Money Management – Budgeting
I. CONTENTMENT IS LEARNED/ENABLED BY THE LORD
Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:11-13
A. BE CONTENT/NOT ANXIOUS BECAUSE THE LORD IS OUR PROVIDER
...do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more that food, and the body than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not worth much more than they?...why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not cloth himself like one of these. But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith?
Do not be anxious then, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or `What shall we drink?' or `With what shall we clothe ourselves?' For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew
6:25-34
...do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. For life is more than food, and the body clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; and they have no storeroom nor barn; and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds!...Consider the lilies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these.
But if God so arrays the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you, O men of little faith! And do not seek what you shall eat, and what you shall drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek for his kingdom, and these things shall be added to you.
Luke 12:22-31
Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you," so that we confidently say, "The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid... Hebrews 13:5,6
B. BE CONTENT WITH BASIC NEEDS OF LIFE SATISFIED
And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. 1 Timothy 6:8
C. BE CONTENT WITH YOUR SALARY
And some soldiers were questioning him (John the Baptist), saying, "And what about us, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages." Luke 3:14
OUR LIVES SHOULD EXHIBIT ORDER
But let all things be done properly and in an orderly manner. 1 Corinthians 14:40
A. LORD IS NOT A GOD OF CONFUSION
For God is not a God of confusion ... 1 Corinthians 14:33
A. TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE FOR YOUR NEEDS
Know well the condition of your flocks, and pay attention to your herds; for riches are not forever, nor does a crown endure to all generations. When the grass disappears, the new growth is seen, and the herbs of the mountains are gathered in, the lambs will be for your clothing, and the goats will bring the price of a field, and there will be goats' milk enough for your food, for the food of your household, and sustenance for your maidens. Proverbs 27:23-27
B. TO BE ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY ACCOMPLISH YOUR OBJECTIVES
For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him. Luke 14:28, 29
Banking and Savings
Prepare plans by consultation ... Proverbs 20:18
The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage ... Proverbs 21:5
Any enterprise is built by wise planning, becomes strong through common sense, and profits wonderfully by keeping abreast of the facts. Proverbs 24:3,4 (LB)
SAVING
There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man swallows it up. Proverbs
21:20
The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets. Proverbs 21:20 (LB)
Four things are small on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise: the ants are not a strong folk, but they prepare their food in the summer... Proverbs 30:24,25
A. EXAMPLE OF SAVING FOR A FUTURE NEED
Let Pharaoh take action to appoint overseers in charge of the land, and let him exact a fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven years of abundance. Then let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming, and store up the grain for food ... let the food become as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which will occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish during the famine. Genesis 41:34-36
Credit Management – Debt Reduction
WE ARE ENCOURAGED NOT TO BE IN DEBT
Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another Romans 13:8
A. DEBT COMPARED TO SLAVERY
The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower becomes the lender’s slave Proverbs 22:7
1. WE ARE COMMANDED NOT TO BE SLAVES OF MEN
You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men 1 Corinthians 7:23
B. BIBLICAL EXAMPLES OF HARDSHIP OF BEING IN DEBT
So David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam...everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented, gathered to him; and he became captain over them 1 Samuel 22:1-2
Now a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord; and the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves 2 Kings 4:1
Now there was a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers...”We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our homes that we might get grain because of the famine.”
Also there were those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our fields and our vineyards. And now our flesh is like the flesh of our brothers, our children like their children. Yet behold, we are forced into bondage already, and we are helpless because our fields and vineyards belong to others Nehemiah 5:1-5
Let the creditor seize all that he (the wicked man) has; and let strangers plunder the product of his hand Psalm 109:11
Thus says the Lord...“to whom of My creditors did I sell you? Behold, you were sold for your iniquities...” Isaiah 50:1
C. NOT BEING IN DEBT SPOKEN OF IN THE POSITIVE
Woe to me, my mother that you have born me as a man of strife and a man of contention to all the land! I have neither lent, nor have men lent money to me, yet every one curses me Jeremiah 15:10
D. DEBT IS CONSIDERED A CURSE
But it shall come about, if you will not obey the Lord your god, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes which I charge you today, that all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you...The alien who is among you shall rise above you higher and higher, but you shall go down lower and lower. He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head and you shall be the tail. So all these curses shall come on you and pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you would not obey the
Lord your God by keeping His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you Deuteronomy
28:15,43-45
E. BEING OUT OF DEBT IS CONSIDERED A BLESSING
...the Lord will surely bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, if only you listen obediently to the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all this commandment which I am commanding you today. For the Lord your God shall bless you as He has promised you, and you will lend money to many nations, but you will not borrow; and you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you Deuteronomy 15:4-6
Now it shall be, if you will diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you will obey the Lord your God...you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow Deuteronomy 28:1-2,12
II. DEBT REPAYMENT
A. GODLY PEOPLE REPAY DEBTS
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, and tomorrow I will give it, when you have it with you
Proverbs 3:27-28
B. WICKED PEOPLE DO NOT REPAY DEBTS
The wicked borrows and does not pay back, but the righteous is gracious and gives Psalm 37:21
C. LORD CAN SUPERNATURALLY PROVIDE RESOURCES TO GET OUT OF DEBT
Now a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead and you know that your servant feared the Lord; and the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.”
And Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” Then he said, “Go borrow vessels at large for yourself from all your neighbors, even empty vessels; do not get a few.
And you shall go in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour out into all these vessels; and you shall set aside what is full.” So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons; they were bringing the
vessels to her and she poured. And it came about when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.”
And he said to her, “There is not one vessel more.” And the oil stopped. 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 can live on the rest 2 Kings 4:1-7
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A. COSIGNING DISCOURAGED
A man lacking in sense pledges, and becomes surety in the presence of his neighbor Proverbs 17:18
Take the garment when he becomes surety for a stranger; and for foreigners, hold him in pledge Proverbs 20:16
Take his garment when he becomes surety for a stranger and for an adulterous woman hold him in pledge Proverbs 27:13
B. COSIGNING DANGEROUS
He who is surety for a stranger will suffer for it, but he who hates going surety is safe Proverbs 11:15
Do not be among those who give pledges, among those who become sureties for debts. If you have nothing with which to pay, why should he take your bed from under you? Proverbs 22:26-27
Risk Management – Insurance Investing – Home ownership
DIVERSIFY
Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth. Ecclesiastes 11:2
1. BUSINESS/VOCATION BEFORE ACQUIRING HOME
Prepare your work outside, and make it ready for yourself in the field; afterwards, then, build your house. Proverbs 24:27
A. EXAMPLES OF THOSE WHO OWNED HOME
And when Jesus had come to Peter's home... Matthew 8:14
...they came into the house of Simon and Andrew... Mark 1:29
And He...entered Simon's home... Luke 4:38
B. EXAMPLES OF THOSE WHO DID NOT OWN HOME
And Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." Matthew 8:20
He (Paul) stayed two full years in his own rented quarters... Acts 28:30
AVOID RISKY INVESTMENTS
There is a grievous evil which I (Solomon) have seen...riches were lost through a bad investment...
Ecclesiastes 5:13,14
There is another problem I have seen everywhere - savings are put into risky investments that turn sour, and soon there is nothing left to pass on to one's son. The man who speculates is soon back to where he began with nothing. This, as I have said, is a serious problem, for all his hard work has been for nothing; he has been working for the wind. It is all swept away. Ecclesiastes 5:13-16 (LB)
D. BE A STEADY PLODDER
The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage... Proverbs 21:5
Steady plodding bring prosperity... Proverbs 21:5 (LB)
1. DO NOT BE HASTY
...everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty. Proverbs 21:5
...he who makes haste to be rich will not go unpunished. Proverbs 28:20
A man with an evil eye hastens after wealth, and does not know that want will come upon him. Proverbs 28:22
E. TIMING IMPORTANT
There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven Ecclesiastes 3:1
A. PAY A FAIR PRICE FOR AN INVESTMENT
If you make a sale, moreover, to your friend, or buy from your friend's hand, you shall not wrong one another. Corresponding to the number of years after the jubilee, you shall buy from your friend; he is to sell to you according to the number of years of crops. In proportion to the extent of the years you shall increase its price, and in proportion to the fewness of the years, you shall diminish its price; for it is a number of crops he is selling you. So you shall not wrong one another... Leviticus 25:14-17
Estate Planning – Retirement Planning
A. ACCEPTABLE INVESTMENT GOALS
1. PROVIDING FOR YOUR FAMILY
But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever. 1 Timothy 5:8
2. LEAVING AN INHERITANCE
A. IT IS PROPER TO LEAVE AN INHERITANCE
A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children... Proverbs 13:22
1. IN OLD TESTAMENT WHEN BELIEVER HAD RESOURCES, HE WAS TO: LEND TO NEEDY BELIEVERS
If there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers...you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks. Beware, lest there is a base thought in your heart, saying, 'The seventh year, the year of remission, is near,' and your eye is hostile toward your poor brother, and you give him nothing; then he may cry to the Lord against you, and it will be a sin in you. Deuteronomy 15:7-9
1. THE LENDER WAS BLESSED
It is well with the man who is gracious and lends... Psalm 112:5
2. NEW TESTAMENT BROADENED THIS OBLIGATION TO INCLUDE
THOSE WHO ASKED FOR LOAN
Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. Matthew 5:42
B. NO INTEREST WAS TO BE CHARGED
If you lend money to My people, to the poor among you, you are not to act as a creditor to him; you shall not charge him interest. Exodus 22:25
Now in case a countryman of yours becomes poor and his means with regard to you falter... Do not take usurious interest from him...You shall not give him your silver at interest... Leviticus 25:35-37
You shall not charge interest to your countrymen: interest on money, food, or anything that may be loaned at interest. Deuteronomy 23:19
House and wealth are an inheritance from fathers... Proverbs 19:14
In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. And Isaiah the prophet son of Amoz came to him and said to him, "Thus says the Lord, 'Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.'" Isaiah 38:1
...children are not responsible to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. 2 Corinthians 12:14
1) OLD TESTAMENT LAWS OF INHERITANCE
You may even bequeath them (foreign slaves) to your sons after you... Leviticus 25:46
...If a man dies and has no son, then you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter. And if he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers. And if he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father's brothers. And if his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his nearest relative in his own family ... Numbers 27:8-11
...The Lord commanded my lord (Moses) to give the land by lot to the sons of Israel as an inheritance, and my lord was commanded by the Lord to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother to his daughters. But if they marry one of the sons of the other tribes of the sons of Israel, their inheritance will be withdrawn from the inheritance of our fathers and will be added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they belong... every daughter who comes into possession of an inheritance of any tribe of the sons of Israel, shall be wife to one of the family of the tribe of her father, so that the sons of Israel each may possess the inheritance of his father. Thus no inheritance shall be transferred from one tribe to another tribe, for the tribes of the sons of Israel shall each hold to his inheritance." Numbers 36:2-9
...except what they (Levites) receive from the sale of their fathers' estates. Deuteronomy 18:8
If a man has two wives, the one loved and the other unloved, and both the loved and the unloved have borne him sons, if the first-born son belongs to the unloved, then it shall be in the day he wills what he has to his sons, he cannot make the son of the loved the first-born before the son of the unloved, who is the first-born. But he shall acknowledge the first-born, the son of the unloved, by giving him a double portion of all that he has...to him belongs the right of the first-born. Deuteronomy 21:15-17
...If the prince gives a gift out of his inheritance to any of his sons, it shall belong to his sons; it is their possession by inheritance. But if he gives a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, it shall be his until the year of liberty; then it shall return to the prince. His inheritance shall be only his sons'; it shall belong to them. And the prince shall not take from the people's inheritance, thrusting them out of their possession; he shall give his sons inheritance from his own possession so that My people shall not be scattered, anyone from his possession. Ezekiel 46:16-18
PARABLE USING INHERITANCE AS AN ILLUSTRATION
And He said, "A certain man had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.' And he divided his wealth between them. And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living...when he came to his senses, he...came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him, and kissed him.
And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy
to be called your son. But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.' And they began to be merry.
Now his older son...became angry, and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began entreating him. But he answered and said to his father, 'Look! For so many years I have been serving you, and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a kid, that I might be merry with my friends; but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with harlots, you killed the fattened calf for him.' And he said to him, 'My child, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. Luke 15:11-31
A) JESUS RESPONDS TO INHERITANCE QUESTION
"Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." But He said to him, "Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbiter over you?" And He said to them, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions." Luke 12:13-15 |
