Loving Money Too Much
Money isn’t evil, but the love of it is because of all the ruin and destruction it can bring to each of our lives. We must learn to harness our desires and keep God above our love for money, or it will ruin us.
Finances
Preparing End-of-Life Plans
As we age, we must prepare our end-of-life plans so that our loved ones are not unfairly clueless or unnecessarily burdened. God’s Word gives us great insight regarding how we should make plans now for the inevitable to come.
Having Too Much and Giving Too Little
Having stuff isn’t sinful as long as it doesn’t have you, but we often feel like our worth is wrapped up in what we own. Instead of thinking about what we can give, we focus on what we can get and miss out on a better path.
The Danger of Discontentment
Ecclesiastes 5:8-6:12 – Without contentment, we will protect our possessions with unhealthy perspectives. The treasures of this life are gifts from God as long as they don’t replace Him.
Ambitiously Rich and Relationally Poor
Ecclesiastes 4:4-5:7 – You can have all this world has to offer and no one to share it with due to how you align your priorities. Ensure your life has the margin to grow relationally with God and others.
How to Know If You Love Money Too Much
Money is a gift from God, but if it is not kept in the right position, it will take the place of God in our lives. In our society that treasures the riches of this world in an unhealthy way, disciples of Jesus must refocus their values.
Decreasing Debt
Dissatisfaction leads to unnecessary purchases and increasing debt. Discover God’s principles for decreasing debt and living in financial freedom.
You Lack One Thing
Each of us has that one thing that really has us. It is difficult to follow Jesus closely if you delight in something more than Him.
Reclaiming Contentment
Stuff can’t save us, but that doesn’t stop us from thinking that the more that we have, the more contented we can become. The reality is that we must prioritize a settled disposition in our lifetime if we are going to survive materialistic traps.
Giving Out from What You’ve Been Given
Exodus 25:1-9 – God instructed the people to give in specific ways to create a place to meet with Him. The offerings of these formerly enslaved people are much like ours – given from the overflow of God’s provision.
Practicing Contentment
Exodus 20:17 – The tenth commandment cautioned against coveting anything that belongs to someone else. We cannot practice contentment if we constantly compare what God has provided us with what we see adorning others.
Safeguarding Possessions
Exodus 20:15 – The eighth commandment discouraged the practice of stealing. If we trust God for what we need and work diligently to provide for those around us, we will never need to take what belongs to another.
Fruitful & Multiply
God’s original command to the first couple was to be fruitful and multiply. It was a call to take what He had given them in order to use it and multiply it to the best of their God-given abilities. God is up to something, and your marriage can be a part of it.
You Can’t Take It With You
Luke 12:13-21 – In The Parable of the Rich Fool, Jesus taught how unreliable our possessions could be to forming and completing our lives. Live for something that outlives you.
Prosperity & Partiality
When robbers approached the puplit of a church one Sunday, they walked away with $1 millon worth of jewelry from the pastor and his wife. Prosperity often leads to partiality, and we must avoid it at all costs.
5 Financial Differences That Can Frustrate Your Marriage
If you aren’t careful, certain differences regarding finances can frustrate a marriage in significant ways. Here are 5 financial differences that can challenge your marriage and what you can do about it.
The Two Dangerous Financial Extremes
Why does money cause such conflict in our lives? We all need a certain amount, but the level of our want drives us to unhealthy mindsets and methods.
10 Questions to Evaluate Your Marriage’s Finances
If you are married or engaged, use these questions to unite around a critical component in marriage — finances.
Fruitful & Multiply
As God placed His stamp upon Adam and Eve, He intended them to spread that image throughout the world. He calls families to be fruitful and multiply through their homes.
Faithful Finances
God should never be an afterthought regarding our finances and possessions. Learn from God’s Word what it means to honor Him with all that He has given to you.
The Danger of Decadence
When we believe our status to be contingent upon what we own in this life, it robs us of obtaining true treasure. Decide if you will either serve God or money.
The Strategy of Generosity
To be generous entails more than giving an amount; it requires possessing an attitude. Learn how to be wise with what you give and how you give it.
10 Bible Verses for Combatting Greed
Greed is a dangerous sin. Since it sometimes lacks external evidences, we tend to allow it in our lives unchecked and unchallenged. We must fight against the dangers of greed through the power of Scripture.
Helpful Money Milestones
As you develop your budget and try to live financially responsible, it can be overwhelming in all the areas you need to address. How do you know what should be your priority? How do you know what you should tackle next? Maybe you need some practical guidance to start. It’s time to go the 2nd mile in developing money milestones.
How to Develop a Budget
You know that budgeting is important, so what is keeping you from working on one? Maybe you don’t want to face reality, but if you don’t address your financial situation, reality will interrupt you at the most inconvenient time. It’s time to go the 2nd mile in developing a budget.
Why Developing a Budget Is a Spiritual Issue
A financial crisis has a way of waking us up to reality. Whether it is a national recession on the horizon or a personal consequence based on a decision, we each know how money can affect us in numerous ways. The way we handle our money says a lot about us. It’s time to go the 2nd mile in financial …
My Favorite Books on Biblical Finance
As a newly-married man, the first book I ever read on finances was from Dave Ramsey. The principles he taught me caused me to look at finances differently from that point forward. While there are many books out there on finances for the Christian, these are my favorite so far. I believe each of these is extremely practical and thorough. …
Funding Your Future
While none of us know the time or the manner of our passing, we know we must be prepared. In an effort not to be a burden to others but to be a blessing to others at the time of our passing, you must make preparations now. By wisdom, a house is built, and by understanding, it is established; By knowledge, …
The Debt Snowball
Any amount of debt can feel like a growing burden, but you don’t have to stay under it! The most common approach to reducing debt is called the Debt Snowball. Many people have used the concept under the same name or a slightly modified title, but the premise is the same. Like a snowball rolling down a hill, the further …
Eliminating Your Debt
Debt seeks to secure our happiness now by committing to pay more for it later. Regardless of how much debt you have accumulated, learn some biblical and practical steps to reduce your debt now, and remove the opportunity to increase more debt later. Proverbs on Debt Prov. 11:15 – Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer harm, …
What the Joneses Never Tell You
The greatest obstacle to contentment is comparison. Debt seeks to secure our happiness now by committing to pay more for it later. The Culture’s Position on Debt You might envy the stuff that another has, but you don’t know the stress that it takes to keep it. Comparison leads to discontentment; discontentment often leads to debt. Debt attempts to secure …
The Lamentable Legacy of Laziness
While laziness seems to be an accepted cultural disposition, it significantly lessens an individual’s overall opportunities. God’s Word highlights both the blessings and the benefits of hard work. Excuses When you blame laziness on your personality, you covertly attempt to blame God for your lack of effort. Laziness is not a disease or a dysfunction but a decision. Laziness leads …
Balancing Your Finances
We tend to polarize financial convictions, but the Bible provides surprising wisdom to obtain balance. If we learn God’s financial perspective, we will benefit from obeying biblical practices. Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her. -Prov. 8:10-11 Better is …
The Other Side of the Coin
Both the rich and the poor are in danger of neglecting God’s wisdom regarding finances. No matter how much you possess, you must be careful to prioritize biblical perspectives and biblical practices. Reminders About Proverbs Proverbs are more scattered than sequential. Proverbs are more principles than promises. Proverbs are more expressive than exhaustive. Proverbs 30:7-9 Two things I ask of …
Financial Proverbs [Series Overview]
Join us this coming Sunday at Rocky Creek as we start 2020 by addressing our finances biblically. We will start a 5-week sermon series called Financial Proverbs. Whenever we refuse to handle our finances God’s way, we invite unnecessary chaos into our lives. In the Book of Proverbs, God provides practical wisdom that is as relevant today as when it …
Tips for Black Friday
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but it can also be the most frantic. As you prepare for Christmas, you may feel many expectations that can cause you to make some poor financial decisions. You don’t have to go broke during the holidays. It’s time to go the 2nd mile on Black Friday.
Debt: The Financial Strain
Discontentment will lead to justifying debt. When your finances get overwhelming, it drastically alters every other aspect of your life. What Does the Bible Say About Debt? Proverbs 22:7 – The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender. Romans 13:7-8 – Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes …
Robbing God’s Resources
When we interpret God’s blessings as our accomplishments, we are prone to stinginess over generosity. The people of God are given the blessings of God to use for the purposes of God. Malachi 3:6-12 6 “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. 7 From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes …
Giving Much Doesn’t Require Having Much
The rich and distinguished people in Jesus’ day believed that their worldly affluence provided them with divine acceptance. When Jesus praised a poor widow’s offering, He revealed that the heart of giving is more important than the amount of giving. Mark 12:35-44 35 And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the …
When Riches Rob You of Jesus
A rich young man wanted to follow Jesus, but he loved his possessions too much. We must be careful that our riches don’t rob us of following Jesus. Mark 10:17-31 17 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit …
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