Many things in life are easy to do, and just as easy not to do.

•    Put your change in a jar.
•    Keep a thankful journal that you write in each evening.
•    Make a list of Godly attributes that you want to include in your life philosophy and review it every day.
•    Tape a verse about something you want to acquire in your life to your bathroom mirror, and repeat it emphatically to yourself each day.

Easy to do, just as easy not to do.

But the long-term effects are staggering. Money is easy to see and count, but the long-term effects are the same, whether it is money or thoughts.

When a thought is brought to mind daily or several times a day, some call that compounding. You could also use a mental image, which some say is more effective. Compounding is where one thing is added in on top of another, on top of another, on top of another, or two things are added together to expand your understanding.  In the latter case, you would have thoughts on the same subject, a verse maybe, repeated over and over for months or years. That is a form of compounding.  In other words, one thought is added on top of the last, and then again and again. This could give you a great increase in understanding and in believing that verse was true for you.

Compounding with savings is the same.  If you saved $35.00/wk you would be compounding your savings each week.  $35.00 + $35.00 +$35.00. Compounding!  $35.00/week is $1,820.00/year.  In the beginning, whether it is words or money, it does not seem like much. You don’t see much in the way of results immediately.  Over time, the results of what you are doing become apparent.

Easy to do, just as easy not to do

One author, Jeff Olsen, called this The Slight Edge.  It is the difference between the wise described in Proverbs and the unwise.  It is slight, but down the road the results can be incredible.

For instance: If you went over your savings and funding accounts once a week to find holes or to fine-tune your financial engine, that would be wise.  It is like correcting your steering while driving a car. Small adjustments.

Easy to do, just as easy not to do

Life is not set up for gigantic changes from one day into the next. Life is not set up on one roll of the dice.  Someone once said that the wealthy were winners at the roulette table of life. In other words, the wealthy had just been lucky. Sometimes, that may be the case, but that is not the way God designed life. Chance and gambling are very difficult to duplicate. Once the money gained this way is gone, it is just gone. This wisdom of knowing how God set life up to be lived is far more profitable than winning the lottery, winning at the roulette table, or getting a professional sports contract. You cannot easily duplicate those things, but the wisdom gained by believing and doing what God says in His word is priceless and can be done over and over.

Proverbs 3:13-15  Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.  For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.

In this way, if you lost all your money, you know the principles of prosperity, and you can do it over again. This is why wisdom is more precious than rubies. It is slower than winning at the roulette table but far more predictable. Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare: slow and methodical is always better. I think we have already read that those hasty to be wealthy are not wise.

Proverbs 21:5 The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want.

Galatians 6:7-9  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.  And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

In sowing, you plant what you would normally eat in order to reap a much greater harvest. This requires patience.  Jesus sowed the Word in people’s lives, and at the end of his life, it appeared that he was not too successful.  At his death, all men left him, and Peter denied he knew Jesus. Yet a couple of months later, Peter stood up on the day of Pentecost and preached, and about 3000 people got born again. It takes a while for the seed to grow. The same is true with your finances.  You will always reap more than you sow. This sowing is in the area of giving, and you also sow to your savings.  If you give or save sparingly, you will also reap sparingly. This principle of sowing and reaping is true in many areas of life.

That is the danger in bitterness, but it is also the blessing of forgiveness.

Doing wise things over a long, long period of time produces amazing results, whether in relationships, finance, business, or in your walk with God. The problem with most of us is that we “get tired” of the journey. Halfway through this journey, it looks like nothing is happening, and we become discouraged, disillusioned, and give up. However, what compounding teaches us is that a tomorrow that is built on what we learned yesterday or saved yesterday can grow and become something amazing. This is why the “little things matter” so much IF we don’t quit. As you come to grasp this truth, you begin to realize that the best is NOT behind, but ahead in this life AND in the next.

In order to get big results, we must do the little things. Things that are

Easy to do, just as easy not to do.

When it comes to compounding, think about this:
“Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship.” Ben Franklin

Another example of compounding is a flywheel. If you have ever messed with a flywheel, you know that it takes some effort to get it spinning. If you keep pushing on it, it would be the same amount of energy added in with each push — compounding. Once it is spinning, it only takes a small amount of additional effort to keep it going, and it will run on its own for a long time.

The following is an example of starting with an insignificant amount of money, a penny, and doubling the amount you have every day for 30 days.  If you will notice by day 15, halfway thru the month, we only have $163.84. Not much progress. Notice what happens in the last 15 days, though. It ends at $5.3 million.  This is what compounding is about.  It seems so small in the beginning, but it continues to build over time. Remember, this is just an illustration, not a prediction of your finances!

Day 1: $.01
Day 2: $.02
Day 3: $.04
Day 4: $.08
Day 5: $.16
Day 6: $.32
Day 7: $.64
Day 8: $1.28
Day 9: $2.56
Day 10: $5.12
Day 11: $10.24
Day 12: $20.48
Day 13: $40.96
Day 14: $81.92
Day 15: $163.84
Day 16: $327.68
Day 17: $655.36
Day 18: $1,310.72
Day 19: $2,621.44
Day 20: $5,242.88
Day 21: $10,485.76
Day 22: $20,971.52
Day 23: $41,943.04
Day 24: $83,886.08
Day 25: $167,772.16
Day 26: $335,544.32
Day 27: $671,088.64
Day 28: $1,342,177.28
Day 29: $2,684,354.56
Day 30: $5,368,709.12

With many things in life, the choices seem like they don’t matter that much. In the beginning, there seems to be no difference. They are just choices. The choice

•    To save $35.00 or go out to eat
•    To go to your first fellowship or stay home, like your buddy. (In the end, one choice could lead to eternal life and one not!)
•    To marry one person or another
•    To have one job or another or be self-employed
•    To forgive or to be bitter
•    To go to another meeting where someone is teaching the Word of God.
•    To read a certain book or not.

The meeting you miss or the book you pass on reading may hold the key to your better life.  Better to miss a meal than miss a book or a teaching, because you just don’t know what you will learn. In that book or meeting, you may hear or read that one thing that puts you over the top.

These are just choices, but down the road, the results may be huge, compared to what seemed to be a small choice.

Romans 12:1-2  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

As with finances, this renewing of your mind is a slow process, but as time travels on, it will become apparent what has been going on inside your head and heart. It is a daily process. Remember the expression “an apple a day”?  You don’t get the same effect if you eat seven apples on Saturday night!  The greatest effect comes from compounding daily.

Easy to do, just as easy not to do.

Deuteronomy 11:18  Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.

Proverbs 6:21-23  Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.  When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.  For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

We can choose to burn into our brains the things from God’s Word that will light our paths.  Thus, they become part of our philosophy, a way to conduct our lives.

So take the instructions in God’s Word on finances, and put them in your heart.  They are great wisdom, and there are some great promises, too.  Ask God to teach you what you need to know for your life in relation to these things. And remember, it’s…

Easy to do, just as easy not to do.

Our economy today is drastically different from the economy of the lands and times of the Bible.  In our economy, we don’t have to save of our labors out of necessity or fear of not having enough.  We have food stamps if we run out of food or money.  We have section eight housing.  There is welfare for the poor.  And social security for the elderly.  We have grocery stores that are open 24 hours a day.  We have government programs to supply every need.

In the lands and times of the Bible, if you did not save some of your labors, you could literally starve to death.  This has been true throughout most of history.  Saving was integral to surviving.

In our day and time, we are taught to spend it all and then spend even more by credit.  This way of dealing with life keeps us in debt.  The debt keeps us showing up on the job to get the money to pay the debt.  We have been trained to be good workers for American industry.

We are no longer self-reliant or God-sufficient.

Proverbs 3:9,10 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase: (This part of the verses addresses tithing/giving)  So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. (This part of the verse addresses our duty to save.)

Many of us have believed and obeyed the first part of this instruction but not the second part.  We tithe/give, but we have not been taught to believe and do the second part — to save part of what God gives us back. We just spend it all and more!

As mentioned above, in our economy, saving is not as much of an immediate necessity as in the old days.  However, economies don’t last forever.  Governments come and go. Living by the principles of God’s Word will always work, and for long-term prosperity, saving is necessary. (Some Christians have been taught to save a year’s supply of food against disasters such as economic collapse and war when the grocery stores may be closed or out of food.)

Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

God promises here that if you will give, He, by way of people, will give it back to you in abundance!

Proverbs 19:17 He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.

In the record in Proverbs 3, we see that God expects us to save at least some of what comes back to us.  They learned to live on less than what they produced.  The rest was stored in barns or storehouses as they were an agricultural economy.  But the principles of God never change no matter what type of economy we live in.  Today, we may put the rest in a bank, a bank bag, or store it as gold coins in our dresser drawer.  No matter how we save, God pays enough back to us for giving, and we can save some if we are diligent.

If this biblical instruction of barns and storehouses is new to you, you could do a search of the Bible for the words: storehouse(s), treasuries or barns.  You could pray for wisdom and understanding.  Pray for your spouse because success in finances is much easier if you are both on the same page.

King David was a man after God’s own heart and he asked God to teach him. You too could ask God as David did, to “lead me, teach me and guide me.” We could take a lesson from him as to how to live this life in many areas.  Here, this great man of God, the forefather of Jesus Christ, wrote by revelation the following:

Psalm 31:3 For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me.
Psalm 25:5 Lead me in thy truth and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.

This man of God, who was such a great prophet and king, was humble enough to ask God to lead him and teach him and guide him.

It used to be that a bank would let you start a savings account with a dollar.  Not so anymore. Start with a bank bag and a dollar.  Many people have found that the longer they endeavor to save, the easier it becomes. It can become part of your life. But remember giving is like the rain, it is what makes the garden grow.  Here, the garden would be our storehouses/barns. So as we give and it comes back to us – save.

To start saving with a dollar may seem pointless. It may feel like you will never see the savings amount to much.  It takes time to grow.   For example:  an apple seed, when planted, may seem pointless as it is such a small seed.  Yet, if tended diligently in the years to come, it will produce much fruit. Saving is the same way.

If saving is difficult for you because of too much debt, use the snowball principle to pay off the debt. God’s will has never been for His children to be in debt. Ask Him to lead you, teach you and guide you into better ways of handling your finances.  Get out of your comfort zone.  Gain some Godly wisdom, and then do what you learn.  Here is a great section of God’s Word. It tells us of God’s will for our lives and tells us of the great benefits of living according to this wisdom of God. Here, wisdom is depicted as a woman who is speaking.

Proverbs 8:14-21 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength. By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth. I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver. I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment: That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures (storehouses).

If you are going to teach giving and receiving, saving should be taught also as it is part of the same context.  Learning to save some of what God pays back to you is all part of learning to live and manifest The Prosperous Life.

As our world comes out of the shutdown of businesses and jobs, many people will be needing to rebuild their financial houses. Some of us are just now beginning to build because we have just recently learned some of these lessons.  As you build or rebuild, it would be good to build on a Godly, Biblical foundation to better withstand the storms of the future.

As Christians, the church has been diligent in teaching us to tithe or give 10% of our income to the church.  Some in the pulpit have taught that as you give God will give it back to you.  But there the teaching of financial matters usually ends unless they also teach the warnings of “the love of money is the root of all evil,” “lay not up for yourselves treasure upon earth…” as we have covered in other blogs and in the book, Poverty vs Wealth.  But the church, once it has its income needs met, generally stops discussing or teaching a Biblical understanding of the handling of money.  What all is involved in prosperity? – What other principles are in the Bible that deal with money? – Does God want you to prosper and have enough stored up for rainy days and retirement? What is God’s part in helping you prosper? What other responsibilities do you have after giving? Etc.

There are a great many verses in the Bible that cover the topic of money.  For instance:

Deuteronomy 8:18 But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day KJV

The phrase “to get wealth” may be easier to understand from a couple of other translations.

New International Version: “But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.”

New American Standard Bible “…. giving you power to make wealth, …”

The word for “wealth” in Deuteronomy 8:18 is a noun that is used of strength, armies, wealth, and as virtuous.  It is used of the strength of people, horses, or nations. God is often seen as the supplier of that strength, whether it is men or nations. When speaking of men, it is often used of those that are strong for war. This idea of strength is often used to imply financial influence (wealth) as well.

The basic meaning is strength and ability from which comes power or might (especially warlike), and wealth. It is also used to imply honesty and uprightness. For example:  righteous men that are able to judge.

Also, the strength carries with it the idea of influence, especially influence that comes from God.  

Zechariah 14:14 And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance.

Deuteronomy 8:18 says God gives the ability to produce wealth.  It would seem to be a partnership process. God was the supplier of that strength or influence in each situation, and yet He expected them to put forth their best effort.  It reminds one of Proverbs 21:31, which says, “that the horse is prepared against the day of battle, but the safety is of the lord.”

God supplies the influence and strength that go with work because of our love for Him and His great desire to bless His children.

Job

Let’s look at Job, who was the greatest of the men in the East:

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.

Then Job lost everything he owned.

He was finally delivered when he prayed for his friends, and it says that God gave him back double what he had lost.  How did that work? How did God give it all back to Job?!

Job 42:11  Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one an earring of gold.

These people gave him some money and gold and then Job went back into business. Did Job wake up with six thousand camels parked outside his front door?  Did it happen in one day? NO! He worked his butt off. He went back to work, and the end result was that God, working with Job, gave him twice what he had before.  God’s influence at work!

Job 42:10 And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

It is interesting to note that Job gave the glory for his wealth to God.

Job 31:25-28 If I rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because mine hand had gotten much; If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness; And my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand: This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied the God that is above.

As we noted in another blog, everything belongs to God. And Job here recognized that if he has said his own hand had gotten much he would have denied the God above that provided it.  Thus, Job recognized that God was the provider of his wealth.

Joseph

Another great example is Joseph who was a wealth builder, one able to produce wealth.  Because of the work of Joseph, Egypt and Pharaoh became extremely wealthy. This was a job given to him by God.  In this situation, Joseph, a slave and a prisoner, had the personal power and confidence in this case, to stand before Pharaoh, interpret his dream, and explain to Pharaoh what needed to be done.

However it is that God works, God influenced Pharaoh to have Joseph do the job of taking care of Egypt.  You see this many times in the Bible where it says God put something in a person’s heart.  In life, people you deal with “just like you” and want to give you their business.  

Joseph, with the strength and power and influence exerted by God, now produces great wealth in the Land of Egypt.  

In both cases, these men gave God the glory because they knew where the wealth and power to gain it came from.  God Almighty!

Ruth

The word “virtuous” as used of Ruth and in Proverbs 31 is the same as the word “wealth” used in Deuteronomy, and it implies strength and influence that comes from God also. Since the same Hebrew word is used for both men and women, it would be logical that the women would have at their core some of the same characteristics as the men:  strong, able to produce wealth, righteous, able to judge, honest and upright. (With this understanding of the word “virtuous,” rereading Proverbs 31 is enlightening.)

As any Godly woman endeavors to live her life in service to God and her family because of her love for Him, God works in her life with His power and strength and influence so that that woman (Ruth here) becomes known as a virtuous woman and carries out her work.

You might ask where was God’s influence in Ruth’s situation? She married into the Christ line and was the great-grandmother of King David of the lineage of Jesus Christ. As a virtuous woman, she had this God-given strength and influence such that even though she was a Moabite (gentile), that Boaz said, “I want her to be my wife”. God’s influence at work again! Mothers have a lot of influence over their children, too.

This promise of wealth was given to God’s servants, adopted children in the Old Testament.  Since God was so kind and so desiring of His children to be prosperous, it is logical to assume He would want and do no less for us in our administration, the Age of Grace, with those born from above of His seed.  As you endeavor to put God’s Word into practice in your life by tithing, giving, saving, and being diligent, God works on our behalf the same as He did for His servants.  The wealth still comes from Him. AND, we see His strength and influence are at work on our behalf so that we are not working alone in this work of building wealth.

Apparently, God has no problem with His children being prosperous or wealthy: saving for retirement, having an emergency fund, saving for our children’s or grandchildren’s college education, paying cash for cars, etc. This saving of money helps stave off the temptation of going into debt to meet our needs.

This wealth-building is a continual process. This getting of wealth is not us sitting there, and the heavens part and the wealth falls into our laps. No! God sets up the promises and the foundational principles. Tithing – giving – saving – being diligent, then as we believe and obey His Word, and keep Him first in our hearts, He will do the same for us as His servants or even more as we are His children. So that it is like a partnership, and He is involved in the work of wealth building along with us. He opens the doors with His influence and strength to accomplish the wealth building. He has a purpose for this, but that is another subject for another blog!

We may suffer setbacks, or we may get into the game late as some of us did, but it is never too late with God. If you have not started yet, start tithing, saving, and begin that wealth-building process. Wealth building is a lifelong undertaking, and it is part of what we achieve in the pursuit of  The Prosperous Life.

(From Chapter 15 in the book Poverty vs Wealth available on Amazon as a Kindle, paperback or on Audible)

I was talking to a friend of mine a month ago or so, and he said, “I get it with what you are saying. I can see how these young people can really do this stuff, but what am I to do?  I am over 60; I can’t save enough to retire on.” Many things happen to people in life that leave them broke.  Divorce and on the street  —  bad investments  —  bad partnerships where the other runs off with the money and leaves you with the notes  — a multitude of things can happen, or the markets turn against you overnight, and you lose it all.

How you deal with the loss depends on why you invested in the first place.  If it was for the wealth itself, then it can be bad.  But if you were managing the funds as a caretaker of God’s supply, you just start over with what God says to do in His word.  Tithe – give and save.  Then believe the promises of God’s Word and expect God to do great things on your behalf.

In the Old Testament, there is a record of three men who were told to bow to a statue made of gold set up in the plains of Dura. If they did not bow, they would burn in a fiery furnace.  They had a fellow servant of God, Daniel, who had been told by the king’s law that the only prayers to be offered for the next 30 days were to be offered to the king and any that refused would be thrown into a den of hungry lions. You can read all through the Old Testament up to that point, and there are not any promises of deliverance from a burning fiery furnace, and no promise of deliverance from a den of hungry lions. What were these men to do?  God’s Word shows us the nature of God, what He is like.  Through the records that were available to those men and from what they had heard of God, they knew of God’s love, His compassion, His care, His protection in battle, His mercy, His great power, and His promises of protection for those who love Him.  God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. If He had mercy on others, He will have mercy on you.   These men trusted that as God had delivered others in dire straits in the past, that He would deliver them also.  And He did.  The men were thrown into the burning fiery furnace, and God sent His angel to protect them.  They walked out alive with not even the smell of smoke on them. Similarly, God sent his angel to shut the lion’s mouths for Daniel, and Daniel had not a scratch.

We are going to read a parable that also shows the nature of God in another situation.

Matthew 20:1-16 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.  So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?  Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?  So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

Many of us learned about saving money from God’s Word fairly late in life. If, in the parable, the householder paid the last the same as the first, I would trust that God would not hold it against us that we came so late to the party. His promises of prosperity are true at any age. They have no expiration dates.  God will not look at you and say, “Too late. You should have started earlier in the day.”

No, His promises are true at any age. God is full of mercy, love and compassion, and His promises fail not. Just get busy. Set up your bank accounts and pray. Remember when you pray, not to beg.  Children don’t beg from their fathers. Children ask expecting their fathers to do as the father has promised. Likewise, we too should pray with great expectation that our Heavenly Father will do as He has promised. Many of the prayers in the Bible are of men praying back to God with God’s own words.  Like this: “Father, you have promised in your Word that you will supply all our needs, and we have a need.  I need a retirement for my wife, and I am thankful that You have promised to meet our needs.  I just rest my life on your Words and expect to see Your Word come to pass as I carry out what You have said.”  Something like that.

Then learn to trade with the money in the accounts. Find a means to make it grow and trade with it. Start small and grow to bigger things if you want. Have fun. You have an advantage being older in that you have seen a lot more, been exposed to a lot more, so that you mentally have more to draw on in finding something in which to trade.

Matthew 25:16-17 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.   And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.

These men did not just put the money in the bank. They went and doubled their money over time. You can do the same. Just because trading is a lost art does not mean we can’t learn it. I gave you a list earlier of money doubled and how rapidly it grows and multiplies. Use your age and wisdom and your relationship with your Father to have some new adventures in trading and seeing His promises come to pass.

I told you about the story of the man that in 14 trades traded a paperclip for a house. Learn how to trade, do it with your Father, and have a great time!

Learning about and living The Prosperous Life God intended for us can be very exciting as we see Him bring His word to pass in our lives.

I have given (tithed) all my life.  But I have also been frustrated with the level of prosperity in my life. I have heard many reasons for this, but a few years ago I began to see the problem.

God, without a doubt, blesses our lives back as we give, BUT he expects us to SAVE part of the surplus as it comes in.  You might say, “I have no surplus,” but that is because we spend everything He gives us and then some.  That is not good stewardship of the supply God provides back to us as we give.  There is more understanding to be gained from God’s Word about finances than learning to give only.

There is a law or principle that God set up from the beginning that works for all that apply it.  Saint and sinner alike as some might say.  It says that to those that hath, more shall be given.

Luke 19:12-26 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury? And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds. (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.) For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.

In Matthew 13 Jesus Christ is explaining the parable of The Sower and the Seed and states this principle or law again.  Here, he uses it in the context of understanding.

Matthew 13:10-13 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath (understanding), to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not (understanding), from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

So, we see Jesus teaches this law/principle in the context of both money and understanding.  That is because it is a law that God established from the beginning, and Jesus is teaching us how it works. A practical example of this law in action is:

Deuteronomy 28:8 The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

A storehouse would be a place where a person or kingdom stored the surplus they had.

Storehouses are spoken about all through the Bible.  They are called barns, treasuries, storehouses and armories. They stored food, oil, wine, horses, chariots, gold and silver and precious stones.  David stored material for Solomon to use to build the Temple.  Nehemiah stored things in the temple’s treasure houses.  God has a great many things stored up also.  Therefore, He never runs out of blessings for His people. God is a God of abundance not a God of scarcity.

Joseph stored grain in the great storehouses of Egypt against the famine that was to come.  The verse that I first saw this in was in Proverbs 3.

Proverbs 3:9-10 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So, shall thy barns (storehouses) be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine

First, we give and then as the surplus comes back, God expects us to save part of it.  So prosperity includes both giving and saving! How much?  There is no set amount spoken of in God’s Word.  Joseph saved 20% each year.  If you are in great debt, start with a dollar.  But start.  If God is to command His blessing upon your storehouse (bank account) you must have one!  He can even bless a dollar if that is all you can start with.

It was this verse in Proverbs 3 where I realized that I had honored the Lord with the first fruits of my increase all my life (tithed), but I did not have a barn/storehouse for Him to fill. We are not only to believe the Word, but also, we are to do it. Once I understood that God expected us to save part of what comes in, my wife and I opened some new savings accounts. So, we had believed and done the first part, but we had not believed nor prepared to do the second part of providing a storehouse.

What happened over time was amazing.  Where we had had trouble paying our bills, even though we gave all our lives, they now became easier to pay.  As our storehouses grew, our understanding of the biblical principles of finances grew also.  It was amazing! Saving part of the surplus shows good stewardship of God’s blessing.  It is not all spent.  Once God sees that you will be faithful in stewarding and saving the small amounts, the amounts you have to save will grow as will your understanding of how to biblically deal with money.  He will teach you as you are willing and desiring to learn.

Jesus taught:  To them that hath more shall be given.  God said He would command His blessing on what you HAVE.  So, decide today to HAVE!  Open a savings account to put money in that you will never spend for anything.  As you believe and do what God has said, expect Him to teach you more about money – your attitude, how to handle what you have and how to get out of debt.  Expect Him to teach you, to walk with you in this whole area of finance, and you will experience much more of The Prosperous Life.