Pastor Wayne Cordeiro
November 4, 2007 - W0744

Did you hear the joke about the three million dollar state lottery? Well, if you’re the winner you’ll receive three dollars a year for one million years. How’s that! I’m not a financial expert in any way but the Bible teaches the truth about money and being a good servant of it.

So what’s the truth about money? Well, in order to become a better servant of money we’ll need to train ourselves. Yes train, just as cross-training is to an athlete or playing the scales relentlessly to become a concert pianist. Likewise, joining the army and going through boot camp.  

Remember the movie, “Karate Kid”? Well, in order for Daniel San to learn karate, Mr. Miyagi told him to paint the fence, wash the car and scrub the floor. Why? Because Daniel San needed to build muscles and be physically toned first. However, because Daniel San didn’t understand what these chores had to do with karate, he became frustrated. Yet, Mr. Miyagi knew it would be vital for Daniel San to train, in order to learn the basics of karate.  

The same goes with money. Training to be better servants of money will make us trustworthy. If you can catch this early on, it will make a huge difference in your understanding of money. And, it will positively affect other areas of your life. You see, money it’s not an end in itself, but rather something much greater. Here is what the Bible tells us about untrustworthy…

“If you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?” (Luk. 16:11)

The way we handle important and it is critical to the rest of our lives. So be faithful in the use of money. Did you know that true riches come in other forms such as influence, character, spiritual gifts and the ability to resolve problems? It sure does! It also comes in the ability to change people’s lives in our communities. God may bring resolution through you for others. And it all starts by training to be a better servant of money. So please don’t squander or become addicted to money.

Remember, money is not the root of evil, but “the love of money is the root of evil” (1Tim. 6:10). This is when the love of money becomes mutated and twisted that it turns into a greedy addiction. The word for this is called avarice, where you need more and more money. A heart that’s been twisted then becomes the root of all kinds of evil. Why? Well at this point a person will do anything to get this or that. They’ll even start selling drugs to get it.

On the other hand, because money is the root of all evil, some may say I’ll just give or sell everything away. Although this may seem religious or righteous, Jesus didn’t call anyone to be poor but to work among the poor. Listen, if we were all poor than how would we be able to help the poor? We’d just be among the ranks. Just because you’re called to the poor doesn’t mean you’re suppose to be poor. It is not what God can give you, but rather what He can give through you. Remember, Jesus owns the universe. In a moment, He could speak and a legion of angels would come down. Yet, he chose to be poor to teach the gospel to the poor and the sick. As for us, we should learn to steward the resources of heaven for what God has called us to do.

Greed on the other hand is keeping everything you get. Yet as Christians we are called to be content. What is being content? It is being satisfied with the way God is treating me during this season in my life. Furthermore, content is a quality that needs to be learned. The apostle Paul tells us, I have learned the secret of being content whether in abundance or lack.

Yes, we’ll have seasons of abundance and seasons when we’ll be lack of. For example, if you’re a college student, newly married, if you’ve got kids or kids who go to college you’ll be poor. And this is alright for what matters is stewarding what ever God gives you. Again remember, this is the boot camp for something greater.

Additionally, in seasons of lack you’ll learn trust and humility. You’ll learn to go without things and say no to things you crave. By doing so, you’ll learn self-discipline. So don’t cut-corners and violate certain principles. If we do, we’ll be unable to control certain things. And instead, it will control us.

So how do we train and what is the boot camp? Well, here are three principles and three laws of God pertaining to money. Please catch these and remember them because it will help you immensely. It will also save your future. The first principle is…

1. KNOW WHERE YOU STAND.

You’ll need to know your accurate monthly bills and what your income is. You should write them down to see it on paper. “Know well the condition of your flocks, and pay attention to your herds, for riches are not forever…” (Prov. 27:23-24). In the Old Testament, a person’s financial condition was rated by the amount of sheep or goats he had. In other words, it was his financial status. Specifically, the owner of a flock needed to tend to and graze his flock. He needed to know the condition of his flock and pay attention to them. The same goes for us today.  

So before you pay your bills pay attention to your bills. If you don’t, every time you pass by your bills stacked up at home you’ll start to break out in a cold sweat and run from it. Listen, if you’re polarized because you don’t want to know the truth, you’ll never be able to know the truth about money. So take some time and write them down. Here is what you’ll need to know.

Your monthly expenses will include mortgage, gas, groceries (not eating out), insurance and utilities. Then figure out your salary, which is your income. This should not include birthday monies etc., this will go into another account. Here is how my wife and I keep track of ours.  

Ana and I have a two tiered system. These are two separate check books. Check book number one is my fixed account, where I place my salary. This is the account where my bills are paid from. Therefore, I make sure my salary matches my bills. However, if my bills are higher than my salary then I need to figure out what to do. For example, if I find that my bills are three hundred dollars more than my salary, I’ll need to cut back on something.

Check book number two is my reserved or special account. This account is where the extra money goes in to, such as birthday money. Thus, if we wanted to eat out or buy something like an ipod, we’d take it out from this check book. However, if I didn’t have money in this account to buy it, I wouldn’t buy it. Nor would I take it out from check book number one. Indeed this will take some self-control, but it’s important.  

One thing that will mess everything up is credit cards. You’ll need to keep track of your credit cards. Do not use credit cards to pay bills. Again, bills are to be paid from check book number one. Use credit card for things you’d use check book number two for. So when the credit card bill arrives, you’ll pay it from check book number two. Furthermore, if there is any month that I am not able to pay the total amount of my credit card bill, I’ll stop using the credit card until it’s paid off. 

So try to stay with this principle. And if there’s no money, just say no to a purchase. By doing so you’ll find that you’ll have self-control in other areas of your life. And this will help your future. If not, the consequences will be too much that you’ll start robbing from yourself to pay it. In addition, the stress will cause you to make poor decisions in your marriage and at work. You’ll then start to compromise certain things that you know you shouldn’t have just to make ends meet. By then, you’ll find yourself robbing Peter to pay Paul. So don’t deceive yourself, but stay true.

If you train yourself with self-control, you’ve killed something called craving or an addiction to need more. Yet years from now, when an opportunity to have an immoral relationship presents it self, you won’t give in to it because you know that it will mess up your future. If you ask where did this kind of integrity come from? Well, it was learned way back in check book number two. Now if you’re married, your spouse has to be in this too because they can make things better or worse. 

Remember, money is not an end to itself, but something much greater. What? Yes, if you have self-control in money you’ll have self-control in other areas of your live. Please understand this truth about money and not violate it or cut corners. Know where you stand and don’t be afraid of this. Now here is the first law.

• LAW 1: IF I’M AFRAID OF THE TRUTH, I WILL NEVER GAIN A FREEDOM IN FINANCES.

“You will know the truth and the truth will set you free” (Jn. 8:32)

What if you’ve tried to cut your budget yet still don’t have enough in check book number one to pay your bills? Well then try to figure out another way, be it a second job. By doing so, you’re developing a work ethic and problem solving. And this brings us to the second principle.

2. CULTIVATE DILIGENCE IN ALL YOU DO.

 “…not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord” (Rom. 12:11).

This tells us to have a work ethic that’s good. If there’s any group that should have the greatest work ethic, it should be Christians. We need to be the most diligent, excellent, early rising, dependable, responsible, punctual people there is. Even pagans are better than us.

Some time ago, I needed some work done in our home. I gave the jobs to people who were Christians. Yet, the workmanship was poor and I was disappointed. Therefore, as God’s people let’s cultivate a good work ethic and… 

• LAW 2: CULTIVATE THE ABILITY TO WORK WITHOUT NEEDING CONSTANT SUPERVISION.

“Go to the ant, O sluggard, observe her ways and be wise, which, having no chief or ruler, prepares her food in the summer and gathers provision in the harvest” (Prov. 6:6-8).

If you’ve ever watched ants, you’ll find that they have no supervisors. Neither do they have a chief or ruler. If you’re an employer, isn’t it tough to get good workers? Thus, a Christian should be wise, hard working and an honest worker. Why? Because you’re serving an audience of One! It is God who rewards. Hence, if you want to prosper be diligent and steward what God has already given you. By doing so, you can help others.

The third and final truth about money is…

3. UNDERSTAND GOD’S LAW OF SOWING AND REAPING.

“There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, and there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want. The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered” (Prov. 11:24-25). This scripture is cross training at its best!

You see, when the Lord gives to you, it is a blessing. But when God can give through you, this can change the world. And, if you can be faithful in what God gives you, He will give more through you for His purposes to be done. Otherwise, if we keep everything we get, eventually it will kill us.

An example of this is with some planting I did at my daughter’s house in Oregon awhile ago. Although I kept watering this plant, for some reason it died. I ended up replacing it two more times without any success. After this I finally brought over someone who knew about plants. He checked the soil and found that it was clay. He explained with clay it’s as if the plant was in a bowl with no where for the water to drain. He then added that the plant had botrytis, meaning it had too much water. I then thought, wow I bet a bunch of us are sort of like botrytis Christians.

Indeed it’s important to be a good servant of what God has given you. But how can we allow God to give through us?  It is through tithing, which brings us to the third law and final law.

• LAW 3: TITHING WILL HAVE LIFE LONG BENEFITS THAT AFFECTS EVERYTHING I DO.

The Old Testament tells us…

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse…test Me now in this, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground…” (Mal. 3:10-11).

In addition, the New Testament tells us…

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others” (Matt 23:23). (See also Eccl. 11:4,6). This tells us although the Pharisees gave their tithing they neglected other weightier things like being honest and not slandering people. We too are called to tithe and be just, merciful and faithful.  

Why does God want me to tithe? You see, when I am willing to take a portion of what God gives to me and let it be given through me for the purposes of God, I’ve learn to let go of things rather than hanging on to them. Aha! It’s not about money but something deeper.

Yes, there is a free flow through you. When this happens, not only will you be able to help in the things of God but you’ve acquired a discipline in your character to let go of things that may affect other areas in your life.

Take for example someone said an abrasive or acidic word to you. It would not affect you, brew inside you and kill you because you’ve already learned to let go. The same goes if someone betrays you. This ability to let things go was acquired when you learned to steward your money well!

All in all, money is a boot camp that helps us to be fit for the greater treasures that the Lord has for every single one of us. If you say giving is hard, it really isn’t. Listen, we give to Wal-Mart, McDonalds, Consolidated theaters and Starbucks everyday for the things we value.  

Yet more importantly, we need to increase and come back to the point where we value God. If this is your heart, pray and ask, Lord will you help me to value you beyond anything else.

Therefore, tithing is giving to God. And when you do, it releases something in you and you become healthier because things are able to flow through you. This is a part of our future. And when you understand the principles of money you begin to understand that God has greater gifts for you!

DISCUSSION SUGGESTIONS

Q1) In your spiritual growth, are you content in prosperity or in poverty?

Q2) Do you know where you stand with your bills and salary?

Q3) List practical ways you may be able to cutback on your expenses?

Q4) Has God called you to tithe?

Group) Pray for self-control in the area buying or accumulating things.