197 Give, Save, Live: Save

If I were to ask, “Do you think that consistently putting some of your income into a savings plan is a wise financial strategy?”  Most people would say yes.

But if I were to ask, “Are you doing that?”  Far fewer would say yes.

Why don't we save? There are many reasons, some of them valid. But for all too many of us, we don’t save because we let present realities overshadow future possibilities. All we can see is “now.” What I want now. What I need now. The future is too far off.

As a result, in the event of a loss of income, the average American family is only 3-6 weeks away from bankruptcy.

But there is a simple formula that can help you get a handle on your finances, both now and in the future. First, you GIVE…then you SAVE…then you LIVE on the rest.

Out of every $10 you make, we GIVE the first dollar to the Lord. The Bible is clear on this. It’s called a tithe.

Though the Scriptures make no such demand on what we are to save, I suggest that a wise strategy is to pay God first, then pay yourself second. If God gets the first dollar, you SAVE the second dollar, setting it aside for future needs.

The Bible speaks of the value of saving. Proverbs 21:20 says, “The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets.”

We also see the example of Joseph in the OT, who for years wisely reserved a portion of Egypt’s reserves thus saving his people when the years of famine came.

The NT also speaks of the value of providing financially for one’s family’s future. (1 Tim. 5:8)

Now there’s a difference between saving and hoarding. James warns of hoarding in his letter, talking about the folly of clinging to resources that could and should be put to Kingdom use.

Why do we hoard? Because of fear or pride. Fear of not having enough or pride that flaunts your wealth. The foolishness of hoarding is that it will all be destroyed one day. We can’t keep it.

GIVE, SAVE, and then LIVE on the rest.  This simple formula has served us well for years. 

By giving first, we’ve not only kept our "desire to acquire" in check and invested in God’s Kingdom, but we've also brought His supernatural power to bear upon our finances.

By saving second, we have acquired a nest egg of sorts for our retirement and put some margins in place so that when we need to replace or fix something, we can.

That means we’ve had to adjust our lifestyle to live on the rest.  It’s the idea of living within our means and keeping debt in check.  And that’s what we’re going to talk about next week.

Text: Prov. 6:6-8; 21:20; I Tim. 5:8

Originally recorded on January 15, 2012, at Fellowship Missionary Church, Fort Wayne, IN