~Study Guide~

Topic:  Finances

Almost every other family is experiencing financial difficulties.  But, there is a way out – The Bibleway!  Here is an excerpt from a New “Teaching” Release – Financial Management: Sowing and Reaping.  After studying this portion, it is my desire that you will become so interested in “debt-free” living that you will delve more into the scriptures and see how it can be done.  To make it even easier for you, we’ll tell you how you can receive a complete copy at the end of this session.

  Recognizing the Issue – What have you been Seeking?

The majority of Americans living in this Century were born into a world dominated by debt.  Most companies spend a large percentage on advertising their products because they want them appealing to the consumer [you]..  They say such things as “easy monthly payments”, “no interest until a certain year”, “or the best possible deal you can get anywhere”.  These are all tactics to get you to purchase their products even if you already have a similar, working product.  It is getting easier to get all types of credit cards because they know that it is a quick easy way to spend without having cash, but at the end of the month, they want their money! Credit cards are like quicksand – before you know it, you are up to your knees in mud that slowly takes you under!   The average person is handling money with little or no awareness of how to properly manage it.

The enemy does not tell you that he is about to trick you – he just makes every effort to catch you off guard.  The key is to set your mind on becoming ‘free’.  “What comes out of a man is what makes him “unclean”.  For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.  All these evils come from inside and make a man unclean.” (Mark 7:20-23, NIV).

Albert Einstein said, “The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking that created them.”   So, your mind must be renewed.  “… And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude],” (Ephesians 4:23 AMP).  There must be a change  of your thought patterns.  “As a man thinketh in his heart so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7 KJV).  So …  “Keep your heart with all diligence for out of it springs the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)

Even though the world says that we are in an economic slump – what they call a ‘recession’, financial problems are not caused by the slump.   They are caused by a continuous habit of uncontrolled spending and a lack of discipline.  There are times when families get so comfortable in the financial state they are in, that they do not even recognize they have a financial issue.  What seems to be unrecognizable  is the mound of unpaid bills, repossession of property [automobiles, furniture, etc.], and an absence of funds when needed the most.  

You’ve got to make a strong determination that you are not going to be a victim of this so-called “recession”, but rather a victor, especially over what God has allowed you to have – in other words, “Be a good steward!”

In order to know the importance of stewardship, one must know its “historical” meaning!

  “Knowledge is Power when used in the right way!”

ü  Stewards:  (oikonomos) Strong’s #323:  Compare “economy.”  From oikos, “house,” and nemo, “to arrange.”  The word originally referred to the manager of a household or estate, and then in a broader sense denoted an administrator or a steward in general.  In I Corinthians 4:1 and Titus 1:7, it refers to Christian ministers; but in I Peter 4:10, it denotes Christians in general, using the gifts entrusted to them by the Lord for the strengthening and encouragement of fellow believers.

ü  Steward, stewardship - a trust granted for profitable use. (The Open Bible)

ü  Stewardship:  In our day and age, one of the most neglected topics and lax-treated duties of the Christian Faith is Stewardship.  Even within the gifts and talents that God has blessed us with, a lack of attention given to stewardship, many times shows an absence of personal accountability.  How good are you as a steward of God's possessions, the works that He has given you to do, and the gifts that he has placed inside of you for Kingdom-building?

“The basic etymology of the word oijkono>mov, oikonomos meaning "steward," comes from two root words oikos (house) and nomos (law).  As if to say that the steward is one who is the “law over the house,” and all that is associated with the house.  He is given authority over the household but does not own the household.

The "steward"  - (rci, sar, usually rendered “prince; “ ejpi>tropov, oijkono>mov (steward)), one who manages the affairs or superintends these household of another, as Eliezer of Damascus did that of Abraham (Genesis 15:2). Great confidence was reposed in those who held such an office, and hence Paul describes Christian ministers as the stewards of God over his Church and family (Titus 1:7). Believers also are described as stewards of God’s gifts and graces, to dispense the benefits of them to the world (1 Peter 4:10). Our Lord frequently uses the responsibilities belonging to the office of a steward for the purpose of illustrating his reasoning. In the parable of the unjust steward, who defrauds his master by collusion with the debtors (Luke 16), the illustration is confined to the policy of the conduct pursued, and no inference can be drawn respecting its moral propriety. (On the proverbial dishonesty of modern Oriental wakkils or agents of this kind, see Thomson, Land and Book, 1, 517 sq.) The exhortation which follows is merely advice to manage worldly goods with such liberality and generosity as will promote the cause of true piety, Christian charity, and enlightened benevolence, and not to exercise the rights of property too harshly. See the monographs on this passage cited by Danz, Wörterb. s.v. “Lucas,” Nos. 76-93. (Biblical Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, by McClintok and Strong)

Deuteronomy 28:1 says, “Now if you faithfully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all His commands I am giving you today, the Lord your God will put you far above all the nations of the earth.”  Whenever individuals follow the Word of The Lord, they are most likely to live financially sound and will not experience financial indebtedness.  Unfortunately, since the early 1900’s, God’s principles have increasingly been ignored and the “get-rich-quick” mentality has been manifested in such a way that individuals will do almost anything [including breaking the commandments] for a chance to have more money in their possession.

So, what exactly have you been seeking?  Has it been the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness or your own “Pleasures”?