Dollars and sense part, pitfalls and purpose of finances

• What is your part concerning finances?

• Which are the pitfalls brought on by finances?

• What are the purposes of finances?

A. Clarify and accept our part

concerning finances.

My part is being a good steward and recognizing I am not the owner.

Here are four principles to become a good steward from Luke 14:28:

“Supposing that one of you wishes to build a tower, will he not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough money to finish it?” (Luke 14:28)

A. Set clear goals: The person alluded to in the passage had three goals. First, he wanted to be a builder. Second, he wanted to build towers. And third, he wanted to build one tower at a time. Do you want to be a good administrator? Then you should set clear goals—specific goals you can reach.

b. Think first: Before building, the man sat down. Sitting down implies thoughtfulness. He didn’t make emotional, hasty, or irrevocable decisions. The same counsel applies to us. If we made financial decisions more calmly, there would be less suffering afterward.

c. Set a Budget: The text says: “To see if he has.” What a powerful phrase. The question is not, “How much do I pay a month?” but, “How much does it cost?” A budget is what tells your money where it should go, instead of you asking yourself where it went.

d. Always persevere: Many lives are filled with projects begun, but rarely finished. Persevere, and discover the immense joy of seeing something completed.

B. Be careful about the pitfalls

concerning finances.

There are three pitfalls one must avoid.

1. Don’t be seduced.

But watch out, or you may be seduced by wealth.Don’t let yourself be bribed into sin.” (Job 36:18).

Seduction Questions:• Do you neglect your family because of your work?• Is it hard for you to leave your work behind in the workplace?• Do you keep thinking of work, even when you are vacationing or resting?• What do you think of first when you get up, and last when you go to bed?

• Do you think about work and finances when you pray, read the Bible, or are in church?• Did you choose your occupation, based on what you could earn?• Do you buy things you don’t need, just because they are on sale?

• When you go out to eat, do you eat more when another person pays the tab?• Is having more money the object of your life?

2. Don’t put your trust in them.

Proverbs 11:28 Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.

3. Don’t pledge for another’s debt. “Do not be a man who strikes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts; if you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you” (Proverbs 22:26, 27).

C. Understand the purpose of

money.

Money is neither moral nor immoral, neither good nor bad. It’s like a brick, which can be used to build a nice chimney or break the

window of the neighbor who plays loud music at 3 o’clock in the morning. The problem is not money, but how it’s used. It adopts the same

characteristics as its owner and becomes more of what he/she is. (More than Rich p. 5)

God created money for four

purposes:

1.It should be saved.

Proverbs 21:20 The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down.

When we save, we do three things:

a. We’re preparing for the unexpected.

b. We’re making sure our children will have a better chance for success.

c. We’re obeying what the Bible commands.

2. It should be invested.

Ecclesiastes 11:2 But divide your investments among many

places, for you do not know what risks might lie ahead.

3. It should be given.

Proverbs 3:9-10 Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; 10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

3. It should be given.

A philanthropist once said: “I give my money with a shovel to God, and He does the same. But the interesting

thing is that His shovel is a lot bigger than mine.” Givers first.

4. It should be enjoyed.

“Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables

him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a

gift of God. (Ecclesiastes 5:19,

Conclusion:

A promise from God

A commitment to God

“If they obey and serve him, they will spend the rest of their

days in prosperity and their years in contentment (Job

36:11).

“He left it all”

Rockefeller’s accountant when asked how much he

left when he died.