Living Within Available Resources

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Living Within Available Resources</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id465.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Written Plan (part 2)"><U><B><IMG SRC="007151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id468.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Living Within Available Resources, Part "><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> Previous/Next Sermon</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U><B>Church Ministry</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U>Sermon Notes</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org"><U>stan@stanbaker.org</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>"God's Plan for Financial Fitness: Living Within Available Resources" </B></div> <div> <B>Berean Bible Church, August 22, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div>      "In New York City, there are eight million cats and eleven million dogs. New York City is basically just concrete and steel, so when you have a pet in New York City and it dies, you can't just go out in the back yard and bury it. The city authorities decided that for $50 they would dispose of your deceased pet for you. One lady was enterprising. She thought, I can render a service to people in the city and save them money. She placed an ad in the newspaper that said, "When your pet dies, I will come and take care of the carcass for you for $25." This lady would go to the local Salvation Army and buy an old suitcase for two dollars. Then when someone would call about his or her pet, she would go  to the home and put the deceased pet in the suitcase.  She would then take a ride on the subway, where there are thieves. She would set the suitcase down, and she would act like she wasn't watching. A thief would come by and steal her suitcase. She'd look up and say, "Wait. Stop. Thief." My guess is the people who stole those suitcases got a real surprise when they got home. A lot of us are like those New York thieves. We're chasing after happiness, and we grab what we think will give us happiness; however, when we get it, it doesn't quite deliver." [Scott Wenig, Preaching Today #182]. </div> <div>      We have this idea that the more money we have, and the more things we buy, the happier we will be. But we always need a little bit more. In fact, we love money so much that we fight over it at all levels of society. For many people, money is more important than other people. Greed and a desire to control money is at the core of many battles in homes, churches, businesses, communities, states, and nations.</div> <div>      <B>3 Great Myths</B> related to money in our culture [Dick Towner, "Good Sense Stewardship," CCN broadcast, 2004]. We mistakenly think that: </div> <div> 1) Things bring happiness. </div> <div> 2) Debt is expected and unavoidable (and there are no negative consequences). </div> <div> 3) A little more money is the answer to my problems ("just 10% more"). "More money is not the answer" (Hunt, p. 13).</div> <bR> <div>      Greed is not merely the problem of rich people. It doesn't matter how much or little you have. "Author and financial counselor Ron Blue tells the story of visiting a small, rural village in Africa. Ron asked a native there what the biggest problem facing the village was. The man said, 'Materialism.' Ron was taken aback. He expected it to be the lack of food or medical attention or perhaps problems with neighboring villages. But materialism? These villagers didn't have televisions or cars or satellite dishes - the sort of things we associate with 'the good life.' But this villager told Ron, 'If a man has a mud hut, he wants one made out of stone. If he has a thatch roof, he wants a tin roof. If he has one acre, he wants two. Materialism is a disease of the heart. It has nothing to do with where you live'" (<I>Focus on the Family Bulletin</I>, August 1997).</div> <div>      We have been developing a three-step plan to financial fitness. I. Commit to getting out of debt and getting financially fit. II. Develop a written spending plan, reflecting your priorities and available resources.</div> <bR> <div> <B>III. If you want to become and remain financially fit, begin to </B><I><B>live contentedly within your available resources</B></I><B>.</B> </div> <div>      Intentionally live on less than you earn. For example, give 10%, save 10% for the future, and live on 80% or less.This demands a biblical attitude called <B>contentment</B>. <B>Proverbs 21:17</B> (NLT) says, "Those who love pleasure become poor; wine and luxury are not the way to riches." Greed and materialism and discontent is the pathway to greater debt and the slavery that comes with it. On the other hand, contentment and living within your means is the pathway toward financial fitness and flexibility.</div> <bR> <div> <B>     Let's look at what the Scriptures say about contentment:</B></div> <div> <B>I. </B><A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Luk+3:1-14" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U><B>Luke 3:1-3, 7-14</B></U></A><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT>- <B>Contentment is a matter of the heart.</B> Spiritual repentance involves a new perspective on money. They were to be generous, to be honest, and to be content. You cannot separate money from matters of the heart. If you want to be right with God, you must have a right perspective on your money.</div> <div>       Notice that John had a <B>"just do it"</B> attitude. <B>Hebrews 13:5</B> says, simply, "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have." These concepts are not complicated.</div> <div> <B>II. </B><A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Luk+12:13-21" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U><B>Luke 12:13-21</B></U></A><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT>- <B>Your stuff is not your life.</B> There is more to life, even beyond this earth. Preparing for retirement is good, but retirement is not the end. There's more to life that demands your attention.</div> <bR> <div> [To be continued . . .]</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> copyright, 2004, Stanley Baker</div> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> </td> </tr></table></body>