Title: Financial Planning 101
Text: Nehemiah 5
Three Keys to Successful Money Management
I. Be careful how you borrow- 1-5
a. Don’t borrow more than you can afford
b. Don’t borrow foolishly
c. Save for the rainy days
II. Be faithful in how you budget- 6-13
a. Stick to godly principles
b. Don’t take advantage of others
c. Maintain a healthy view of wealth
III. Be intentional in how you bless- 14-19
a. Work hard
b. Give generously
c. Set an example
Let’s turn our attention back to the book of Nehemiah…chapter 5…
Man, each week I am amazed at how this simple account of how the people of God banded together to rebuild the walls around the city of Jerusalem, is so applicable and useful to us today. So far we have seen some great examples of how to pray better, how to maintain a strong faith, the importance of being ambitious and proactive in the work of God, the benefits of unity, and how to deal with discouragement.
Today, as we look at chapter 5, we see some great principles for how to handle our finances. A whole chapter that will help us with financial planning principles! That’s fortunate.
I’m going to focus on the three keys to successful money management that we find right here in this passage. The first key is- be careful how you borrow. Look at verses 1-5…
At this point in the story, Nehemiah is faced with a significant economic crisis in the country. There is a supply and demand problem. The demand for food was greater than the supply. When that happens it causes inflation. The price of food goes way up.
On top of that, there was a famine in the land. That’s probably a big part of the reason the supply was so low. There just wasn’t enough food being produced. People had to mortgage their fields just to afford food.
The second problem was people who were complaining about the taxes they had to pay. These Jewish people were borrowing money from other Jews in order to pay that tax. And they were charging a high interest rate on those loans. So the result was that their sons and daughters became slaves. They could never really repay the debt.
Nehemiah’s solution to the problem was to remind the lenders that God had forbid them from charging interest to fellow Jews. That helped to level things out and stimulated the economy and things got back on track. His solution was simple- do things God’s way.
Their indebtedness threatened to delay the rebuilding of the wall and was destroying their lives. Financial turmoil and indebtedness will slow us down and threaten to destroy our lives as well. The number one cause of marital conflict is trouble over finances. So how do we protect ourselves from crippling indebtedness?
First of all, don’t borrow more than you can afford. This is also known as living beyond your means; and in this country it is one of our national pastimes. We buy houses we can’t afford, car payments that are enormous, and then buy toys. I’ll be the first to confess… I am a techno-junkie. I love electronic toys, video games, fancy phones, new technology. I have a hard time not wanting to buy big, expensive toys.
Because credit cards are so easy to get and use, many people get bogged down by them. I remember getting credit card applications when I was in college. I had a part time job and was living on student loans. Why would anyone give me a credit card at that age?
There are some Christians who even go so far as to say that we should not borrow money at all. Sometime Romans 13:7-8 is used as a biblical prohibition of borrowing money. It says…
Romans 13:7-8 7 Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. 8 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
There it is right there in black and white. “Owe nothing to anyone”. That seems like a pretty simple biblical command. Paul is prohibiting us from borrowing money. And if Romans 13:8 was the only verse in the Bible I guess I might see how you could come to that understanding. But the point of this passage isn’t a prohibition of borrowing money; it is an emphatic command to love always.
In verse 7 Paul is saying, always pay what you owe. If you owe taxes, pay them, if you owe customs, pay them, whatever you owe, pay it off. The Biblical principle in verse 8 isn’t that we should never borrow, but that we should always work at paying off all our debts- except one- the debt of love that we owe to each other.
Borrowing money isn’t wrong, back in the OT God established the rules a regulations for borrowing and lending money for the Jewish people to follow. Here in Nehemiah, they got off track. They weren’t doing it the godly way.
Borrowing money isn’t wrong, but living beyond our means is. Our tendency to live beyond our means is often symptomatic of a heart of discontentment with life. The author of Hebrews says…
Hebrews 13:5 5 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have;
And Paul says to Timothy…
1 Timothy 6:8 8 If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.
The secret is learning how to be content in a world that is constantly making us feel discontent. The number one goal of all advertising is to make you feel discontented. It is to create in you a desire for their product. It’s to make us realize how much better our lives would be if we had their toothpaste, or their car, or their cereal.
It’s so hard to be content when our culture measures success by how many toys you have. I’m fortunate to have a wife who helps keep me grounded as best she can. She is able to tell me things like- we don’t need a new big screen, HDTV. Even when I could have sworn we did need one. But she is right, we don’t. I need to listen to her more, she’s way more sensible than I am.
Second, don’t borrow foolishly. One of the reasons for the current financial crisis this country is in right now is because so many people took out these foolish loans. Interest only, reverse ammitorization, adjustable rates, high interest. Then we charge our credit card way up, miss a payment, and all of a sudden your interest rate shoots up to 25%. I don’t need to see a show of hands, but I’ll bet many of you have landed into one of these messes.
The kinds of debt that we get ourselves into becomes a bog that we just can’t escape from. We become slaves to the debt, just like the people in Nehemiah’s day.
Proverbs 22:7 says… 7 The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.
How many of you feel like a slave to your house, or your car, or your stuff? Be very careful for bad debt. Know what you are getting into. Read the fine print, ask for advice, shop around. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. It is so incredibly difficult to get unstuck once you are stuck.
If you are stuck and feeling a little lost, come ask for help. We have some guys in the church who specialize in helping to form a budget, and get things under control. We aren’t going to bail you out, like the government has for these failing banks’ but we can help you better apply these biblical principles so that you can work towards that goal of financial stability again.
Third, it’s so important to save for the rainy days. As a church we have the benefit of having reserves in our general fund. We have the ability to weather the current economic storm without having to make the kinds of drastic cuts and changes that many churches are having to. That’s because of the faithfulness and foresight of the men in leadership over the past 5-6 years.
During times of economic blessing we need to remember that there will inevitably be times of economic trouble. It seems like no matter how much money Camille and I have made at any one time, we always spend that much money, and maybe even a little more. Regardless of one income, two incomes, full time, part time, we always seem to find a way to spend the whole thing and it always seems like a struggle to put anything away into savings.
Really this goes back to the need to live within our means. We need to downsize so that we are able to but a little away.
OK, so the first key to successful money management is be careful how you borrow. The second key is to be faithful in how you budget. Look at verses 6-13 with me…
This problem never would have happened if the nobles there in Jerusalem had simply stuck to godly principles. Because they were charging interest, and enslaving their own brothers, the country was thrown into turmoil. Again it is very similar to the problem that this country is in today. Greed and selfishness from those at the top leads to hardship for everyone. Banks making bad loans, CEO’s exploiting the market to line their own pockets, Huge billion dollar pyramid schemes. The kind of behavior that led us into this current economic crisis is one of total deceit and greed.
If those in positions of authority were to hold to some basic godly principles, such as humility, moderation, love, respect, than things would work so much better.
In our own lives we need to do our part. We have to stick to some basic godly principles in how we handle our money. We can’t lie, cheat, steal and then expect God to bless that can we?
I went to a lunch thing this week that was all about marriage counseling and I heard a counselor say, so often my advice to people who come to see me is simple- start doing things God’s way. Stop trying to do things your way and start doing them His way. Man, how much easier would our lives be if we could actually accomplish that goal!
Along those same lines, it is important to not take advantage of others. The nobles here in Jerusalem were taking advantage of their own people.
That doesn’t happen here in the church very often, but it certainly can. When I was in seminary I asked another Christian friend for some help with some financial planning. She worked in that field and so I figured she could give us some good advice. She brought over to my house a lady who was not at all interested in helping us with financial planning and very interested in selling us insurance and trying to recruit me to sell insurance. I quickly discovered that she was connected with a particular aggressive and nasty multi-level-marketing thing.
I was so hurt and offended. I felt like she was trying to take advantage of me simply for financial gain. What a lousy feeling that is.
It’s one thing if you want to sell a worthwhile product at a reasonable price; you know like Tupperware, cosmetics, candles, jewelry, or clothes; that’s cool. But it’s not OK to be dishonest, manipulative, aggressive, or high-pressure. Many churches have a no soliciting disclaimer included in their church directory; simply to prevent people from inadvertently abusing the friendship and trust relationship that we have within the body of Christ.
Whatever kind of business you are in, make sure that you use those same godly principles we just talked about.
How we budget and spend our money will be much easier if we maintain a healthy view of wealth. That means remembering that everything belongs to God. It isn’t that 10% or whatever our offering is belongs to God and the rest belongs to us. That might have been what these nobles in Nehemiah were thinking. I give God His due, and I can do whatever I want with the rest;
That’s not how it works. We need to be faithful in all areas of our finances. We need to be faithful in how the money comes in, and faithful on how it goes out. The key word here is stewardship. You have been entrusted to your job, and your family, and your finances. You are in charge of managing it well.
I’ll be the first to admit, I have not been a very good steward of my own personal finances in the past. This is an area of life that I have to work on constantly. I need to remember that every dollar I have and every dollar I spend needs to be well thought out, and responsible. Again, I’m fortunate to have a wife who is a good steward to help keep me balanced.
The key is nothing new. It’s not going to be a surprise. It’s simple- make a budget and stick to that budget. I’m great with doing the first part of that…
Finally, as we close, the last key to successful money management is to be intentional in how you bless. Look at 14-19…
Nehemiah explained all the ways in which he tried to be a blessing to the people during his time there. As the elected governor, he could have taken a salary, but he didn’t. Not only did he not drain the resources from the people, he gave from his own resources. He held big dinners and fed people. He gave generously and joyously. He didn’t serve for the money or for some sort of earthly reward, he did what he did to honor God.
We need to be just as intentional in how we bless others. We need to be just as generous and giving. That begins by working hard. Whatever your job is, work at it as you are working for the Lord. Be the guy that is reliable and dependable and the one who people can always go to when they need help.
Ephesians 4:28 says…28 He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.
Why does Paul encourage hard work? So that you will have something to share with those in need. The purpose of the hard work isn’t personal gain, but so that you will be able to be a greater blessing to those around you. Make that your ambition. Not to gain more so you will have more. But to gain more so you can give more.
Next, intentional blessing involves giving generously. Nehemiah says, I didn’t take the food allowance, I didn’t charge a tax, I didn’t burden the people. And on top of that I gave generously to them.
One thing I’ve noticed about this church is that you are all extremely generous. Whenever we have a special offering you guys come through. Not only that, but you are generous with your time and your talents. Many of you serve faithfully on a committee or with children, or on other special ministries.
The biblical guideline for giving in the NT comes from Paul in 2 Cor….
2 Corinthians 9:7-8 7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
The principle isn’t 10%, it’s you making a commitment in your heart to give a certain amount to God. There is no compulsory 10% rule that you have to follow. In fact it states very clearly here- we don’t give out of compulsion. We give out of a heart of generosity.
When we do our part, God promises to do His part- to supply our needs and give us the grace we need to abound in every good work.
One of the side effects of Nehemiah’s generosity was that he set an example for others to follow. The reason he gave was out of fear and respect for the Lord. And others took note. He was the example of what love and generosity should look like.
When you are a generous person, it helps others see what generosity looks like. When others see the blessing you receive from giving it encourages them to give. When others see the kind of person you are they want to be like that too.
Your generosity and love for others will bring glory and honor to God.
OK, let’s do a quick review. What are the keys to financial success that we’ve seen from this passage? First, be careful how you borrow. Don’t take out bad loans and don’t live beyond your means.
Second, be faithful in how you budget. Make a budget, and stick to it. Be responsible with what God has given you and always remember that you are stewards of His stuff.
Third, be intentional in how you bless. Be generous.
These things aren’t just sensible, they are biblical. If we can learn to apply them in our own lives we will be blessed and a blessing to others.
