Surely you didn’t think we had come to an end of what the Bible has to say about money and what Christians need to know about it. And you realize by now that our roll in the Christian life as stewards, servants and/or slaves is to manage God’s money. Making wise or smart use of God’s resources (His possessions, His money, His time, etc.) to accomplish His goals and objectives is a “line” management responsibility. That is, it’s an ongoing-continuous-permanent-never ending job.
We have been at this quite a while now. Can there be anything else to say? Yes, there can!! Two issues we have said little about so far are saving and investing and where they fit into a sound, Biblical, financial management plan. The Bible has some very important things to say about both of these and although they are complimentary issues, I’m going to try to separate them for discussion purposes. We will talk about saving first and then investing.
The first thing I want you to do is look up the words “saving” and “savings” in your Webster’s dictionary and on-line, check out the free encyclopedia “Wikipedia”.
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Now take a look at these Bible passages and summarize their meaning with respect to the issue of saving:
Prov 6:6-8 _______________________________________________________
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Gen 41:25-36 _____________________________________________________
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Luke 12:16-21 ____________________________________________________
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Ex 16:13-21 ______________________________________________________
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OK, now you know what we are talking about when we talk about saving and savings. These few passages seem to indicate that the Bible is friendly to this idea of “putting aside-setting aside”.
Please forgive me but I’m going to preach a little right now. If all of you aren’t already doing it, I want all you (Christian) stewards to start saving some money right now. I know you’re having trouble making ends meet but there is a really and important reason and easy way to do this.
Here’s how you do it. Go back and look at your cash flow sheet (I’m no longer calling this a budget). If you haven’t done so yet, I want you to label each item with an “N” for what you need to survive and a “W” for you know what ________. I realize that your expense categories may not be 100% one or the other. That’s OK; you can label each category in terms of the percentage represented by needs versus the percentage represented by you know what ________.
Now, add up all the N’s and all the W’s. Is God providing for your N’s?……….
☐ Yes, ☐ No, ☐ Don’t Know, ☐ Don’t have a cash flow sheet (If you don’t know what your cash flow is, how can you possibly do a good job of managing God’s money?) If God is providing for your N’s……………………. then subtract the total of the N’s from the total gross income God has provided for you. We are going to call the answer you get from this subtraction your “surplus”. Then, stop spending God’s money on the W’s and start putting the “surplus” in a safe place where you can get at it easily and quickly.
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Prov 6:6-8 Go to the ant, O sluggard, Observe her ways and be wise, 7 Which, having no chief, Officer or ruler, 8 Prepares her food in the summer, And gathers her provision in the harvest. NASB
Gen 41:25-36 Now Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Pharaoh’s dreams are one and the same; God has told to Pharaoh what He is about to do. 26 The seven good cows are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one and the same. 27 And the seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven thin ears scorched by the east wind shall be seven years of famine. 28 It is as I have spoken to Pharaoh: God has shown to Pharaoh what He is about to do. 29 Behold, seven years of great abundance are coming in all the land of Egypt; 30 and after them seven years of famine will come, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will ravage the land. 31 So the abundance will be unknown in the land because of that subsequent famine; for it will be very severe. 32 Now as for the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh twice, it means that the matter is determined by God, and God will quickly bring it about. 33 And now let Pharaoh look for a man discerning and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 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. 35 Then let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming, and store up the grain for food in the cities under Pharaoh’s authority, and let them guard it. 36 And 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.” NASB
Luke 12:16-21 “The land of a certain rich man was very productive. 17 “And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ 18 “And he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19’And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”‘ 20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ 21 “So is the man who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” NASB
Ex 16:13-21 So it came about at evening that the quails came up and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the layer of dew evaporated, behold, on the surface of the wilderness there was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground. 15 When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” for they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat. 16 This is what the LORD has commanded, ‘Gather of it every man as much as he should eat; you shall take an omer apiece according to the number of persons each of you has in his tent.'” 17 And the sons of Israel did so, and some gathered much and some little. 18 When they measured it with an omer, he who had gathered much had no excess, and he who had gathered little had no lack; every man gathered as much as he should eat. 19 And Moses said to them, “Let no man leave any of it until morning.” 20 But they did not listen to Moses, and some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul; and Moses was angry with them. 21 And they gathered it morning by morning, every man as much as he should eat; but when the sun grew hot, it would melt. NASB