Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Planning”
Our Bible verse for today: “In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has.” Proverbs 21:20 (NIV)
Our thought for today: “Have a financial plan”
It never ceases to amaze me that we Americans can live in the most affluent nation in the world and yet still have so many financial problems. It’s because we live in such a consumer-oriented culture. We are awash in every conceivable form of advertising, which is all designed to make us discontented with what we have and to convince us that we have to have more. So we end up being conditioned to consume at enormous rates that far exceed the consumption of any other society in the world.
Some have labeled it “conspicuous consumption.” And it is unbiblical. In the Bible conspicuous consumption is always portrayed as a bad thing. Instead, we’re taught to live modest lives of contentment. Here’s just one example, “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world and we can take nothing out, but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.” 1 Timothy 6:6-8.
As a result of this consumer-oriented culture bent on conspicuous consumption, many Christians get caught-up in the trap of spending every dollar they earn in order to acquire all that they can get, and then, when they run out of money, they go deeply into debt so they can acquire even more. And so we have a situation where many people are deeply in debt to the point of practically being insolvent. In most homes if one paycheck is missed they’re faced with a financial crisis. They have no reserves to cover it.
That’s why a financial plan is so important. In order to be a good steward of the finances the Lord has entrusted you with, you must have a financial plan that begins with the understanding that “I will live modestly and below my means.” In other words, you learn to live on whatever your income is, and you will not spend more than you earn. Your financial plan must also include a detailed budget that you actually live by.
In his book “The Total Money Makeover” Dave Ramsey writes that “You must tell your money where to go, or your money will just get up and go.” There’s a lot of truth to that.
In Proverbs 21:20 Solomon expressed an age-old truth that shows itself to be true in every culture and in every age of human history. Those who have a financial plan and who stick to it are wise and they consistently have enough. Those who don’t have such a plan make poor use of what they do have, and they never seem to have enough.
I encourage you to have a financial plan and to stick to it.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 