Invested: Money
Repetition is a great way to get your attention, so much so that advertising companies have been using it for years. Just think of all the commercial jingles that you still remember from your childhood. You remember it because it was repeated over and over again. Companies used repetition because they thought what was offered would be important to you and they wanted you to remember that they could help. God does the same thing in the Bible. For example, take the fact that the Bible mentions contentment 7 times and 6 of those times it concerns money. There are also over 2,300 verses about money and possessions in both the Old and New Testament. Jesus spoke on money than almost anything else in Scripture. When God speaks on a subject, we need to pay close attention but when it's repeated over and over it needs our undivided attention. Why would God mention money and possessions so many times? I think we can look at a recent survey which shows 73% of people experience stress when it comes to money. God was repeating His commands about money over and over because He knew that we would struggle when it came to finances. This morning as we wrap up our sermon series called “Invested”. We are going to deal with the topic that comes to mind when we hear the word invested, and that is money. Since the Bible speaks on this topic over 2,300 times, it’s hard to preach on just one verse or passage. This morning I want to approach the topic of money by looking at passages all over the Bible in order to understand what God’s way of dealing with money is. Before we look at what the Bible has to say about debt, savings, investing, and giving, let’s quickly mention three principles of Scripture that we need to know and be reminded of before we proceed.
Remember that God owns everything.
Psalms 24:1
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.
One of the first things we talked about when we started this series was the fact that everything in the world belongs to the Lord - our money, skills, job, family, house, car, etc. All of it is the Lord’s. This is the primary truth we must embrace when it comes to every aspect of our lives. We must also pay special attention when it comes to managing the money that God has trusted us with. If we don’t live this truth in all parts of our lives nothing else we talk about will fall into place because we will have the wrong perception going into any discussion of finances.
Remember we are called to be faithful stewards.
1 Corinthians 4:2
Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful.
Since nothing we have is ours and it all belongs to God then we must understand it’s only ours for a time and we are called to make the most of it. We are called to invest it and we must be found faithful. This will change the way we think about all the decisions in our lives (financial and otherwise) because they are no longer just decisions. They become spiritual decisions because they involve God's stuff and we are to be found faithful in all that God has trusted us with.
Remember our attitude toward money.
1 Timothy 6:10
For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
We live in a world that holds money to a higher standard than it was ever meant to be held. As a result we have all suffered in many different ways. You can look at almost any problem in the world and the root cause is usually traced back to money. When we have the proper attitude toward money and understand our duty in managing that money, we will see that God’s ways are indeed much different than the world's ways when dealing with finances. With these understandings let’s take a look at some of the largest issues we might struggle with when it comes to being a faithful manager of the finances God has trusted us with.
What does the Bible say about Debt?
The Bible talks about debt quite a bit. In the Old Testament the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy calls debt a curse. In Romans 13:8 we are told to owe no one a debt. Let’s listen to Proverbs 22:7 and what Jesus said in Matthew 6:24.
Proverbs 22:7
Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender.
Matthew 6:24
No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.
The Bible is very clear that we should do our best to stay out of debt. If we are in debt we are a servant to the one that we owe money and no man can serve God while serving any another. While there are good types of debt (if you have to ask if the debt you have is good debt, it’s not), we are going to be addressing the type of debt that causes the most problems for families and individuals - bad debt.
We need to understand a few quick things that the Bible says about debt. First is that when we have debt we need to repay it. Psalms 37:21 tells us that a borrower who doesn’t repay is wicked. Proverbs 3:27-28 tells us that we also need to repay it as soon as we can and not to withhold it. Proverbs also says in Chapters 6, 17, and 22 that you shouldn’t cosign for someone else's debt and if you already have do what you can to be removed from that debt. It’s one thing to say you need to be debt free and it’s another thing to actually do it. Let’s take a look at some basic steps that can help us walk in obedience when it comes to our finances.
In 2 Kings 4:1-7 a widow was threatened with losing her children to her creditors. God sent Elisha to help free her from debt. The same God that answered the prayer of that widow is the same God who will answer your prayers as well. It might be quickly like in the widow's case or it might be slowly over time, either way prayer is the key.
Jesus said in Luke 14:28-30 that whoever builds a tower is going to sit down and first count the cost. From this statement alone we know that planning when it comes to finances is crucial. We must count the cost of living for each month. We do so by making a monthly budget and then stick to it. This will help you manage your money each month. If you are not using a budget to track what you are spending each month and then start one, you will be very surprised to see where your money is really going. A budget is a requirement to be a good steward of the funds God has trusted you with. Remember you need to be spending less than you bring in each and every month. If not, your budget needs to change.
Sit down and write out everyone you owe as well as the interest rate you are paying. This will help you understand your current financial situation. Once you have your budget written out have a list all your debts, ask yourself if you are being a good manager of what God has entrusted to you.
There are many ways to go about getting out of debt. One way is to focus on paying extra to the smallest balance that you have. Then “snowball” the amount you paid each month on that debt to the next smallest debt and so on until you are out of debt. Another way is to attack the highest interest rates first. There are calculators online to help you decide which way works best for your particular situation. With interest rates the way they are right now, refinancing your debt might not be the best idea but there are situations that this is still a viable option.
Debt is not a good thing in the life of a believer. It’s not good for your health, your stress levels, your family, or for your walk with God. However remember we have a God who sent Jesus to pay off our ultimate debt to sin and that same God doesn’t want you to struggle with debt. Therefore you must be strict in your obedience to Him with how to manage the money He has trusted you with. It’s His money - do what He calls you to do with it.
What does the Bible say about Savings?
As negative as the Bible is when it talks about debt, the Bible attitude is the exact opposite when it comes to savings. Proverbs 21:20 tells us that the wise save for the future, but the fool spends everything he gets. We need to understand that we must have a surplus in order to save. This is another reason that establishing a budget is so important. We need to make changes so we have surplus at the end of each month that we can save. We need to set small attainable goals that we can work toward. There are a lot of goals you can set when you start saving. A popular one is setting first a goal to save $100, then $1,000, then saving up a month’s worth of expenses, and then on to saving six months worth of expenses.. You never know what tomorrow will hold (Proverbs 27:1) and this goes especially for finances. You need to be a good steward and be prepared for these events.
What does the Bible say about Investments?
When we read the parable of the talents, we see that the two faithful servants in the story invested the money they were given in order to make it grow. We are called to do the same thing and Scripture does give us some guidelines when it comes to investing for our future. Proverbs 21:5 tells us that investing God’s way is about steady plodding and not investing in risky “get rich quick” schemes.
Ecclesiastes 5:14-15
Money is put into risky investments that turn sour, and everything is lost. In the end, there is nothing left to pass on to one’s children. We all come to the end of our lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born. We can’t take our riches with us.
It’s not just risky investments that are an issue because there are no investments that are 100% guaranteed on this earth. That’s why diversifying our investments are so important. King Solomon also speaks of this in Ecclesiastes 11:2. When we invest we need to make sure we are doing it God's way and not putting all our eggs in one basket.
What does the Bible say about Giving?
I saved the best for last, because giving is the greatest and most rewarding thing we are all called to do with the finances God has trusted us with. Christians are said to be known by their love. What better example of love is there than God in John 3:16 when we are told that “God so loved the world that He gave…”. It was important to God and it should be important to us as we live in obedience to God’s Word as we give to His church (Acts 4:32-27, Galatians 6:6, 1 Corinthians 9:7-11, 1 Timothy 5:17-18). All the precepts we have talked about so far concerning money are not so we can have more for ourselves. They are for us to have more in order to give more. Let’s take a look at what the Bible says about giving.
Proverbs 3:9
Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce.
Giving should be from our first and our best, not what is leftover after everything else is paid for and we have gotten everything we want with our money each month. We are called to give of our first and best because, giving is not just an act of charity, but rather an act of worship. We should put God first when it comes to everything in our lives including our finances.
In Number 18:24 we see that God is commanding the children of Israel when it comes to giving and establishes the Levitical tithe. We see that God calls it an act of worship. This can only be accomplished when we have the right attitude towards giving like we are called to give. Listen to what Paul says about giving when he speaks of the supremacy of love to the church in Corinth.
1 Corinthians 13:3
If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
He’s stating that when we give the most important thing is our attitude, because if it’s not done out of love then we are doing it wrong. Yes, the Lord can still bless what you have given. In order to be in obedience, we need to make sure it is done out of love, first to God and then to those whom you are giving to. Paul reminds the church of their attitude in giving when he writes his second letter to them as well.
2 Corinthians 9:7
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Our giving must be done cheerfully, as an act of love and worship to God. It needs to be just like the praise we bring. It's not the song that God wants but rather the heart of the one who brings the praise the one who comes to worship in Spirit and truth. Same goes for the giver, God's looking at the heart of the giver. Not necessarily the gift itself. Look at Jesus’ remarks when the Widow gave her two mites in Luke 21:1-4. Now we know the priority our giving should take when compared to everything else in our lives. We have seen the attitude that God requires in our giving, but that leaves us one question. How much are we supposed to give?
When it comes to the amount Christians are called to give, we usually see the idea of the tithe brought up. The tithe was established in the 14th Chapter of Genesis when Abram gave one tenth of everything to God through Melchizedek. It was established in the Law of God in the book of Leviticus, but there is a misunderstanding that the tithe was to be exactly 10% for the children of Israel. As a matter of fact there was a call for 10% of all your first that was a Levitical offering laid out in Leviticus 27:30-33 and Numbers 18:21-24, a 10% Festival tithe that was commanded in Deuteronomy 14:22-27, and a 10% tithe every three years for the needy in the community in Deuteronomy 14:28-29. The tithe that was required in the Old Testament was much more than just 10%. Let’s look at the tithe in the New Testament. We see Jesus mentions the tithe once when He is confronting the religious leaders as they were paying close attention to their tithe amount, but neglecting the more important points of the law. The few other times tithing is mentioned is just as anecdotal. Rather than a call to tithe we see calls for selfless generosity when it comes to giving. We see the widow that Jesus points out at the temple. We see the churches in Macedonia and how they generously gave despite their circumstances (See 2 Corinthians 8-9). We see the believers in the book of Acts who are selling everything to make sure the church was taken care of. When it comes to giving as a believer there are many things we could talk about, but I think David Jones sums it up well in his book “Every Good Thing” with the 5 P’s of giving. It’s has to be periodic, personal, planned, proportionate, and plentiful. These are the principles we see played out in the New Testament and especially in Paul's writings to the church in Corinth. Not sure where to start when it comes to giving to His church? 10% is a great place to start, but don’t stop there. Pray about it and see what else God would have you give as an act of worship because remember what it says in 2 Corinthians 9:7.
2 Corinthians 9:7
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
When we have a time to bring our offering in our worship services each week, treat it as such. It needs to be a time that you worship by giving God back a portion of what He has blessed you with so that His work through the church can continue.
This was a crash course in managing money God’s way. I hope you have seen that it’s up to us to manage the money God has given us in obedience. Money makes a good servant, but a terrible master. Therefore stop letting your finances control your life, embrace God’s way of managing the money He’s trusted you with, and find the financial freedom that God wants for each of His children.
