Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Financial Wisdom

I have heard it said that Jesus taught more on money than any other subject. If it is that important to God then we can be sure that it would be part of our search for wisdom. This subject is a sore point for most of us, so today let’s let go and let God teach us what His Word has to say on the subject.

Solomon tells us the secrets of financial wisdom throughout Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. Let’s look at four secrets that can help us become wiser about how the Lord wants us to deal with our finances and possessions.
1. The Secret of Contentment Proverbs 21:17; Ecclesiastes 6:9 Contentment is not a destination; it is the journey.
 There is one who pretends to be rich, but has nothing; another pretends to be poor, but has great wealth. - Proverbs 13:7 We need to live within our means, not our imaginations! A simpler God focused life is the best way to live and find true contentment.

2. The Secret of Good Money Management  Solomon gives us plenty of financial advice, including things like not going into debt, helping the poor, borrowing makes us slaves, not co-signing on loans for other people, and lazy people never prosper. Here are some other financial wisdom verses: Proverbs 1:13-14; 1:19; 2:4; 3:9-10; 3:14-16; 3:27-28, 3:33; 5:10-14; 6:1-2;6:6-11; 6:30-31; 8:10; 8:18-21; 9:1-3; 10:2-5; 10:15; 10:22; 10:15-16; 10:22-24; 11:1-4; 11:11; 11:23-28; 12:5; 12:11-12; 12:24; 13:2;-4; 13:27; 14:1-4;15:16-27; 16:11; 17:2-11; 17:23; 18:9-11; 18:23; 19:1; 19:7-17; 19:22-24; 20:4; 20:10-15.
There are three areas to consider:
• Keep good accounting Proverbs 27:23-24 and Proverbs 21:5
• Develop a budget Proverbs 21:5 and  Proverbs 21:20
• Prepare financially for the future Proverbs 6:6-8 and Proverbs 14:15

3. The Secret of Ownership Proverbs 11:24, Proverbs 3:9-10, Exodus 13:2; Psalm 50:10 
Solomon offers us 3 reasons why we should give our first and best to the Lord:
1. He should be honored.
2. He already owns everything
3. He wants to bless us.
What and how are you giving to God?

4. The Secret of Disobedience  Proverbs 17:24 Proverbs 13:10 The secret of disobedience is that you can never hide from God. He is aware of all our actions, thoughts, and motives. Before Solomon died he came to his senses, and he realized this, Whoever loves money never has money enough. Whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. - Ecclesiastes 5:10
To have true meaning and contentment in your life consider what David said in Psalm 51:10-19.

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