Stock market tumbles and intense election seasons have, no doubt, done a number on your confidence. I will tell you that this is one of the most highly anxious economic times that I can recall in my adult life. 

Your favorite comforting topic is probably not taxes! So, why taxes this week? I’d like to share three reasons with you. The first reason is simple: it is time. If you have not considered your tax planning for 2008 by now, you need to take stock and be sure to do that before the end of the year.

Another reason that this topic may end up being comforting as well as timely has to do with something I touched on a few weeks ago in another video. Planning well for your taxes and executing that plan gives you a stronger sense of stewardship and ownership of your financial situation. When you plan for your taxes and take care of your financial house, you are doing what ONLY you can do. You are managing your resources and caring for your home and family. You are being a responsible steward of God’s resources in your life.

You may feel that your situation is completely out of your control. In a sense, you are correct! Your situation is completely under God’s control, and definitely not under your own. However, in this uncertain time, you and I are called to live according to an eternal reality. God’s reality asks us to surrender our fears to His goodness, to act wisely and proactively in our finances, and to plan for the future as best we can.

Tax planning is not a warm fuzzy topic. We are getting ready to enter the wonderful season of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Why not set yourself up for a more worry-free holiday season by getting a handle on your 2008 taxes and freeing yourself from that nagging worry? 

The final reason that I am addressing taxes in today’s video has something to do with Thanksgiving. Gratitude for the blessing of being an American is certainly a huge part of this holiday. When I pay my taxes each year, I like to focus on the reasons that I am grateful for my country as I write my check. Our tax dollars are a necessary component of our citizenship in this country. May we all say a prayer of thanksgiving as we pay our taxes for 2008 and remember the blessings of living in a free country.

I pray that you and I will be encouraged today. Be encouraged that God trusts us with His resources. Be encouraged that we live in a country that defends and protects us with our tax dollars. Be encouraged that we can set examples of responsible citizenship for our children. Be encouraged that we can make a difference in our financial picture through tax planning. And, be encouraged that our giving matters so much more to eternity than it does to our deduction column on our tax return!

May God’s peace encourage you as you pursue financial wisdom and depend on His truth.

Blessings, 

Ron

Click here for the video transcript