Uncategorized

If Anyone Is Not Willing To Work, Then He Is Not To Eat Either

Paul provided clear counsel in 2 Thessalonians 3 to address those who refuse to work and try to live in sloth off the hard work of others. If anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat either. God does not want us to be lazy and be a burden on others, even if they are willing to support us.

      6Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us. 7For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you, 8nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you; 9not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, so that you would follow our example. 10For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. 11For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. 12Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread. 13But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good.

      14If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with him, so that he will be put to shame. 15Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

Receiving and giving help in times of emergency or exceptional hardship for those who are genuinely trying to work and provide for themselves, to the extent they are able, is good. However,  it is wrong for people to live in sloth, burdening others indefinitely without being willing to work themselves.

This principle applies today for all those who are taking money from government. The government does not have its own money. It takes money from others who earned it on the basis of their own hard work… and it does so typically against their will. God never intended for people to be dependent on the government, but rather on God. When we filter help through the government, we even take away the premise of thankfulness and voluntary giving in God’s name. Instead people perceive it as their right to receive someone else’s money. It encourages them to continue as a dependent of “free” money. It discourages hard work and self sufficiency.

Work hard and earn your keep. Do not be a burden on others when you are able to work by choosing not to do so.

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way. Visit

Ethics, Greed

Do You Serve Money or Does It Serve You?

We can learn a lot about someone’s character by observing them in times of grief or opportunity. In Genesis 23, we see the godly character of Abraham as he seeks to bury his wife, Sarah. He serves God rather than money. Money is a tool for him. We should learn from his example.

      1Now Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. 2Sarah died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan; and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 3Then Abraham rose from before his dead, and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying, 4“I am a stranger and a sojourner among you; give me a burial site among you that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” 5The sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him, 6“Hear us, my lord, you are a mighty prince among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our graves; none of us will refuse you his grave for burying your dead.” 7So Abraham rose and bowed to the people of the land, the sons of Heth. 8And he spoke with them, saying, “If it is your wish for me to bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and approach Ephron the son of Zohar for me, 9that he may give me the cave of Machpelah which he owns, which is at the end of his field; for the full price let him give it to me in your presence for a burial site.” 10Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the sons of Heth; even of all who went in at the gate of his city, saying, 11“No, my lord, hear me; I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the presence of the sons of my people I give it to you; bury your dead.” 12And Abraham bowed before the people of the land. 13He spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, “If you will only please listen to me; I will give the price of the field, accept it from me that I may bury my dead there.” 14Then Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 15“My lord, listen to me; a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between me and you? So bury your dead.” 16Abraham listened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, commercial standard.

      17So Ephron’s field, which was in Machpelah, which faced Mamre, the field and cave which was in it, and all the trees which were in the field, that were within all the confines of its border, were deeded over 18to Abraham for a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city. 19After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field at Machpelah facing Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20So the field and the cave that is in it, were deeded over to Abraham for a burial site by the sons of Heth.

Reviewing Abraham’s actions at this difficult time reveals some important points to consider that can impact your finances:

  • The Hittites had great respect for Abraham even though He distinguished himself as a man who followed God and was a foreigner in their land. They worshipped other gods.
  • Abraham showed respect for the Hittites despite their different beliefs. This does not mean he agreed with them or participated in their false religion.
  • Abraham was not afraid to openly ask for help.
  • Abraham, though wealthy, was not greedy. He refused the opportunity to take advantage of the offer of receiving the land for free. He did not even haggle. Further, he avoided any possible appearance of wrong by conducting business in the open with witnesses.

As Christians, we can strive to follow Abraham’s example in dealing with non-Christians. For those who are not openly hostile and seeking to kill Christians, we can conduct business with them and show them proper respect. We treat them as someone God loves and someone whom we would love to reach with the good news of the gospel.  However, we do not hide our faith. We openly live so as to show that we follow and serve God. Our behavior and attitudes should differentiate us clearly from those who do not follow God.

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .

Blessing or Curse, Optimizing Life, Treasures In Heaven

Who Is Blessed, and Who Should Take Caution?

To those who do not know the LORD or walk in relationship with Him, this message may seem like foolishness. However, it is based on sound doctrine from the Bible. We should not overlook the importance of God’s blessing on us as His followers, nor His cautions. Whether we are blessed and rich, blessed and poor, or blessed and somewhere in between it is important to seek His blessing. But remember, blessing does not always translate to “rich”, and “rich” does not always translate to happiness and joy and fulfillment.

Luke chapter 6 records some rich and deep teaching from our Lord, Yeshua. While we always want to read in context (e.g. read the whole chapter(s) rather than picking a verse here and there), I want to make sure we don’t breeze over some of this rich teaching by putting too much in one article. Sometimes we get distracted to read through the whole section of scripture for the day and lose the opportunity to pause and prayerfully reflect on what it means and how it applies to us.

Luke 6:20-26

The Beatitudes

     20And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21“Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. 22“Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. 23“Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets. 24“But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. 25“Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. 26“Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.

Clearly this is an example where God’s ways are not our ways! The logic seems upside down by man’s values. Who wants to be poor? hungry? filled with sorrow? scorned and insulted? Who does not want to be rich and well liked?

Let us first point out that this does not mean you can’t have relationship with the LORD and go to heaven if you are rich. Abraham was rich, as just one quick example. Let us also consider “poor” from the perspective of “poor in spirit”.

Have you considered that those who are poor, hungry, and sorrowful are perhaps not “self-sufficient”. They know they need help. They know they cannot figure it all out on their own.  The poor in spirit know they are not good enough on their own. They need a savior. This attitude can often help set them up to truly submit to the LORD or submit more fully. They “have nothing to lose” and recognize they need help from one who is wiser.

On the other hand, many who are rich and content may focus more and more on being self-sufficient and less on relying on God. This increases risk of not having a deeply connected relationship with the LORD. Additionally, the LORD wants to be first in their life. Many who are rich have at times gotten their wealth through pursuit and prioritization of money over other things (not always! money is not inherently bad, just the love of money). They would have to submit to the LORD and serve Him rather than money. If they are not “poor in spirit”, they may have a hard time to recognize that they are not good enough on their own and that they need a savior.

I wanted to close with what serves as both encouragement and rebuke. We should all ask ourselves… “are we scorned for Jesus?” Do our co-workers, friends, and family even know we submit to Him. Do we put Him first? Do we choose His ways over even popular cultural and family traditions? Have we changed our lives based on our relationship with Him, even though it causes tension with others?

I pose that in most cases if we experience no conflict on behalf of our relationship with Christ, then perhaps we need to evaluate if we are truly representing Him and His teaching to the world. If people around us can’t tell we follow Jesus, then perhaps we are not actually fully submitted to Him… or we are just hanging out with a small group of believers and not bringing the gospel to others… which again comes back to not being fully submitted to Him.  He commands us to share the gospel with the world. Don’t kid yourself about churches being perfect either. Even within a church, if you are living for Christ according to Biblical principles and willing to be different and change, you will find yourself being set apart in some ways from others who are in your church. When you change visibly in the name of God, it is amazing how others come forward to pull you back as if your choice to change your life for God has made them uncomfortable because you are living different from them. They don’t want to change or feel guilty, so they must convince themselves, sometimes others, maybe you that you are wrong.

Pray for the Spirit to lead you. Follow the Spirit and God’s written word in the Bible. Test everything against this. Do not just accept as fact the traditions of men or churches.

22“Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. 23“Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets.

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Investing, Optimizing Life, Treasures In Heaven

A Truly Profitable Investment with Long Term Payout

We are all looking for profitable long-term investments to help us manage our personal finances. This is a very good goal. However, let’s pause long enough to put life in a slightly different perspective with regards to what is profitable. The greatest asset we have, one which we did not earn and we can not replace, is the life which our Father in heaven as gifted to us. In a way, we could think of ourselves as an asset in God’s hands. What “profit” is He seeking from us in how we use our lives? How will we invest this one time gift for His glory and our benefit? They are not mutually exclusive, though the world (and Satan) will try to convince you to pick one or the other.

After meeting Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus, Paul lived a life that serves as a good portrait of one who lived submitted completely to Jesus Christ. Paul truly died to self and took up his cross to follow after Christ. He turned His life into a fantastic investment for the Lord. I am confident he is even now enjoying the fruits personally of his choices. Eternity in the presence of the Lord. What Joy! But it was not without choices and trade-offs in his own earthly life. Paul had strong convictions and lived for God. He was focused on being truly profitable rather than just getting money and comfort for himself.

Matthew 16:24-27

      24Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 25“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27“For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.

As he prepared to leave for Jerusalem, Paul met with local elders of the church to remind them about his personal life lived as example as one submitted to Christ. It was filled with hardship and uncertainty, but also hope and joy in all circumstances. Paul provides a good summary of how we should approach our lives submitted to Christ. We do well to read carefully as if Paul were writing this to us and try to apply it in our lives today.

Acts 20:17-38

Farewell to Ephesus

      17From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. 18And when they had come to him, he said to them,
“You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, 19serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews; 20how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, 21solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 22“And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. 24“But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.

      25“And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face. 26“Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. 27“For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. 28“Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29“I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31“Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. 32“And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33“I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes. 34“You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me. 35“In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

      36When he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37And they began to weep aloud and embraced Paul, and repeatedly kissed him, 38grieving especially over the word which he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they were accompanying him to the ship.

As we consider this portrait of living for Christ, Paul reveals several key elements we should carefully consider and apply in our own lives, not matter what our work or ministry.

  • Serve God with humility, even through trials and tears.
  • Do not shrink from teaching truth and repentance, regardless of consequences to you personally.
  • Remember that our life’s purpose is not our own when we are submitted to Christ. Our purpose is to wholeheartedly seek after the work God assigns us to further His kingdom.
  • Be on guard for false teaching and those who would draw you away from Christ. The threat comes both from those outside the church as well as from among the church. People will pervert God’s word to draw disciples after themselves.
  • Do not cease to admonish one another so that we help one another to remain in Christ and in His truth.
  • In testing for false teaching, admonishing, and living for Christ we must look to God and to the word of God as our unchanging source of truth.
  • Work hard to provide for yourself and do not covet someone else’s wealth.
  • Help the weak.
  • Pray for one another in genuine love and concern. Create a community of brothers and sisters in Christ that truly love and care for each other.

Ask yourself… “How does this teaching from Paul apply to my life today?” and then take action to make any course corrections you need to live fully submitted to Christ.

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .

Guiding Framework, Plan Carefully and Seek Wise Advice

It All Belongs to God

At GrowGodsMoney.org, our mission is to serve God by helping His people be wise stewards of the resources God has put in their care. All that we have belongs to God and He calls us to be good stewards of it. Each of us will be judged based on how we use what He has given us.  (Learn more About Us.)

God provides clear warning about the dangers of the love of money. Money must never be our master, but rather a tool or servant to help us serve God while we are here on this earth.

Matthew6:24 24“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

1 Timothy 6:10 10For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

GrowGodsMoney.org helps you build a personal financial plan for income, spending and debt, investment, and giving… all based on Biblical principles.

    1. Our Guiding Framework provides a solid outline around which you can build your personal financial plan.
    2. Review and use the recommended Resources we link to on the site. There is a lot of information out there to help you if you know where to look. We do not consider other Christian financial websites and ministries to be competitors… may it never be! We are part of the body of Christ. Our mission is to help our brothers and sisters in Christ.
    3. Subscribe to receive our biblical financial insights directly by email or Facebook. For email, use our subscribe button on our website or the email icon at the bottom of any post.
    4. Previously published financial insights posts are searchable by category on the website for application to your specific situation.

Please let us know how we can help you grow God’s money (Contact Us) and share our site with family, friends, and others that may benefit.

May the grace and peace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, be with you.

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .

Greed, Optimizing Life, Treasures In Heaven

Why Does God Want My Money?

“Why does God want my money?” Many will ask themselves this when they do not want to obey His instructions about money. They would rather keep it all and decide for themselves how much to give, if at all, and to whom. It is a trick question, really. God does not want your money… He wants your heart.

Matthew 6:19-21  19“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The point is that God warns us we cannot have two masters. We cannot serve both God and money.

Luke 16:13  13“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

He wants us to choose Him over money.

Matthew 6:33  33“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

God knows that helping us to consciously choose to put Him first will put us on the right path in life. We will not only please Him but find more joy in life as well and live with the right priorities. Many who choose to serve money find ruin and destruction.

1 Timothy 6:9-10  9But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

“Does God really care how much I give?” Yes. Once again, whether you use your money to honor God or to serve yourself is quite telling as an indicator of your heart.  If you are trying to calculate the bare minimum you can give God and “get by” you are missing the point. He wants your heart. God especially does not like when we lie to Him or cheat Him, claiming before Him or before men to bring a certain amount and then refusing to do so. Yes, He gets angry.

Malachi 3:8-10  8“Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. 9“You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! 10“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. 11“Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the LORD of hosts. 12“All the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a delightful land,” says the LORD of hosts.

Acts 5:1-11

1But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife’s full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land? 4“While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” 5And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it. 6The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him.

      7Now there elapsed an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8And Peter responded to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price?” And she said, “Yes, that was the price.” 9Then Peter said to her, “Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well.” 10And immediately she fell at his feet and breathed her last, and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard of these things.

Perhaps the better question is not “Why does God want my money?”  but rather “Why am I unwilling to trust God with the money He provided me?”

Prayerfully consider your finances and ask God to help you obey Him. What changes should you consider with your finances so that you are in obedience to His word?

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .

Stewardship

Mastering Your Financial Strategy: The Key to Long-Term Success

Once you build your financial strategy (e.g. income, spending, debt, savings, investing, etc.) you should determine a frequency upon which you will revisit elements of your strategy to ensure you are following it and that it is effective. This is called stewardship.

Some elements need a higher frequency than others to ensure you are on course or to identify areas you can improve your strategy and effectiveness in managing your finances.  You can decide the frequency, but it is important to come back and steward.

A great example is in spending. Once you set a budget and spending targets, which should also translate to a savings target, you need to evaluate how you are performing vs. that target and identify if you need to make further adjustments to your spending to meet the target you set out. If you consistently overspend your target and are unable to meet your savings target, you need to evaluate your spending and make changes… either to the spending or the targets.

Even revisit spending on major recurring expenses like home insurance, car insurance, phone bills, television and internet service. You may be surprised by how much you can save by shopping around and comparing providers once a year or by periodically testing if you are ready to reduce your service to a less expensive alternative. In some areas, you can even switch utility providers to save money… and the electricity or gas still comes through the same line, managed by the same company it did before… you just pay less and write a different name on the check every month!

The same is true for debt or investment. An important example with debt would be someone who has mortgage on their home. If you re-evaluate and find that the mortgage rates have decreased, you may consider re-financing and saving money by enjoying a lower rate of borrowing on your mortgage.

The concept is simple… but often missed.  Once you establish your financial strategy, you must come back and evaluate if you are following it and if it is effective. Test the major elements within your expenses, debt, and investing even if you are meeting target… you may be able to do better still! Use this stewardship to help you make adjustments to continue improving your strategy and your execution of the strategy.

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .

Control Debt, Control Spending, Ethics, Generate Income, Guiding Framework, Plan Carefully and Seek Wise Advice, Treasures In Heaven

A Father’s Wise Advice

The wisdom in Proverbs 6:1-15 is as relevant today as it was when it was written. Please read it slowly and thoughtfully. Avoid reading so fast you cannot dwell on the message contained here. Allow God to speak to you for your life and the lives of those you may be able to help.

Take great care in giving a pledge or guarantee on behalf of neighbors and strangers. Do not do so unless you can afford to lose that amount if something does not work out.

1My son, if you have become surety for your neighbor,
Have given a pledge for a stranger,

      2If you have been snared with the words of your mouth,
Have been caught with the words of your mouth,

3Do this then, my son, and deliver yourself;
Since you have come into the hand of your neighbor,
Go, humble yourself, and importune your neighbor.

4Give no sleep to your eyes,
Nor slumber to your eyelids;

5Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hunter’s hand
And like a bird from the hand of the fowler.

Be not lazy. Instead, be industrious, taking ownership for your own care and for that of others you are responsible for. Think ahead, well beyond the short -term daily provision but rather looking ahead to the future. It may seem far off now, but if you don’t prepare now, you will face crisis later.

6Go to the ant, O sluggard,
Observe her ways and be wise,

7Which, having no chief,
Officer or ruler,

8Prepares her food in the summer
And gathers her provision in the harvest.

9How long will you lie down, O sluggard?
When will you arise from your sleep?

10“A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest”—

11Your poverty will come in like a vagabond
And your need like an armed man.

Do not devise evil for your own financial gain.

12A worthless person, a wicked man,
Is the one who walks with a perverse mouth,

13Who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet,
Who points with his fingers;

14Who with perversity in his heart continually devises evil,
Who spreads strife.

15Therefore his calamity will come suddenly;
Instantly he will be broken and there will be no healing.

Consider scripture from Proverbs as if it were advice from a wise, loving father… because it is just that.

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .

Uncategorized

Choose Your Own (Financial) Adventure – But Do So Wisely

I remember as a child reading a style of book that was called a “choose your own adventure” book. This style of kids’ book has a basic story line with several outcomes for each situation the characters encounter based on which choices you as the reader make for them. For example… if in the story the main character faces a choice to go into a cave or continue in the forest… the reader chooses and turns next to the page that continues the story based on that decision. The outcome is different based on the choice the reader makes.

The same is true in life. Yes, for each of us there are some preset assumptions for our adventure… who our parents are, where we are born, what value system we are taught, etc. However, we each have the opportunity to make choices for ourselves that influence the outcome of our personal story. This is true whether or not we choose to admit that we are making decisions that matter. Do we get up and find a job? Do we work hard? Do we show love to others? Do we obey God?

We make decisions every day. It is just that we at times overlook the importance of how even our seemingly daily, “small” decisions influence the outcome of our life.

I used to think it would be helpful to have a guide to help me choose wisely as each situation came up in those choose your own adventure books. What if I had a map that showed which choices led to success and which to destruction? Wouldn’t that be great! It would help me navigate to the best possible outcome for whatever story I was in.

While no one made a guide or map for the choose your own adventure books, God did in fact provide a guide for helping us in our everyday life decisions while we deal with other people and with God. Of course this includes managing our finances wisely!

While the Bible as a whole provides much value and insight here, Proverbs in particular comes to mind as providing lots of specific applications of wisdom for how we make our daily decisions. Many of the Proverbs are laid out in such a way as to contrast righteousness and wisdom to wickedness. We do well to study Proverbs consistently and apply it as God intended as the guide to help us navigate our lives to the best possible outcome.

Do not think of scripture as something old and out of date. Instead, think of it as part of an instruction manual that God has given you… yes you, specifically… for your life. Read it as if God meant for you to use it in making your daily decisions, because He did!

I always encourage you to click the link and read the whole scripture, but I have highlighted some verses in the article that have more applicability for finances specifically.

Proverbs 17

Contrast the Upright and the Wicked

      1Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it
Than a house full of feasting with strife.

2A servant who acts wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully, and will share in the inheritance among brothers.

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5He who mocks the poor taunts his Maker; he who rejoices at calamity will not go unpunished

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10A rebuke goes deeper into one who has understanding than a hundred blows into a fool.

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12Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, rather than a fool in his folly.

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18A man lacking in sense pledges and becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor.

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23A wicked man receives a bribe from the bosom to pervert the ways of justice.

At first glance, perhaps some of these may not be clear in regards to finances. Take time to dwell on them. Verse 10 and 12 strike me of very applicable to those of us who may make mistakes with our finances from time to time. Someone who wishes to help us may rebuke our unwise choices and we should take care to keep pride at bay and remain humble enough to receive their correction, even if they don’t say it in the nicest way. We will be the benefactor of the message if we do. Similarly, let us not be the fool trapped in his own folly once we have made a poor decision on finances. Be willing to admit a mistake and get out of it, even if at a loss. This could apply to overextending our debt by buying too big a home or too expensive cars and doing so on debt instead of saving ahead. The interest could cost you dearly. It could apply to investing in stocks when we make a poor choice and have a losing position.

10A rebuke goes deeper into one who has understanding than a hundred blows into a fool.

12Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, rather than a fool in his folly.

Take time to really reflect on each of the verses in today’s article. Think of situations and decisions you are facing today in your life. Which verses in today’s reading is God putting on your heart to apply in your life to help you make the right decisions?

God may also show you through His word some examples of where you handled a situation well, even if the outcome was not what you wanted… thank Him for the encouragement!

Continue to study and apply the wisdom contained in Proverbs to specific issues in your life. Use the wisdom God provides to help your find the best outcome based on choices you make that  influence your own personal adventure in life!

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .

Diversification, Greed, Plan Carefully and Seek Wise Advice, Speculative Investment

Are You Gambling or Investing?

Are you a gambler or an investor? Consider your entire portfolio that you invest. Do you understand how you will succeed if one particular asset or asset class (e.g. the stock market) goes up, goes down, or stays flat? If the success of your financial investing strategy requires any one asset to move in a particular direction, then what happens if it does not do that? You are essentially gambling your money on an asset increasing in value.

Let’s consider someone investing in the US stock market.

  • A gambler may make a disproportionately large bet on the stock market or an individual stock going in a specific direction. For example, he hopes or believes it will increase in value. He may make a big gain if things go his way, but if the market crashes he loses much money.
  • An investor avoids the greed of chasing the maximum gain, that brings with it high risk. Instead, he plans a strategy that is diversified across multiple assets or asset classes (e.g. diversified group of stocks, bonds, cash, perhaps some silver or gold). If the market crashes he is positioned to use some of his cash position or bonds to buy stocks after he is confident the crash has bottomed out and stabilized. When stocks recover, he comes out with a profit. Later, he rebalances his portfolio back to target by selling some of the stocks he picked up when values had fallen. If he suspects a certain investment has potential for high gain, he considers investing a smaller portion of his portfolio to capture the gain with less overall risk… this is called speculative investment.

If you have not done so in a while, it is a good time to consider your investing strategy. The global economy is trying to recover from struggles through many years and yet stocks are already priced at or near all-time highs due in part to heavy interference by national governments (e.g. “the Federal Reserve” keeping interest rates low artificially, thus driving people into the stock market at higher risk).

Do you know if your portfolio is prepared for either outcome (e.g. stock markets decline or rally higher)? or are you betting that it will work out in one particular outcome and unprepared for the other?

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .

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