ribbon-komens-ties-with-planned-parenthood/

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/oral-contraceptives

http://www.abortionbreastcancer.com/

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs193/1103404634488/archive/1111616053522.html

 

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QUESTION

Dear Compass,

I have been a Christian for nine years, and I have been obsessive compulsive, off and on, for the past three years (off and on because it gets better for awhile, then a few months later it gets worse). Do you think it could be demon related? I don't think I have any doorways open, but some of my music choices may be causing it if it is indeed demon related.

 

 

ANSWER

You should definitely take this question to your pastor, if you haven't done so already.

It is highly unlikely that you are demon possessed if you truly are a born-again believer as there is no demon-possession of believers in the Church Age listed in Scripture.

 

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. -Philippians 4:13

There are references to "not paying attention to demons."

 

But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons -1 Timothy 4:1

There is a verse that says you can be turned over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh (I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus -1 Corinthians 5:5), but that doesn't seem to apply here.

You do still have a sin nature, and if you are convicted that your music is affecting your spiritual walk and growth, you should change your music.

 

Do not give the devil an opportunity. -Ephesians 4:27

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Compass International, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit, non-denominational ministry. Our mission is to defend the accuracy of the Bible from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22 by providing solid Biblical resources for maturing Christians. For more information on Compass, our eye-opening Bible teaching videos and articles, future Bible conferences and awesome Holyland trips, please visit our web site at www.compass.org or call 208-762-7777 for a catalog.

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Good Morning Lord! is sent out every Monday-Friday and is copyrighted by Compass International, Inc. There are approximately 300 studies that rotate each year. Any portion of GML e-mails may be forwarded without permission as long as the contact/subscription information is included.

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Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977. Used by permission.

Answers to questions in GML are intended to be supplementary and in the spirit of Proverbs 11:14, 15:22, and 26:26, which calls for believers to seek counsel from more than one person. Therefore, it is not recommended that any decision be based solely on GML's answer, but rather it be considered one of several counselors when determining a course of action.

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