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.

Proverbs 28:11 – ‘A rich man may be wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has discernment sees through him.’

There will come a time where your financial situation leaves you feeling content and comfortable. You have no debt, you have ample savings, you’re able to give regularly and you’re prepared for your children’s education. In this situation, it can be easy to get proud. After all, you’ve achieved this wonderful financial situation via your own means, right? Wrong!

All opportunities to earn and save come from God. He blesses you with skills – you’re expected to be a good steward and use them wisely as well as develop them over time. He blesses you with opportunities to work and earn – you’re expected to take them. He provides you with more than enough so that you can save and invest.

Never forget where your wealth comes from. Being prideful is a trick of the devil.

Humility and Riches

In your whole financial life, be sure to approach it with humility. Always be thankful about what God has blessed you with and never forget Job – he was incredibly wealthy and he lost it all in the blink of an eye. Whether rich or poor right now we need to be thankful for God’s provision and the fact that he’s watching over us.

Don’t let finances increase the way you see yourself. Let God’s view of you be your compass, not earthly possessions.

If you feel you’re getting too big for your boots, challenge yourself to give some of it away. David as king refused to be given something for free that he wanted to offer to God. He insisted on paying for it – it had to cost him. Likewise, if you give out of your abundance but it’s an amount so mediocre in comparison to the total sum, then what does this say of your generosity? Stay humble and give – even until it hurts.

It’s all God’s anyway.

It is my prayer for you:

• That you will always be thankful for any income that comes your way and the opportunity to bless others with a small portion.
• That you will always recognise your great worth in the eyes of your Creator.
• That the more you earn, the more you will seek to be humble and wise with your finances.

Today’s prayer:
Lord I thank you that you have blessed me not only with the opportunity to earn, but to save as well. As my finances grow to the point that I am feeling comfortable and satisfied, help me not to forget who made all of this possible – You.

Actionable ideas:

Are you paying off a debt – mortgage, car or otherwise? Make sure your repayments are as often as possible – weekly or fortnightly. The more often you make repayments, the quicker you are decreasing the amount you owe someone else and the interest earned on this.

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

Malachi 3:10 – ‘”Bring the entire tithe into the storehouse so that there may be food in my temple. Test me in this matter,” says the Lord who rules over all, “to see if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until there is no room for it all.”’

By now you should have a good picture of what your income looks like. You’ve set up a savings plan. You’ve also looked at your finances in greater detail – you know how much is coming in and how much is going out – and if adjustments need to be made.

As you consider your finances, I want to introduce the concept of the 80 / 20 rule.

That is, live on 80% of what you earn and use the other 20% to give to God and prepare for your future. Plan to give at least a tithe (10%) to your local church and save at least another 10%. If you can live on less, then give and save more!

As a first step, determine what 80% of your take home income is (after tax). Now ask yourself: can I live on this?

If you aren’t currently, but you know you can make it work, then do so! If you cannot meet your needs and service your debts, then it’s time to consider how much you need to earn, to be able to live on 80%. Once you’ve determined this figure, it’s time to work out how you can earn this extra amount! Don’t conclude that you can just give less and save less, this isn’t a wise decision.

The 80/20 Rule

On top of this, God’s word asks that we be obedient to giving back to Him. He even makes a promise that if we are obedient in this, then we will be blessed beyond measure! Read again Malachi 3:10.

The big idea of being a Wealthy Christian is to be able to live life generously. You don’t have to worry about your income because you know it is supporting your lifestyle and then some. You instead get to ‘worry’ about how you can best use it to bless others!

It is my prayer for you:

• That you will find a way to live on 80% or less of your income so that you can give and save regularly.
• That you will be obedient to God’s desire for you to tithe and watch this bless your local church.
• That you will be excited about testing God in His provision after you’re obedient to tithing.

Today’s prayer:

Lord I thank you that you have promised to abundantly provide for me, if only I’ll give a little of what you’ve first blessed me with. Help me to be eager to give into Your Kingdom.

Actionable ideas:

De-clutter. Go through your house (with your spouse if you have one) and find items that you haven’t used in the last 12 months. Decide (together) if you really need them or if they can be given to someone who you know would benefit from them – a church member perhaps – or to an opportunity shop. If they’re not being used by you, they could benefit someone else.

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