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Thinking Clearly About Our Finances #3 Today is the third week in which we have been “Thinking Clearly about our finances.” And if you have been here each of the previous two Sundays, as many of you have – then full marks! Some people would shy away from this topic, because they might be thinking that its all about a money hungry church trying to part me from my money! Well, that couldn’t be further from the truth. We are looking at “Thinking Clearly about our Finances” for the simple reason that most of the time we DON’T think clearly about our finances. On the current NZ Herald website, you can go to the Money section and read a report on a recent survey undertaken by the BNZ which revealed that more than 10% of respondents would rather visit their dentist than sort out their finances. Half of the respondents stated that their rarely even looked at their bank statements. According to the survey, at least 11 per cent of people have little or no idea how much they have in the bank or how they are spending their money. We best way to Think Clearly about our Finances is by simply seeing what God requires, and doing it! Jesus said that the way we handle our money is the evidence, or otherwise, of spiritual maturity. Two weeks ago I started this series by focusing on the first two principles of Financial Freedom – which is firstly, the Principle of Work, - that we were created to find enjoyment and fulfilment in our work, and thereby earn a living,, and the second principle is that of Budgeting. Then last week, we stepped back a little from the “coal face” and Charmaine reminded us of the larger picture of Stewardship – that it is not only about money – but about the whole of our lives. Stewardship is about the overarching issue of whether we handle all of who we are and what we have with both with Justice and with Mercy. What does God require of us as Stewards or Managers…? , but to “Do justice, to love mercy , and to walk humbly with God.” That means using our time, our talents our treasure, to care for and uplift the poor, and to transform the unjust structures of society which caused that poverty to develop or which keeps them in poverty. And many of you do what you can through your support of many organisations to help the poor and release them from that poverty cycle. I want to say – “Good on you! Keep on giving in those directions.” The bible says when we give to the poor, we are giving to God. Now that’s a rather long introduction – but I think it’s necessary, because it connects us with the final three principles which conclude this series - principle number three of SAVING, number four of GIVING and number five, of ENJOYING. Remember #1, is Working, #2, is Budgeting, so now we come to Number THREE- which is SAVING. The bible says the wise man saves for the future. A recent study showed that many Kiwis aren’t all that good at saving. Now there s a difference between saving and hoarding!- and the gospel reading today is a story, a parable, which Jesus told about a rich man who HOARDED his goods. He just kept piling them up! And what is wrong with that is that he wasn’t using them for any good purpose. Life is meant to be about using your Good for God! But here was Uncle Scrooge all over, who just loved to dive into his money vault full of money. Jesus said of that man – “You fool!” One of these days its all going to disappear, and what good would you have then done with it? Save what you can – and a good principle is to save 10 percent of your income, so that when a special need or opportunity arises, you can use your savings to help others, to relieve poverty, to fight injustice. The next principle , Principle number Four, is the Principle of Tithing - that’s returning 10% back to God. The bible says the first 10 percent of all that I make goes back to Him to honour Him as number one in my life. Many of you understand that principle, but maybe for some of you, this is quite a new concept or principle, and you might have some questions about this. We heard about it in the Old Testament reading this morning – Malachi 3;10, Says - “Bring the full amount of your tithes to the Temple, so that there will be plenty of food there. Tithing means ten percent, it doesn’t mean two percent or five percent or twelve percent – it means ten. That’s what tithing is. “Bring your full amount of your tithe – ten percent – into the storehouse. Put me to the test and you will see ,says the Lord, that I will open the windows of heaven and pour out upon you in abundance all kinds of good things.” (Mal 3: 10) This is God’s Ultimate Challenge for us! Do we trust God, and His Word enough – to start tithing! This is the only place in the Bible where God says “I dare you!” “Try me! This is how you can prove that I exist – you can prove it by tithing. You put me first in your money, give the first 10 percent back, and see if I don’t bless your life.” Now I want to be clear about this- this is not my idea, - this is God’s idea! If you have a problem with this – take it up with God! He said it! Now why did God say ten percent? To be honest, I don’t have the faintest idea! He could have said 15 or 20percent.He could have said give me 90% and you live on ten – because the truth is, He owns it all! We only get to use God’s money while we’re here, and then we have to leave it to someone else. So WHY do I tithe? The Bible says three reasons: 1. I Tithe out of Gratitude for my past: When I give my tithe to God, I’m saying, “God, I realise that I wouldn’t have anything if it weren’t for you. You gave me my mind, my health, my body, the clothes on my back, the work I do. When I give my tithe to God I’m saying –“Here’s 10% back to You out of gratitude, but I know it comes from You in the first place.” 2. I Tithe because of what it represents: God doesn’t need your money, or mine, but He wants what it represents- your Heart! Jesus said – “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also!” We get nervous when we talk about money – and some of you are probably quite nervous right now! God says “I know that you spend most of your life revolved around your money – thinking about it, earning it, spending it , saving it using it, investing it, repaying it.” So He says “I want to be number one in this primary area of your life. So give the first ten percent back to Me.” 3. I Tithe because it’s a priority statement: When we tithe we are saying “God, this proves that You’re number one.” We can say that God is number One, but if we’re not tithing, we are kidding ourselves. How do we show that God is number one in our finances? – by giving the first fruits back to Him. If we don’t then we aren’t really trusting Him! We don’t believe that He’ll do what He promises. So tithing is a priority statement about the present. It’s saying “I give you the first day of the week (Sunday) I give you the first part of my day, I give you the first part of my money.” 4. I Tithe because it’s a Statement of faith. Every time I tithe, I’m saying “God, I believe Your promise. I believe you will take care of me, that somehow You will figure out how I can live on 90% better than if I had all 100%. So I’m going to trust You. If I trust you enough to save me, and get me into heaven, I’ll trust you enough to take care of my finances.” Soon after we were married, Dianne and I made a decision to tithe. And without any sense of boasting in any way – we have continued to do that. And we could tell you many stories of how God has provided for us in many amazing situations. You might be thinking – “But I’m in debt!” Well, the sooner you start the better! God’s Principle is very simple: whatever you want God to bless in your life, put Him first in it. If you want God’s blessing on your marriage and your relationships – put Him first in that area. If you want God’s blessing on your work – put Him First in That area! If you want God’s blessings on your finances and help you to sort out your mess – then put Him First in THAT area! It’s a simple principle! “Seek first the Kingdom of God”. Everyone I know who has told me anything about their tithing has told me that the day they made the decision to trust God and start tithing was one of the best decisions they ever made. 5. Tithing is an act of Worship. You may give to World Vision, Anglican Care, the Auckland City Mission, Red Cross and other organisations, but that’s not tithing. Tithing is an act of worship where 10% of my money goes to God as an act of worship. St.Paul says – “ On the first day of the week (that’s Sunday- when you go to worship) you should put aside something from what you have earned during the week and use it for the offering.” That’s an act of worship. So Principle number FIVE is the Principle of ENJOYING. The Principle of contentment. Ecclesiastes 6:9 says “It is better to be satisfied with what you have than to always be wanting something else.” Advertising seeks to make us dissatisfied with what we have so we will buy something new. The Devonport Dilema is where our Yearning exceeds our Earning. We buy a house we cant afford; we buy a car better than we can afford. We overspend and get into all kinds of credit card debt. Then parents both have to go out to work to make ends meet because they bought more than they could afford. So there is then the constant tension and frustration and fatigue because we’re always trying to keep up with everyone around us. The problem is that what we fooled ourselves into thinking was only temporary, becomes a permanent frantic lifestyle. Hebrews 13:5 says Be content with what you have.” The bible says you will never, ultimately, be satisfied by things. The greatest things in life aren’t things. When I sit at the bed of a mum who is dying, that mum is not interested in how great her new kitchen was, or the additions to the house. She wants to just enjoy and have the company of her children, her husband, their family and the people they love and have shared their lives with. We are never going to be satisfied with things. We weren’t wired that way. God says – “Be content with what you have.” Don’t spend your life chasing after the wind! Put Him first in your Life, in your Relationships, and in your Finances –and Enjoy what you have. |
