God at Work Devotional

The Cost of Discipleship

My wife once made the T-shirt above with the acronym J.O.Y. emblazoned on the front, reminding us to prioritize Jesus, Others, and finally Yourself.   As a Christ follower, we learn over time that this truly is a recipe that leads to a life of joy. Jesus said:

While the T-shirt may leave a warm fuzzy feeling, Jesus' statement in Luke 14:26-27 is a bombshell of passage to digest as a Christ follower.  It’s not your feel good Sunday morning message, yet it was Jesus’ instructions to us to become His disciples, so let's pay close attention to it.  Three key takeaways to consider:

God over family  

Jesus' use of the word ‘hate’ in this verse I believe was intended to show how important God must be relative to our most treasured relationships on earth - our families.  Jesus is clearly saying He comes first, period.  As a Christ follower we must listen to God and follow His lead and guidance above that of our family.

God over self  

Similarly, in the second part of v26, ‘yes, even their own life’, Jesus instructs us to put Him before our own self interests and desires.  What a counter cultural idea.  Society says to ‘do what makes you happy’, and ‘live for yourself’.   This is not a perspective we take as Christ followers.  We are instructed to live holy God centric lives.   According to 2 Peter 3:14, we are told to “make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.”  

Carry your cross

As though this passage wasn’t hard enough, Jesus emphasizes that 'whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.’   Really, a cross?  A cross was an instrument of pain, torture, and a burden, so why would Jesus tell us to carry our cross?  As a Christ follower we must deny ourselves daily, and yes that may include persecution and pain at times, but we know that Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice for us, which gives us eternal hope.

I'm also reminded of another passage in Matthew 11 about picking up another object on our shoulder, a yoke.  Jesus instructed us that if we are weary to take up His yoke, because it is easy, and His work is light.  We all have daily burdens to bear as we live our lives on this earth, but remember with Jesus, He makes bearing them easy.  

Let’s strive to love God foremost, love others next, and follow Christ with abandon.   Then we will experience true JOY! 

Financial Update

Today's Game of "Rate Tug of War"

While interest rates, inflation, and mortgage rates are ongoing narratives that continuously steer our country’s financial landscape (and what can be a rather monotonous topic) has an interesting underlying catalyst as of late. 

The Fed has been maintaining its benchmark interest rate in the range of 4.25% to 4.5% since December. 

But here's what makes this moment unique: we're seeing an unprecedented political tug-of-war. 

Trump's appointees to the Fed are openly voting for rate cuts, creating visible fractures in what's supposed to be an independent institution. 

Fed Chair Jerome Powell is holding firm, saying the economy is solid but it's too early to tell how tariffs will affect inflation.

Current 30-year mortgage rates are sitting at 6.63% this week, down just 9 basis points from last week, and experts expect rates to hover in the mid-6% range through December 2025. 

To put this in perspective, if you had locked in a rate during the pandemic at around 3%, you're now looking at roughly $800 more per month on a $400,000 mortgage. That's nearly $10,000 extra per year just in interest.

Mortgage rates hit a 23-year high in 2023, and even though they've come down slightly, the consensus is that 30-year rates will stay between 6.5% and 7% for the foreseeable future. 

This has created what economists call a "lock-in effect"—homeowners with 3% mortgages simply aren't selling because they can't afford to trade up to a 6.5% rate.

Commercial real estate financing has become significantly more expensive. A $2million commercial property that might have cost $6,000 monthly to finance at 3.5% now runs closer to $12,000 monthly at current rates. 

Small businesses relying on SBA loans or lines of credit tied to prime rate are seeing their borrowing costs double or triple.

The numbers that matter most for business owners right now: credit card rates are averaging over 21%, small business loan rates are running 8-12%, and equipment financing is costing 2-3 percentage points more than it did two years ago. 

Meanwhile, customers are dealing with the same higher borrowing costs, which means they're spending less discretionary income.

The reality check? Even at today's rates, we're still below the historical average of 7.8% dating back to 1971. But that doesn't help if your business model was built around cheap money, or if you're trying to buy your first home in this environment.

Bottom line: plan for rates to stay elevated longer than expected, and a large motivating factor is the political tug of war because it might actually move markets faster than the economic data suggests it should.

But remember, although in times of economic volatility and rising costs, it's easy to become anxious about our financial future - Scripture reminds us that our security doesn't rest in interest rates, housing markets, or even political decisions.

While we must be wise stewards and make informed business decisions, our ultimate trust should remain in God's provision.

Share your thoughts in the comments section. We enjoy reading them all:

Health Nuggets

Benefits of  Magnesium

Magnesium is a mineral that is so important for our health, and not talked about enough.  As we age, we become more deficient in this mineral.  According to Dr. Kim, there are great benefits in supplementing with the right magnesium, such as promoting good sleep, energy production, neurological health, heart health, blood pressure regulation and blood glucose control.

Foods that contain magnesium are dark green leaf veggies, nuts and grains, legumes, bananas, whole grain, meat/fish such as salmon, chicken and beef.

To learn more, check out this video in which Dr. Kim breaks down all different types of magnesium supplements and their benefits.

Tech Update

Backup Power Solutions

Firstly, if you are asking why this is important, then perhaps you haven’t lost power to your home for a day or more.  Over the years, I have tested and purchased several products for power backup to deal with power outages that we have experienced during hurricanes and other storms, including ice storms in the winter.   I have learned a few things which I thought might be useful to pass on to our community.

Home Needs to Consider

Perhaps the most critical item I’ve had to keep powered is the house fridge.   A ton of food and frozen items will go to waste in a day or more without power.  Fridges consume a considerable amount of power, in the order of 1-2 kilowatt hours (kWh) per day, and require a durable backup power supply.

Network and mobile communication is something we really take for granted, until we lose it.  Mobile phone networks are fairly reliable and usually stay in service unless a major disaster hits.  Even if the network is up, you will need to have a means to recharge your phone battery.  Fortunately, their power needs are minimal and small backup devices can easily power them.

Backup for your home Internet service provider can also be important as I have learned.  Having fiber in the ground is great, but unless you can power your home termination unit and WiFi router, it becomes useless.

Must Have - Compact Handheld Power Banks

I highly recommend having a few of these at home as they are great for charging mobile devices. They are also great for travel and outdoor camping.  I suggest getting ones that can provide at least 50000mAh worth of power when fully charged. They run between $25-50US. 

Highly Recommended - Portable Gas Inverter Generators

These work really great for keeping most critical items in your home running during multi-day power outages. They weigh about 40lbs so are light enough to move around, but you MUST keep them outdoors and well ventilated when running. You also need to have plenty of heavy gauge electrical cords on hand to connect from the unit operating outdoors to your indoor fridge and other devices.  They run from $300-$1,000US depending on features, power and brand.  Some can also be propane powered, but then you need to make sure you keep extra tanks on hand.

Worth Considering - Portable Power Stations

These are solid battery powered devices for indoor power generation to support large electronics and WiFi equipment. I once tested mine out to power my fridge and it works, however, I used 55% of the battery in 2.5 hrs., so it’s not a long term solution.   Some provide the option to recharge via portable solar panels as mine does.  Sounds great but it took about a full day of full sun to charge it, including adjusting the panels to follow the sun throughout the day - so I consider solar charging more of a camping solution.

Nice to Have - Home Backup Power Generators

If you have the budget and want to go all out, you can get a whole house generator.   They should be installed by professionals and wired to your electric power supply to automatically switchover when the utility power is down.  A good system installed will run about $5-10KUS for an average size home.  If you live in more rural areas, or where the utility power is less reliable, then it makes a great investment and would add to your home value.

God our Provider

As you consider all these options and what works best, just remember that God’s Word says:

That includes your material needs.  So while being wise and preparing for power outages, put your trust in God as your ultimate provider.

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