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- 1. The Lord wants your time, your talents, and your resources.
Romans 12:6-8
- Give on the FIRST day of the week as you may prosper.
1 Corinthians 16:12, Proverbs 3:9, Deuteronomy 8:14
- Give to your church.
2 Corinthians 8:1-5
- Give to support those that teach you the word of God.
1 Timothy 5:17
- We are to give cheerfully from our heart.
2 Corinthians9:7
- Give as you are able.
2 Corinthians 8:11-15
- God wants your heart, but tests you through your money.
Mark 4:13-39
- God blesses both financially and spiritually according to His purpose to
those who give cheerfully.
2 Corinthians 9:6
- Being a Christian doesn't guarantee financial prosperity.
1 Timothy 6:3-5
- Give to the needy, orphans, widows, homeless, sick, those in prison and to the poor. In other words: Be like Jesus!
- Don't spend all of your money or you will starve. Save for a
rainy day.
The United States has one of the lowest saving rate of any industrialized nation in the world at 3%. Most Americans are now 30 days away from being broke. According to our social Security Administration, out of every 100 Americans that started a career and worked to the age of 65:
4 of the 100 people had achieved complete financial independence
12 had a moderate income and maintained a lifestyle similar to, but less than, what they enjoyed during their work years.
25 were dead. They did not even make it to retirement.
58 were primarily living on Social Security and some small pension. Of these 60% were at or below the poverty level.
- Do not be greedy to get rich!
Proverbs 28:20 says that he who makes haste to get rich, will not go unpunished. So much of our culture has given us the false message that wealth will bring us happiness. If that is really true, why is it that many of the richest people in the nation are among the most unhappy?
- Diversify your money in many places to reduce the risk of God's
assets.
The world is full of ideas of how you ought to spend or invest the assets that you are given. They bombard you with easy payment plans, special deals and advertising that works on your emotions more than they do your logic. In other words .. THE WORLD WANTS YOUR MONEY!
- Be patient, let God work in your life.
We live in a very fast paced world with instant faxes, microwaves, and instant lottery winnings. God doesn't want Christians to be impatient for things like lotteries, possessions, etc. What He wants is to work in your life.
- Do not gamble with God's money, He will not bless it.
One of the most dangerous tips that you can get is: "This is a sure fire investment. I have the inside scoop." Remember God is in control at all times. Being eager to make a lot of money quickly leads to disaster!
- Don't make your savings account your God.
Remember the Social Security System said 25 out of every 100 people that started their career's were dead before the age of 65. So many people spend their entire life saving up money, hoarding their assets so that they can live on easy street when they retire. While it is biblical to save money, it is unbiblical to hoard money. It is very easy to trust your wealth more than to trust God's provision.
- Know the conditions of your flocks.
One of the biggest problem areas for Christians in the area of money management is that they do not know the condition of their flocks. In the Old Testament the shepherds were very aware of the condition of their sheep. They knew when they went astray, they knew when they were hungry, they even knew their individual personalities. Many Christians pay more attention to choosing TV programs than they do the condition of their financial affairs. Can you answer these questions? What investments do you own? Have you read the small print on your mortgage, auto loan, credit card statements, etc?
- Plan your estate and pass on an inheritance to your children's
children.
Many Christians feel that they do not have enough money to worry with planning their estates. However without appropriate estate planning your children could end up being taken care of by unwanted relatives, your wife or husband could be left penniless, or you could wind up paying half of everything your worked for your entire life in taxes to the government.
- Don't try and predict the future.
Billions of dollars are spent each year on magazines, newsletters and journals by people trying to get a glimpse of the future for the financial or business markets. In fact some people called contrarians, try to do just the opposite of the consensus of the experts because of their notorious record for being wrong. There is such a fine line between wise counsel and those that claim to have an inside track on the future, how do you know which is right?
- Use wise counsel, pray and trust the Lord in all your financial
decisions.
Financial management is a combination of money management techniques and spiritual warfare. For this reason, we need to use both wise counsel and prayer to put us on the right path of managing God's resources. back to top
Bumper Sticker Wisdom and
Other Great Thoughts
Bumper Wisdom:
Every life has a story; the beauty of it is up to you.
We too often love things and use people, when we should be using things and
loving people.
Most people wish to serve God – but only in an advisory capacity.
The poorest of all men is not the man without a cent, but the man without a
dream.
DON”T STEAL The government hates competition.
Children need a Role Model not a Critic.
Sometimes we are so busy adding up our troubles that we forget to count our
blessings.
We make a living by what we get – We make a Life by what we give.
When we do what we can – God will do what we can’t.
Is God’s will in your will??
Decisions can take you out of God’s will but never out of His reach.
Other Great Thoughts:
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting
to improve the world.”
Ann Frank
“The best things you can give your children, next to good habits, are good
memories.”
Sydney J. Harris
“A major problem these days is how to save money for your children’s college
education when you’re still paying for yours”.
Larry Burkett
“Measure wealth not by the things you have but by the things you have for
which you would not take money.”
Curt Dillman
“Stewardship is not how to give back God’s money, it is how to live with
God’s money.”
B. Anderson
