By Teaching

 

By Teaching

    In Proverbs 22:6 it is written, "Bring up a child by teaching him the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn away from it." Today we will look at how we can guide our children to being good stewards of what God gives them and avoid the financial snares that exist, stepping forward towards a better path in their young lives.

    As you know to be true in any area of life, there are two key ways your child will learn:

From observing you and learning from you

From doing things themselves

    We want to lay a godly foundation for them by first showing them our reverence for the Lord - that He is our source and our provider, by giving to Him in tithes and offerings. Explain to them in the history of Old Testament the act of giving the tithe, and how in the New Testament that is a starting point of giving to the One who lavishly gave us His Son Christ Jesus. Share with them how God promises to those who give to Him that they will receive back from Him to meet all of their needs. Bring them over occasionally and have them at your side as you write a check, or give online so they can see the actual act of obedience take place. They will remember that.

    When they initially receive their own money, from gifts, allowance or doing chores, encourage them to give back to God. One good visual method for them to learn from is to have jars which are labeled "Tithe", "Savings", "Spending". This will give them a physical place to set aside the tithe until coming to church. Teach them to make the tithe jar the first one they place their money into before the others. They will remember that.

    Explain to them that there will always be more things that they will want to buy then they will have the money for, and that you too have this same desire, but that you strive to keep it under control. From the key verse of Proverbs 21:20 regarding spending less than you make, the International Children's Bible version says "Wise people store up the best foods and olive oil. But a foolish person eats up everything he has." Read this verse to your children and explain its context into money and spending. The use of the jars will help visually reinforce to spend less than they receive.

     Share with them a precious nugget of wisdom in dealing with this... to wait. Teach them that when they want more costly things that they should wait and give it some days. If they do this, every time they then change their mind and decide against buying that item, it will demonstrate the wisdom of using time and developing patience, which will serve them extremely well in many other areas of their lives. They will remember that.

    Regarding saving for the future and receiving interest, I have heard of parents who have rewarded their children for their patience and saving, by giving them bountiful interest compounded monthly so the children can more readily see a result and be encouraged in the practice. Even without this enticement, using the savings jar to gather up over time for a larger purpose will be an experience that will prove beneficial down the road.

    On the topic of interest, explain to them how as an adult there are large things which cost more than can be easily saved to purchase, such as cars and houses. And how we agree with lenders to receive the sum of money to buy these things... but then have to pay back much more than the cost of them over time. Tell them what that time is - over 5 years for a car and as much as 30 years for a house. 

    If you are saving for a car to avoid a loan, share with them the process and how you are watching your spending carefully in other areas so you can make the car purchase with savings and avoid a loan to be paid for an extended period. In the same manner for your home, if you are paying extra principal, teach them how this action is saving thousands of dollars and especially how it is reducing the number of years to continue making the monthly payments.

    One of the key areas to teach your children is how to handle credit cards. They will begin to encounter them at age 18, but need the proper foundation as soon as it is age-appropriate to avoid the traps. If you as a parent personally went through a season of young adult credit card folly, share this experience with your child, and how you regretted the results and regained control over it. They will remember that.

   Explain to them that credit cards have the highest interest rate of any normal borrowing - currently over 22% on average. At that rate the open balance would double in just over 3 years. Tell them credit cards also have costly late payment fees. Teach them that while a credit card is a good way to establish credit early in adult life, that the golden rule is to pay the balance off every month. Show them how with your own credit card you can view the current open statement in real-time, showing how much is owed and how keeping up to date on that knowledge is valuable to avoid having the bill arrive being too large to pay off.

    There is a Christian quote that goes "If we don't teach our children to follow Christ, the world will teach them not to." The same follows for being good financial stewards - if we don't teach our children wise, scriptural handling of finances, the world will teach them not to.

    In closing, know that it is your responsibility to prepare your child for adult life - including their finances, knowing it is a more complicated landscape than when most of us entered adulthood. Help them to not sense a burden in this area, but that they can feel well prepared because of what they saw you do and how you taught them.

    "A good man leaves an inheritance [of moral stability and goodness] to his children's children..." (Proverbs 13:22)

God Bless you and may He show Himself greatly to you (and your children)

Paul

Remember CIA

 

Remember CIA

    Today you can learn about a tool to help you find unnecessary expenditures, one of the biggest enemies to spending less than you make... called CIA. It does not stand for the Central Intelligence Agency (shown above). It represents these spending impulses to be aware of:

C = Convenience

I = Indulgence

A = Appearance

    Each of these can siphon and waste funds excessively away from what you really want to do with them, like paying down debts and getting free of them.

    Convenience - we waste money on Conveniences, like eating the expensive frozen prepared meals instead of making less expensive meals ourselves. When we pay others to do tasks we could easily do much more cheaply ourselves. When we waste five to ten dollars a day (up to $200 a month) on eating lunch outside of work, rather than taking a few minutes to make a lunch to bring to work in the morning. Also when we purchase from convenience stores or vending machines because we simply did not plan ahead.

Proverbs 21:5 says "the plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but every one who is hasty comes only to want." If we can take a few minutes to plan ahead and take actions, we can avoid some of the expenses in this area.

       

    Indulgence - we waste money on Indulgences when we go to the mall or shop online after a hard week, because we feel we "deserve" it. That can use up money we really don't need to spend. We indulge ourselves with expensive dinners out, which as you know are even more expensive lately. We indulge ourselves with expensive toys, to help us make up for the "tough" life we live. These indulgences are frequently charged on credit cards or financed with monthly payments - which makes the cost even higher and the indulgence more damaging when the interest is added. Most people are stunned when they research and compile indulgence expenditures.

God cautions us to be aware of our consumption in Proverbs 25:16, "Have you found honey? Eat only as much as is sufficient for you, lest being filled with it, you vomit it." In the last portion of Proverbs 21:20, it speaks of the fool who "swallows and wastes what he has", relating to devouring quickly and not even genuinely enjoying it.

    

    Appearance - we waste money on appearances when we try to keep up with the Joneses. But the reality is the Joneses are likely deep in debt, dealing with the stresses that accompany such, and they are trying to keep up with those around them. If they lost their income they will be in dire straits in a few months. They are living an illusion and you will be too if try to compete with them. Forget trying to impress people with your possessions, wait until you can share you are debt-free - then they'll really be impressed.

God's word hits this topic on the head, as it is written in Proverbs 29:25, "The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever leans on, trusts in, and puts his confidence in the Lord is safe and set on high." That snare can be "what will they think if I don't have a _____ , or do ______?". But God will reward your obedience in reverencing Him above those concerns.

    With the school year now in force, here is your "homework assignment", go back and view your recent expenses to see which ones would fit in the categories of CIA, and eliminate those wastes. If you do this task, it will show you how to free up funds that can be redirected towards paying down and eliminating debts. Many who undertake this will find even more funds in the second month than the first, because they see how effective this redirecting of money was in reducing debts, and they are even more motivated to locate more to use.

Lastly, be encouraged to abide in God's will from these verses in 1 John 2:15-17:

"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever."

God Bless you and may He show Himself greatly to you,

Paul

Hands and Feet

 

Hands and Feet

    In Romans 10:15, the scripture says "And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

    Even if you have never set foot beyond our borders, if you give to Broomfield Assembly, be encouraged, as you have been a partner of the Lord's hands and feet in bringing the good news across the globe, touching individuals and families you have not met.

    In November 2021, the post titled "Giving Is Living" touched on the subject of how when you currently make purchases of items made in other countries, how it is helping to provide a livelihood for those workers you have never met. Here is a link to the post:

https://broomfieldassemblyfinancialfitness.blogspot.com/search?q=giving+is+living

    In this same manner, when you've given to Broomfield Assembly, a portion is sent to various ministries that carry out the Great Commission across the globe. In many instances places of desolate poverty or government oppression against the Word. You are bringing The Life to many people you may never meet.

    Below are some of the places your giving is already being funneled by your faithfulness in tithes and offerings to Broomfield Assembly:

                                              Central Eurasia      Ukraine

India                                 Urban Denver

Philippines                        Zimbabwe

Portugal

    Obviously, there are many, many other ministries you can give to that do a great work beyond these areas, including in our own metropolitan area. 

    Know how God views your faithfulness in 1 Corinthians 3, "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are coworkers in God's service; you are God's field, God's building."

    There could be lines of people wanting to give to support missionaries and ministries, but if there are not those who accepted the call to go out it would not happen. Conversely, there could be many who are looking to serve in lands beyond, but if there are not sufficient people partnering with them financially they are unable to go. We all work together, as it is written in 1 Corinthians 12 of how as a body has many parts, but all its many parts form one body. There are no unimportant parts - we all combine together in this area to deliver the gospel to those far away.

    And obviously, contributing finances is only one layer of supporting those in the field. Each of them covets your prayers over them, to have the resources they need, to be effective, avoid government interference and for their safety.

    Lastly, even if you have never been called to go abroad and deliver the gospel, know that in this great effort you are viewed by God as part of the body that is helping to make that happen:

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts from one body, so it is with Christ... But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. (1 Corinthians 12:12, 18)

God Bless you and may He show Himself greatly to you,

Paul

    

    

    

Declaration of Dependence

 

Declaration of Dependence

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

For I the Lord your God hold your right hand; I am the Lord, Who says to you, Fear not; I will help you! (Isaiah 41:13)

    As we just celebrated Independence Day in our country, let us point our attention to our dependence on the Lord, and the proper mindset attached to that - including in our finances.

    Let's start at the ground floor of simply our existence... it is a gift from God, as stated in Acts 17:25 in "for it is He Himself Who gives life and breath and all things to all [people]." He began with the dust of the ground and breathed life into us, causing us to be here. We received our first breath from Him... as well as our most recent one.

    Moving onto our occupations, each of us knows it requires strength, physically and mentally to meet the challenges that arise and also to excel and go that extra mile towards excellence. Below are two verses to help align our focus. 

From Colossians 3: "Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily from the soul, as something done for the Lord and not for men".

From Ephesians 6: "Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people."

    I feel if we take to heart what is written above, it reduces the friction of our flesh getting in the way of doing our best. With our focus on serving the Lord, being dependent on Him, we receive His strength, His wisdom and His power.

    Having completed our work and receiving our wages, we are called to this verse of dependence, "But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth." (Deuteronomy 8:18). In showing our remembrance, honor, love and dependence back to the Lord we then give to Him in tithes and offerings. In Leviticus 27, God calls the tithe as His and is holy to Him. Whether you give online or write a check, I feel that to do so promptly when we have received our pay reaffirms that reverence and deference to Him.

    Think in these terms, you already have placed your dependence on Christ... how He shed His blood to cover your sins and rose again from the dead as your dependence on eternal salvation. Here, we are talking merely about declaring our dependence on Him with the first tenth of our income.

    As a result of showing our dependence and giving to the Lord, He in turn promises in Malachi 3 to show Himself faithful on your behalf, saying He will open the windows of heaven for you and pour out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And that He will rebuke the devourer for your sakes.

    In this mindset of dependence and giving, consider that there may be others around you who are depending, praying, waiting on God to meet a need, and that you may be that vessel God wishes to use to meet some or all of that need. In 1 Peter 4:10 it is written, "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms."

    Dependence on Him also means yielding to Him in how we manage the rest of our finances. Because He has spoken His wisdom here, saying in Romans 13:8 to "owe no man any thing but to love one another", He shows how He cares to instruct us, encourage us to keep away from debt as much as possible and especially debt that is overbearing. He also illuminates to spend less than we make in Proverbs 21:20, "There is desirable treasure and olive oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish person devours all that he has".

    In sustaining through to be obedient to those two verses above, reflect on what Paul said in Philippians 4 that his inward strength to be content in all circumstances (circumstances much worse than we experience by denying our flesh wanting to overspend) comes from Christ, that if we have food and clothing we shall be content. Paul was saying He has his dependence on Him.

    In closing, carry on in dependence of the Lord and carry with you these words from Psalms 18:28:

"You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light."

God Bless you and may He show Himself greatly to you,

Paul    

    

    

Guessing vs. Knowing

 

Guessing vs. Knowing

    In Proverbs 23 it is written "Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations."

    We have covered these verses before, mostly in the context of knowing the state of your finances... your holdings. But if the Lord desires for us to know the condition of what we have, it must be also important to know regarding what we spend.

    The image above is from the long-time popular game show The Price Is Right. If you know anything about this show, the object is for contestants to guess the prices of merchandise to win cash and prizes.

    In that photo the contestant is playing the Range Finder Game, where an item to win is shown and described. The large Range Finder board is then started from the bottom of the scale, inching slowly upward. The audience gets louder as the range moves higher... and finally she will push the bottom stopping the range - guessing it will be covering the actual price of the item to win.

    I want to challenge you to a similar "game", though not to guess the price of one item. We have just concluded the month of May. Try and come up with a guess of how much you spent in a particular category, like groceries, dining out or entertainment last month. If specific categories may be too difficult because of multiple categories being at a store, then narrow it down to given stores. Now, check your receipts or credit card statement and see how close you came to your guesses.

    This game should be easier than being the contestant on the Price Is Right, because you recently made these purchases, correct? What were your findings? Did the receipts tell a story that more was being spent than your guesses were? Even if your guess was way off the mark, you are still the winner. Why? Because taking this time you now know what you spent.

    If you also spend a few minutes looking at some detail at what was bought and how much for certain items, you can then see which purchases pushed you over your "range finder" of where you thought the total would be. Taking some thought, you can identify if some of those items were unnecessary, frivolous or extravagant.

    Now you can play part two of this "game". For the upcoming month, set a range finder of where you want the spending of those categories or stores to land within at the end of the month. Here is the secret to winning... monitor where you are at every week in those categories or stores from your receipts or online. What you are now doing is knowing the condition of where you are at, instead of guessing and then being handed the report card at the end of the month with the statement.

    As you gain the knowledge of where your spending actually is, identifying areas where you can pull in the reins some to remove the excess, it will feel empowering to know there are things you can do to see a result, and will put you on the path towards spending less than you make.

    At the end of each Price Is Right came the Showcase Showdown, where they bid on a huge collection of items, even including cars. Let's try our hand at that type of game. On one side, write down what you make in a month. On the other, first guess what you spend in total in a month. Then write down each known bill of insurance, housing, cars, subscriptions, etc. It also must include what you actually charge on the credit card(s) each month - not the monthly payment required.

    How does that sheet look? If it shows spending more than you are making, the areas to target first are the credit cards and subscriptions. Because credit cards contain discretionary, non-essential purchases and there is room to reduce from them every month. Subscriptions should be judged if they are actually providing the value that you are paying... if they are not, they need to be terminated because they are costing you each and every month.

    Taking this action follows in the same line of sensibility that Christ spoke of in Luke 14, asking those "which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?" 

    I encourage you to decide to not spend more than you make. If you feel you have squeezed the excess from your spending and still fall short, then find a way to bring more money in through some part-time work... or in this season, have a garage sale to get rid of things you are not using anyway and make those items pay off what you have. My wife Karen and I took both of those actions to get free of debt, and it was totally worth it.

    Be encouraged to follow Wisdom with these words from Proverbs 4:6:

Forsake not Wisdom, and she will keep, defend, and protect you; love her, and she will guard you.

God Bless you and may He show Himself greatly to you,

Paul

    

    

Led By Peace

 

Led By Peace

    Isaiah 55:12 begins with "You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace". Our God is called the God of peace in several verses, and one of the titles of Jesus is the Prince of Peace. So, in the area of our finances, what is it like to be led forth in peace?

    Let's first identify what is the other side... being led forth by something else. Sometimes, we can be led by an advertisement, by seeing our neighbor with something, by viewing an item in the store or online. We can also be led by a declaration the item is on sale or at what we perceive is a low price, or it being in limited supply.

    Those ways above can certainly be fine, as long as we are being sensitive in these four areas:

The truth of our need for it

Our ability to pay for it

The Holy Spirit

To wait

    What we need to guard against is being impulsive, or what I will call as having a mind of the flesh, during that initial encounter with the item. The mind of the flesh can bring excitement from the advertisement, envy for what our neighbor has, lust for the item when seeing it and haste by the price or availability of the item.

    That is when a wise person will begin to sift the situation, relying on the strength and perfection of the Word of God. To reinforce how the Word will help, in Hebrews 4:12 it is written "For the word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing to the dividing of soul and sprit, of both joints and marrow, and quick to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart." If our view of something is a little out of focus, the Word will sharpen our lense and allow us to see something clearly for what it really is.

    Beginning with the truth of our need for it, we are encouraged in 1 Timothy 6 that "if we have food and clothing, with these we shall be content", then in Hebrews 13:5 we're told to "be satisfied with your present (circumstances and with what you have)." After reflecting on verses like these, we can answer the question of our need for the item. Sometimes that answer will be that you already have a ______ , and do not really need a new _______ . If you sense an uneasiness about a purchase, that is the signal to not move forward. Reflect on some of your past purchases, are there some which you did not have peace about at the time? Did those end up collecting dust or proved to be a waste of money? Ask yourself if this new purchase has any of the same characteristics as those ones which proved to be fruitless.

    Much weight has to be given to our ability to pay for it. God's direction spans from the old testament - "You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow", to the new testament - "owe nothing to anyone except to love one another". We will encounter necessities for large situations (like houses and cars), and for those and especially discretionary things the wise person will sit down, calculate the cost and evaluate soberly before accepting any debt for them. Only if you have peace should you move forward.

    A believer who has The Holy Spirit, and is sensitive to the Spirit, has a Counselor there to accompany them 24/7 that can provide guidance whenever it is needed most. There are many accounts of God's people overcoming famines, making wise choices and prospering when they listened to His voice and obeyed the specific direction given. God's Holy Spirit can provide divine direction for you in a moment's notice in the marketplace, in front of your computer and in meditation before Him. He knows exactly what timing is right for YOU personally, and all of the factors including what cannot be seen. The Holy Spirit will provide the peace that you are making the right decision, and just as importantly will continue to give you peace afterwards, confirming you made the right choice.

    And a last powerful tool you can use is this... to wait. When it is a sizeable purchase or decision, if we pause and wait it will show to be a worthy test if your desire for that item continues or fades away. I think a good guideline is to wait between two days and two weeks before making a large purchase. In Psalms 37:7 it is written "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him". As we wait and take that time we allow God to provide direction, or perhaps God may be working behind the scenes towards a better option or to give you a blessing of that item. The bible has plenty of examples where His people were blessed because they waited on Him. If you do not have peace, then you should definitely wait until that peace comes, it may be that God's timing is in the future for a specific reason of His.

    Lastly, take with you this cornerstone verse from Isaiah 26:3 about peace:

"Thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee"

God Bless you may He show Himself greatly to you,

Paul

 

My Yoke Is Easy

 

My Yoke Is Easy

    Jesus said in Matthew 11:30 "For my yoke is easy and my burden is light". As many truths from God's Word are, they can be applied to many areas of our walk. Today, let's see where these words can lead us to see the truth in our spending and finances.

    Look at the photo above. Those "beasts of burden" are trudging through their workday, straining and forging ahead. Then, on the next day, they will be hitched up and forced to do so again. This will continue repeatedly until they have aged to the point they are not useful to do so.

    I want you to consider the similarities of the illustration and description to a typical worker who gets up early every day, plows forward and works hour after hour and day after day. And in their doing so if they take an account of the debt level, they are digging deeper year by year... benefitting their creditors more than themselves. The verse from Proverbs 22:7 of "the borrower is servant to the lender" fits very well here, as in the photo above we are "plowing that field", nearly in servitude to the lender.

     The logic of many regarding borrowing is this, because the bank said we qualified for a certain mortgage amount, we purchase a home right up to that amount. Because we could have multiple credit cards with a $________ limit, we charge those up to nearly that level. Because the auto dealer arranged for financing to acquire the shiny new model, we sign up for it.

Regarding mortgages, many also refinance several years into their mortgage. 

Please search the Archives section for the December 2020 post titled "The Death Pledge" to learn more on this topic.

    The results of handling finances in this manner are found throughout society. Most households are just a few paychecks away from being evicted from their lifestyle. They do not really own their home, cars and other things purchased with credit. They experience a consistent level of stress because of this, but few take action to reverse the course. This is the scenario if we are sowing to our flesh.

    Our flesh so eagerly wants everything... beyond what we can afford, more than we need, and sooner than we have the funds to pay for it. Galatians 6:8 shows us what comes by following our flesh, "For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap decay and ruin and destruction". The flesh does not stop grasping for more until it destroys us - I would label this as the yoke of the flesh.

    Look at what Jesus said prior to His comment about His yoke - "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest". The words weary and burdened would accurately describe someone under the stresses of debt. But Jesus offers us a different yoke - different from that yoke of the flesh, and states clearly that His burden is light. His yoke points to learning from Him and to the Spirit.

    In Galatians 5, it is written "So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh". The Spirit will always agree with the Word of God, so to strengthen our walking by the Spirit, we need to strengthen our exposure, consumption and absorbing of God's Word. As we take in His Word as a necessity and meditate on it, that Word becomes a sifter to us when choices appear, giving us discernment to know what is right and wrong, and discard the influences of the flesh that is trying to lead towards destruction, thus encouraging us to move forward in what is right.

    What we see in His Word about finances contrasts directly with what our flesh desires. It speaks of owing no man any thing but to love him, to lend and not borrow, spending less money than we have made, being generous towards others, presenting our requests to God, trusting Him by giving to Him and watching Him meet our needs.

    We'll experience His yoke more so as we listen to the Holy Spirit. He is called our Counselor in John 14, and is ever present in you. When a situation comes to buy something substantial or enter into a financial agreement, turn your inner ear to the Holy Spirit, who will bring remembrance of all you have learned. The trademark of knowing it is His Spirit is we will be led forth with peace. Moving forward when you have that peace will also serve as continued confidence down the road with that decision.

    By seeking God's presence regularly - getting alone and quiet before God, our burdens will be lightened. Begin by thanking Him, confessing our shortcomings, meditating on His greatness and power. Taking time to listen to Him will quickly remove you from hearing the noise of your flesh, and bring you the words you need to hear. We're encouraged in James 1:5 to ask of God if we lack any wisdom, and He will give generously to all who ask.

    Simply stated, Jesus declared that His yoke of obedience to His Word in our finances, will prove to be much lighter than adhering to the yoke of our flesh, and it's unreasonable and unquenchable demands.

    In closing, take with you some of these comforting words from Psalm 23, knowing it speaks of the same Lord who promised you that His burden is light:

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.

God Bless you and may He show Himself greatly to you,

Paul