Handling Finances God’s Way
Luke 12:13-21
August 11, 2013
"Money often comes between men and God. Someone has said that you can take two small ten-cent pieces, just two dimes, and shut out the view of a panoramic landscape. Go to the mountains and just hold two coins closely in front of your eyes--the mountains are still there, but you cannot see them at all because there is a dime shutting off the vision in each eye."
It doesn't take large quantities of money to come between us and God; just a little, placed in the wrong position, will effectively obscure our view.
Money does odd things to our lives and to our minds. We often do not think that we are wealthy. According to a worldwide survey, if your household makes above $47,000 per year, you are among the top 3% of the world’s wealthy. The problem is that as Americans we have more wealth than we realize.
Our perspective on money is often influenced more by the world around us than by scriptural principles. Many people sitting here this morning are more wealthy than they realize and often we are poor managers of the money we are blessed with.
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." 14 Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" 15 Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." 16 And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17 He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' 18 "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." ' 20 "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself ?' 21 "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." Luke 12:13-21
Notice the focus of the man who is given the good crop.
I – Six times
What shall I do?
I have no place
This is what I’ll do
I will tear down
I will store
I’ll say
My – four times
My crops
My barns
My grain
My goods
Greed removes a spirit of gratitude
The truth is simple, when we are greedy it is impossible to be grateful. The man was blessed in amazing ways and had been given great material wealth. The man focused on the wealth and not the means that the wealth came to him. The good crop was given by God but the man never gives thanks to God.
The man had a focus on the blessings that was self centered. The blessings were about what he gained and not what God had given. The blessings were about how they would benefit him. Notice how the man refers to the bountiful blessings of God – my crops and my goods.
We hear the same kinds of things today – my money, my house, my job, eve my church. The blessings that we have been given are exactly that a gift. The Lord chooses to give us His divine provision.
The man felt that the blessings would bring a life of ease. A life filled with personal desires. A life filled with abundance and indulgence.
Look at what the rich man said: "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry."
You have plenty of good things
Laid up for many years
Take life easy
Eat, drink and be merry
1. Honor God with the management of money
There are two ways in which a Christian may view his money--"How much of my money shall I use for God?" or "How much of God's money shall I use for myself?"
God is the source of every financial blessing we possess
One of the myths about money that so many people buy into is that the things they possess and the money that they have belongs to them. From a Biblical standpoint, this is the first departure from worldly thinking about money. Biblically, nothing belongs to us. Absolutely everything that we have is a direct result of God’s provision. God is the creator of the universe and everything in it belongs to Him. He is the owner and we are the caretakers or stewards.
This way of thinking runs completely opposite of the world around us but it is an essential place to start. God’s ownership of all things actually sets us free. We are free from the bondage that greed and materialism. The reality is that once we accept our position as stewards, we no longer need to chase the increase of wealth. God is the one who provides all things and He does so to bless us and allow us to be a blessing to others.
Giving is part of God’s financial plan
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38
The second aspect of Biblical financial understanding is giving. The fact that we are stewards and God is the owner makes this thinking much easier. God expects those who believe in Jesus to give a portion back to His kingdom. Understand that this is not about a dollar figure but rather a state of trust and financial faithfulness. The amount that individuals give is exactly that individual. The expectation is the same for all believers. The Old Testament standard of giving was 10%. The word tithe comes from the Old English word for tenth.
Malachi makes it clear that the expectation of God is still the same regardless of income. Ten percent is still ten percent. The matter is not about money but rather the issue is trust, If you do not trust God with your money, you will not trust Him with your life.
Develop a spending plan
Get basic facts
Most people do not even know the basics of financial planning – three questions
1. What do I earn?
- how much income do you have to work with?
2. What do I owe?
- How much debt do you have?
3. What do I own?
- How much is actually yours?
Spend less than you earn
"The wise man saves for the future but the foolish man spends whatever he gets." Proverbs 21:20.
A huge number of people complain that there is more month than there is money. The costs of things are going up at an alarming rate. The main problem is over spending. However, there are things that people can do to spend less money. People spend money on things that really do not matter. Money is wasted on things that we do not really need.
Coffee - $2.00 three times a week - $312.00 per year
Dining Out - $20.00 per week - $1040 per year
Many people spend without thinking. A little here and a little there starts to add up quickly over time. Before someone can eliminate wasteful spending, thye must first know what they are spending.
Howard Dayton advises to Track Spending for one month to know what is being spent and where the money is going. Our society encourages overspending. I received 13 different credit card offers in the mail during the last week. I received two credit check offers – write the check, buy what I want and pay later.
We need to live with financial preparations
One of the major problems that many people have with finances is the fact that are never prepared financially. Preparing financially means that you have a plan for how you are handling your money before you spend it.
Here are some examples of financial planning:
* Saving Plans
* Retirement
* Emergency Plans
* Budgets
The Bible makes it clear that we should plan carefully in every aspect of life and that includes money management.
Make it a point to avoid debt
Be content with what you have
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5
America has been so blessed that we have lost the art of contentment. There is such a lack of personal satisfaction that many people drive themselves into massive debt trying to find satisfaction. Being content means that we are satisfied with what God provides for us.
Stop adding new debt
The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. Proverbs 22:7
Three major sources of debt in the United States:
1. Credit Cards
2. Student Loans
3. Home Loans
Debt is created when we do not wait to buy what we can afford. The average American family has $10,000 in credit card debt.
Simple ways to decrease debt levels
* Get assistance: financial counselors
* Show some discipline: eliminate wasteful spending
* Know how much you owe
Look at all sources of debt and begin building a repayment plan
- Credit Cards
- Look at the interest rates and the payment amounts: pay more than the minimum
- Aggressively attack your debt
I did an exercise on credit card debt. If I only pay the minimum payments, it will take me over 15 years to pay it off and I will spend three times what I owe in interest fees. If I add only $10 per week to what I am currently paying and keep paying the same amount in payments. I can have those credit cards paid off I less than three years.
