Wednesday, "The Judge"

Greetings Internet Campus,

Today we continue our look at simplifying our finances.

Malachi 3:7b–10 (NLT2) Now return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “But you ask, ‘How can we return when we have never gone away?’ 8 “Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me “But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ “You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. 9 You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! "

It's very easy to dismiss the idea of the tithe as something that was made up by the church. After all, they are the direct recipients of the giving...why wouldn't they have just made up this rule to earn more money? Let's look at today's passage. Look at verse 8 "Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me...'You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me."

That's not from the lips of a pastor...it's from God. The idea of tithe comes from God Himself. Let's break today's passage down into two thoughts:

1) Bring not Give - It's important to look at the verbiage here. God isn't telling us to give Him our money. That would imply that we actually have ownership of our own finances. Like we said yesterday, God has provided our income, our skills, our gifts, and our abilities. When we give we are turning over ownership of something to someone else. That's not the case here...we are to BRING our tithes. We joyfully and purposefully carry what we have been blessed with into the storehouse (the local church). We've never had ownership of it...it is just passing through us and going to those that we are responsible to.

2) Test me - God directly challenges us to test Him with our giving. He doesn't say that..."If you give to Me - I will give back!" What He does say is that if we bring Him our tithes, we make ourselves potential recipients of blessings so great that we cannot imagine them. Of course, all of these blessings from God only come if it is within His will for our lives that we have them (in His perfect timing). If we aren't bringing our tithes...we disqualify ourselves from the potential of this generous Godly blessing.

I know that this week is tough for some of us. We've looked at money as our own for so long that we just don't see it any other way. I want to challenge you this week to pray and fast for God to reveal something new in your spirit regarding all of the blessings that He allows us to temporarily utilize.

Write it Down: In your journals...write three words that describe how you feel right now about the passage of scripture from today's lesson. Pray about those three words.

See you tomorrow,
Pastor Brian

2-18-08 "The Budge"

Greetings Internet Campus,

This week we are going to look at last weekend's message about simplifying our financial lives. We start off with our greatest asset to get a grip on our finances...the brain.

THE BUDGE - Budget

Ecclesiastes 7:11-12 (TM) "Wisdom is better when it's paired with money, Especially if you get both while you're still living. Double protection: wisdom and wealth!"

How smart are you with your resources? I am going to go out on a limb and say most of us could be smarter...we could prioritize better...

How do we get smarter about our finances? There are thousands of books, CDs, seminars,
etc. that tell you where to use what God has given you...but we still fail sometimes. How many of us have more month than money?

It is critical for us to not only develop a budget...but to stick to it. Here's how to make an effective budget:
1) Realize - Understand the need to limit yourself. Realize that if you are going to have money at the end of the month, you are going to have to control the outflow of cash.
2) Prioritize - What gets paid first? Have you ever had to decide between electricity and rent? Water or Trash? Visa or Mastercard? Might I suggest that any budget starts with God's portion...the first 10%. Think you can't afford to do that? You can't afford not to. I can't argue you into tithing...I can tell you that every couple that has done this (that I've talked to) has never regretted it. You've got to figure out what is important to you and then make sure that it is paid first. This sounds simple...but you know that there are going to be many things that want to take that top spot.
3) Organize - Put your bills in order and keep them organized by due date. How many of us throw our bills into a pile and hope that they magically gets paid in order of importance? We've got to get a system in place that helps us make sure that all of our debts are covered by the time that they are due.
4) Utilize - Use all of the resources at your disposal. Learn from those that do this well. Let your closest friends in on the fact that you are committing to a budget....let them hold you accountable. Attend free financial classes (hint...hint...this Tuesday @ 7PM (EST)). Look at today's scripture...wisdom is made better when it is paired with money. Being smarter about the green stuff is critical for our financial future!

Write it Down: In your journal today...answer this question...why do you think most people don't make a budget? If that is you...pray and commit your finances to God...pray that He will help you organize things better.

See you tomorrow,
Pastor Brian