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Ephesians 2:8-9 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." Through faith.. not work.. but that doesn't mean you can't show your faith at work. Aye see what I did there? No but in all seriousness it is difficult to remember to honor your faith and God when working, especially if your work environment isn't the most "Christian friendly". That struggle causes moral issues such as social cussing, smoking, drinking, etc but also, believe it or not, financial ones as well. 

How, one may ask, would being a Christian impose upon their next pay check? Well in the article,  When Your Job Feels Like Salvation By Works, it helps explain how. This article could be read in various ways but how I read it, related to it was how working as a Christian can affect pay. One of the first things that comes to mind is working on Sunday, the day of rest. Many people work on Sunday without giving it a second thought, myself (for the longest time) included. Working on Sunday isn't exactly exalted in the strict Christian mind set but we do it. And what would we do instead? Ask for the day off? In this economy? HA. The boss would get mad and that's one more day every week off your pay check. 

There are more ways to expand on that but I want to focus on how being a Christian can affect your pay check now onto how your pay check can affect being a Christian. I know, a little more scandalous right? There are a couple different ways work can lead you astray down our holy path. For one it (work) makes us penny pinchers and less likely to give at offering. I myself have hesitated to give because I wanted to fill my gas tank and  get that Starbucks later. Instead of giving my share to the church and the less fortunate I'm more concerned about the death grip I have on my pay check. 

Another way it can affect the average worker is by redirecting our values and wants. What we should want: to spend time with our family and with God. What we are beginning to want: to have more money which in turn means more time at work and less time with family. Less time thinking about God. Also people who become engulfed in their work often become distant, stressed, etc which often leads to struggles in between the family which then people turn and blame God for the woes instead of taking a step back and taking a moment for Him. 

There are plenty of things that can go into this blog for this topic but frankly I'm tired and I still have a speech to write and memorize so this is my last example. Holidays. Not wanting to work holidays for religious purposes would most likely be allowed but you would definitely get a disgruntled attitude from your boss and fellow coworkers who still have to work. Now no one likes or wants (I hope) to be a brown-noser but no one wants to be on their bosses bad side either. Asking for time off during the busiest time of year. Most likely wont be the offices favorite. But also taking that time off consistently will eventually cut into your money making. And the modern man does not like his wallet feeling thin. So people begin to not take the time off. And then suddenly Easter is an overrated lunch with in-laws you don't want to spend time with, Christmas is just a day to show your kids how much money you can spend on them to justify you not being with them at last weeks service.

Money is the root of all evil some say, and ya maybe its not the most holy thing humans invented but how do we buy bible for the upcoming VBS, or send missionaries into the field to spread his word? Money. Its how we spend, invest, use, earn money that defines if it is evil or good. You cannot compare the money used to buy a "lady of the night" and money used to send a missionary to teach young kids in Africa about Jesus and say both are evil.

I work at a local pizza place and I am already working every Sunday and is tight with money even though I could easily give some away. I could be so far in right field on this blog and I apologize if I interpreted the article differently than you but i am encouraged to read, learn, and apply the economic blogs to my life and write and expand on them. 

Apparently, Not Just a Musical

"An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. So when life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means that it’s going to launch you into something great. So just focus, and keep aiming."

After reading through the long, long, packet, Villainous Business, and through Hailey Warta's blog, who seems to be an expert on the man, I honestly think Alexander Hamilton is the human embodiment of an arrow. His life when he was young was nothing short of difficult. Placed in charge of trade at the age of just 14, Hamilton witnessed slave trade and watched as his father drown in debt. How ironic that a son of man lost in debt would come out to be the founding father of economics. His mother died of his disease and he was sent to live with his cousin who soon then after, committed suicide. I'm not sure about others, but if that was my life as a kid I would lose all interest in life and the world around me. But Alexander is not any average person like you and I. He didn't lose interest instead he picked up every book he could find, read it, in hopes to understand the world around him. Very much like the arrow, he was pulled back and down until there was anywhere to go but up. And once life flung him forward, he didn't waste his shot, he took it and did the impossible. He made a working economic system and made people trust in the government.

Not many people know who he is anymore, even I was only familiar with the name because of a popular musical that everyone is raving about. But he was a corner stone in our nations foundation of economics and his ideas strong enough to last through the years. Alexander Hamilton, already graduated from Kings college at 19, was a force to be reckoned with in the Revolutionary War. He knew that "dying is easy, living and fighting for a purpose is harder, " and that he was willing to take the harder life so he could be a hand in winning independence and leaving a legacy. Not surprisingly, Hamilton became George Washington's right hand man. As he dug deeper and continued educating himself on the stability of our economics he realized that "our nation's financial system could be what keeps our independence alive and breathing " We are a country of states, but how will these economics hold all the states together in unity?
Though Washington was the main man in charge, without Alexander, none of his ideas would have come to fruition. Hamilton may not have been commander and chief, but it is arguable that he was the most powerful man in the world at that time. 
"Under the hand of Hamilton the government began to take shape".  Alexander quite literally molded our government and the financial stability behind it. Hamilton was the one to first introduce paper money, he kept a close relationship, which was no easy feat for his fellow peers, with Britain in order to maintain access to economic systems and writings. He could recognize that offering our economic services to France and Britain, both enemies at the time, would begin competition and unknowingly, bring the states to a higher power.

Our nation soon began to rack up debt, no surprise there, and Hamilton recognized why. After the war was when the "bills" began piling up Alexander knew that our debt was the price for our liberty. Others saw our debt as our nation getting ruined but he viewed it differently. He knew that, "if the states handled the debt with utmost precision they would gain the ability to borrow and trade at low interest rates in future times". And Hamilton's probably more harrowing act was to find a way that the people could trust the government for repayment. Trust the government? Not humanities strong suit.  Hamilton formed a financial system that made the people to rely on it rather than turn on it at the first sign of trouble. And at the same time, it allowed them the freedom of their personal financial risk or gain. The government practically didn't exist at the time but Hamilton created a system that made people put their trust in a government that technically wasn't even there in order to form an actually stable government. Confusing yet overall successful. Hamilton created the sinking fund in which 5% of the debt would be paid off every year. This guaranteed that the debt would be paid off, and it provided that "outstanding bonds would benefit the government as securities rose in value."

Alexander Hamilton is and underrated genius and a secret puppet-master. He not only created a system that has lasted through the years, through the various leaders, but also convinced a whole nation to put their trust in the government, which was 79 million dollars in debt. His economic system is self-sabotage proof and too complicate to unravel even if one tries, I'm not 100% I understand all of it. He was a great man with amazing ideas and perfect execution of the ideas. He helped form America and should be remembered for more than being on the 10 dollar bill and having a musical about him. Even if it is a little catchy.