Category Archives: Poverty vs Wealth

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Where Did it All Go?

A Short on Prosperity #4


Have you ever received some nice amount of money as a gift or a bonus, put it in your bank account, forgot about it, and a couple of weeks later, you looked at your balance, and it was all gone?  Where did it all go?

Money, by its nature, flows like water.  It flows through our economy and through our hands and lives.

Have you ever noticed how much we talk about money as if it were water? Think about it: we say things like “cash flow,” “liquid assets” and “frozen accounts.”

In many ways, money is like water.  It flows in and out of our hands.  

Some say that if you worked at minimum wages from 18 to 65, 2 Million dollars would have flowed through your hands.  WOW!!  How much do we capture?

It comes in from our paychecks and out to pay bills and buy the things we think we need.  Cash in and Cash out.

If you tried to drink by using your hand as a catch for the water coming from the tap some will slip through your fingers. Someone invented the cup to be more efficient in catching more of the available water.

We need to set up systems to catch more of the money that flows through our lives.  This is a Godly thing to do.

One of the great things you can do is keep a notebook for a month and write down every cent you spend.  This will tell you where the money is going.  You might be amazed at how much you spend on certain things in a month, like coffee on the way to work or buying your lunch out every day. What did those expenses cost you in a month? In a year?  Over 20 years? Compounded by interest.  Probably enough to retire on!!
When you add that extra money up, like say $4.00 for coffee, and times it times 5 and then times 52 that is about $20,000.00 in 20 years.  What if you had captured that amount in a “cup” and put it to work at 8% each year? That is just one example of capture.

As we have cut down on needless expenses, we have had the additional amount deducted from our checking account automatically each month or week and deposited into a savings account.  This was added to what we were already saving.  

It does not do much good to save $4.00 each day if the money stays in your account and just gets spent on something else.  Capture it.  You won’t miss the money; you have been spending it anyway.

So, how do we keep our money from slipping through our fingers? With the proper systems and strategies in place, we can make our money go where we want it to.

Ben Franklin said, “Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship.”

Pro 21:20 There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up.

Once you have tithed, you need to save some of what you have worked so hard for.  Save some money. This, too, is part of The Prosperous Life.

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Need vs Greed Revisited!

 

 

I have heard the expression in the past “God will supply your need but not your greed”.

This sounds great on the surface, but really it is confusing because need is closer to an amount, but greed is really an attitude. By putting need and greed together in the same sentence, it makes greed appear to be an amount, but it is not an amount.  It is an attitude.

By putting need and greed together, it seems to say that anything above “need” falls into the category of “greed.” So that if you have more than what someone sets as the bare necessity of “need,” you are a greedy person. Remember, greed is actually an attitude of the mind.  It is a heart issue not an amount.

So, let’s separate the two biblically.

Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

1Timothy 3:8 Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;

The Working Translation, “A Journey through the Acts and Epistles,” translates the phrase “greedy of filthy lucre” as “avaricious,” which means having or showing an extreme greed for wealth or material gain – Oxford Languages.  God refers to greed as an attitude.

Therefore, need is an amount, so to speak, whereas greed is an attitude of the heart. You might say it is an attitude of covetousness.

God makes no promise to supply greed – your over-desire for wealth or material gain.  That would make sense.

But because we see greed as an amount above and beyond need, then the questions begin. Notice, all of the following questions have to do with amounts and not attitudes.

Do you really need a three-bedroom home; could you get by with a two-bedroom home?     In other words, is a three-bedroom home greed or a need?

Perhaps you don’t need a house at all, but could you suffice with an apartment? Maybe owning a home is greedy?

So, do you need a three-bedroom apartment? Could you not put the kids in bunk beds and get along with two bedrooms?

Could you choose an apartment in a cheaper part of town to live in? Do you really “need” that? On and on and on.

Do you really need two cars? ….  You could both take the bus.

Do you really need that many clothes if you washed more often?

If you compare yourself with Christians that live in third world countries, then you could think about this:  Some live in mud huts, and you can’t do with an apartment and think you need a house—with how many bedrooms?  And look at the size of that kitchen!!

Maybe the homeless who live on the side of the road in a tent are the ones without greed and are truly walking with God!

There is no end to this kind of questioning. You could literally pare yourself down to living in a cave with only a loincloth.

This is because we associate greed with an amount rather than an attitude of an over-desire for money – wealth – affluence, etc.

My wife was once riding with a group of Christians through an expensive neighborhood.  The houses were probably in the range of $7-800,000 twenty years ago.  Someone in the car said: “That has to be nothing but pure greed to live in a house like that.” Really?

If it is greed to own an $800,000 home, is $500,000 OK? $200,000?  Where is the line drawn? Who gets to decide whether a certain purchase or item is greed or need? There is no answer to this line of thinking.

“Greedy” people are generally ones that have more than you do because people generally associate greed with an amount not an attitude. God has not called us to decide whether our brothers and sisters are greedy.  We could just be thankful that God has blessed them so much.  In the case of the $800.000 house, many people earned a good living building the house and more are provided with some income in taking care of it. Be thankful!

It is possible that those that have more are better stewards of what God gave them!!

Consider this: once you have done what God says to do according to His Word as regards to giving and saving, then the rest is yours to do with as you please.  You have done your duty, so to speak.  Then if you want to build an $800,000 house, go for it.  Remember, Solomon in the Old Testament?  God gave him great wisdom and riches. The Bible says that in Solomon’s days, gold and silver were as plentiful as stones in Jerusalem.

Apparently, he did not save ALL the riches God gave him. He was not like the king sitting in his counting-house counting all his money! He built many great works and paid the craftsmen and prospered them in the process as well.  So, by believing the promises of God and prospering, we could help to prosper those around us.

Let’s look at some of the great men in the Old Testament who walked with God, but first this:

Romans 15:4 Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us. Those things were written so that we could have hope. That hope comes from the patience and encouragement that the Scriptures give us. (ERV)

God, our Father, had these records written down to teach us about Himself.  What He is like. What He is willing to do to bless the lives of those who love Him with all their heart. In the case of the men we are about to read about, pay attention to the idea of where their wealth came from.

Job 1:3 His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.

Job 42:12 So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.

Job 42:15 And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren.

You must ask yourself a question.  Did he “need” six thousand camels? You can only ride one at a time.  God gave them to him. How does “need” vs “greed” fit with this record?  Greed is not an amount.  It is an attitude.  When you read the record of Job and these other men that follow here, you will see that they loved God with all their heart.  God came first and because of their love for Him, God blessed their lives.

If you believe that greed is an amount, instead of opening your hands to receive the blessing of God which you may consider greed, you really have your hands closed and are not able to receive.  You have closed off the blessings of God by your misunderstanding – by your believing.

Genesis 24:34-35 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 asses.

Genesis 14:14 And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.

Does anyone really “need” a personal army of 318 trained servants?  If you could count their wives and children and servants not born in his house that would be a great number of people that Abraham was responsible to feed and care for each day.  Perhaps a thousand?  Did he “need” that many people?

Could he not walk with God living in a cave with a loincloth, just him and his wife and kids?  Apparently, because he loved God, God wanted to bless his life and He did. Abraham received the blessings of God like the dry earth is open to receive the rain.

Genesis 26:12-14 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him. And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great: For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.

Here Isaac was so blessed a nation envied him! These men were servants and not sons born again of God’s spirit.  We are sons and daughters of this great God that blessed Isaac.  Is God looking to bless your life? As one of my friends said, “We only allow in our lives what we think we are worthy of.  Accept His abundance.” Open your hands!

2 Chronicles 32:27-29 And Hezekiah had exceeding much riches and honour: and he made himself treasuries for silver, and for gold, and for precious stones, and for spices, and for shields, and for all manner of pleasant jewels; Storehouses also for the increase of corn, and wine, and oil; and stalls for all manner of beasts, and cotes for flocks. Moreover, he provided him cities, and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance: for God had given him substance very much.

Was all this abundance greed on Hezekiah’s part or was this all the blessing of God?  God said of Hezekiah that Hezekiah trusted God greatly.

2 Chronicles 17:1-5 And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead, and strengthened himself against Israel. And he placed forces in all the fenced cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim, which Asa his father had taken. And the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim; But sought to the LORD God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel. Therefore the LORD stablished the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought to Jehoshaphat presents; and he had riches and honour in abundance.

God is showing us what he is willing and able to do for those of His children who trust Him and keep Him first in their lives.  He is willing to open the windows of heaven and bless us exceedingly abundantly above all we could ask or think.

There is another great record in the book of 2 Kings that we ought to consider.  This is about a woman with no name in contrast with the great men we have been reading about.

2Kings 4:1-7 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil. Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full. So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out. And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.

What was the woman’s real need?  To be able to pay the creditor so her sons were not sold into slavery.  Did God provide her with just enough or did he do exceedingly abundantly above all she thought to ask for?  God is good all the time and will bless those that love him with all their heart. Selah

What do you really need?

Enough substance to provide:

Your family’s daily needs
A retirement for you and your wife
To be able to give to the church and to him that needeth and to every good work
Replacement funds for things that wear out like clothes, cars, etc.
An emergency fund for slow economic times or times of disaster
An inheritance for your children’s children.  Remember Job and the inheritance he gave his children?

You might want to sit down with a calculator and some numbers and see how much that would be on a weekly basis that you would need to provide for all those things.

That is a lot more than a loincloth in a cave! Sometimes, what you need is a better-paying job. Some may need to send their children to a private school.  As I heard someone say, “You need to get your needs up!” Your needs should be on par with the promises of God’s Word. You may need to get some more education so you can bring more value to the marketplace. We are paid for the value we bring to the market.

Greed is an attitude, not an amount.

Greed doesn’t have anything to do with wealth. A person could be as destitute as Job but have their heart in the wrong place by having an over desire for wealth. But as the above men did, you could love God with all your heart, keep God first in your life, and be blessed with great wealth that comes from God.

God will supply our needs, and His Word says He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.

If your attitude is an over desire for money or material things, greed, you will never be satisfied with what you have.

If your attitude is to love God first and foremost while being content with what you have and striving to steward it properly and see it grow, you will see wonderful things.

Learning is an exciting adventure and is part of The Prosperous Life.

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Paying off Debt vs Saving Money

A Short on Prosperity #3


There is a difference between paying off debt and saving money. With debt you are paying off a purchase you could not afford to pay for with cash.  Plus, you are paying even more than the purchase price because of the interest added on top.  This is what good consumers do.

With saving you are getting paid interest on your own money.  This is what producers do. Your money is producing income for you in the form of interest or dividends.

It seems like you are getting ahead in both cases, but technically, one (paying off debt) is actually buying something with an interest premium added on top, and the other is saving.  It is not the same thing.  

It may make more sense to pay off the debt before you save because of the interest you are paying on the debt.

BUT once the debt is paid off, you’re still broke.  You still have not followed the biblical admonition to save part of your income.

Proverbs 21:17 He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.

However, if you save money, you have something to invest, you have something for your labor, you are following the sound wisdom of Proverbs.

Proverbs 21:20 There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up.

Saving part of your income is a great habit, and it does something for your self-image to have money that you have saved in the bank. Believing God at His Word brings joy to the heart. Try it.  Pay off the debt, but save at the same time, so that by the time the debt is paid off you are well into the habit of saving.

When it comes to prosperity, this is another small piece of The Prosperous Life.

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Gifts to Children and Grandchildren

A Short on Prosperity #2

Some people have a long-term perspective on life. They give stock certificates as gifts to their children and grandchildren rather than trinkets that soon break.

The perspective some have on life is from one paycheck to the next.

The perspective some have on life is to live from year to year.

The perspective some have on life is for years down the road till the return of Christ.

Giving stock is a great way to open the doors to teach your children and grandchildren about finances.  You can help them see their lives down the road further than just the next shiny thing that comes along.

You can teach them that money is for saving not spending.

You can teach them that our family is a producer of wealth not a consumer of wealth.

You can teach them that our affluence comes from our balance sheets, not our stuff.

There are many things to teach our offspring and this is just a piece of biblical financial literacy.

Even if all you gave them was $100.00 per year in stock you are already fulfilling the verse:

Pro 13:22  A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.

And you will start them on the road to The Prosperous Life.

 

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Never Say “It’s Only 5 dollars!”

A Short on Prosperity #1

Some bills come in with all types of charges enumerated on the bill.  You may or may not need to pay all of these charges. You may be paying for things you are not even using.

This is a good time of the year, over the holidays, to take a good look at the small charges you are paying for.  It seems like everyone wants five dollars for access to their content, etc.   Are you actually using what you are paying for?  If not cancel it.

Benjamin Franklin once said, “Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship.”

In some cases, you may be erroneously charged for things you don’t owe.  Many years ago a utility company where I live consistently overcharged people three or four dollars every month for some “line” item.  Eventually, they got sued and had to pay back millions of dollars to their clients.  An honest mistake on their part?  I don’t know, but what may be five dollars to you, multiplied by hundreds of thousands of people over the years, can make some companies a lot of money.  If you don’t understand the charge, call them up and ask them what it’s for or why you have to pay it.  It’s called being diligent or good stewardship. This is all part of learning how to live The Prosperous Life.

Our prayer for you is to have a happy and prosperous year in the coming months.

The Prosperous Life Staff