Rebalancing Life Investments

*see below for a note on source
James 4:7-10

There is an economic cloud hovering over us these days, yet there is a silver lining to this cloud: economic challenges cause us to re-examine our financial priorities and practices and rebalance our life investments.  If we’re willing, hard times can help us figure out what is really important in all of life and how to invest more wisely in our relationships, careers, and purpose, as well as our finances. Godly wisdom from the Proverbs indicates that God cares about financial matters. 

Proverbs 28:19: He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.
Proverbs 13:11 Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.
Proverbs 22:26-27 Do not be a man who strikes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts; if you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you.
Psalm 37:21 The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously.

God cares about the way we deal with money.  But it also shows that when we have right priorities and commit to right actions, we’re going to realize right results.  This is true in money management, but it’s also a true formula for rebalancing our life investments.

James 4 gives us helpful insights that we relate to the concept of right priorities.  If we want right priorities, we have to start by submitting ourselves to God.  “Submit yourselves, then, to God.” Submission runs contrary to our culture.  Our culture would have us listen and make our own decision or maybe bring it to a vote.  Submission to God is obeying him, putting our own agenda aside, deferring to Him.  When we submit ourselves to God, we surrender our practices to God’s practices and we elevate God’s priorities over ours.

James continues by saying “resist the devil and he will flee from you.”  There’s a reason why James put these two statements together.  Submitting to God always invites the devil’s attacks.  When we rely on our own strength and elevate our own priorities, Satan doesn’t need to put pressure on us, but when we follow Jesus with all our hearts, the devil attacks. So we are called to actively resist the devil.  In Ephesians 6:10-18, we read about the Armor of God.  The whole purpose of the Armor of God is to enable the Christian to stand.

Ephesians 6:11: Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
Ephesians 6:13: Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Ephesians 6:14: Stand firm then…

Paul uses the word “stand” four times in four verses… to make sure that we understand clearly what he was saying!  As Christians, we are to stand firm against the devil.  James understood this: this the way to defeat him every time.  And if we will draw near to God, he will draw near to us.

The problem, as James acknowledges, is that we often end up full of doubt, and, as such, we are double-minded.  James tells us that the double-minded should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  So he calls us to belief – to act in faith, to rebalance our priorities, to submit to God, resist evil, and repent.

In our current economy, everyone has been talking about money. Our nation is going through a time of economic rebalancing, where people have been evaluating what is most important.  As people haven’t had as much money to spend, we have had to prioritize what we need and what we really only want.  I believe our nation is in a time of spiritual rebalancing as well.  While we evaluate our financial investments, our budgets, and our bank accounts, we need to evaluate, examine, and rebalance our life investments as well.  To do this, we have to humble ourselves before God and take His Word seriously.

“The worst kind of fool is the person who believes that God exists but who lives as if God’s directives are not to be taken seriously.” – Michael Slaughter: Upside Living in a Downside Economy. This is the “double-minded” person James refers to, trying to mesh two mutually exclusive worldviews: hedonism and Christianity cannot fit together.  Remember hedonism, the philosophy that says pleasure is the only ultimate good?  Though this philosophy has been around a long time, these days it is one of the most dominant worldviews in our culture.  We often understand it as materialism, where my needs and my wants are at the center of everything that I do. 
I do what I want.  I go where I want to go.  I buy what I want to buy.  And if I have anything left over, I’ll probably give something to God and to others, but I am the ultimate decision-maker.  A prime example of materialistic hedonism is Christmas.  Think of Christmas morning, with a huge pile of presents around a brilliantly decorated tree.  You’ve heard it many times from this stage that Christmas is not our birthday; it’s Jesus’ birthday.  We should celebrate our birthdays on our birthdays, but we should do what honors Jesus on His birthday.  Yet, even in spite of all of our Christ-centered Christmas celebrations, we often miss the real meaning of Christmas and celebrate materialistic hedonism in our self-centered parties and actions.

If you don’t think you’re double-minded, ask yourself how you celebrated Christmas.  We hold tightly to the materialistic worldview of our culture while professing a Kingdom of God worldview with our mouths.  When we say yes to Jesus, we commit to obey Him in everything. We gain His values, His worldview, and His priorities.  And when that happens, it makes Satan furious.  He goes straight to the offensive against us.

This is what happened to Jesus in the wilderness.  If you look in Matthew 4, we see Jesus, led by the Holy Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.  Have you ever noticed that it was the Holy Spirit who led Jesus to a place where He would be tempted?  I believe that we are often in a similar position; when we’re led by the Holy Spirit, Satan tempts us.

After fasting for forty days, Jesus was hungry, and Satan tempted him to turn stones into bread. The temptation is to spend in response to our appetite – to do with our money what we feel will satisfy our hunger at the moment.  This is why grocery stores have coolers of pop and racks of candy, gum, and mints at the check-out.  If you have pop, candy, and gum on your shopping list, that’s fine – you probably already went down those aisles and found what you wanted – at a much lower price.  So you waste money on something that only satisfies a craving. The first temptation is always to spend out of your appetite, not out of your need.

After this, the devil took Jesus to the highest place in Jerusalem and tempted him to jump off, telling Jesus, “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down.  For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” (Matthew 4:6)  Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” (Matthew 4:7)   Here’s how this applies to us: we continue to spend our money unwisely and expect God to deliver us from our poor choices.  Jesus was wise enough to know that you don’t put the Lord to the test.  So when God gives us a command about how to use our money, we can’t just ignore it and expect God to deliver us from our own bad decisions.

The devil’s tested Jesus a third time by leading Him up to a high place and showing Him all the kingdoms of the world. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” (Matthew 4:9) Jesus’ reply, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.” (Matthew 4:10b). This is a clear reminder to us that we need to submit every aspect of our lives to God.  To say it all another way, we have to stand firm in our commitment to worship God only, to follow God’s will and resist temptation. When we do, the devil will flee from us.  And when we draw near to God, he will draw near to us.

What it comes down to is this: anything less than full submission to God’s will is unacceptable for the Christian. This includes everything.  Our families, our jobs, our finances, our free time, even what we do when nobody is looking.  We have to have attitudes that say, “God, I want what You want for me, and with Your strength and Your power, I will work at it until my will is subjected to Yours.”  We choose to submit to God’s will.  This is rebalancing life’s priorities, and the result is right priorities!

Now that we’re together on right priorities, let’s get to Right Actions.  James tells us that right priorities are worthless without right actions.  Today we’re going to look at seven actions that will help lead us to right results in our financial lives.

Do the first right thing: planned giving to God.  In 1 Corinthians 16:2, Paul writes this: On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up… This applies to us as well.  The first thing we should do with our money is plan our giving to God.  This is a great way for us to acknowledge God’s ownership over everything. Psalm 89:11: The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it. None of this is ours.  It’s all God’s.  So when we “give back” to God, we are acknowledging His ownership over all of it and are putting our trust in Him for provision.  Jesus tells us to Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:33).  He will supply our every need, but we cannot serve both God and money.  In Malachi 3:8, God accuses His people of robbing Him.  “How do we rob you?” “In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse – the whole nation of you – because you are robbing me.  Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.  Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”
Here’s the thing: God actually tells us to test him by tithing.  He promises that if we tithe, there won’t be enough room to store the blessings he has for us.  Some of you are probably thinking, “Of course he says that – he’s the pastor of a church where finances are an issue.” Yes, that’s true, and there’s so much more we could be doing if we had the money for it.  But that’s not why I say this. If you think that this is all about us making budget, you couldn’t be more off the mark.  In fact, if that’s what you’re thinking, I’ll challenge you to do this: tithe to Millersport Covenant Church or another church, and see what God does for you.  But understand this: if you don’t tithe, you don’t have any right to complain that God isn’t taking care of you.  You’re simply not letting Him.  The promise is only to those who trust God enough to give to God as He has commanded.
The second “right action” is seeking wise counsel through an accountability group or counselor. Most of us never learned how to deal with money except through the school of hard knocks.  Maybe you started out dirt poor and you figured out that you just had to hold on to your money.  Or maybe you always had money and when the economy tanked you had to figure out on your own how to navigate the new reality.  Whatever the case, maybe you need to check out Dave Ramsey or Crown Financial. Or look around here and find someone who is actually living debt free and ask some advice.  As Proverbs 15:22 says, Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisors they succeed.

Next, write or rework a budget. Regardless of what our government thinks, you can’t spend what you don’t have. With a budget, you are making a commitment to know where your money goes and thereby spend less than what you make.  If you don’t have a budget, you can create a simple budget – one simple way is the 10-10-80 formula.  The first 10% goes to God, as we’ve already discussed.  The next 10% you invest for your future.  And you live on the last 80%.

Or you can use the envelope method.  Figure out all your expenses and make an envelope for them.  At the beginning of the month, put the amount in each envelope, and when the money is gone, it’s gone!  Jonathan uses this method – though his financial needs are a little more simple than most of the rest of ours, it’s a good way for him to learn how to handle his finances. He has three “envelopes”: his offering envelope, his bank, and his wallet.  And he knows that he can’t spend what isn’t in his wallet.

We do this for our savings: we are saving for a new-to-us vehicle, knowing that the ones we have won’t last forever.  And we’d rather pay cash for a vehicle than get taken for a ride with finance charges and interest.  We’re also saving toward a vacation – we love to travel, but we know that until we have the money, we’re grounded.

Understand that budgets constantly need reworked, especially when you find charges that you weren’t anticipating, and an emergency account is important to have as well.

Once you have your budget worked out, perform plastic surgery and reduce your debt. By “plastic surgery” I mean cutting up your credit cards.  It’s a commitment to getting rid of debt.  Remember that debt is using the present and future to pay for the past. The Bible tells us we shouldn’t go into debt!  Proverbs 22:7 tells us The rich rule over the poor, an the borrower is the slave of the lender.  Jesus died to give you deliverance, but as long as you owe someone, you will always be their slave.  Plastic surgery is getting rid of every card you don’t need. Some people have a credit card for business expenses or for online purchases.  If that’s you, then you need to make sure that you pay the balance every month.  If you can’t do that, you need to cut up those cards as well!  Here’s the scary truth: credit can be addicting.  If you’re an alcoholic in recovery, the last thing you want is to have alcohol sitting around your house.  If you have trouble with eating too much candy, you don’t want to keep the candy jar sitting on your desk. And if you have trouble with overspending, you don’t need to keep a credit card around. 

Some people argue that they need one for emergencies.  What constitutes an “emergency”? For true emergencies we should have “emergency accounts” that we’ve saved up for.  Who wants to pay interest on an emergency?  Talk about adding insult to injury!

As you’ve cutting up your credit cards, make sure to call the company and cancel them.  But be strong as they will try to “win you back” with them as they won’t want to take “no” for an answer.  Then pay back your debt – either working on the smallest debt first or tackling the one with the largest interest rate. 

Now that you’ve undergone plastic surgery, it’s time to set future goals and practice delayed gratification.  Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. The Bible also tells us that Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1). When we use plastic, we’re not practicing faith in God’s word.  We’re saying, “I don’t want to wait for future blessings; I want them now!” But a powerful discipline of faith is practicing delayed gratification.  That means working now for a later reward.  This is an important aspect to building character, because of the discipline it requires.  If we can’t practice delayed gratification in our finances, it’s highly unlikely that we will be able to practice it anywhere else in our lives.

And here’s another thing: sometimes those things we just have to have now… we find out that we don’t really need them after all.  Why do you think time-share groups and car salespeople work on the “I can only give you this deal now” idea?  Because they know if you go home and think it over, you’ll realize that it might not be such a good idea.  If you run the numbers at home, they might not work out like “their” guy makes them seem.

One way to practice delayed gratification is to nurture an attitude of gratitude.  Have you ever been around someone who is just grateful for everything? This week I was visiting someone who has every reason to complain.  But instead of complaining, she was so grateful for what God has done in her life.  The Apostle Paul wrote: I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. Philippians 4:11-12.  Do you want to know what his secret was? I can do all things through Him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13).
It can be easy to get negative, but what would our lives look like if we took every opportunity to thank God for everything? 

Finally, Pray, Pray, Pray.  This is the most important right action you can take.  In James 4:8, James writes Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.  That’s a promise.  If you come close to God, he will do the same for you.  When I was in high school, once I was at my locker, “talking” to my friend Jacki.  But really I was looking past her, seeing who else was in the hallway.  She called me to the carpet – “I’m talking to you, but you aren’t paying attention!” Friends, that’s not multi-tasking.  And prayer isn’t just “checking in” with God, all the while paying attention to everything else – it’s giving him all our energy and attention.
Immediately after James tells us to draw near to God, he continues this way: Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.

This is language of repentance.  When we come near to God, we realize how far from him we have been, and that draws us to repentance.  He calls us to ask of ourselves: Do my priorities match God’s priorities? Have I submitted fully to His will? As we put ourselves in full submission to God, James 4:10 comes into play. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.  We can’t just rely on ourselves; prayer appeals to our loving Father who wants nothing more than to give us good and perfect gifts.

Right priorities + right actions = right results.  When we combine right priorities, which are God’s priorities, with right actions, we will see positive results.  But just knowing this won’t help: Faith without works is dead.  So if we want results, I challenge you to evaluate your priorities.  Do yours match with God’s? And where might you need to make adjustments? Which of the seven right actions might you need work on?  This isn’t a simple challenge, but it will bring results!  Ask God to give you the strength to keep going until He gives you the desired goals.

*Please note that the inspiration and the outline for this message are derived from Michael Slaughter's book Upside Living in a Downside Economy, 2009 Abingdon Press, Nashville, TN.

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