I collected every paper ad that came to my house in 7 days and brought it up as I taught this Sunday. It was almost a garbage bag full of 100's of messages telling me HOW to spend my money. That was just paper. On a daily basis we're told - from the internet, TV, billboards, etc. - how to use our money. Can't "they" just let us decide for ourselves?
We're obviously listening, though, b/c Canadian consumer debt as far back as 2004 hit 750 Billion. Spending in the 10 years leading up to 2003 rose 36%, while income only rose 15%. Savings has spiraled from 15% (1985) to hover above or below 0% (present). (think about this: people were prepared for the stock market crash in 87' and the housing market decline in 90' b/c they had money saved up, but what would happen today with the amount we've got saved up?)
Between my ad experiment and the stats just above I found that Ron Blue's assessment (via Andy Stanley) is correct. He says our 'Money Order' normally looks like this:
SPEND
PAY DEBT/TAXES
SAVE
GIVE
How does your money management look like?
Talking to lots of singles and couples over the years about their financial goals, their desire to honor God with their finances, to give generously to their local church and other charities, and also save for their long and short-term future - BUT for some reason don't have enough when they get to those decisions, I think the above Money Order is close to accurate.
WHAT DO YOU IF YOU WANT TO LIVE WISELY, MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR OPPORTUNITIES, AND LIVE WITH LESS REGRET?
Let's turn to Jesus' teaching for a moment, I think it's a good starting point. Read Matthew 6:25-33 and let's discover a few important things He teaches:
- don't worry, i.e. don't be so preoccupied with your needs
- take a look at how God provides for most things around you - birds eat well, flowers dress well
- understand he loves you more deeply than a human father so you don't have to run after your basic needs ('things') like others do
- learn to trust God and steep your life in him - seek his kingdom and purposes, and watch him take care of your needs ('things')
What is Jesus doing for us? It's not a financial seminar, but I think that in a very strong way he's flipping the Money Order!!
So here's a NEW Money Order that contributes to Living Wisely and towards a life of no regret when it comes to finances:
GIVE
SAVE
PAY DEBT/TAXES
SPEND
When we GIVE first we 1. obey God's command to support the local church's mission of helping people love God and love others, 2. look out for the needs of others before ourselves, 3. we become less tied to money, and therefore make it much easier to follow Jesus' command in Matt. 6 - do not worry!
When we SAVE we 1. prepare for financial lows that will come in the span of our lifetime, 2. prepare for the eventual future when we will stop working, and 3. prepare for other bigger purchases that 1-2 months of pay will not handle (school tuition, car, house, vacation, mission trips, marriage, etc.)
GIVING and SAVING will automatically get you into less DEBT. However, if you got Debt, dump it as fast as you can, the interest alone will cut into your giving, saving, and spending.
Now we can SPEND. At this point things don't look as fun or spontaneous. And, maybe you can't afford everything you'd love to have. You're right. But does it make sense to buy something you can't afford. Or even buy something you can afford, but at the expense of living a life of generosity towards God and people, and not too mention saving for some important things down the road.
Sometimes we ask the worst question: how can I make it happen? You can 'make' the purchase of a 1500$ TV happen when it's 'pay it in one year and then over 36 months.' But by the time you've paid it you've likely spent 2500+$ for a TV that's now worth 400$ or less.
Here's how this fits into WISE LIVING and avoiding future REGRET. Or as the scriptures lead us to live wisely,... making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil (Eph. 5:15-17).
This flipped MONEY ORDER...
...helps you live a different kind of life, one God intends for you
...gives you purpose and meaning, which most 'stuff' you buy won't
...will make you a contributor to God's kingdom advancing on earth through your local church and other ways that your money gets put to godly use
...makes you less dependent on 'stuff'
...helps you trust God when you're in a financial low; who better to go to than God if you've been putting him 1st at ever stage of your life
...prepare you for your future - whether it's marriage, a future home, a car you'll need in a few years, a needed renovation, a meaningful vacation with a family, a mortgage free family in your 50's, your kid's school, a down turn in the market, etc.
...help live stress free, b/c most debt = stress
...avoid the highest cause of a potentially failed marriages - bad finances.
What do you think? What's your input? Any advice?
I hope to share my own personal journey in this in the next post.
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