Quest 30 - Let’s Talk About Money
I have quite the statement to make today…
Are you ready?
Are you sure?
Positive?
Okay here we go….
I love money.
There I said it. It’s out in the open for everyone to see and for everyone to judge me. Which many people do when you start talking about money right? But I don’t care if people judge me for that. I love money, I love talking about money, I love reading books on money, I love the concept of making money with money. I love everything about it.
I couldn’t tell you why that is, but it’s been that way for a long time. I’ve always found it to be a fascinating subject. Maybe for me it’s because so many people are afraid of it or just flat out don’t understand it. There is so much power in money that people don’t realize. I absolutely love it.
Making money is why I became a Pastor….
Kidding. Sorry, just checking if you were still reading.
On a serious note, this is one of my favorite subjects to talk about because it is so difficult. This isn’t anything new. Statistics point to money being one of the biggest issues people face in this world. Check these 5 out.
54% of Americans Live Paycheck to Paycheck
61% of Americans Struggle To Pay for a $1,000 Emergency
Only 24% of Millennials Have Basic Financial Literacy (Reminder this isn’t 16 year olds… this is 30-40 year olds)
21% of Americans Don’t Save Anything of Their Annual Income
1 in 3 Americans Have Saved $0 for Retirement
This is a problem in America!!! Yet, people still don’t want to talk about it. People avoid this subject at all costs because it’s uncomfortable to face the reality of their lifestyles and what is going on. We need to talk about this though because it’s something that Jesus talked about a lot. He recognized that throughout all of history, money has been and will be an issue for people.
There is a way to have a great financial life though, that doesn't mean you will have all the money in the world, but you can have a great wealthy life! Let’s talk about why we don’t want to talk about money so we can find the solution to money.
1. Money doesn’t lie.
If I could open your online banking statement right now, I could find out everything I need to know about your life and what’s going on in it. We spend money on the things that we care about. If we have a bunch of fast food on there it might show we are on the go. If you have a bunch of coffee on there, I know you may be addicted to it. If it’s a bunch of gas stations I either know you drive a lot or love snacks. But it can also share what you aren’t invested in…. No giving to the church? Are you invested? Probably not. No grocery bill? Probably not invested in preparation.
You see - the bank account doesn’t lie. That’s part of the reason that we don’t want to talk about money, because it will show us the reality of our lives. I am going to encourage and challenge you to change your thinking there. Be, not just willing, but EXCITED to talk about money because it can be the opportunity for you to show what you are passionate about.
God, the church, your health, your family, your future, others, passions, hobbies. All those are great to spend money on and invest in. To be able to do that though, you have to confront the reality and then do something about it!
Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”
I absolutely loved what Mark said about tithing, “Materialism is idolatry. It sounds extreme, but it’s true. That’s why tithing (giving our first 10 percent to the local church) is so important. It turns our hearts toward God. It establishes his ownership of everything.”
It’s not always fun, but take a look and pay attention to the truth. It may be the thing that you need to do because money doesn’t lie.
That might be the first reason that we don’t want to talk about money, but the second is because we a fearful for the future because we had a failure of planning
2. Failure of planning
This goes directly back to the struggles of the modern day. We have done a poor job of preparing for the future, so if we just don’t talk about it, well then it doesn’t exist right? Not true. We have to face it and realize that the future is going to be here sooner rather than later.
We have two options. First, we can be fearful, do nothing, and constantly worry about the future. Secondly, we can trust God, work hard, and be excited about the future.
The second option is far superior right?
That’s what God wants us to do. Look at what he says in Matthew 6:31-33, “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
Notice that scripture says nothing about being rich, but that means we will have everything we need.
Fun fact for you. I once read that once a household reaches an average income of $60,000 there is no increase in happiness as more money comes in. That tells me money is more about what we do with what we have than what we think we can do with what we don’t have.
God is providing, God is blessing, God is showing up. So we have to take what he has given us and start working with it.
For me my system is 10-10-80
10% to God. This is done through tithing to The Rock.
10% to my future self. I put some in retirement, some in savings, some in investment opportunities.
80% to do whatever I want. That’s a lot of money left to do whatever I want.
I am thankful for that system because it has allowed me to use what God has blessed me with to the best of my ability and I very rarely have to worry about things because God always seems to show up when I need it the most.
Feel free to use that system, but more than anything else. I encourage you to create a system to work your money through. I want to honor God with what he has given me by planning out how to use it to glorify him with my life.
As we wrap up today - I just want to say that I am thankful for God giving me this love of money. It matters because it’s a blessing from God and he gives more and more and more and more. The least I can do is love him through our wealth by putting him first and creating a plan to utilize his blessing.
Reminder of what Mark said, “If you have high anxiety, what Jesus is about to teach about money can really help reduce it.”
Read Matthew 6:19-34 over and over again. Then don’t be afraid to talk about these things. Ask successful people questions, sit down and create a plan with your spouse, deal with the hard facts.
Trust him. He’s going to provide!