Check Your Balance – 3 – Add PURPOSE to your PROFIT

 

Welcome – Chris Fluitt | Redemption Church Plano

Check Your Balance

We are talking about money… but we are not asking for money.

We want to give to you, not receive from you.

1. Worksheets to help you conquer debt and produce wealth
2. Free E-book to go into detail

 

Neiman Marcus Game
1 T-SHIRT
2 T-SHIRTS COST $128

3 Leather Jacket

4 Leather cost $798

5 Shoe

6 Shoe Cost $1,090

7 Flip Flop

8 Flip Flop Cost $545

9 Womans Hoodie

10 Hoodie Cost $170

11 Dress

12 Dress Cost $995

 

3 laws of balance:

Reference point
Constant correction
Clear Objective

 

Week 1 – Reference point – SPENDING.

 

Week 2 – Constant Correction – BUDGET.

 

A budget is a plan for every dollar.

 

Today – Clear Objective

 

Keep this stick upright/balanced.

 

What is the objective of money?

 

Things you can do with money
Make it
Spend it
Save it
Give it

MAKE all you can – NOT balanced, happy, or content.

SPEND all you can – Fun but not balanced or satisfying.

 

SAVE all you can – Hoarder, miser, Scrooge.
Nobody benefits/enjoys it… until you die.

 

GIVE all I can…
“I KNEW THE PREACHER WAS GOING TO ASK ME TO GIVE HIM MY MONEY….”

NO!
GIVE all I can – may be irresponsible.
Give to the wrong thing?
Might give while your family goes without.
 

What is the objective of your money?
 

You may be focused on…
MAKING more
SPENDING more
SAVING more
GIVING more

 

None of these options satisfy. Here is why.

 

Hunger vs Appetite
Eating food satisfies hunger.
Eating does not satisfy appetite.

-Drugs & alcohol, materialism,

lustful habits, any addiction.

 

Appetite is not satisfied by indulging.

 

Appetite is psychological.
Your brain is telling you to “Make more,” “Spend more,” “Save more,” “Give more…” and you cannot satisfy this craving.

Appetite is satisfied by abstaining.

 

Fasting – going without food.
Around the 3rd day – your appetite goes away.

Balance is going to require abstinence.
Learning to say NO – sometimes not all the time.

 

What is your appetite? Is it throwing you off balance?

 

Balance requires a clear objective.

 

To understand the proper objective/goal for your personal finances, you need to know how God views your money/stuff.

 

Turn to 1st Chronicles 29:10.

 

Context: For years Israel’s worship was focused on a tent where the Ark of the Covenant was housed.

 

King David sat in his palace and realized God dwelt in a tent. He decided to build God a temple.

 

David designed… raised money…
About $14 billion in gold and silver was gathered.

David invited anyone who wanted to give “God’s House” to give.

 

As people came, David prays and praises God and in these words, we see David’s view of money… a clear objective of money.

 

1st Chronicles 29:10-14 (NIV)
10 David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, “Praise be to you, Lord, the God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.

11 Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom;

you are exalted as head over all.

 

EVERYTHING belongs to God. Not me.

 

12 Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.

 

Everything COMES from God. Not me.

Everything is DISTRIBUTED from God. Not me.

 

13 Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.

 

14 “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.

 

If everything belongs to God, comes from God, and is distributed by God, then our objective should be to HONOR GOD with everything.

 

To honor God with your finances requires…

Balance.
A realization that YOU ARE NOT GOD.

Thankfulness.
Wisdom.
 

Honoring God isn’t just about giving.
It includes giving and living.

 

How many know the word tithe?

To give the first 10% to God.
Big religious deal… it surely honors God.

 

It is possible to give God the tithe, and still not honor God with your finances.

 

You ask to borrow a car for a vacation…

Borrowed car

 

When you come back I meet you… great trip.
 

Trashed car… Broken… “What did you do to my car? It is ruined!”

You say… “No, the front bumper is perfect.”

 

10 percent car

 

Christians we cannot tell God, “I gave 10 percent. I can do whatever I want with the 90 percent.”

 

Not a percentage thing.
An honor God thing.

I was taught how to give 10% offering… but I was not taught how to honor God with the rest.

 

Things you can do with money
Make it
Spend it
Save it
Give it

 

Honor God as you make… spend… save… give…  HONOR GOD IN ALL OF IT.

 

What if we honored God with everything?

 

 

How do we do that?
It requires asking HIM.
Thanking Him…
Telling Him EVERYTHING comes from you.

 

Not a 1 size fits all answer…

Some of you will…
-Give more
-Save more
-Quit wasting
-Cancel subscriptions
-Downsize
-Not be stingy with your spouse…
-Be more disciplined in spending…
-Enjoy it more

 

Your balance in this are requires a God focus and relationship.

 

If we don’t…
-we will be out of balance
-money could be our god
-we will be slave to our appetite
-God could be dishonored by our $$$ habits
 

MAKE YOUR MOVE
#1 What is your objective?

-Do you believe it all comes from Him?

-Ask Him how to honor Him with your $$$

#2 Are you a follower of Christ?

-Make that step today.
-If you are a follower, have you surrendered your stuff? Are you slave to your stuff?

#3 What is your next step?
-You know? Pray about it.
-Not sure? Pray about it.

-FOLLOW THROUGH