7c“But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’
8“Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.
“But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’
“In tithes and offerings. 9You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. 10Bring 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. 11I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the LORD Almighty. 12“Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the LORD Almighty.
Malachi 3:7c-12
1Now about the collection for God’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. 2On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. I Corinthians 16:1-2
Male egos and manly noises filled the room Saturday night, April 2nd, as men laughed, ate, and told stories around the tables. Highlighting the evening were the testimonies of NFL players Brock Huard, former quarterback of the UW Huskies, Seattle Seahawks, and Indianapolis Colts, and Seattle Seahawk Pro-Bowl quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. Brock played a different role on the sidelines this year as support to the starting quarterback and spiritual leader for coach Tony Dungee.
Space will only allow me share one short story. Brock mentioned that a few years ago while playing for the Seattle Seahawks each quarterback on the roster was a Christian: John Kitna, Trent Dilfer, and himself. He shared that just before the team would emerge from the tunnel at Husky Stadium (during the years the new Seahawk Stadium was being built) the quarterbacks would gather for prayer. Trent Dilfer would lead them, praying especially for the starting quarterback. On one occasion he reminded Matt Hasselbeck that he was playing for only one person in the audience: God. Have you come to understand that life principle? In life and in your finances, you’re playing for an “audience of One.”
For the last few weeks, Larry Gardner, our church administrator, and I have been in the maternity ward delivering messages that will strengthen our church and your personal family. This is the last of those deliveries. What I often say about my family of four children applies to these messages: “It’s these four and no more.” The children have arrived. Now the real work, cost, and joy are starting. My prayer is that the audience and reader will be as delighted as we are and respond, “Oh, how God has blessed our family with such marvelous additions.”
As we finish this series on “How to become Debt Free,” let me introduce you to this last delivery, “How To Go With Green.” I have saved the most important question about debt for the end. Are you ready? If apply these principles, you will win over fear, misguided priorities, materialism, greed, and any number of other destructive belief systems.
Is Debt a Sin?
No area of a person’s financial life is filled with more emotion, misunderstanding, and distorted thinking than debt.(1) Debt has many definitions, let’s use this one, “any money owed to anyone or anything.” Now let’s clear up two important thoughts on debt.
Ø Debt is not a sin! The Bible discourages the use of debt but does not prohibit it.
Ø Debt is never the real problem. It is only symptomatic of the real problem-greed, selfishness, fear, impatience, etc.
There are 5 kinds of debt: credit card, consumer, mortgage, investment, and business. When considering using debt, always ask yourself these four questions:(2)
1. Does it make economic sense?
2. Is my spouse in agreement with taking on this debt?
3. Do I have the spiritual peace of mind or freedom to enter into this debt?
4. What personal goals and values am I meeting with this debt that can be met no other way
Becoming The Master of Your Money
Are you the master of your money or is money your master? If money your master, let me speak as a financial prophet and give you a glimpse of your future.
Each of us struggles with a sin nature that is selfish. James reminds us of this when he says, “…you want something but, you don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want.” (James 4:2)
Sounds pretty selfish to me. When you place a selfish person in an environment of consumerism and unlimited choices, like a mall or on-line shopping, the result is temptation that leads to greed. Jesus said, “Be on your guard against of all types of greed.” (Luke 12:15)
When greed can be funded on an unlimited basis, like with credit cards, it will almost always result in overspending. Will this happen? Yes, and it is happening to many of you right now. Only godly financial principles will shelter you in a financial system that has run amuck. Follow these steps and be free.
1. Start by setting financial goals by faith.
7By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family (Hebrews 11:7a)
5And Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him. 6And Noah was 600 years old when the floodwaters came on the earth. 7And Noah and his sons and his wife and sons’ wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood (Genesis 7:1-7).
Noah must have been overwhelmed when he heard the Lord’s plan for mankind. But before he could struggle with the implications, God had Noah strapping on a tool belt and involved in a construction project that drew the attention of all his neighbors like nothing else ever had. And it went on for 120 years!
For the next 12 decades Noah would spend his time in ideal working conditions building an ark of safety. As we are going to see, God is about to do the incredible to accomplish the unusual, as one author says. Let’s go over to Noah’s house and get a glimpse of what fills his concentration and time for the next 120 years.
Build An Ark
If a person was ever called on by God to do the unusual it was Noah. He was to build a giant boat 500 miles from the nearest body of water. Soon it would rain, and everyone and everything except for Noah’s family would perish. Noah must have thought, Rain? What’s that? It had never rained before.
Noah must have had some regular discussions with God about what was going on. The ark was God’s idea for divine provision, a shelter of safety from impending judgment. God instructed Noah in Genesis 7:1 to “Come thou and all thy house into the ark.” (KJV) This is the first time the word come is used in the Bible. It is the greatest word for invitation, showing up over 500 times. The word go is used in the NIV and it is too strong a word; it conveys a command. But the word come conveys an invitation.
Noah had a goal, and that was to save his family. Securing financial as well as family freedom begins with establishing goals and objectives.
At the age of 15 John Stoddard made a list of all the things he wanted to accomplish in his life. He envisioned himself as a great explorer and put down things like: explore the Nile, climb Mt. Everest, visit every country in the world, visit the moon. His list had 127 goals.
When John was 60, he had become an author and lecturer and had made many explorations. He often smiles when asked about the list he made many years ago. “Nearly everyone,” he says, “has goals and dreams, but not everyone acts on them. There are things on the list I will never do: Star in a Tarzan movie or climb Mt. Everest. Goal setting is like that. Some may be beyond your reach, but you don’t have to give up on the dream.” 3
Goals should become a source of motivation and should guide, but need not control, one’s life. Each of you sets goals all the time. For most of you they are rather informal. Vacations don’t happen unless we plan and set some goals. You don’t build a house without some goals that you give the architect and builder. You never just scatter seed and hope something will come up.
If I were to ask you if goals were important almost every person would say yes, but studies tell us that less than 3% of Americans have written goals. Look at these benefits of setting goals:
1. Goals provide direction and purpose.
2. They engage and crystallize our thinking.
3. They create personal motivation.
4. The most important goals define God’s will for my life.
Did you know that God is into goal setting? The following scriptures will help you set some goals for your finances:
Where there is no vision (goals), the people perish. Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)
Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of your crops. Proverbs 3:9
In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your path straight. Proverbs 3:6
Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans (goals) will be succeed. Proverbs 16:3
Do you need some help in setting financial goals? Let me help you get started.
1. Pay your bills on time.
2. Be committed to living on a budget.
3. Make the first check you write each time you’re paid your tithe.
4. If you’re in debt, make a plan to get out.
Successful goals contain three elements: they must be measurable, attainable, and must include God-directed faith. These things will help you reach your goals, and along the road you’ll find you’re becoming more Christ-like, and most of all you will glorify God.
2. Avoid common financial mistakes.
There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. (Proverbs 16:25)
Maybe I’m not the only who feels like I got more than I thought I wanted, could handle, or deserved. I want to help my children avoid the many mistakes that found their way into the path of my life. My heart is to go beyond being a teaching dad; I want to be a spiritual father.
One of the clear pictures of God’s provision for His people is in the identification of fatherhood and son-ship. I want to awaken in many of you today a holy desire to receive fatherly instruction. When you do, it leads to multiplied blessings in every area of your life.
Do you look to this pulpit and the pastor God uses to shape your life in Christ and realize he does it by clearly establishing a paternal life-to-life transmission? If you welcome and receive it, you position yourself to gain the richest blessing God wants to offer. Allow me offer you some fatherly financial advice: avoid making the most common financial mistakes.
Mistake Number 1 - Here is the number one financial killer: buying into a consumer-driven lifestyle. We are tempted at the minimum and, if we were honest, more enslaved than we want to admit. A consumer-driven lifestyle is simply spending more than we can afford, more than we should, or more than God wants us to. Financial mottos of this type of person include: “You only live once. Enjoy it now.” “He who ends with the most toys wins.” “You owe it to yourself.”
Let me offer you a little secret. Think this through; don’t decide whether you agree, just listen for understanding, and then let the Holy Spirit work on you - The more television you watch, the more expensive lifestyle you are going to be drawn to. TV advertisements get the job done. That’s why a Super Bowl ad goes for two to three million dollars.
Mistake Number 2 - The next most common mistake is unwillingness to make and operate within a budget. Without a budget you will always be at the mercy of others.
Why won’t people live on a budget? Because we hate to live under limitation or with boundaries. It was the initial problem in the garden. Adam was instructed from the beginning on how to live under limitation.
2The women said to the serpent, “We may eat from the trees in the garden, 3but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden’”(Genesis 3:2-3)
Living under divinely pronounced limitations gives us security and direction for our lives. When you have a budget you have security that you are on course, just as a road map gives you confidence that you going in the right direction.
Mistake Number 3 - This is one may surprise you. “The 3rd most common mistake is the buying and selling of cars,” as Ron Blue says.4 Why? The buying and selling of cars plays right into pride and ego. When pride and ego get involved, logic goes out the window. Someone has said, “Logic and automobile purchases do not go hand in hand.”
I can tell you the cheapest car for you to own - the one you own now; the one you can keep up and work on. The longer you own a car and drive it the cheaper it becomes.
In 1980, The Wall Street Journal produced this quote, “The longer a car is kept (new or used), the cheaper it becomes to run per mile. Average depreciation of a new car the first year is 31.5% of its original price.”5
3. Design a personal financial plan.
2On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. (1 Corinthians 16:2)
God’s financial plan for your life is the 10-10-80 plan. This means you return ten percent of your income to God, ten percent to yourself for savings, and then you learn to live on the remaining eighty percent. You may wonder how that’s possible. God’s principles always work. There are many people in the Christian community who are very successful in their business and family financial plans. Seek them out. Learn their methods. Obey their instructions and be the recipient of successful results. Then give the glory to God
4. Learn to control your spending.
Like a city whose walls are broken down, is a man who lacks self-control. (Proverbs 25:28)
Perhaps going back to the way Grandpa and Grandma handled money will help some of you get a handle on your spending. As income was earned it went into the cookie jar. As needs occurred, you went to the cookie jar for help. When the cookie jar was empty, there was no more spending until more cash was deposited.
As time went on and the management of finances became more complex, our grandparents gave up the cookie jar approach and went to the envelope system. Money was placed in envelopes according to allocation of the income - one envelope for food, one for clothing, one for giving, one for insurance, etc. Now, the cookie jar principles still applied. When an envelope was empty the spending stopped until cash was placed back in the envelope.
When you look closely at this approach, you are reminded of some obvious principles we often forget:
1. Money was always pre-allocated
2. Spending always stopped when the cookie jar or envelope was empty.
3. The person always knew exactly where they stood relative to cash flow and spending.
It was always easy to tell if there was money! It’s not so easy these days. With the advent of the checking account and then the credit card came the invitation to overspend. When you put these types of financial instruments in the hand of an undisciplined person, it is only a matter of time before disaster strikes.
Learning to control your spending is all about personal discipline. Many of you sitting here today struggle with this element of the Christian life, and if you struggle with controlling your spending, it’s probably only one of several areas that need control.
5. Return to God What is His.
10Bring 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. (Malachi 3:10)
24One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. 25A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. (Proverbs 11:24-25)
Your financial plan begins with returning ten percent of your income to God. There are many benefits, but let’s look at three.
First, God’s work will advance with provisions from God’s people.
Next, God protects your resources from being devoured by the enemy. Your insurance coverage works better. You are not as likely to be swindled by others. The tires on your car last longer. You are less likely to become sick. If God can take care of a nation for 40 years with clothes and shoes that never wear out, He can certainly take care of you with a little incentive from your giving.
Finally, your life will be so blessed that others will see it and realize that it’s the result of your relationship to God.
I told you in the beginning of this message I would give you a game plan for financial success. Well, here it is:
Spend less than you earn for a long period of time.
Learn to control and allocate limited financial resources in a world of unlimited options.
Make your number one financial priority to use God-given resources for the accomplishment of God given goals.
For many of you managing your finances is a great challenge. If you’re serious about getting out of financial hot water do these two things: Live by cash (go with green) and share your financial decisions to a financial counselor who will hold you accountable. God has placed capable financial advisors in the body of Christ. Learn to listen to their advice and apply God’s principles. Begin today by putting just one of these principles into practice. Change always happens with small, positive and encouraging steps.
End Notes
(1) Ron Blue. Master Your Money. Thomas Nelson Publishing House, Nashville, Tennessee. 1986, pg. 55.
(2) Ibid, pg. 55.
(3) Ibid, pg. 99.
(4) Ibid, pg. 116.
(5) Ibid, pg. 118
