from The Donelson Fellowship
Message 6 Cash Flow: How To Juggle Your Finances Without Losing Your Balance As we continue our series of studies Down the Aisle and Up the Creek, we're coming to the subject of cash management - "How to Juggle Your Finances Without Losing Your Balance." In a survey of 86,000 people, 37% of the respondents said that money was the Number 1 problem in their marriages. Another study of 131 couples by Howard J. Markman at the University of Denver Center for Marital and Family Studies found that money caused more fights in a typical marriage than anything else. And well-to-do families were as likely to quarrel over money as couples on more modest budgets. In today's message, I'd like to suggest three non-negotiables when it comes to Christian money management. And these three non-negotiables will make all the difference in your personal or family finances. A Sovereign Master to Own Your Money First, we need a sovereign Master who will own our money. I'd like to show you an interesting story in Acts 19, having to do with the evangelistic ministry of Paul. He had been preaching in the great city of Ephesus, his message was having an impact, and it led to trouble: Abut this time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in no little business for the craftsmen. He called them together, along with the workmen in related trades, and said: "Men, you know we receive a good income from this business. And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all. There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and the goddess herself, who is worshipped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty." When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" An uproar ensued, and Paul and his compatriots were driven from the city. The attack that occurred on Christianity was not inspired by science or humanism or by educators or philosophers or politicians who opposed the Christian message. The attack against the Christians in Ephesus was inspired by economic issues. It happened because the preaching of the Gospel had changed the way people spent their money. When the people of Ephesus came to Jesus Christ, they stopped spending their money on their worldly idols. They understood that in giving themselves to Christ, they were also giving Jesus alone the ownership of the money in the pockets and the gold in their purses. And it's interesting that later, when Paul wrote his famous letter to the Ephesians, one of the chief subjects was wealth. The whole first part of the book stresses the fact that Jesus Christ gives us a wealth that the world can never afford. The word used in the New International Version is riches. Look at these verses:
So if you want to have a New Testament quality to your Christianity then you must remember that when you come to Christ, he becomes the owner of your money and you become the possessor of his riches. It changes the way you deal with finances. For example, before you make a large purchase you begin praying about it, seeking God's wisdom about that large expenditure. Before you rack up endless debt on your credit card, you remember that it isn't your money that you're spending, it is his. Before deciding to give 10% of your income in the offering plate, you remind yourself that the whole issue of tithing is not whether you're going to give ten percent of your money to God, but whether you're going to keep ninety percent for yourself. Before digging into your evening meal, you pause to bow your head and thank God for giving you your daily bread. It all belongs to him. When a husband and wife begin with that assumption, it changes forever they way they deal with their finances. But then they need something else: A systematic method for organizing their finances. A Systematic Method to Organize your Money I'd like to take a few moments to share a word testimony, for this is an issue Katrina and I wrestled with for many years. When we were first married I considered it my job to manage our family finances. Every week I'd sit down very methodically and calculate our income, write our tithe, pay our bills, and allocate anything that was left over. I kept careful records, and for many years I carefully reconciled the checkbook to the penny. I enjoyed it. This went on for fourteen or fifteen years. But then I became increasingly busy, and the financial demands of a growing family became greater. What had once been an enjoyable diversion became a stressful task. I didn't have enough time to devote to it, and there didn't seem to be enough money to raise three kids. I gradually became exasperated. Furthermore, Katrina didn't know a thing about our finances and if something had happened to me, she would have been absolutely lost. So one day I said, "You do it." Katrina was eager to get her hands on our family finances, so I just walked away from it and she took over. I didn't explain anything. I didn't prep her. I just dumped it all in her lap. After a few months, she was pulling our her hair. She didn't understand my system of doing things, she hadn't a clue about some of the complexities of ministerial tax codes, and before I knew it, Katrina was.... well, disoriented. It led to some real problems. That's when we discovered a principle that is found in Proverbs 27:23 - Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations. In other words, be diligent in handling your assets. Know the state of your finances, else you may lose whatever riches you possess. The Living Bible puts it, "Riches can disappear fast... so watch your business interests closely." This was probably addressed to the man, for he is the one who would have primary responsibility for the flock of sheep and goats. But Proverbs 31 tells us that the woman should also be fully engaged. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard... She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night..., etc. The husband watches over his sheep and goats, the wife over her buying and selling and entrepreneurial pursuits, but both of them combine their heads when it comes to the family's finances. So finally, after eighteen or so years of marriage, we sat down and came up with a plan that really works for us. I'm going to offer it to you just as a suggestion. I call it our 3-P plan. There are three parts, three Ps, and the first is... Pancakes Sitting down and dealing with the family's finances is often a stressful chore. We never do it in the evenings, for it tends to ruin a good night's sleep. We tackle it in the mornings, often on a Saturday or a Monday morning, when we're rested and refreshed. Before we do anything else, we go out to a restaurant and fortify ourselves with pancakes. Prayer Then returning home, we make room for our quiet times. I don't like to go very far into the day until I've had my daily devotions, and neither does Katrina. So she sits at her study table and I retire to the bedroom or kitchen table, and we each have our time of Bible study and prayer. Dealing with financial matters requires wisdom and patience, so we ask God for those things. We want our hearts to be composed and in tune. Paying Then having fortified ourselves in body and spirit, we sit down together at the dining room table to process the accounts and pay the bills. We make sure we know the balance of our checkbook, we calculate our deposits, and write our tithe to the Lord. We also deduct the bank draft we'll installed for our savings. I've always tried to follow the 10-10-80 plan, in which we give at least 10% of our income to the Lord, set 10% aside in saving, and determine to live on the remaining 80% of our income. Then we pull out our bills. Chris Davenport helped us a lot when he suggested that we look at each bill only once. So now when a bill comes in the mail, we don't even open it. We don't think about it or worry about it or look at it. We stuff it in a drawer, and on our twice-a-month sessions, we open our bills one by one and write out a check for them. We pay the most urgent ones first, then deal with the less important ones. When we're finished, we find a simple way of celebrating if we've had enough money to pay our bills. If there's not enough money, we don't panic. We just talk through our options and determine how we're going to deal with the shortfall. The great advantage to this system is that it keeps Katrina and me on the same page. If I'm out of town one week, Katrina can step in, pay our bills, and handle our finances. If she's not available one week, I can do the same. We both know just how much money we have to spend, and we both know exactly where every penny is. We have no financial secrets from each other. And if we disagree we have a regular time to talk it over, having been fortified by pancakes and prayer. Furthermore, if I should be killed in a plane crash, Katrina knows exactly where we are financially and she could go right on with things. This plan may not work for you, but perhaps it will give you some ideas that may help. But there is a third thing we need. In addition to a Master to own our money, and a method to organize it, we need maxims to oversee our funds. We need some guiding principles to help us know what to do. Sensible Maxims for Overseeing Your Money As far as I'm concerned, the book of Proverbs gives us the best financial advice in the world. There are eight principles that have guided Katrina and me, and with absolute confidence I'm going to pass them on to you. 1. Live as simple a lifestyle as possible. Proverbs 30:7ff says, Two things I ask of you, O Lord; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and way, "Who is the Lord?" Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God." Most of us try to acquire too much, for we live in a world that is awash in materialism. We're all afflicted by affluenza. But I often think of something Uncle John Vasser said when he visited New York City. They took him up and down the streets, in and out of the stores, from one home to another. And at the end of the day when he said his prayers, he prayed, "I thank you, O Lord, that I didn't see one single thing today that I wanted." He was a contented man, and his mind wasn't encumbered by materialism. Proverbs 15:16-17 says, Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil. Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred. 2. Work hard. Proverbs 6:6ff says, Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in the summer and gathers its food at harvest. 3. Don't work too hard. Proverbs 23:4-5 says, Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle. 4. Have a saving plan, even if you begin with putting aside a few dollars a week. Proverbs 13:11 says: Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow. 5. Use debt with great caution. Proverbs 22:7 says, The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. That verse does not forbid all debt, but it tells us that borrowing money puts us at a disadvantage. Few of us can get through life without borrowing money for large, capital needs such as a home. But too much of our debt is foolish and frivolous, easy credit, credit card balances. I often warn young couples against credit card debt, giving them my two rules for credit cards: First, don't have one. Second, if you do have one, pay off the balance every month. Period. Without fail. Katrina and I have one credit card that we use in order to accumulate frequent flyer miles. But every time we charge something, we immediately deduct the amount from the balance in our checkbook ledger. At the end of the month, we just total the subtractions and write out the check. We have made up our minds to never allow a credit card bill to run over. 6. Avoid co-signing for someone else's loan. This is mentioned in Proverbs 6, 11, 17, and 22. 7. Leave an inheritance for your children and grandchildren. It's very difficult for young couples to get started nowadays, and they need help from their parents. Proverbs 13:22 says, A good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children, but a sinner's wealth is stored up for the righteous. 8. Never fail to tithe from your income each week. Give the Lord the first ten percent. Proverbs 3:9-10 says: Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. For all that we have is not ours but His alone. We are his children, the sheep of his pasture. And we want to invest his money wisely, using it to advance his kingdom, using our earthly resources in a way that honors the Lord of our lives. Money in a marriage will either pull you together or pull you apart. It can be cohesive only if we have a Sovereign Master who owns our money, a systematic method of organizing it, and sensible maxims for overseeing it. For as Paul said to Timothy, Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, let us be content with that.
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