unPHILtered: The Way I See It Read Online Free PDF Page B

It’s like what my four sons and their families will inherit from me when I’m six feet under the ground on the physical earth. The Spirit Himself, the Holy Spirit, frees us and gives us the power to really live for God. Once you’re sealed with the Spirit, it means you’re God’s child. Now, the Bible tells us that if we’re His children, then we’re His heirs and co-heirs with Christ: “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory” (emphasis added). So, yes, God’s children have an inheritance coming. We’re adopted and added to God’s family, and Jesus is our brother, our savior, and our Lord. As co-heirs with Jesus, we get what His father has. How could you ever want anything more?
    The U.S. economy is in terrible shape, and it has been that way for the last six years. Americans are worried about the balances of their bank accounts and retirement savings. They’re concerned about the stock market, interest rates, and inflation. They’re worried about the rising costs of health care and thedeclining values of their homes. But as children of God, our focus needs to be on spiritual things, and we need to quit worrying so much about financial things.
    Money is fleeting. It is here today and gone tomorrow. True financial success and happiness come not from accumulating a big balance in your checking account but from following God’s plan for your life. He will provide for all of your needs. If you put your faith in Jesus and know that you will ultimately inherit what God has, you’ll be content with what you have while you’re on earth. If the riches come, so be it. Be generous with what you have and help care for your neighbors, the sick, and the poor. But you need to remember this: at the end of the day, if you end up inheriting what the Creator of the cosmos has, you will have everything there is, because God owns it all. What a thought! You’ll want for nothing. That is the promise God made to us—we will inherit everything He has made. Talk about inheriting some land!
    I can honestly say that I never contemplated getting rich, even after Duck Commander took off and Duck Dynasty started getting bigger and bigger. I was perfectly content making $225 a week fishing the river and selling a few thousand duck calls every year. I was able to make a living doing what I loved to do most, and that’s hunting ducks and fishing the river. I think that’s why so many people tell me that I’m the same way now that I waswhen I didn’t have much. I was and am perfectly happy, as long as I’m doing what I love.
    I truly believe there’s a difference between getting rich and God blessing you mightily. The love of money and the never-ending quest to make it are the roots of all kinds of evil. Sadly, when the stock market collapsed, we had stockbrokers jumping out of windows to their deaths. Children are killing each other over expensive tennis shoes. The bankruptcy and foreclosure statistics in America are staggering. People are spending money beyond their means because they’re trying to keep up with the Joneses. It’s nonsense.
    America’s quest for money is rampant. We’ve become consumed by material possessions, wanting what others have and trying to build our bank accounts as big as we can. Coveting—or wanting—what our neighbors have is a sin. God’s blessings for them may not be His blessing for us.
    When I think about America’s thirst for money and material possessions, I recall a story told to me in church one Sunday not too long ago. Although I’m not entirely sure the story is factually accurate, I think it gets my point across. In 1923, eight of the wealthiest men in America met at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago. The group included the head of one of the world’s greatest monopolies, one of the most successful speculators on Wall Street, a former president of the