There is the story of three college friends from Harvard. The first of the three was a financial wizard. He graduated top of his class. He became an executive for a large financial institution. The second was a brilliant scientist working on cutting edge science technology.
The third one dropped out of Harvard after just one year. He was forced to drop out because of bad grades. The three friends got together after being apart ten years after college days.
The first two were frustrated. They were holding top jobs in their firms and making good salaries. But they weren’t making ends meet. With their house mortgage, car payments, private school for the kids and club memberships they were spending more than they were making. Every month they found themselves sinking deeper into debt.
But the third guy, who dropped out of Harvard because of bad grades, had none of these problems. He paid cash for his cars, his house was paid for and he was a millionaire and making money off his investments. The other two asked him. How have you done it? You dropped out of Harvard. How did you become so wealthy?
He explained to them how he made his fortune. He said I begin to buy and sell. I would buy items wholesale for $2 and sell them for $4. He said if you repeat that enough times that 2 percent profit will add up! Ha-ha, he may not have been smart enough to figure percentages, confusing 200 percent profit with 2 percent profit, but in some ways, he was wiser than his friends.
When it comes to giving wisely there is a Godly wisdom that is required. We are not talking only about giving money here. That is included, but not the whole picture. The issue here is, how are we giving our lives to what counts. These verses are telling us to be wise with the big picture stewardship issues: time, talent, and treasure.
10By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. (1 Corinthians 3:10-15)
These verses help guide us to keep our lives on track. It causes us to evaluate what we are we doing with our life. How we build (1 Corinthians 3:10) is the equivalent of how we live our lives. There is also a warning here too. What we do with our lives is going to be judged by God. Are you going to make your life count?
There is a contrast here:
Gold, Silver and Precious Stone -Verses- Wood, Hay and Stubble
The judgment fire will test a man’s work. The judgment of Christ is coming, and the fluff like wood, hay and stubble will burn. When we live wisely and give our money wisely, we are investing in things that count for eternity and it is called here: gold, silver and precious stone.
When the second temple was under construction there was opposition, and the construction was halted. Because of this the construction materials that had been donated to build the temple were used for their own houses. The prophet Haggai told them it is why they were getting nowhere. What was meant for God was being used for their own personal use.
You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it." (Haggai 1:6)
The wise man finds himself saying: “I harvest where I did plant, I reap where I did not sow.” (Like we find in John 4:38) In contrast the foolish is saying, “the harder I work the more behind I get.” I invest what should be given to God on my own needs. I do not trust God and it seems like I put my money in a purse with holes in it. My money runs through my hands like sand.
There is the contrast between the wise and the foolish. What does the wise do to experience this blessing? The wise man gives according to God’s principles. The wise man is building on the foundation of Christ. He lives his life with the primary purpose of bringing glory to God.
The wise giver, the one who lives wisely, takes care of his family. If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (1 Timothy 5:8)
The word “provide” here in the Greek means to: plan in advance. The wise giver does not ignore his family. Wise giving means you look ahead to make provision for your family.
It takes commitment and discipline to live and give wisely. The advertising tells us we need it all right away. Those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. (1 Corinthians 4:2) You have been given a trust. This trust is your life. This trust is your life. This trust is your family. This trust is your finances. You must prove faithful with everything you have been entrusted with.
Buying household items with a credit card and paying exorbitant interest is not wise. Household items can serve a purpose, but they don’t last forever. If you don’t plan how you spend your money this becomes a destroyer by creating debt. You could end up like the Lord’s people who the prophet Haggai warned. You could be putting your money in purses with holes.
A wise giver can use a budget to meet the needs of family and plan ahead for future needs and honor the Lord. Having a budget for your family is a healthy wise thing to do. A good budget can help you meet the needs of your family and honor the Lord through giving. If you don’t have a budget, you should start one because it is a healthy and wise thing to do.
Your budget can help keep you from the oppressive bondage of debt. It can help you avoid the foolish man’s dilemma, “the harder I work the more behind I get.” You won’t be putting your money in purses with holes. Financial freedom may take discipline and hard work, but it frees you to make eternal investments in kingdom work. You will be planting important eternal seeds.
A sports team needs a good offence and a good defense. To be a wise giver you need a good offence and a good defense. Making money is your offence. Reducing your spending is your defense. In the book The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy there is example after example of high earning individuals with low net worth because they never had any financial defense.
What if a farmer spent all his money buying new farming equipment, new fences and did not have any money left to buy and plant seeds? Not wise. A wise farmer doesn’t just plant a few seeds. These seeds are his livelihood for a future crop.
As Christians it is wise for us to invest in an eternal harvest. Giving wisely means giving according to God’s plan. The tithe is an important part of stewardship. (Deuteronomy 14:22-29). Tithe that you may revere the Lord.
Tithing precedes the law. Abraham gave tithes and Jacob gave tithes both before the law was established. A tithe simply means giving one tenth of our income to God. It’s a testimony of God’s ownership of everything. It is a loving response to God’s mercy.
There is a drama that illustrates this with pie pieces. One piece is house rent, another is food and another in entertainment. There were only crumbs left over for God.
In Hebrews 7:1-10 tells of Abraham giving a tithe to Melchizedek. It is about our need to acknowledge God’s sovereignty in our lives. The wise giver goes beyond the tithe. He sows seeds for eternal harvest in abundance. It is a joy to give generously. All we have to do to confirm this is look at the New Testament churches that gave sacrificially. When we give wisely, we put the eternal ahead of the temporal.
The wise giver will see the work of God changing lives. Having a part of that through financial investment is more exciting than acquiring possessions. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:26)
When we put eternal ahead of temporal, we are wise. Jesus told us a parable about a man who went against every principle of wise giving. We call it, the rich fool.
16And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17He 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. 19And 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 12:16-21)
For the rich fool his bountiful harvest began to increase. He tore down his barns and built bigger ones. It was all stored up and he was ready to retire. This night your soul is required of you. This is how it will be for anyone who stores things up for himself but is not rich toward God.
It is not enough just to plan ahead for retirement. It is foolish if we don’t prepare spiritually. Wise giving starts with a heart that is prepared for eternity. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11)
Our salvation in Jesus Christ. The wise man is building on the foundation of Christ. A wise giver is one who is not neglecting his family and is rich toward God. A fool gets rich on earth and not in heaven. Be a wise giver, taking care of your family and being rich toward God.
