Category: Faith

Honoring God With Our Money: Root of Budgeting Problems

Last week, we looked at principles of budgeting. This week we talk about applying those principles to your actual budget. Budgeting principles will never help you accomplish your financial goals until you begin to apply them. God expects us to use the financial resources He provides us wisely.  When we demonstrate an ability to do that, God can entrust us with more.

Luke 16:12  “And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?”

Root of Budget Problems:  Attitude

Attitudes that lead to budget problems can manifest themselves as greed, covetousness, ignorance, indulgence, or impatience.  (Larry Burkett, Christian Financial Concepts)

1)      Greed-__________________ desire, especially for wealth or possessions. 

The Bible warns against greed.

Luke 12:15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your __________ against all kinds of ____________; life does not consist in an abundance of ____________________.”

2)      Covetousness— ______________desirous of wealth or possessions. 

Covetousness is specifically forbidden in the Ten Commandments. 

Deuteronomy 5:21 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not set your ________________ on your neighbor’s house or land, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or __________________ that belongs to your neighbor.”

3)      Ignorance—not counting the _______________cost of owning an item. 

Problems that arise from ignorance include:

  1. ______________ things you cannot afford because you haven’t properly considered the purchase ____________, finance charges, ______________costs, maintenance and _________________
  2. Failure to properly balance your checking __________________ and check for bank ____________

4)      Indulgence—buying something of little or no _______________ to you

Indulgence purchases frequently wind up in garage sales or collecting dust.

To avoid indulgence purchases:

  1. _____________ your need for the item desired
  2. __________________money to pay for it
  3. _________________ out the best buy
  4. ________________ about whether or not to make the purchase

James 5:1, 5 “Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the ________________ that is coming on you….You have lived on earth in _______________ and self-indulgence.”

5)      Impatience–_______________ desire for change and excitement.  Impatience manifests itself in:

  1. Making _______________ purchases.  Before you buy, identify your need, allocate the money, search out the best buy, and pray about the purchase
  2. Trying to get _____________  quickly

Proverbs 28:22 “The _____________ are eager to get rich and are unaware that __________________ awaits them.”

 

Two Common Tendencies of Budgeting:

1)      Set plans but never _______________ them.

2)      Set __________________ plans.

 

Budgeting Involves:

1)      ______________ the current situation

2)      ______________ where you need to go

3)      _______________ a realistic plan to get there

 

How I Know My Wife Married the “Wrong” Person

The following is a repost of a very insightful post on marriage. I hope you enjoy it.

How I Know My Wife Married the "Wrong" Person.

Honoring God With Our Money: Principles of Budgeting

In our study of how to honor God with our money, we are now entering the practical application phase.  This week we examine principles of budgeting.  In the coming weeks, we will focus on applying budget principles, practical money management tips,  living debt-free, and cultivating true wealth.

Planning the Budget

Theme Verse:

1 Timothy 6:17  “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”

Budgeting Principles

1)      Recognize that everything belongs to God.  We are stewards of those possessions God has entrusted to us.  We have an obligation to be good and faithful stewards.

Psalm 24:1 “The earth is the _______________, and everything in it; the ____________, and all who live in it;”

Psalm 50: 9 – 12  “I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every ______________ of the forest is mine, and the ______________ on a thousand hills.  I know every bird in the ______________, and the insects in the fields are mine. If I were ______________ I would not tell you, for the ______________is mine, and all that is in it.”

2)      Tithe.  God asks us to give back the first portion of what He has given us.  The first tenth of our income should be tithed to do God’s work.

(For Scriptures on tithing, please refer to Lesson 4.)

3)      Meet the needs of your family.

I Timothy 5:8 “If anyone does not provide for his __________________, and especially his immediate _______________, he has denied the faith and is worse than an _______________.”

4)      Pay debts and obligations. 

Psalm 37:21 “The wicked _____________and do not __________, but the righteous give ____________________.”

5)      Establish short-term and long-term savings plans. 

Proverbs 21:20 “In the house of the _____________ are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man ____________all he has.”

Proverbs 6:6-8 “Go to the ant, you ____________; consider its ways and be wise!  It has no commander, o overseer or ruler, yet it stores its _______________ in summer and gathers its ______________ at harvest.”

6)      Set aside money for recreation and leisure.

 

 7)      Give money to charitable causes.

Proverbs 22:9 “A __________________man will himself be blessed, for he shares his _____________ with the __________.”

Honoring God With Our Money: Charity and Debt

I once read a definition of debt as “excessive charity.”  My initial reaction was to disagree with the statement, as I tend to think of debt as resulting from either living beyond one’s means or from hardships, such as the loss of a job.  I had never considered that some people might be in debt due to giving away too much of their money.  I don’t have any idea what portion of America’s debt-riddled masses might have gotten into that state through excessive charity.  I am still inclined to believe that most consumer debt results from the desire to ‘have our cake now and pay for it later’ and the hardships that have been imposed by our recent and ongoing economic crisis.

Nevertheless, an examine of when to give to charity and how much to give is an important part of our discussion of honoring God with our money.  The Bible is clear that those who have more resources than they need are to share with those less fortunate than themselves.  Many people are tempted to give to every good cause.  And there are many, many good causes to which we feel obligated to donate.  In fact, the IRS reports that there are 1.5 million tax-exempt organizations in the United States.  They each represent a ‘good’ cause that we might be tempted to support.  To protect our budgets and not go into debt through giving, it is important to have a plan for giving and standards to determine the causes or groups to which one will donate.

Here are some considerations to keep in mind when planning charitable donations:

1) Tithing is the first priority. Christians are directed to tithe one-tenth of the income to the work of the church.  Giving to other charities should be above and beyond tithing.  God  clearly distinguished tithes from other giving, as in Deuteronomy 12:11, “Then to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name—there you are to bring everything I command you: your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, and all the choice possessions you have vowed to the Lord.”

2) Determine what you can afford to give.  Everyone should have a budget and giving to charitable causes should be included.    Those who have more excessive income should be more generous than those with less.  Don’t try to ‘out give’ others.  In  1 Corinthians 16:2, Paul reminded us that giving should be based on income, “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.”

3)  Give for the right reasons.  The right reason to give is because you identify with the charity and feel led to support it.  The wrong reason is to receive the praise of men through recognition and status.  Jesus told his followers, “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.” (Matthew 6:2)

4) Pray for God to direct your giving.  As you pray, God will lay burden’s on your heart.  You cannot give to every good cause.  God only expects you to give as He instructs you.  In Exodus 25:2, God commanded the Israelites to bring an offering.  “You are to receive the offering for me from everyone whose heart prompts them to.”

5) Give to charities that share your values.  As a Christian, I have an obligation to use the money God has provide to me in a wise manner.  This includes supporting charities that further God’s kingdom.  It also includes giving to causes that don’t directly support our Christian mission but that are not in conflict with it.  Such causes might fund medical research or help to protect our environment.

6) Seek our charities that have low administrative costs.  Using God’s money wisely involves giving to charities that are well-managed and whose administrator are not receiving exorbitant salaries.  All tax-exempt charities must provide information on what percent of donations is used for administrative and fundraising expenses.  This number should be less than about 15 – 20%.

I encourage everyone to give within their means and as God leads them to the causes that move your heart.  I firmly believe that if everyone does their part, many needs will be met.

What is your position on giving to charity? What charitable organizations do you support?

Honoring God With Our Money: The Shrewd Manager

As I developed this Bible study, the parable of the Shrewd Manager didn’t seem to agree with my sense of reasoning, yet I felt strongly that it should be included.

The Parable of the Shrewd Manager  (Luke 16: 1- 9)
Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions.  So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’
“The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’
“So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied.
“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’
“Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’
“‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied.
“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’ “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.”

What do you think Jesus was trying to illustrate with this parable?  In our class, someone read a commentary that suggested that the manager had been cheating the customer and that he actually changed the bills back to what was truly owed to the master.  There certainly is reason to believe that as we know from the story of Zaccheus that tax collector frequently charged people more tax than was owed and kept the difference for themselves.  So, it may be the manager was undoing his wrongs and was, thus, commended by his master.

I found the final statement to be the most surprising, ” I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.”  I am quite certain that Jesus is not advocating “buying” our way into Heaven, but I’m not sure what He is saying to us in the passage.

I do like the translate from the message.  The final portion from that version reads, “The master praised the crooked manager! And why?  Because he knew how to look after himself.  Streetwise people are smarter in this regard than law-abiding citizens.  They are on constant alert, looking for angles, surviving by their wits.  I want you to be smart in the same way–but for what is right–using every adversity to stimulate you to creative survival, to concentrate your attention on the bare essentials, so you’ll live, really live, and not complacently just get by on good behavior.”

What does this parable say to you?  Does it inspire you to better money management?  Does it inspire you to live in a more Christlike manner?

 

Jesus followed this parable with the verses I chose for this week’s life application:

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.  So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealthy, who will trust you with true riches?  And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?” (Luke 16: 10 – 12)

God expects to manage the assets He has given us to the best of our abilities.  He also expects us to manage well any assets others entrust to us.  If we manage well what He give us, He can entrust us with more.  And as we have seen  in earlier lessons, He gives to us abundantly so that we in turn can bless others.

Oh How He Loves Us

Have you ever been totally blow away by the magnitude of God’s love for you?  His love for us is overwhelming.  He loves us so much that He sacrificed His son to pay the price for our sins. When I really stop and think about what God and Jesus sacrificed to save me, I am overwhelmed by God’s great love for me.  Most often I experience this overwhelming passion when reading David’s psalms and when engaging in singing songs of worship to God.

woman worshipping

There are many songs of praise that express God’s love to us.  One of my favorites is “Oh How He Loves Us” by The David Crowder Band.  This song captures a bit of the incredible power of God’s love for us.  I invite you to experience this song for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7CQ96uohcM

There are people in my life, whom I love and admire, who believe in predestination.  They believe that God predetermined before we were born whether we would be saved and spend eternity in Heaven or whether we would be condemned to Hell.  I agree that not everyone will go to Heaven, but I cannot believe that God, who created us and loves us passionately, would condemn anyone to Hell.  This belief is not based on my emotions or hopes but on the Word of God. 

John 3:16 is perhaps the best known verse in the Bible. It says, “For God so loves that world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (King James Version)  I believe that ‘whosoever’ means everyone and anyone who will accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will be saved.  Furthermore, Peter tells us that the Lord is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9 KJV).

These truths were reinforced this week as I read David Hill’s book , Whirlwind.  David describes a near-death experience he had when he was lost in sin.  He knew without a doubt that if he died he would go to hell.  He felt the horror of spending eternity separated from God.  Furthermore, he realized that the greatest pain of hell was the agony caused to God by those who rejected His love.  The following is a quote from David’s book:

As much agony as I experienced on the night that I tasted hell, there was a greater pain.  During the entire experience, I was aware of how much sorrow I had caused the Lord.  You see friend, the real tragedy of hell is that God’s heart is broken for those people who reject Him.  Although there will be no sorrow in heaven, Jesus will forever bear the scars that paid the price for all of mankind’s redemption.” (Whirlwind, page 56)

God does love us–every single person He created–completely and passionately.  If you have not yet experienced God’s love, please consider accepting Jesus’s free offer of salvation today.  Please click on the ‘Basics of Salvation’ page to learn how to do this.

Honoring God With Our Money: Giving Back

In this lesson we have looked at God’s provisions for us.  Today we examine the question, “What should we give back to God in return for all He gives us?

In First Samuel 15:22, we read that God desires obedience above sacrifice.  “But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”

God expects His people to obey Him in all things, including giving to the work of the Lord.  The Israelites were trying to keep God’s favor by bringing sacrifices and burnt offerings while disobeying His instructions to refrain from participating in the evil practices of their neighbors.  Samuel was telling them that offerings are not enough.

In 1 Corinthians 16:1,2, Paul instructions Christians to provide for those who do God’s work. “Now about the collection for God’s people…On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income. ”  Furthermore, Paul doesn’t ask that each person give equally, but rather than each person give in accordance with his or her income.  This supports the concept of tithing, in which everyone gives 10% of their income to the work of the church.

 

The Bible provides clear instructions on how are we to give.

 2 Chronicles 24:16  “All the officials and all the people brought their contributions gladly.”

 2 Chronicles 31:12 “They faithfully brought in the contributions, tithes, and dedicated gifts.”

Proverbs 3:9 “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.”

Exodus 35:2  “And everyone who was willing and whose heart moved them came and brought an offering to the Lord for the work on the tent of meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments.”

 

2 Corinthians 8:12 tell us we are to give in accordance with what we have. “For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.”

Giving according to what we have—typically 10%, or a tithe, of our income–ensures that everyone is contributing but no one is unduly burdened. 

Furthermore,  2 Chronicles 31:12 (see above) instructions us that we are to give contributions, tithes, and dedicated gifts.  Tithes are the first 10% of our income that belongs to God, contributions are gifts above our tithes, and dedicated gifts are given to meet a specific purposes.

 

 We should give to the work of the church out of obedience to God and in thankfulness for the many blessings He bestows on us.  As if that were not enough, however, God has promised to extravagantly bless those who tithe and provide for His work.

Malachi 3:8-10  “You ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ In tithes and offerings.  You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me.  Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.  ‘Test me in this,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.'”

 

2 Corinthians 9: 10, 11 “Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.  You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God”

 

Our Life Application verse reminds us that God wants us to give cheerfully and that He will bless us in accordance with our generosity to the work of the church and to others.

2  Corinthians 9:6, 7 “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.  Each man should give what he had decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Honoring God With Our Money: Lessons from the Widow and Elijah

As you read the story of the widow and Elijah in I Kings 17:7- 16 below, think about what we can learn from this story about God’s provision for His people.

 And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.  
And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying,   Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.   
So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.
And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.
1And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
Elijah asks the widow for bread
Elijah asks the widow for bread
And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.  For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.
 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.  And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah.

 

When I read this story, it reminds me that:

(1)   God does provide for His people.

(2)   God wants us to trust Him.

(3)   We need to give to the work of the Lord first and then take care of ourselves.

Honoring God With Our Money: God Provides for Us

In week 4 of our study ‘Honoring God with Our Money,’ we are looking at how God provides for us and what He asks of us in return.  We began the lesson by asking you to consider how God has recently provided for your family. 

Every day God is providing for us.  We don’t also acknowledge His provisions and often we aren’t even consciously aware of the many ways God provides for us.  I encourage people I speak to, particularly women, to keep journals of clear incidences of God’s provision. Some financial blessings are quite apparent–you receive an unexpected check in the mail or someone treats your family to lunch.  Others are less apparent–you discover a small leak in your roof before it becomes a major problem, a bill is less than you expected, or many of the items on your shopping list are on sale this week. 

God’s provisions are not always financial–God provides words of encouragement, helping hands, open doors and closed doors, solutions to difficult problems, and other clear demonstrations of His love when we need them.  I encourage you to record those provisions as well.

 

In Deuteronomy 8:17-18  we read, “You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’  But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to product wealth.”

It is God who gives us our mental and physical abilities.  Without his grace and provision, we are able to do nothing.   I am always pleased when I hear athletes, actors, songwriters, and other celebrities thanking God for the talent He has given them.   Like them, we should daily acknowledge that it is only through God’s  provisions for us that we are able to work to provide for our families. 

We need to trust God for our provisions.  The following verses are just two of the many times in God word that He promises that His people will never go without food and that He will provide for us when we ask Him.

Psalm 37:25  “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging for bread.”

Matthew 7:7 – 8 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

 

God wants us to ask Him for what we need and to thank Him when He meets are needs.  Ask the Holy Spirit to help you become more aware of the many ways God blesses you financially each week and make a habit to acknowledge these blessings and thank God for them.

Please feel free to share ways you have seen God provide for your family recently.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honoring God With Our Money: Lesson 4

This is week 4 of a 6-week Bible study entitled ‘Honoring God with Our Money’.  This week we look at how God provides for us and how He expects us in return to provide for the work of the church.

 

Think about specific ways have you observed God providing for you and your family?  Jot down a few as a record of God’s faithfulness.  This record of God’s faithfulness will serve to increase your faith when you walk through times of trouble.

 

Read the following Bible verses and think about what each verse tell us about God’s provisions for His people?

 Deuteronomy 8:17-18    

 Psalm 37:25 

 Matthew 7:7 – 8

 Read the story of the widow and Elijah in I Kings 17:7 – 16.  What can we learn from this illustration?

 God provides for all of our needs. What do the following verses tell us about what He ask of us in return?

 1 Samuel 15:22 But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”

 This verse tells us that God desires ___________________________

1 Corinthians 16:1,2 Now about the collection for God’s people…On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income.

 This verse tells us that we are to _______________________________________.

 The amount we give should be based on ______________________________.

Exodus 25:2 Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering.  You are to receive the offering for me from everyone whose heart prompt them to.

 We should give when _______________________________________________.

What do the following verses tell us about how are we to give?

 2 Chronicles 24:16 All the officials and all the people brought their contributions ________.

2 Chronicles 31:12 They _______________ brought in the contributions, tithes, and dedicated gifts.

Proverbs 3:9 Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the _____________ ______________of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

 

Exodus 35:2  And everyone who was _______________ and whose _________________ moved them came and brought an offering to the Lord for the work on the tent of meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments.

 What does 2 Corinthians 8:12 tell us about how much are we to give?

“For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.”

 ________________________________________________________________

What types of offerings should we give? (Refer to 2 Chronicles 31:12 above). 

___________________________________________________________

 Read Malachi 3:8 – 10 and 2 Corinthians 9:10, 11.  If we give in accordance with God’s commands, what does He promise us?

 ____________________________________________________________________

Malachi 3:8-10 You ask, “How do we rob you?” In tithes and offerings.  You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me.  Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.  “Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”

2 Corinthians 9: 10, 11 Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.  You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God

 Life Application:

2  Corinthians 9:6, 7  Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.  Each man should give what he had decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Please check back throughout the week for my commentary on this lesson.