Matthew 25:16-18 – ‘The servant who received the five bags of gold began immediately to invest the money and soon doubled it. The servant with two bags of gold also went right to work and doubled the money. But the servant who received the one bag of gold dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money for safekeeping.’ (emphasis added).

The best time to start investing is 10 years ago. The best time you can invest for your future is now. The servants with their bags of gold show the results of their actions. For the one who was scared of losing the money, he hid it in the ground… and ultimately, it was taken from him.

For the two who were given five and two bags of gold each, they wasted no time in investing the money. They couldn’t make it work fast enough! This should be your attitude with your savings. If you read through the whole parable in Matthew 25, the master returns and is pleased with the two who invested and doubled their efforts. For the servant who hid his money in the ground, the master asks him why he didn’t at least put the money in the bank where it would earn interest.

Investing

Would he ask the same of you? God has entrusted some money into your care. It’s up to you what you do with it. If you want to be a good steward of what He’s blessed you with, then wherever possible, make sure your money is working for you. The easiest way to do this is with a savings account or a term deposit. If you’re willing to take a little more risk, then you can look at other investment opportunities that will offer a greater return.

It is my prayer for you:

– That you will recognise the importance of investing finances – for yourself, your family and ultimately God’s kingdom.
– That you will be motivated to research potential investment opportunities for your savings whilst they are currently earning interest in a savings account.
– That you will desire to be one of the two servants who immediately got to work investing, rather than be led by fear and bury money where it won’t bring a return.

Today’s prayer:

Lord I thank you that you have entrusted money to me. Help me to be guided by you with regards to investing it wisely so that it can generate a return and ultimately be used for You.

Actionable ideas:

Take a look at your bills for the past year. Some annual bills like car registrations and home insurance are cheaper to pay in full, rather than in smaller more frequent amounts. Save in anticipation of these bills – they shouldn’t be a surprise! In doing so, you’ll save yourself money over the longer term to invest elsewhere.

*these posts are from Wealthy Christians, a 30 day devotional.  You can download it free on Smashwords.

Matthew 25:14 – 15 – ‘“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a trip. He called together his servants and gave them money to invest for him while he was gone. He gave five bags of gold to one, two bags of gold to another, and one bag of gold to the last – dividing it in proportion to their abilities – and then left on his trip.”’

Something that sticks out for me in these verses is that we’re not all given the same amount of money to start life with. This doesn’t however affect our ability to save. If we have something, then we can generate something more.

I believe the three talents (or bags of gold) show that it doesn’t matter how much we start with, we can all have the same result – doubling the money. This is the value of exponential increase. Every number has the opportunity to double in value.

If we start with $1 and turn it into $2, then it can become $4, then $8, $16, $32, $64, $128, $256, $512, $1024.

This is our initial amount doubling 10 times. Ending up with over $1,000 after starting with $1 is pretty incredible! Now granted, it will take a pretty impressive investment to be able to consistently double our money. But it shows you how a little amount can be turned into a great amount over time. This can also happen with our savings.

Note that the money was divided out in proportion to their abilities. Don’t find yourself questioning how much God has given you and becoming resentful. Instead, be excited about the opportunity to be a good steward of what He has blessed you with!

Setting Up a Savings Plan

Any money that you are able to save and invest in a savings account will earn you interest. And this interest once paid out, will earn you more interest. Let’s consider a small example:

– You put aside $100 at the start of January. It’s money saved, but not earning interest. You put aside another $100 each month until you’ve reached the end of December.
– Your savings totals $1,200; $100 for each of the 12 months in the year. Good job!
– You put $100 into a savings account at the start of January. It’s earning 5% interest. You put aside another $100 each month until you’ve reached the end of December.
-Your savings totals $1,233.13 with interest at the end of the 12 months. Through no extra work you’ve amassed an extra $33.13. Wonderful!

You didn’t work any harder to be able to achieve this higher amount of money. You may look and think but it’s only $33 more, big deal. But it is. After two years of doing this, you could have amassed $2,400 or earned interest gaining $2,529.36.

Don’t worry yourself by trying to do all the sums, just know that money in savings that is not earning interest, isn’t working for you like it can be. Make it work!

If you’re curious about how much you’re able to put away and what it’ll earn in interest, take a look at this excel spreadsheet. Change the amount to a figure that suits you and look at the results!

It is my prayer for you:

– That you will recognise the value of exponential increase over time.
– That you will see value in a savings account that earns interest and work hard to have money in one.
– That you will appreciate how any form of interest earned is extra money that could be utilised for God’s kingdom.

Today’s prayer:

Lord I thank you that you have provided me with the opportunity to save and to earn interest. I pray that you will help me to find a savings account that will best put my money to work so that I can use it wisely as it increases.

Actionable ideas:

Do you have a mortgage? Research the idea of an offset account. Setting one up means that any money you have left over for the week or that is put aside to pay upcoming bills can be sitting against your mortgage debt and keeping your interest down. It’ll save you thousands in the long run.

*these posts are from Wealthy Christians, a 30 day devotional.  You can download it free on Smashwords.

Luke 16:9 – 10 – ‘I tell you, use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. In this way, your generosity stores up a reward for you in heaven. Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won’t be faithful in large ones. If you cheat even a little, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.’

It is important to remember that ‘the world and all that is in it belong to the Lord; the earth and all who live on it are his.’ (Psalm 24:1). If we acknowledge this, then we are more inclined to be careful with what we have been given – a job, a home, finances, relationships, things and our time.

Wealth is a responsibility. It is a great one to have. Much like raising children is a big job; it is an awesome privilege, too! If God has blessed you with wealth, it is both an encouragement and a test for you. Be encouraged that God feels you can be entrusted with finances to better others, to better this world. Recognise too that the way you utilise the money that’s been entrusted to you will be called to account.

Your generosity stores up a reward for you in heaven… When we use our finances to benefit others, it pleases God.

Stewardship

Learn to be thankful for small opportunities to prove your faithfulness. As you work hard to invest the small amount of finances you have, then God will endeavour to trust you with more. Try to live life with the mindset that everything you have has been loaned to you and you need to take the best care of it you possibly can.

It is my prayer for you:

– That you will grasp the concept of good stewardship with the things entrusted to you – people, finances, assets, etc.
– That you will be encouraged, knowing that God is holding you responsible to wisely utilise the money he has brought your way.
– That you will treat every opportunity to be faithful as important – no matter how big or small.

Today’s prayer:

Lord I thank you that you have entrusted finances to me. I pray that I would use it on this earth to benefit others and help build your kingdom. I want to be recognised as a faithful steward, help me to see my finances how You see them.

Actionable ideas:

Looking to make a big investment soon? Consider if a loan is truly necessary. Other than a mortgage, in a short time frame it should be possible to save regular amounts and purchase items outright. A $10,000 car could end up costing you $12,000 over a 5 year period and will devalue by half in the first 12 months. Buying a similar vehicle that is 12 months old with cash may be a much smarter move financially.

*these posts are from Wealthy Christians, a 30 day devotional.  You can download it free on Smashwords.