Enough

Wisdom and Finance

Proverbs 21:5; Proverbs 21:20

 

Opening Words: Today I continue my new sermon series simply called Enough. In this series we are looking at one of the influential things in our lives, money! Let me be completely honest. Money has great power in our lives and, when used wisely, helps us meet our goals, provide our needs, and fulfill our life purpose. But in recent years, many have managed their money very poorly. How many people do you know are spending tomorrow’s money today? The result end result is not greater happiness and satisfaction, but greater stress and anxiety.

 

My goal in this sermon series is not to fund the 2010 budget. My goal is to clarify your witness for Jesus in this world. We began last week by talking about how our dreams have change in the past fifty years. There was a time when we dreamed about doing certain things with our lives. Today our dreams revolve around owning things in our lives. In our world of fast easy credit, it is easy for our dreams to turn into nightmares. This week I want to help handle your money more effectively. I want to help you develop a financial plan. Once again, let me say this clearly. Please don’t confuse me with being a financial planner. I am not! I am nothing more than a preacher who is trying to help you live out the Christian faith. We are instructed today by two powerful scriptures found in the twenty-fifty chapter of Proverbs. May God give you ears to hear verses five and twenty. Let me call the message Wisdom and Finance.

 

Proverbs 21:5 The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.

 

Proverbs 21:20 In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil,
but a foolish man devours all he has.

 

I love the story of the rich man who was determined to give his mother a birthday present that would outshine all others. He read of a bird that had a vocabulary of 4000 words, could speak in numerous languages and sing 3 operatic arias. He immediately bought the bird for $50,000 and had it delivered to his mother. The next day he phoned to see if she had received the bird. "What did you think of the bird?" he asked. She replied, "It was delicious." That is a story of waste.

 

How much money do you waste? The answer is “too much.” I have never met a person who liked wasting money. We are outraged when our government wastes our tax dollars. Parents are upset when their children spend money foolishly. Nothing is more humbling than when your friends find out you got taken and you paid to much, wasting money. Sometimes I forget that our mission statement as a church revolves around making disciples for Jesus, we seemed to be more concerned about saving money. Our obsession with not wasting money is not limited to the United States. It is one of those things that is universal.

 

Several years ago I was in Mexico. It was a hot dry day so I decided to buy a can of soda. I gave money to the vender and he pulled out a can. I went to grab for the can of soda but he didn’t give it to me. Instead, he poured the soda into a plastic sandwich bag and handed it to me with a straw. I had to drink my soda fast because the plastic sandwich bag leaked. It took me about two seconds to understand why he didn’t give me the can. That can had value and he didn‘t want to give it away. I bought the soda, not the can. If he would have given me the can, it would have been seen as wasteful in his culture. No one likes to waste money. It is not just true of countries, it is also true of generations.

 

One of the greatest stories Jesus ever told is about a young man who wasted his money. If you turn to the fifteenth chapter of Luke, verses eleven through fifteen, you find it. It is the story of the prodigal son. The word prodigal does not mean “lost.” It means “One who wastes money.” You remember the story. A man had two sons. The older son is stable and works with the father. The younger son is impatient and wants his inheritance now! He asks for his inheritance before his father dies and his father grants him his wish. He takes his money and fills his life with wild women and parties. Without a single thought for the future he spends all his inheritance and finds himself at the lowest point in his life. Just think about this. The Jewish boy finds himself eating with the pigs. It is in that lowly position that he begins to grow up. He returns to his father and asks for a job. You know what happens. The father welcomes him back and celebrates his son’s return. It is a story of how God welcomes the sinner back but it is also a story of the dangers of wasting money.

 

The Bible verse on which this message is built is Proverbs 21:5, “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” Those words are timeless. They speak to our generation. The text says we should not just spend our money without a thought. We need a plan. My goal today is to help you develop a financial plan. As I have mentioned before I am not a financial planner, I am a preacher. I have drawn on a Christian financial planner to help us develop a plan. His name is Dr. Clayton Smith and he says we should all live by six financial guidelines. I wrote them down so you can remember them. They will help you save money and they will benefit you personally in the future. Maybe you have heard these guidelines in the past or maybe they will be brand new. Regardless, they are God‘s word for you today. The text is right! Having a plan will not just eliminate financial waste, they will lead to profit. So if you are ready to receive these six guidelines for financial planning say, “Amen!” Due to time I am going to have to be brief.

 

1. Pay your tithe and offering first.

First we need to pay our tithe or our offering first. It is all a matter of priority. Last weekend I received an email from the district office. It listed all the churches in the district who were behind in their shared ministry payments or apportionments based on last year’s giving. Yes, we were on the list. And yes, we were not alone. We are on the list with about two dozen other churches. I made a list of all those churches that were not on the “bad boy” list. In other words, I wanted to know all the churches that were paying their apportionments. I found there was very little in common among all those giving churches. Some had male pastors, some had female pastors. Some were country churches, some were urban churches, some were suburban churches. Some were in wealthy communities, others were in poor communities. There was nothing that linked all those churches but one thing.

 

In fifteen years I have learned a great deal about the others churches in our district. So I feel qualified to say this. The vast majority of all the congregations who were up to date with their shared ministry giving paid their paid their shared ministry portion first. Studies tells us that churches who pay them off the top are making a statement. They are saying that the shared ministry payments are a priority. They want to see ministry happen off their little piece of property. They pay those shared ministry responsibility first because they are a priority. We pay what is important to us first. What do we as a church pay first? We pay salaries and bills first. We pay our shared ministry responsibilities last. Let us just state the obvious. Historically speaking, paying apportionments is not a priority to this church. We really don’t care that much about what is happening and not happen off of our little piece of property. It is a matter of priority.

 

It is as true at home as it is at church, there is never enough money. If you want to discover what is really important to you then look at the first check you write on pay day. What do you pay first? It is all a matter of priority. We need to pay our tithe and our offering first! Why? Because God is a priority. If you think you can remember to pay God first say, “Amen!“ If you don’t care less about what happens off of our little piece of property then I have a few questions about your spiritual maturity.

 

2. Create a budget and track your expenses.

Second we need to create a budget and track your expenses. Have you ever filled out your tax forms and said, “Where did all that money go?” Financial planners tell us we need to know where our money is going. It is like stepping on the scale. You are able to evaluate where you are now and motivate you in the future. Tracking your expenses will help you stop wasting money.

 

Financial planners tell us we waste money in two ways. First, we waste when we buy impulsively. How many things have you purchased lately on an impulse? Financial planners tell us we should never shop without a list and never buy anything that isn’t on your list. If you have ever run into the store to buy a gallon of milk and walked out with $40 worth of groceries, then you are an impulse buyer.

 

Second, we waste money by eating out. How many times a week do you eat out? That is my weakness! Research tells us the average American family of four eat out about four times a week. If everyone just eats hamburgers and French fries, if you include the tip, they are spending about $50 per meal. You do the math that is about $10,000 a year eating out. You can make hamburger and French fries at home for about $15. If you ate at home you could save $6000 annually. Eating out isn’t bad. It is how often you eat out that really matters. If you think you can remember to track your say, “Amen!”

 

3. Simplify your lifestyle.

Third we need to simplify our lifestyles. Ruth Faulkner was a women who changed our church. Do you remember her story? She wanted to thank her long time friends, Grant and Clarabelle Rhodes, who were charter members of this congregation. She thanked them by giving this church more than $250,000 over a several year period. Thanks to her generosity we were able to put restore the church building to a new condition. I define her generosity as a miracle. She had never even been to Youngstown! When she came for the first time I had an opportunity to meet her. I wore my best shirt and tie. Do you know what Ruth Faulkner to meet me? Sneakers! I think they were B.F. Fliers. They thing that impressed me the most about Ruth was not his money. It was her spirit. She could have bought the whole county but you wouldn’t have guessed it. Her home in Columbus, Georgia was modest and tasteful. I will never forget how excited she was to meet us! Everyone described her as being common. She could buy anything but she lived below her means. She lives a simply lifestyle and appreciates everything in it. We bought stuff with her money but she gave us an example on how to live. If you think you can remember to live below your means say, “Amen!”

 

4. Establish an emergency fund.

Forth we need to establish an emergency fund. I don’t care how organized you are, sooner or later you are going to have an emergency. The hot water heater breaks. The car needs repaired. The lawn mower quits. Many in our society handle these things with credit cards. Financial adviser tells us to save for an emergency fund. The amount in your emergency funds depends on your monthly income. In a perfect situation, you would have three months of income saved for emergencies. If you think you can remember to establish an emergency fund say, “Amen!”

 

5. Pay off your credit cards.

Fifth we need to pay off our credit cards. I have a good friend who owns a $7000 pair of boots. He bought them a Sears a few years ago. He wanted to pay cash but he could save 15% if he applied for a Sears Mastercard. He applied for his credit card because he wanted to save money. The other day pulled that Sears Mastercard out to make another purchase and found out he had maxed it out at $7000. Credit cards are great if handled wisely but at 18% to 24% interest you better be careful. It is always better to pay with cash or a debit card. It you think you can remember to pay off your credit cards say, “Amen!”

 

6. Practice long term savings and investment habits.

Sixth, and finally, we need to practice long term savings. Proverbs 21:20 says, “In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has.” You are saving money in the long run? I am not talking about hoarding money. I am talking about saving money for a purpose. The Bible instructs us not to hoard money. If you think you can save some money with a long term purpose in mind say, “Amen!” Let me end with this story.

 

I read a humorous story about a woman who fell out of a second-floor window and landed in a slow-moving garbage truck. Half-buried in the litter, she tried without success to get the truck-driver's attention. A foreign diplomat standing on the sidewalk saw her and quipped, "another example of how wasteful Americans are. That woman looks like she's good for at least another 10 years."

 

The last thing we want to do is waste money. What you need and what I need is a plan. Proverbs 21:5 says, “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” I hope you refine the way that you handle your money so you can refine your witness. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”