Faithful Finances 101

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Faithful Finances 101
Welcome to
12/6/2009 Jeff Durham West Side church of Christ
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- Politics- Religion- Money
What three topics does society often recommend
not be discussed?
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Faithful Finances 101
Why discuss this topic and why now?
- Todays economic environment attracts our
attention
- Households are challenged by financial
pressures from both the income and expense sides
of the equation
- Understanding our Christian responsibilities in
money management is as important as other
Biblical subjects but is sometimes overlooked
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1- Gain a better understanding of Biblical
teachings/concepts of money management and
stewardship
Three basic goals/objectives for our class
2- Discuss practical applications of these
teachings
3- Develop tools to help us better manage/monitor
our financial resources
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Disclaimer
No top-secret investigations, computer hacking,
or other such methods have been utilized to
obtain any information about your personal or
family financial situations in the development of
this class material. Any specific content
discussed that may apply to ones individual
circumstances is purely coincidental. ?
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Gods Economics 101

• Key principles of Human Nature Economics
• Its all about me, from me, and for me!

• Gods Economics Principal 1
• Its all about God.
• - As creator, God owns it all anyway.

The source of much of the Gods Economics 101
section of todays lesson comes from the book
Take God at His Word-Experience the Power of
Giving by Dr. Kregg Hood as presented by Fred
Selby in Blacksburg, VA. - JD
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Gods Economics 101

• Psa 241 A Psalm of David. The earth is the
  LORD'S, and the fulness thereof the world, and
  they that dwell therein.

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Gods Economics 101

• 1Chron. 2911 Thine, O LORD, is the greatness,
  and the power, and the glory, and the victory,
  and the majesty for all that is in the heaven
  and in the earth is thine thine is the kingdom,
  O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.
• 1Ch 2912 Both riches and honour come of thee,
  and thou reignest over all and in thine hand is
  power and might and in thine hand it is to make
  great, and to give strength unto all.

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Gods Economics 101

• Psa 507 Hear, O my people, and I will speak O
  Israel, and I will testify against thee I am
  God, even thy God.
• Psa 508 I will not reprove thee for thy
  sacrifices or thy burnt offerings, to have been
  continually before me.
• Psa 509 I will take no bullock out of thy
  house, nor he goats out of thy folds.
• Psa 5010 For every beast of the forest is mine,
  and the cattle upon a thousand hills.
• Psa 5011 I know all the fowls of the mountains
  and the wild beasts of the field are mine.
• Psa 5012 If I were hungry, I would not tell
  thee for the world is mine, and the fulness
  thereof.

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Gods Economics 101

• Gods Economics Principal 2
• Its all from God.
• - A significant difference between source and
  means.

• God is the source.
• 1Ch 2912 Both riches and honour come of thee,
  and thou reignest over all and in thine hand is
  power and might and in thine hand it is to make
  great, and to give strength unto all.

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Gods Economics 101

• God is the source.
• 1Tim. 617 Charge them that are rich in this
  world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in
  uncertain riches, but in the living God, who
  giveth us richly all things to enjoy

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Gods Economics 101

• God provides us means.
• He gives us the ability to make a living.
• Deut 817 And thou say in thine heart, My power
  and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this
  wealth.
• Deut 818 But thou shalt remember the LORD thy
  God for it is he that giveth thee power to get
  wealth, that he may establish his covenant which
  he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.

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Gods Economics 101

• God provides us means.
• He gives us the seed.
• 2Cor. 910 Now he that ministereth seed to the
  sower both minister bread for your food, and
  multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits
  of your righteousness)

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Gods Economics 101

• Our bank accounts, abilities, intellect, etc. are
  not the sources of our provisions/blessings,
  rather the means by which God (The Source)
  provides.

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Gods Economics 101

• God entrusts more and more of His material
  resources to us as we prove we can be trusted to
  manage them effectively.
• Parable of the Talents (Matt. 2514-30)
• Gods Law of the Harvest
• 2Co 96 But this I say, He which soweth
  sparingly shall reap also sparingly and he which
  soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

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Gods Economics 101

• Gods Economics Principal 3
• Its all for God.
• - Everything we possess is on loan from Him so
  we can use His resources to
• 1- Bring Him glory
• 2- Provide for His people
• 3-Expand His Kingdom

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Gods Economics 101

• As Gods resource managers we are to

• 1- Share with Gods people who have need
  (Rom.1213 I John 317)

• 2- Support our families (1 Tim. 58)

• 3- Support ministry projects/programs (Rom.
  1525,26) and provide care for widows (I Tim.
  516)

• 4- Support the physical needs of leaders,
  teachers, workers in Gods service (Philip. 415,
  I Tim. 517,18)

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Gods Economics 101

• Understanding the Biblical principals that all we
  have belongs to Him will help us have the proper
  attitude and prospective on how we can best
  utilize our resources to meet our basic needs but
  also give back to Him to further His kingdom.
• (more about stewardship in future lessons)

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Getting Practical

• 1- Live within our means

• Our money does exactly what we tell it to do!
• Develop a plan of attack
• - bottom line keep expenses below income
• - monitor whats coming in and going out
• - have a spending plan (dreaded b-word)
• - have the discipline to stay on track
• - deal with existing debt avoid new debt!

• Winning at money is 80 behavior and 20 head
  knowledge. Dave Ramsey

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Getting Practical

• 2- Create Margin

• If we live too close to the financial edge, when
  unplanned things happened, we are wiped out!
• Creating a larger buffer between what we earn
  and what we spend eases our anxiety about our
  obligations and creates opportunities to do more
  good for the Lords Cause (2 Cor. 814).

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Getting Practical

• 3- Learn to be content

• Philip. 411-12 Not that I speak in respect of
  want for I have learned, in whatsoever state I
  am, therewith to be content. I know both how to
  be abased, and I know how to abound every where
  and in all things I am instructed both to be full
  and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer
  need.
• Heb. 135 Let your conversation be without
  covetousness and be content with such things as
  ye have for he hath said, I will never leave
  thee, nor forsake thee.

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Getting Practical

• 3- Learn to be content

• Recognize Satans lies.
• - Satan entices us to be dissatisfied with what
  we have, constantly tempting us to want something
  newer, bigger, better than what we already have.
• Overheard in the Durham household many years ago
  by one of the girls
• If I see it on my TV I can have it!
• Luk 1215 And he said unto them, Take heed, and
  beware of covetousness for a man's life
  consisteth not in the abundance of the things
  which he possesseth.

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Getting Practical

• 3- Learn to be content

• Differentiate between needs and desires/wants.
• Choose to live modestly.
• Count your blessings focus on enjoying and
  appreciating what you already have.
• Change our perspective Instead of asking Why
  dont I have more? or Why dont I have what
  they have?, ask Why do I have more than I
  need?

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47 simple ways to waste money
(adapted from moneycentral.msn.com article by
Karen Datko Paul Michael)
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2) Spend you spare time surfing the bargain
sites. It doesnt matter if you dont actually
need anything. Youll find something to buy.
47 simple ways to waste money
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3) Shop hungry. Its amazing how much extra food
youll throw in your cart.
47 simple ways to waste money
4) Draw more money out of the ATM than you need.
If you get 20, youll spend 20. If you get
40, it will disappear just as quickly.
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5) Become an impulse buyer. See something in a
shop window, grab it immediately and worry about
the cost later.
47 simple ways to waste money
6) Pay bills late. That will eat up serious cash
in the form of late fees and interest rate hikes,
and sometimes will damage your credit rating.
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7) Lend money to people who wont pay you back,
even when they say it will be different this time.
47 simple ways to waste money
8) Dont shop around. The first place you look
is almost certainly not the best price available.
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9) Dont buy online. Those High Street
retailers have lots of extra overhead, and they
pass it on to you by marking up their products.
47 simple ways to waste money
10) Go to a state fair or carnival and buy lunch
from a concession stand for your family 8
hotdogs, 4 sodas. Multiply by number of family
members.
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12) Buy complete albums instead of cherry-picking
the songs you want from a music download site
(unless, of course, you always buy albums that
are 100 brilliant from beginning to end).
47 simple ways to waste money
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13) Never double-check your measurements on a DIY
project. Youll make at least one big mistake
and have to buy another round of materials.
47 simple ways to waste money
14) Forget returning movie rentals on time. Red
Box may only be 1/night, but rent two and leave
them behind the sofa, and that can add up quickly.
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This weeks assignment