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Words Of Life Ministries, Inc. 24148 Iowa Rd PO Box 652 Lebanon, MO 65536 Located in downtown Sleeper, MO 417-532-8050 |
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BIBLE-BASED FINANCIAL GUIDANCE, Part 7
by Jerry Dewey
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 8
There are two practical reasons why a person should save: The first one can be explained best with an analogy: when a farmer sows his seed for the current year’s planting, he has to make a choice – does he sow all of them or does he hold some in reserve (hey, somebody out there is thinking: they’re asking themselves, “where did he get those seeds?” Answer: he saved them from the previous year’s harvest; instead of selling them all, he held some back so he would have some seeds for the coming year). If he sows all the seeds he held in reserve from last year’s harvest, what happens if a natural disaster ruins his crop? If it comes early enough in the season, he won’t have any seeds to plant another crop. And, unless he goes out and buys seeds from the “feed and seed” store or another farmer, he won’t have a harvest and he won’t have any seeds for the following year. If the natural disaster comes too late in the year, he won’t have time to plant another crop, so naturally, he won’t have a harvest. Yep, you guessed it; he won’t have any seeds for the following year. Next year, he’ll have to buy seeds from the “feed and seed” store or another farmer. On the other hand, if he holds some of the seeds in reserve (doesn’t sow all of them), it doesn’t matter when that natural disaster comes that ruins his crop. He will have some seeds to either plant a new crop this year or next year. So, if every month, year after year, you consume every penny, nickel, dime, and quarter of your income (paying your tithes, giving an offering, paying your bills, and paying for your living expenses), not holding some back in reserve, what are you going to use to cover a financial crisis that flares up? Typically, because people haven’t been saving, they will cut back their “spending” somewhere: first offerings, then tithes, or both, which happens to be the worst areas to cut back on, as has been previously discussed. Or, they’ll “borrow” the money they need to cover the financial crisis. They’ll either get a loan or they’ll put it on their credit card; in either case, this tactic simply delays the inevitable, while compounding the negative outcome of the crisis. The second reason is similar: if you are financially struggling today while you (and your spouse, if you’re married, and both of you work outside the home) are gainfully employed, how are you going to “make it” financially if you loose your job, if you become temporarily disabled, or you reach retirement age. If you did not hold back some of the resources God placed in your hands while you were able, you are going to have a much tougher time making it financially. Setting aside a portion of your income on a regular basis could be the difference between a financial crisis having a severe impact on your financial situation or a less of an impact on your financial situation. Of course, a lot of this will depend on how soon you start, how much you “set aside”, and where you put that “reserve.” When you start is the most important factor in this equation. The sooner you get started gives you the best advantage of building up a substantial reserve that could help you make it through a temporary financial crisis and ultimately, retirement. The greater the percentage of your income you set aside will help reduce the time it takes to build an “adequate” reserve; this is also beneficial because it gives you practical experience living on a lesser percentage of your disposable income (that’s the money you have left over after you’ve paid your tithes, paid your taxes, given, and saved). Here’s some shocking information you may not be aware of: typically, the income for most people, after they retire, is less than half of what they were making prior to their retirement (if they were eligible for and they’re company had a pension plan and/or they’re eligible to receive social security benefits; this does not include 401K programs or Roth/traditional Individual Retirement Account (IRA) programs, even though they’re associated with retirement income, they’re actually considered “supplemental”). Finally, where you put this reserve contributes to its buildup. Some places will give you a greater return on your “investment” in the same time period as other places will; in the same time period, the greater the return simply means there’s a higher risk or a greater chance that some or all of your investment could be lost. Therefore, an important principle to keep in mind is, “don’t put all your eggs in one basket”; in other words, spread your “set asides” across the spectrum of financial institutions and instruments (Ecclesiastes 11:2 (NASB), “Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth”). As was stated earlier, there isn’t a specific biblical edict that one should save a portion of the resources given them by God. However, there are several examples from which one could conclude that God expects us to wisely use the resources He provides, and that saving a portion of those resources is part of the equation. At a very minimum, He is going to hold you responsible for how well you used (handled and managed) the resources He provided; in the future, you will either enjoy the benefits derived from saving some of those resources or you will suffer the consequences derived from NOT saving some of those resources. The “Parable of the Talents” is one of the best and probably most widely used example to explain the importance of saving as far as God is concerned (it also has many other applications, such as, what we’re suppose to do with our God-given ability or what we’re suppose to do with God’s word). If you are not familiar with this parable, it can be found in Matthew 25:14-30 (a slightly different version can be found in Luke 19:12-26). In this parable, a nobleman (a rich man), before leaving his home to travel, gave his servants different amounts of money. When he returned (neither version specifies how long he was gone, just indicates it was after a long time), he wanted to know what each one of them had done with the money he had given them. Two of the servants reported that they had doubled the money he had given them, to which the man replied, “well done!” He commended them even more by telling them that they were “good and faithful” servants [stewards] and that he was going to give them even greater responsibilities [increase the resources provided] because they had “been faithful over a few things” (see Matthew 25, verses 21 and 23). In verse 29 (Amplified) it says, “…to everyone who has will more be given, and he will be furnished richly so that he will have an abundance…” The third servant reported that he had buried the money the man had given him because he was afraid; therefore, all he was able to do was return the original amount to this man. Needless to say, the man was not a very happy camper; in verse 26, he calls him a “wicked and slothful servant [steward]” (in the Amplified, it says, “You wicked and lazy and idle servant…”). In verse 30, he calls him an “unprofitable (meaning useless, worthless) servant” (in the Amplified, it says, “…the good-for-nothing servant…”). Why was this man so upset with this servant? Did he not return that which he had been given? Yes, but this isn’t what the man expected; in verse 27 (Amplified) we are given a glimpse of what he expected: “…you should have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received what was my own with interest.” The point is, the money wasn’t the servants (the money/resources God provides isn’t yours; all you are is a steward of the money/resources He provides), but due to this servant’s self-centeredness (he was afraid, so he opted to play it safe and protect himself from his perceived consequences of failure), he squandered the opportunity to do the expected thing. Another example that supports the importance of having a detailed plan of practical actions for saving is found in Genesis 41. After Joseph interpreted the Pharaoh’s dream (verses 25-32), he gave him the following detailed plan of action (verses 33-36): “Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years. And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt, that the land perish not through the famine.” There probably wasn’t any indication that there was going to be some sort of catastrophe in the near future, other than Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s two dreams, so this makes Pharaoh’s response to Joseph’s detailed plan of action even more incredible. Verse 38 says, “and the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and the in the eyes of all his servants;” verse 39-41 says, “and Pharaoh said unto Joseph…there is none so discreet and wise as thou art. Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.” A plan is worthless unless it is carried out, so for the next seven years, Joseph “went throughout all the land of Egypt. And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls. And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same. And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number” (verses 46-49). After the seven years of plenteous, seven years of dearth (drought) came to every country, which caused a worldwide famine; there wasn’t any food anywhere, except Egypt! Finally, in Proverbs 13:22 it says “A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children…” How can you leave an inheritance if you spend everything you earn? Do you think all that stuff you’ve bought or will buy is going to be worth anything 20-30-40 years from now? There are two schools of negative thought regarding inheritance, which have, unfortunately, crept into the mindset of many churchgoers. The first one is, "we're spending our children's inheritance." The second one is, “what good is it to have it if we can’t enjoy it now.” In both cases, people are foolishly spending their children's inheritance on stuff that has a limited life-span or on immediate enjoyment and pleasure, and many of them are financing their spending by running up the balance on their multiple charge cards without any regard as to who’ll have to pay for any unpaid balances. Leaving an inheritance is a covenantal dynamic that God established with Abraham for the sole purpose of the establishment and future dominance of God’s people on the earth. In Genesis 12:2-3, God tells Abraham “…I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great: and thou shalt be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed;” in Genesis 22:17-18, God tells Abraham, “…in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed…” Through Abraham’s obedience, he received abundant blessings, but these “gifts” weren’t only intended for his enjoyment; they were intended to be passed down to his children, to his grand-children, to his great-grand-children, and to his future heirs (as was stated in the beginning, through the finished work of Jesus Christ, all believers are heirs to the covenant God established with Abraham). God established this concept of covenantal inheritance to keep kingdom assets in the hands of His chosen people, giving each successive generation a greater ability to further the covenant. In Genesis 24:34-36 (“And he said, I am Abraham’s servant. And the Lord hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and assess. And Sarah my master’s wife bare a son to my master when she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath.”), you will see that Abraham gave Isaac all the resources God had given him, which meant Isaac began his stewardship of the covenant with more wealth than Abraham started with (you have to keep in mind, when Abraham left his home town to travel through the land God showed him, he wasn’t as wealthy as he was when he died; true to His promise, God blessed him with more and more possessions and he became a very wealthy man). Isaac became even wealthier, and then transferred that wealth to Jacob, who transferred his wealth to his twelve sons. Each time the inheritance was passed on, the wealth was compounded. God is looking for partners to be part of His covenantal inheritance, transforming every country of the world into a place dominated and controlled by believers, where Jesus Christ is Lord over every tribe and kindred, and people can freely and openly worship Him. How can this happen? Look at the second half of Proverbs 13:22, “…and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.” Eventually, all the wealth held by the pagan people and powers of this world will be transferred to those who are faithful to the covenant. It’s happened before. In Exodus 11:2-3, just before all the firstborn in the land of Egypt died, God told Moses to “speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold. And the Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians…” so when the Israelites left Egypt, they left with a lot of Egypt’s wealth. It will happen again! Unfortunately, some of you who are reading this will fail to see the importance of this principle, so you will totally disregard it. And just like Esau, Isaac’s oldest son, who had a low view of his birth right (since he was born before Isaac, he had a clear judicial right to his father’s inheritance), you will forfeit your claim to the stewardship of this covenantal inheritance (Genesis 25:29-34, “And Jacob sod pottage [cooked stew]: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: and Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils, and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.”). In Matthew 6:34 (Amplified, “So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own…”), Jesus did not say that we were to forget about tomorrow (He only said that we weren’t supposed to worry or be anxious about tomorrow); tomorrow is going to come, so you need to develop and implement a savings plan that will get “your” money working for you (instead of against you). Proverbs 20:21 (NIV, “In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has.”) shows us that a wise person will plan for the future (save some of “their” resources) while an unwise person will consume (spend) everything today. In order for you to claim Deuteronomy 8:13 (Amplified, “And when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all you have is multiplied”) is happening to you, you must place some of “your” resources into an interest bearing financial instrument; otherwise, you will never experience this multiplying growth. This is what is meant by the phrase “working for you.” Above all, you must keep in mind that it will take time for “your” money to significantly grow (multiply); in financial speak, significant growth means doubling. Financial growth is governed by the “Law of 72”, which is the secret and key to building wealth. It will take a prescribed number of years, depending on the rate of interest “your” money earns, before “your” money doubles; it has nothing to do with the amount of money you save. For example, if the interest rate of the financial instrument you’ve chosen to invest in is four percent a year, it will take approximately 18 years for your investment to double (72 divided by 4 equals 18). This is why time is the most important factor; the sooner you get started, the more opportunities you’ll have to double your investment (after 18 years, a thousand dollars will become two thousand dollars; after another 18 years, that two thousand dollars will become four thousand dollars). The longer you wait, the more you lose out on! Your savings plan should have two distinct components: short-term savings and long-term savings. Another term for short-term savings is an emergency fund; it is a readily available stash of cash, earning interest that can be used to take care of any financial crisis or untimely event that pops up. This money should be invested in a savings account or money-market account at your local bank. You want to have on-the-spot access to this money, if the need arises; otherwise, you leave it alone. During this build up or after you get it built up to a sufficient amount, if you must withdraw any money from it, you must repay the amount withdrawn as soon as possible. Depending on which financial planner/counselor you talk to, they will tell you that your emergency fund should have anywhere from six to twelve months worth of your net income in it to be considered a sufficient amount. That may sound like an awful lot, but it sure beats paying six months worth of living expenses with a credit card! Long-term savings gives you a little more flexibility in what type of financial instruments you invest “your” money in because you are going to leave this money alone until you retire and/or you are going to pass it on to your heirs. Most financial planners/counselors will tell you that it is best to spread your investing out across the risk spectrum; this provides a safety net that tends to insulate and protect your overall investments against the wild up and down swings of the financial markets. They will also tell you (or recommend) what percentage of your investments you should place in each risk group to maximize the multiplication principle. They usually base their recommendation on the time between now and when you will retire (or plan on retiring). Investment instruments are rated from “very risky” to “minimal or no risk.” Over the same investment period, the higher the risk, the greater your return will be; these also tend to fluctuate the greatest, typically mirroring the up and down swings of the financial markets. Prior to investing in anything, you should thoroughly check out the pros and cons of each investment instrument. Then, match your investing to the amount of risk you can tolerate: you feel more comfortable playing it safe; or the possibility of huge up and down swings won’t bother you, because, you know in the long run you’ll come out further ahead; or you feel more comfortable somewhere in between. The following are some examples of the types of financial instruments you could invest in (this is a very simplistic description of these instruments, so before you invest in any of these, you should conduct additional research on them): Federal government savings bonds: you pay a discounted amount for a savings bond with a certain face value; after the specified number of years (usually seven), you can cash it in and you will get the face value. For example, if you bought a $50.00 savings bond, it will cost you $25.00; if you bought a $75.00 savings bond, it will cost you $37.50; if you bought a $100.00 savings bond, it will cost you $50.00. Savings bonds are extremely safe because the federal government insures them; however, your investment is “tied up” for that specified number of years (if you have to cash it in before the time expires, you will not get the full face value amount). Certificates of Deposit (CD): a CD will cost you whatever its pre-determined face valve is. The issuer will pay you a certain percentage of interest on that amount at the end of a specified period of time (that specified period of time can be anywhere from 30-60-90-120-etcetera days to 1-2-5-etcetera years); they also give back your initial investment. The amount of interest you receive depends on the time period of the CD; interest rates are based on a one-year time period, so if you purchase a 30-day CD, you will only receive 30 days worth of interest. For example: if you bought a $1,000.00, 30-day CD with an annual percentage yield (APY) of 2 percent, you would receive approximately $1.64 in interest (0.02 divided by 365 times 30 times 1,000), plus your original $1,000.00 at the end of the 30 days (if you renewed this CD it instead of redeeming it, at the end of a year you would earn approximately $20.00 in interest); if you bought a $1,000.00, 60-day CD with an APY of 2.5 percent (the issuer normally gives you a better APY for a CD with a longer life span), you would receive approximately $4.11 in interest (0.025 divided by 365 times 60 times 1,000), plus your original $1,000.00 at the end of the 60 days (if you renewed this CD it instead of redeeming it, at the end of a year you would earn approximately $25.00 in interest). A CD is extremely safe because it is federally insured; however, your investment is “tied up” for that specified period of time. Municipal (city, county, state, and school district) and corporate bonds: communities and companies need money to operate, so they will let you invest (you loan them the money) into their building projects and they will pay you interest back on what you invest; interest payments will either be quarterly, semi-annual, or annual. These also tie your money up for a specified number of years (typically 5-10-15-20); at the end of the specified number of years, they return your initial investment. Municipal bonds are generally safer than corporate bonds (the corporation could go bankrupt), therefore, they tend to offer a lower interest rate. Mutual funds: an investment tool created by financial institutions. Typically, they will populate it with stocks or bonds of many different companies, or a combination of stocks and bonds, and offer shares of this packaged mixture to investors; the Net Asset Value (NAV) of the package determines the cost of a share and the number of shares you can purchase is determined by how much you invest. The financial institution retains ownership of the stocks and bonds. Your growth/multiplication comes from capital gains (profit made from the sale of stocks/bonds), dividends (some companies pay a pro rated distribution or bonus to holders of their stock, as a way of thanking them for investing in their company), and increases in the fund’s NAV (today, you bought several shares for $5.00 a share; 10 years from now, if you sell those shares and the NAV is $12.00 per share, you would make a profit of $7.00 per share). A mutual fund package will be constructed in such a way as to offer some degree of risk protection and there are various classes of protection one can choose from; however, there is no guarantee offered/provided against the loss of your investment (whether initial or additional). Stocks: some companies offer investors an opportunity to own a portion of their company through transferable certificates. The company usually determines the initial price of a certificate; thereafter, it is determined by the demand of other investors who want to own it (there is usually a limited number of certificates that are made available) based on the perception of how well/profitable this company will be in the future. Many companies offer dividends, but some don’t. Your other source of growth/multiplication would come from you selling your certificate to another investor. For example, you bought 100 shares of Company XY&Z for $50.00 per share; they’re now selling for $100.00 per share. If you only sold 50 of them, you would get your initial investment back, which means you could invest that money in another company. The price of a stock is very volatile and can go through huge up and down swings depending economic and political conditions. There is a possibility you could lose some or all of your investment. Precious metals/gems: you can buy ounces of gold, silver, copper, and platinum; you can buy diamonds, emeralds, opals, pearls, rubies, and sapphires. Just recently, an ounce of gold sold for over a thousand dollars; had you owned an ounce that you bought 5-10 years ago for $400.00, you would have made over $600.00 if you sold it. The price for these items will go up and down, depending on the available supply and the demand for them; it is very unlikely they will ever be worth nothing. Life insurance policy: you and your spouse (if you both work) should have, at a minimum, a term life insurance policy with a face value equal to your home mortgage and the cost of funeral expenses. This will ensure, at a minimum, your family’s housing needs are taken care of should you or your spouse dies. The question everyone will have is, “how much should I be saving.” On two different occasions, the Bible specifies an amount: in the parable of the talents, both of the good and faithful stewards saved all they were given (this is highly impractical); Joseph recommended a fifth of the land, which is 20 percent (a worthy goal to obtain). Instead of worrying about a specific amount, the most important thing you need to do is get a savings program started. So, in the beginning, start at whatever percentage your current financial situation will allow; then, as time passes, increase that percentage until you reach, say 20 percent. Your primary focus should be getting that emergency fund built up to a sufficient amount (as quickly as possible), but at the same time, you should start and add to your long-term nest egg. The easiest way to get started and ensure you are consistently contributing to your savings program is to set aside a certain percentage or amount you will contribute each month or pay period and pretend it is a bill that must be paid (consistency, perseverance, and patience are what pay off in investing). Here are two long-term investment strategies that can help you maintain your consistency: Almost everyone is eligible to create an IRA; you can create a “traditional” IRA or a “Roth” IRA or one of each. The eligibility requirements and the investing rules for these are different, so you should research them thoroughly before creating one. Basically, as long as your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) is less than a specified amount (this amount changes every so often, so you’ll have to check to see what it is – the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) puts out information on this or you can Google it), you can invest a maximum of $5,000.00 per year (if you are 50 years and older, you can invest a maximum of $6,000.00 per year) in an IRA account (whichever type you create); if both spouses are working, you can create an IRA account for each of you. To make sure you invest in your IRA, you can set up a monthly bill, for example, for $416.66 (5,000 divided by 12). NOTE: the maximum amount changes every so often, so you’ll have to check to see what it is – the IRS puts out information on this or you can Google it. The growth (multiplication) of your investment in either type is not subject to any taxation as long as the money stays in that account, with two exceptions: first, as long as you satisfy time and age restrictions, you will never owe taxes on the money you withdraw from a Roth IRA; second, you have to start withdrawing money from your traditional IRA account when you reach 70-1/2 years of age and depending on which side of the AGI line you fell when you made your investments, some or all or your withdrawals will be subject to taxation. If you create a traditional IRA and your MAGI is less than a specified amount (this amount changes every so often, so you’ll have to check to see what it is – the IRS puts out information on this or you can Google it), your investments are tax deductible. If you create a Roth IRA your investments are not tax deductible, but as was mentioned earlier, you will not owe taxes on any of the money you withdraw. Find out if the company you work for has a 401K savings plan. If they do, in all likelihood, they will match up to a certain percentage of your investment into this program; typically, it’s around five percent. This means, if you invest five percent of your regular gross pay every pay period, they will match that amount (typically, this only applies to your pay based on 40 hours per week; usually, overtime pay and bonuses are not included). For example, if your gross pay is $500.00, your company will automatically deduct $25.00 (500 times .05) from your gross pay and your company will add $25.00 of their money to your investment; therefore, for this pay period, $50.00 will be invested in your 401K savings plan. There are two bonuses derived from participating in your company’s 401K savings plan: Whatever percentage of your gross pay you chose to invest reduces your tax liability for that pay period. For example, if you decided to invest 10 percent of your gross pay per pay period (500 times .10 equals 50), you would only owe taxes on $450.00 (this does not include the $25.00 your company kicks in); this is what they call a tax-deferment, which means you will eventually pay taxes on this amount (when you start withdrawing money from your 401K savings plan, you will pay taxes on the amount you withdraw). Currently, you can defer up to $15,500.00 of your annual gross pay. You can contribute more than this amount (called “catch-up contributions”), but it has to come from your net pay. The growth (multiplication) of your investment, which includes the percentage you have deducted each pay period, your “catch-up contributions,” and your company’s matching percentage, is not subject to any taxation as long as the money stays in this account. You must ensure your savings program is scripturally based and properly motivated. Saving for the sake of saving while God’s work or your family suffers financially isn’t spiritually correct. The Bible calls this hoarding (greed). Psalms 49:10-12 (NASB) warns us against this behavior, “For he sees that even wise men die; the stupid and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others. Their inner thought is that their houses are forever and their dwelling places to all generations; they have called their lands after their own names. But man in his pomp will not endure…” as does Ecclesiastes 5:13-17 (NIV), “I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner, or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when he has a son there is nothing left for him. Naked a man comes from his mother's womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand. This too is a grievous evil: As a man comes, so he departs, and what does he gain, since he toils for the wind? All his days he eats in darkness, with great frustration, affliction and anger.” Jesus warns us against such an attitude in Luke 12:15-21 (NIV), “…Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. And he told them this parable: The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.' But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” Billions of covenant dollars are lost to the pagan world because very few believers are saving or they are saving insufficiently (the Commerce Department says the personal savings rate in America has steadily declined since 1984; it has been negative two of the last three years). Saving is wise management of kingdom assets with a vision to the future; it is a way God keeps kingdom property, possessions, and wealth in covenant hands. Ecclesiastes 11:4 (Amplified) says, “He who observes the wind [and waits for all conditions to be favorable] will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.” The truth is, most of you are working hard to earn money, but financially, you are struggling; therefore, you have turned a blind eye towards the future. The problem is, if you don’t do something different now chances are you will be struggling tomorrow. Start a savings program today (the money you save today is the seed that will provide a harvest in your future); don’t put it off any longer. The first part of Proverbs 21:5 (NIV) says, “The plans of the diligent lead to profit.” The sooner you get started, the sooner you will get “your” money working for you, and the sooner a brighter future for you will become a reality. If you would like more information, click on the Contact link and send us an email; someone will contact you shortly thereafter. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 8
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