Gtcotr/ws042518
Proverbs 9:1 Wisdom has built
her house, She has hewn out her seven pillars…
·
Money
problems are most often not math problems but behavior problems.
There
are two common ways to increase finances:
1.
Work for your money
2.
Let your money work for you
Luke 16:13 “No one can
serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be
devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
·
What
you do with a little is what you will do with much.
Jesus
talked about two types of riches.
1. Uncertain Riches
1 Timothy 6:17 Command
those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in
uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to
enjoy.
Proverbs 23:5 Will you
set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves
wings; They fly away like an eagle toward heaven.
2. True Riches
Luke 16:11 “Therefore if
you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your
trust the true riches?”
Jesus
told the young rich ruler that if he would participate in the Kingdom with his
finances then Jesus would participate in the man’s finances with His Kingdom.
As a result of this partnership, the young rich ruler would gain treasure in
heaven. This is a guaranteed return on the investment.
·
Take
what you have, start where you are, and do the best you can.
Our
text for this lesson on Building Better
Finances comes from:
Ecclesiastes 10 NLT
18 Laziness leads to a
sagging roof; idleness leads to a leaky house.
19 A party gives laughter,
wine gives happiness, and money gives everything!
Ecclesiastes
11 NLT
1 ¶ Send your grain across
the seas, and in time, profits will flow back to you.
2 But divide your investments
among many places, for you do not know what risks might lie ahead.
4 Farmers who wait for
perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.
6 Plant your seed in the
morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come
from one activity or another — or maybe both.
It
is God’s hope that we will all:
·
Make a living
·
Make a life
·
Make a difference
Life is not about getting … Rather life is all about getting to
give.
1 Timothy 6:10 For the love
of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed
from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many
sorrows.
7 Pillars upon which to build
better finances. These 7 pillars should be working together in our lives in
order and in balance, without one dominating the others. Without these 7 things
I cannot see the Word guaranteeing true riches to the Believer. As well, keep
in mind that a man’s wealth does not consist in the abundance of the things he
possesses.
1. Work
2 Thessalonians 3:10 For even
when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither
shall he eat.
If
a man does not provide for his own family, he has denied the faith …
2. Tithe
Proverbs 3
9 Honor the LORD with your
possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
10 So your barns will be
filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.
Malachi 3
10 Bring all the tithes into
the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,”
Says the LORD of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And
pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room
enough to receive it.
11 “And I will rebuke the
devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground,
Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” Says the LORD of
hosts;
12 “And all nations will call
you blessed, For you will be a delightful land,” Says the LORD of hosts.
It
is important to sanctify our increase and our possessions by honoring the Lord.
This insures we are not serving money nor trusting in uncertain riches which
can pierce us through with sorrows and then take wings and fly away. Tithing
honors God and sanctifies our money.
3. Give (Tithing and Giving are not the
same)
Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will
be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over
will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be
measured back to you.”
Proverbs 11:25 The generous
soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself.
·
God
gives us bread and seeds … plant the seeds!
·
We
give to meet needs; sow seeds; and follow the lead of the Holy Spirit.
4. Pay Bills
2 Kings 4:7 Then she came and
told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and
your sons live on the rest.”
·
Most
often the quickest way to get a raise it to cut a bill.
·
The
reason why you can’t buy what you want is because you bought what you wanted.
5. Save
Proverbs 13:22 A good man
leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, But the wealth of the sinner
is stored up for the righteous.
·
God
will bless your storehouse only if you have a storehouse.
6. Invest
Ecclesiastes 11:2 But divide
your investments among many places, for you do not know what risks might lie
ahead.
True
riches are gained by investing in eternity. We make eternal investments when we
participate in God’s Kingdom plan and when we give to the poor. He counts it as
a loan which He has guaranteed to repay.
Proverbs 19:17
He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD, And He will pay back what
he has given.
7. Spend
Ecclesiastes 3:13 And also
that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his
labor — it is the gift of God.
·
One problem with money is that a dollar only spends once.
Ecclesiastes 5:19 As for
every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat
of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor — this is
the gift of God.
In
conclusion, there are several things we can do to positively affect the
accumulation and the management of our financial wealth. Along the way it is
important to remember the principles we shared this evening. And also remember:
Proverbs 21:5 The plans of
the diligent lead surely to plenty, But those of everyone who
is hasty, surely to poverty.
