Successful Money Management for Christians LESSON 1
Successful Money Management for Christians
Lesson
One
“That
Thing Called Money”
“Trust
in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own
understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy
paths.”
(Proverbs 3:5-6)
Even
though we are living in prosperous times in this country, there are
factors that indicate that many people are in deep trouble with their
finances and need help to manage their money better. Following are some
indications of this fact: (1) Spending more than one makes; (2) Greater
increase in bankruptcies; (3) Easy credit; (4) Large debts; (5) Bad
philosophies about money; (6) Over-involvement in working in order to make
ends meet; etc. All the above indicate a lack of discipline in one's life
and often leads to poverty and/or shame (Proverbs
Managing
one’s money well is a LEARNED process! “Trial and error” is often
the route that many travel, but with no guarantee of good results. More
and more help is being offered to people in this country from several
sources, both religious and secular. But, ONE MUST WANT HELP and be
willing to learn from others. Of course, the best source to turn to is God
and His Word!
Much
is said in Scripture about money, but unfortunately, it is scattered from
Genesis to Revelation. Sixteen of the thirty-eight parables deal with the
use of money. More than two thousand passages can be found that deal with
finances in one way or another. Basic questions are dealt with, like: How
is one to view money? How is one to earn it? How is one to spend it?
An
important area of learning is “What to avoid.”
Making the same mistakes generation after generation doesn’t make
for progress. Among the many things that could be listed, there are five
that should be obvious:
1. The attitude: “I don’t need any help, I can do it all by myself."
2.
No
financial goals or planning for the future.
3.
Spending
more than one makes.
4.
No
effort to save for the future.
5.
Procrastination…waiting
too long to get started.
MONEY
IS IMPORTANT! Did that get your attention? It should have! For several
obvious reasons money must be recognized as important. The following are
just a few of the suggestions that could be offered:
1.
God
must have thought it was important since He said so much about it in His
Word.
2.
The
fact that one spends most of his life earning and spending it certainly
makes it important.
3.
Every
giving and spending decision one makes is a way of emphasizing the
importance of money.
4.
The
fact that one will make a fortune in his lifetime makes it clear that
money is important.
The
subject of money demands the attention of one and all whether we like it
or not. God knows these things also and is desirous of giving instructions
that will enhance our ability to manage our money well.
WHAT
IS MONEY?
Money
is simply a medium of exchange. But it is more! It is stored-up energy.
Money represents one’s labor, time, skill, knowledge, production, etc.
Money stands for all the time and effort that one has put forth to receive
it.
Is
money evil? Obviously not! Money is neither good nor bad in itself. This
is determined more by how one looks upon it or how one uses it. Money is
to be earned and managed. It can be wasted, given, hoarded, spent, saved,
etc. God created all things for man’s use. Man labors to process it into
something that can be useful to himself and
others. He then exchanges what he
processes for money. If the money is wasted, he is wasting
his own time, effort, and energies. When one steals money, he steals the
other person’s stored-up energy. Money is certainly more than printed
paper and stamped-out coins.
MAKING
MONEY
Man labors to make money. This is God’s arrangement from the beginning
(Genesis
3:17-19; 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12; 2 Thess.
3:10-12; Eph. 4:28).
God has made it possible for man to enjoy the wealth of the
earth.
(Ecclesiastes
A
person must realize that the occupation one chooses will not only
determine how he makes money, but also how much he will make in his
lifetime. There are important moral and spiritual questions that should be
considered in choosing an occupation, such as: Who will I work for? Who
will I work with? Is it legal? Will it hurt others? Will it hurt my
reputation? Is it fair (Proverbs 11:1; 16:8)? Will it be a
service to others? Will it affect my ability to attend assemblies and
serve God?
How
one chooses to make money can make a difference in his life. Wrong
decisions can ruin his health, destroy his homelife, destroy his honesty
and integrity, and most important destroy his hope of heaven (Matthew
THE
CHRISTIAN’S REASONS TO MAKE MONEY
Not
only has God decreed that man labor to satisfy his needs, but also to work
so that he can help others (Ephesians
Making
money must not become an end in itself, but a means to an end (those
reasons that God has given in His Word). Making money is not a sin when it
is done honestly and not contrary to God’s teachings on the subject. The
Christian is called upon to make a choice between two goals:
1.
Accumulating
wealth as an end in itself; thus, letting money become our master (Matthew
2.
Or,
accumulating wealth to fulfill one’s God-given goals or purposes in
life.
Healthy
ambition, hard work, providing for one’s own, helping others in need,
planning for old age, managing money well is all of God!
(1 Timothy 5:8; 2 Thess.
3:10; Proverbs 6:6-11).
CONCLUSION
Christians
need to learn to manage their money well so it will be a blessing, not a
curse; a servant, not a master!
This
study will be built around seven basic important areas to
successful money management for the Christian as follows:
1.
Proper
view towards money.
2.
Proper
evaluation of where I am.
3.
Learning
how to plan for the future.
4.
Controlling
spending.
5.
Getting
out of debt and staying out.
6.
Develop
a savings and investment program.
7.
Realize
the necessity of giving.
Homework
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