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Timeless Principles of Money Management · INSIGHT FOR LIVING: Biblical Wisdom For Everyday Living

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Speaker 1: Turn, please, to the first chapter of the book of Proverbs.
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Speaker 1: We're involved in a brief series of studies from the
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Speaker 1: scriptures on what we've called hilarious generosity. And indeed, generosity
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Speaker 1: is meant to be like that, full of joy. And
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Speaker 1: we're drawing from both Old and New Testament principles to
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Speaker 1: guide our thinking by as we consider the importance of
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Speaker 1: breaking with the signs of our times as we open
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Speaker 1: our hands in the midst of a tight-fisted world where
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Speaker 1: giving is frowned on and often handled grudgingly and in
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Speaker 1: fact is frequently dismissed as not that significant. It's amazing
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Speaker 1: when you go to the Bible and find how much
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Speaker 1: is written about our treasure, and Proverbs is no exception.
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Speaker 1: I'll read a few selected Proverbs from this book as
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Speaker 1: we begin in chapter one. Now that you've turned, please
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Speaker 1: stand with one another for the a reading of the scriptures.
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Speaker 1: I'm reading from the New Living Translation. These are the
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Speaker 1: proverbs of Solomon, David's son, king of Israel. Their purpose
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Speaker 1: is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them
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Speaker 1: understand the insights of the wise. Their purpose is to
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Speaker 1: teach people to live disciplined, and successful lives, to help
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Speaker 1: them do what is right, just, and fair. These proverbs
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Speaker 1: will give insight to the simple, knowledge and discernment to
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Speaker 1: the young. Chapter 3, verse 9. Honor the Lord with
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Speaker 1: your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce.
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Speaker 1: Then he will fill your barns with grain and your
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Speaker 1: vats will overflow with good wine. Chapter 15, same book,
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Speaker 1: verse 16 says, Better to have little with the fear
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Speaker 1: for the Lord than to have great treasure and inner turmoil.
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Speaker 1: A bowl of vegetables with someone you love is better
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Speaker 1: than steak with someone you hate. 23 verse 4. Don't
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Speaker 1: wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough
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Speaker 1: to know when to quit. In the blink of an eye,
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Speaker 1: wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away
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Speaker 1: like an eagle. And one other chapter, 28, verse 22.
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Speaker 1: Greedy people try to get rich quick, but don't realize
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Speaker 1: they're headed for poverty. Verse 25, greed causes fighting. Trusting
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Speaker 1: the Lord leads to prosperity. Those who trust their own
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Speaker 1: insight are foolish, but anyone who walks in wisdom is safe.
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Speaker 1: May God open our eyes and especially our hearts and
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Speaker 1: ultimately our wills to the truths that are contained in
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Speaker 1: the Proverbs today. You may be seated. In a gathering
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Speaker 1: this size, there are needs that would boggle the mind
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Speaker 1: if we were to put all of them on the
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Speaker 1: screens and let you see leaving the names anonymous, one
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Speaker 1: need after another after another. Some of you are sitting
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Speaker 1: alongside someone who is very sick or has been through
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Speaker 1: a traumatic experience. Some are hanging between life and death.
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Speaker 1: Others of you are going through a time of grief,
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Speaker 1: having lost a loved one or family member. Admittedly, parents
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Speaker 1: are here who have children that have moved in a
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Speaker 1: different direction than they were reared. And the heartache of
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Speaker 1: that cannot be put into words. Some of you struggle
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Speaker 1: deeply with depression. And it is difficult to think that
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Speaker 1: there could be a future for you. Speaking of that,
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Speaker 1: you'll be interested to know that that last hymn we
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Speaker 1: sang together by William Cooper, spelled with a W, a Brit, C-O-W-P-E-R,
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Speaker 1: William Cooper, suffered from intense depression beginning about his mid-20s
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Speaker 1: and was placed in what was then called one asylum
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Speaker 1: after another as he attempted to take his life unsuccessfully
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Speaker 1: on several occasions. Cooper ultimately was converted, still bothered with depression,
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Speaker 1: but as a result of his conversion, began to write verse,
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Speaker 1: not only poems, but ultimately hymns. One of them, the
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Speaker 1: one we sang, and I listened as I sang those
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Speaker 1: words as he spoke of the sinner on the cross,
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Speaker 1: and though we, as vile as he, have found that
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Speaker 1: our sins have been washed away. He was gloriously converted
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Speaker 1: through the influence of John Newton, And that hymn found
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Speaker 1: its way into one of the very earliest of all
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Speaker 1: the hymnals, the only O-L-N-E-Y hymns that come from a
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Speaker 1: certain era in the history of Great Britain. His words
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Speaker 1: live on, though had you known him, you would have
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Speaker 1: wondered if he would ever have a sane thought, struggled
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Speaker 1: deeply with insanity and depression. You may be there or
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Speaker 1: you may have a loved one who is there. In
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Speaker 1: the middle of it is easy to feel hopeless. You
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Speaker 1: may not be converted. You may have never come to
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Speaker 1: the cross and trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as
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Speaker 1: William Coper ultimately did and as those around you for
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Speaker 1: the most part have done. If you could have known
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Speaker 1: us when we were lost, you would not feel as
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Speaker 1: ill at ease as you feel right now. There's a
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Speaker 1: fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins. Sinners like
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Speaker 1: you and me plunge beneath that flood and lose all
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Speaker 1: their guilt and all the stain. You can claim that,
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Speaker 1: You will trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Bow with
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Speaker 1: me before the offering, will you? How simple it is,
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Speaker 1: our Father, to reach into our wallet and grab a
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Speaker 1: particular bill from our treasure and to drop it in
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Speaker 1: an offering plate and not realize that what you really
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Speaker 1: want from us is our hearts, is the obedience of
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Speaker 1: our wills, It is our trust when we cannot see
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Speaker 1: the future. Hold us close to yourself, Lord, as we
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Speaker 1: battle through this life in which we live. Show us
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Speaker 1: this love of yours that is beyond all other loves.
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Speaker 1: It is a love excelling. It is a love that
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Speaker 1: goes deeper than words can express. So deep that you
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Speaker 1: were willing to give your son to pay the price
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Speaker 1: for our sins. And we will never cease thanking you
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Speaker 1: for that. Our thanks now will come in the form
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Speaker 1: of our offerings. We give them to you with gratitude.
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Speaker 1: with great joy in the name of the Savior who
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Speaker 1: has plunged us into that blood of his and cleansed
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Speaker 1: us from all sin. We pray these things and we
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Speaker 1: give these gifts. Everyone said amen. One of my favorite
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Speaker 1: pastimes is browsing bookstores I'm not particular what kind of bookstore,
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Speaker 1: maybe new books, maybe antique books, used books, half-priced books.
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Speaker 1: It doesn't matter. They're books. I like the way books feel.
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Speaker 1: I even like the way they smell. I'm really weird.
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Speaker 1: I like the feel of books. Recently, while I was
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Speaker 1: in a half-priced bookstore, To the surprise of this guy,
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Speaker 1: I looked up and there's a full shelf of my
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Speaker 1: book sitting there with a big sign that says, Swindoll's Stuff,
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Speaker 1: $ 10 or Best Offer. To make it worse, they were
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Speaker 1: covered with dust. Nobody had even touched them. Oh, that
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Speaker 1: really makes an author feel great. It's a great moment.
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Speaker 1: Books have funny titles, have you noticed? I was in
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Speaker 1: one bookstore a number of years ago and there was
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Speaker 1: a book called A Book for Mechanics Who Don't Know
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Speaker 1: the First Thing About Cars. Isn't that intriguing? So I
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Speaker 1: picked it up and I opened the table of contents
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Speaker 1: and I looked up changing a flat tire. I thought, okay,
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Speaker 1: this ought to be good. Number one, insert trunk key
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Speaker 1: in trunk key slot. Turn clockwise. Okay, got it. You
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Speaker 1: won't believe this. Number two, locate tire in trunk. Really?
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Speaker 1: I expected number three to be breathe in, breathe out.
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Speaker 1: Today we don't call them books like that. We call
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Speaker 1: them books for dummies. Have you noticed? There's a whole
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Speaker 1: raft of books for dummies. They cover every subject. Cooking
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Speaker 1: for dummies. gardening for dummies, public speaking for dummies, math
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Speaker 1: for dummies, parenting for dummies. There's even sex for dummies.
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Speaker 1: I didn't look, but the book was sitting there. It
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Speaker 1: occurred to me that the book of Proverbs could be
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Speaker 1: called a book of living for dummies. This is a
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Speaker 1: book written about living wisely for those who often don't
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Speaker 1: have a clue. Not meant to insult anyone, but it's
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Speaker 1: a fact. Most of you would find it hard right
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Speaker 1: now to remember one time over the past number of
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Speaker 1: months this year when you have turned to a proverb
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Speaker 1: to guide you through something in your life you were
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Speaker 1: dealing with. There's an example. Just this past week, I
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Speaker 1: had a man, very intelligent individual, tell me about a
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Speaker 1: scam that he fell into in his own neighborhood. He
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Speaker 1: said the guy passed all the sniff tests, every one
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Speaker 1: of them, and he said he just won me, and
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Speaker 1: I found myself reaching deeply and giving to this particular need,
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Speaker 1: only to find later that it was completely a scam.
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Speaker 1: We don't have the wisdom we need. These Proverbs are
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Speaker 1: all here. Interestingly, there are 31 chapters, making it very
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Speaker 1: neat for us to read through them once a month,
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Speaker 1: a chapter every day. You can get all the way
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Speaker 1: through the Proverbs. I read a little book this past
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Speaker 1: week of a father who has taught his children to
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Speaker 1: do that and his little, I think it was 11-year-old boy,
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Speaker 1: walked in and said to him, Dad, I've just read
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Speaker 1: through the book of Proverbs for the eighth time as
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Speaker 1: he has gone through it for eight months. You can
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Speaker 1: do that. These are words to live by. In fact,
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Speaker 1: I've given you a place in your outline for you
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Speaker 1: to follow along with me directly as we look at
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Speaker 1: Proverbs as a whole, and then as we pick a subject,
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Speaker 1: the subject of generosity or giving, and we'll home in
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Speaker 1: on that. First, let me give you four important facts
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Speaker 1: about Proverbs that I have discovered. The book is ancient,
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Speaker 1: but its contents are timeless. Isn't that interesting? This old,
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Speaker 1: old book, many of the Proverbs written by King Solomon
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Speaker 1: long ago. But when you read his words, it's like,
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Speaker 1: that's the best advice I have read this year. Times
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Speaker 1: may change, but principles do not. Here's another thought on Proverbs.
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Speaker 1: The chapters are almost impossible. They're difficult to outline, but
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Speaker 1: every verse is easy to understand. The chapters I would
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Speaker 1: lay before any of you, even you who are serious
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Speaker 1: about your Bible study, try to outline a chapter in
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Speaker 1: Proverbs to say nothing of the book itself. Almost impossible
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Speaker 1: to do, but you come to a particular verse or
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Speaker 1: a couple of verses put together on the same subject,
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Speaker 1: you got it wired. The verses can be understood by
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Speaker 1: a teenager. In fact, as one of our grandsons was
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Speaker 1: growing up, we took time on a particular period to
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Speaker 1: read the Proverbs together. He understood every one of them,
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Speaker 1: of course. They're easily understood. You don't need it decoded
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Speaker 1: or even explained. Here's a third. The topics are numerous,
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Speaker 1: but each subject can be singled out. And each subject
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Speaker 1: is helpful. We're going to do that today. Take whatever
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Speaker 1: subject you wish and you need a concordance, which is
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Speaker 1: a book that lists alphabetically all of the words in
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Speaker 1: the Bible. Pick a word and you want to study
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Speaker 1: that word in Proverbs as I have done. in working
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Speaker 1: my way through this subject of money in Proverbs, and
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Speaker 1: I'll give you some synonyms in a moment, and I
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Speaker 1: found in the concordance, verse after verse after verse, it's
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Speaker 1: almost like finances for dummies, spelled out right here, for
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Speaker 1: anyone to understand. Here's one more fact. The Proverbs are
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Speaker 1: packed with wisdom, but rarely consulted. I'm going to go
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Speaker 1: out on a limb and say your credit card would
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Speaker 1: not be maxed out if you were a student of Proverbs.
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Speaker 1: You would not have made that purchase that you could
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Speaker 1: not afford if you had before the purchase really taken
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Speaker 1: a few Proverbs seriously. You see here in these 31
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Speaker 1: chapters are all kinds of things. There are warnings, there
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Speaker 1: are promises, there are guidelines, This is great guidance for
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Speaker 1: you who struggle with your money. And who knows, in
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Speaker 1: our gathering today, how many of you have maxed out
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Speaker 1: your credit cards? Who knows how many of you are
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Speaker 1: late making your payments? Who knows how many of you
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Speaker 1: have overbought, and haven't we all in our lifetime at
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Speaker 1: least once or twice bought something that was more expensive
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Speaker 1: than we could afford? Knowing the Proverbs will guard us
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Speaker 1: from allowing that to happen. And it's not just a
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Speaker 1: series of rebukes on shaming the reader. Not that at all.
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Speaker 1: In fact, there's none of that. These are good guidelines.
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Speaker 1: There are words of encouragement. And there are principles, as
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Speaker 1: we're going to see today. Knowing that we toss that
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Speaker 1: word around in church a lot, but rarely define it,
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Speaker 1: I decided to look up the word principles. What is
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Speaker 1: a principle? It's a basic truth. It's a rule or standard.
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Speaker 1: A principle is a distillation of information into few words
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Speaker 1: so that you can remember the principle when you forget
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Speaker 1: some of the words. Now today I want to draw
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Speaker 1: from the Proverbs six principles that are timeless I've never
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Speaker 1: done this before. Not with you and not for a
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Speaker 1: long time. And so I looked up the synonyms. This
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Speaker 1: is how I did it. So you don't think it's
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Speaker 1: some kind of secret gift that I have and you don't.
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Speaker 1: I looked up synonyms like, of course, money, wealth. riches, lending, borrowing, saving, spending, giving,
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Speaker 1: even the word plenty, abundance, as well as, of course,
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Speaker 1: the coin of the realm in that day, silver and gold.
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Speaker 1: Proverbs is dripping with information that every one of us
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Speaker 1: would be wise to heed. So let me help you
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Speaker 1: with this by showing you six timeless principles that are
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Speaker 1: helpful for you from this day on. Write them out
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Speaker 1: as you hear them and review them. As I'll say later,
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Speaker 1: pass them on to someone else. Here's the first. Those
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Speaker 1: who honor God with their money are blessed by him
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Speaker 1: in return. Those who honor God with their money are
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Speaker 1: blessed by him in return. You can count on that.
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Speaker 1: You provide a faithful offering before the Lord, and you
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Speaker 1: do that consistently, you will know his love. Pleasure in
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Speaker 1: many ways. Neither in the Bible nor in life can
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Speaker 1: anyone guarantee you'll get back what you give. So the
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Speaker 1: prosperity gospel is a lot of nonsense. Don't believe it.
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Speaker 1: But the part of the truth is this. When you
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Speaker 1: give faithfully and consistently, God rewards you in a number
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Speaker 1: of ways. Which is what these Proverbs are about. Look
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Speaker 1: at Proverbs 3. Verses 9 and 10. Proverbs 3, 9
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Speaker 1: and 10. Verse 9 is a command and verse 10
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Speaker 1: is a promise. They go together. They're called a couplet.
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Speaker 1: A couplet. Look at the command. Verse 9. Honor the
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Speaker 1: Lord with your wealth and with the best part of
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Speaker 1: everything you produce. And then the promise which is written
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Speaker 1: in the days when agriculture was the common way of
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Speaker 1: earning a living he says he will then fill your
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Speaker 1: barns with grain and your vats will overflow with good
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Speaker 1: wine these are word pictures be careful about making any
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Speaker 1: promise walk on all fours what he is saying is
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Speaker 1: that you will be blessed as a result of obeying
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Speaker 1: him with your generosity he will honor our giving to
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Speaker 1: him giving that is faithful that is consistent, that is generous,
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Speaker 1: that is happily given. It's helpful to remember that God
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Speaker 1: owns it all, isn't it? Hold your place here and
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Speaker 1: look at Luke chapter 6. Will you do that over
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Speaker 1: in the New Testament? Luke 6 verse 38. It's a
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Speaker 1: similar statement. This one is made by Jesus. Luke 6.38,
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Speaker 1: but these are other words used to say the same thing.
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Speaker 1: Luke 6.38, give and you will receive. Jesus adds, your
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Speaker 1: gift will return to you in full, pressed down, shaken
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Speaker 1: together to make room for more. running over and poured
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Speaker 1: into your lap, the amount you give will determine the
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Speaker 1: amount you get back. In other words, you're generous, you'll
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Speaker 1: get in return a generous blessing from God. Back to
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Speaker 1: Proverbs chapter 3. I would not want to embarrass my sister,
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Speaker 1: but I'll tell you a story that relates to her
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Speaker 1: and to me when we talked about money. My sister's
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Speaker 1: never married, as many of you know Lucy. And back
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Speaker 1: a number of years ago, she made a comment to
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Speaker 1: me and said that she was not really faithful in
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Speaker 1: giving because she was afraid, as a single woman, she
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Speaker 1: could run out. And she said, I'm making an amount
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Speaker 1: of money for living, and my expenses are high, but
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Speaker 1: I'm concerned that I don't give. And I said, why
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Speaker 1: don't you begin by giving at least 10%? Trust God
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Speaker 1: for that, sis. And she said, ooh. like 10% of
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Speaker 1: what I made, which is fairly obvious, what I had
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Speaker 1: in mind, and I said, yeah, why don't you do that?
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Speaker 1: She said, I'll be honest with you, I'm afraid I'm
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Speaker 1: going to run out. I said, if you run out,
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Speaker 1: let me know, and I'll help you. I didn't know
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Speaker 1: how I was going to help her, but at least
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Speaker 1: I wanted to encourage her not to be afraid, so
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Speaker 1: she gave. I think a little over a year passed
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Speaker 1: before she checked back in with me. She said, I
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Speaker 1: have to tell you something. I What you said is true.
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Speaker 1: I said, I didn't say it. It's a principle from
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Speaker 1: the Bible. I'm just telling you what it said. She said,
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Speaker 1: in all honesty, I've now upped my giving to 12%.
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Speaker 1: I said, that's great. Have you thought about 20%? She
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Speaker 1: swallowed hard and walked away, as I remember. No, she didn't.
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Speaker 1: She said, I'll do that. I don't know what her
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Speaker 1: percentage is now, but she's a remarkable model of generosity.
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Speaker 1: Because she took God at his word. She wasn't afraid.
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Speaker 1: By faith, she believed God means what he says. And
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Speaker 1: since he owns it all, it's not like we're giving
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Speaker 1: him something he's never had. The reason we give is
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Speaker 1: not because he needs, but because we need to know
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Speaker 1: the joy of trusting him and watching him work. Now,
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Speaker 1: his return to you may be an enormous sense of relief.
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Speaker 1: peace of mind. I don't know, but he may plan
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Speaker 1: to give you great health or joy in relationships that
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Speaker 1: you've not known before. Or he may return to you
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Speaker 1: an amount of money you never expected. Every once in
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Speaker 1: a while, Insight for Living will receive a gift. Sometime
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Speaker 1: our church will receive a gift from a source we
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Speaker 1: don't know about. And out of the blue, the Lord
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Speaker 1: prompts someone to give a sizable gift And how encouraged
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Speaker 1: we are when we receive it. And I think of
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Speaker 1: a proverb like this. You honor the Lord with your wealth.
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Speaker 1: You handle it wisely. You save it carefully. You earn
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Speaker 1: it well. You be careful not to overspend. And then
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Speaker 1: you give trusting him to bless and he does. He will.
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Speaker 1: Or this is a lie. We know it's not a lie.
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Speaker 1: God doesn't fill in the blank by making us feel
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Speaker 1: good about things. This is a promise. So those who
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Speaker 1: honor him with their money are blessed by him in return.
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Speaker 1: Here's a second principle. Those who make money their passion
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Speaker 1: lose more than they gain. Those who make money, their
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Speaker 1: passion lose more than they gain. When you make money
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Speaker 1: your passion, then you're guilty of being greedy. You are
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Speaker 1: loving money. And it's the love of money that roots
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Speaker 1: all evil, according to what Paul wrote to Timothy. Now
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Speaker 1: let me show you some things out of Proverbs to
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Speaker 1: make you understand why I would give you that principle.
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Speaker 1: Proverbs chapter 15, verse 27. Turn there, please. Notice the
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Speaker 1: reference to greed. This is the one who is passionate
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Speaker 1: about making more and more. Greed brings grief to the
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Speaker 1: whole family, but those who hate bribes will live. Look
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Speaker 1: at the early part. You bring grief to your family.
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Speaker 1: I've never seen it fail. Children suffer when mothers and
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Speaker 1: dads are greedy. Relationships are strained when mom and dad
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Speaker 1: love money. Always needing more. Even expensive gifts will not
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Speaker 1: take the place of meaningful, long-standing, loving, harmonious relationships. Look
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Speaker 1: at the 23, it is. Proverbs 23, verses 4 and 5.
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Speaker 1: Don't wear yourself out trying to get rich. Here again
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Speaker 1: is the one passionate about money. Don't wear yourself out
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Speaker 1: trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when
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Speaker 1: to quit. I like that statement. In the blink of
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Speaker 1: an eye, wealth disappears. It will sprout wings and fly
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Speaker 1: away like an eagle. Who of us hasn't heard stories
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Speaker 1: like that? Who of us hasn't lived long enough to
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Speaker 1: experience that? when money becomes our driving force, our all-consuming
29:39
Speaker 1: passion in life, life's most important treasures fall by the wayside.
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Speaker 1: May I name some? They're all priceless. God. Family members.
29:57
Speaker 1: Close friendships. Friendships. Personal health. Constructive times of leisure. All
30:07
Speaker 1: that flies away. Along with wealth. Pursue it with too
30:13
Speaker 1: much passion and you'll live to see the wings sprouting.
30:19
Speaker 1: And you'll look around and find yourself a pretty lonely person.
30:24
Speaker 1: Look at 28 verse 20. Proverbs 28, 20. The trustworthy
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Speaker 1: person will get a rich reward, but a person who
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Speaker 1: wants quick riches will get into trouble. Straight from the
30:47
Speaker 1: shoulder counsel. Look at 22. Greedy people try to get
30:55
Speaker 1: rich quick, but don't realize... They're headed for poverty. It
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Speaker 1: may not be financial poverty. You may continue to get
31:05
Speaker 1: rich and even richer. But you'll find yourself increasingly more alone.
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Speaker 1: Because with the gain of great riches, when money has
31:16
Speaker 1: become your god, there is an accompanying arrogance. There is
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Speaker 1: an unaccountability that's set in. And before long, you're thrilled
31:28
Speaker 1: to tell everybody how many millions you have, but you
31:32
Speaker 1: don't dare mention your relationship with your kids or other
31:37
Speaker 1: members of your family. I've never known a time where
31:42
Speaker 1: getting rich drew families closer together, never once. Doesn't mean
31:48
Speaker 1: it can't happen, I'm just saying it's rare. If you're
31:52
Speaker 1: heading in this direction, take a warning, those riches sprout
31:57
Speaker 1: wings and they fly away like an eagle. Cynthia and
32:01
Speaker 1: I are friends with an individual who, at the time,
32:04
Speaker 1: was very wealthy. In fact, Dr. and Mrs. Howie Hendricks
32:09
Speaker 1: and Cynthia and I went on a little brief vacation
32:12
Speaker 1: and stayed at their summer place as they were there
32:16
Speaker 1: as well. And we had a chance to get to
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Speaker 1: know them a little better. And in a quiet moment
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Speaker 1: when we were alone, the man of the house said
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Speaker 1: to me one evening, Chuck, You know that little booklet
32:29
Speaker 1: you wrote, The Lonely Whine of the Top Dog? He said, yeah,
32:33
Speaker 1: I remember that. Out of Ecclesiastes, he said, yeah. He said,
32:38
Speaker 1: would you send me about a hundred of them? He said,
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Speaker 1: I don't know of anything that's ever reached me more
32:44
Speaker 1: directly than that. He may be wealthy, but he's a
32:49
Speaker 1: lonely man. Those who are eminently wealthy are often very lonely.
33:00
Speaker 1: Very lonely. It kind of comes as a downside, especially
33:04
Speaker 1: if greed has driven you to that place financially. Here's
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Speaker 1: a third principle worth remembering. Wisdom gives wealth needed guidance.
33:18
Speaker 1: Wisdom gives wealth needed guidance. If you're going to pursue
33:25
Speaker 1: a job that will require a great deal from you,
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Speaker 1: Seek wisdom first, because your hard work is going to
33:34
Speaker 1: result most likely in greater pay. Your sales will go up,
33:39
Speaker 1: quite likely. You'll gain promotion, quite likely. Wisdom does not
33:44
Speaker 1: come with any of that. Wisdom comes from prayer. As
33:49
Speaker 1: you seek the Lord for his guidance, wisdom speaks to
33:53
Speaker 1: us in Proverbs chapter 8. Turn, will you? And you'll
33:57
Speaker 1: notice in the first verse, wisdom has the floor. Wisdom
34:03
Speaker 1: is calling out. And so she says, listen, as wisdom
34:08
Speaker 1: calls out. Here, as understanding raises her voice, on the
34:13
Speaker 1: hilltop along the road, she takes her stand at the crossroads.
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Speaker 1: All of this is beautiful writing that says in the
34:21
Speaker 1: dailiness of life, listen to wisdom. What is she teaching us?
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Speaker 1: Verse 10. Choose my instruction, she says, rather than silver,
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Speaker 1: and knowledge rather than pure gold, for wisdom is far
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Speaker 1: more valuable than rubies. Nothing you desire can compare with it.
34:48
Speaker 1: Third gives wealth needed guidance. Look at verse 18. Same chapter.
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Speaker 1: I have riches and honor as well as enduring wealth
35:01
Speaker 1: and justice. Wisdom is still speaking. My gifts are better
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Speaker 1: than gold, even the purest gold. My wages are better
35:10
Speaker 1: than sterling silver. I walk in righteousness, in paths of justice.
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Speaker 1: One more, if I may, before we take a seventh
35:22
Speaker 1: inning stretch here. Look at chapter 16 of Proverbs and
35:27
Speaker 1: locate verse 16. How much better to get wisdom than
35:36
Speaker 1: gold and good judgment than silver? It's a good time
35:45
Speaker 1: for me to pause and back away and talk to
35:48
Speaker 1: you straight from the shoulders. I want you to realize
35:54
Speaker 1: the value of passing along to those younger than you
35:58
Speaker 1: truths like this. It may be your children. If you
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Speaker 1: have children who are still teachable and listening to you
36:10
Speaker 1: and respecting you, you are thrice blessed. Take advantage of
36:14
Speaker 1: that by passing along to them things that you have learned.
36:19
Speaker 1: That's called passing along the wisdom. For sure, your grandchildren
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Speaker 1: respect you. Your grandchildren look at you without knowing how
36:30
Speaker 1: to express their respect. Often it's just in silence as
36:35
Speaker 1: they eat a meal in your home or as they
36:38
Speaker 1: drive along with you in your car, a car they
36:41
Speaker 1: hope someday to be able to afford. But they don't
36:46
Speaker 1: know how you were able to afford it. They don't
36:51
Speaker 1: know how you bought that home. They don't know what
36:55
Speaker 1: you and your spouse learned during those very lean, difficult years.
37:03
Speaker 1: They don't even know you had such years if you
37:08
Speaker 1: don't allow wisdom to tell them. So tap the brakes,
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Speaker 1: take time, and eclipse the loud and very eloquent voices
37:24
Speaker 1: of the culture that is saying one thing to them,
37:29
Speaker 1: all of them wrong. You can have this and you
37:34
Speaker 1: have every right to it. You can have it now.
37:37
Speaker 1: It's called a spirit of entitlement. Break that spirit by investing,
37:44
Speaker 1: depositing some wisdom Tell them the things you did that
37:48
Speaker 1: were wrong, the bad investments, the time you overspent. Tell
37:55
Speaker 1: them the struggles you went through to keep your marriage
37:59
Speaker 1: together or maybe the loss of a marriage before you
38:05
Speaker 1: married their grandmother, the only grandmother they've known but not
38:12
Speaker 1: the only wife you've had. They know nothing of this.
38:20
Speaker 1: You and I are walking mysteries to the young. And
38:26
Speaker 1: they don't quite know how to articulate their questions, but
38:30
Speaker 1: their wonderment is just dripping from their eyes. So help
38:35
Speaker 1: them with the questions. You might wonder. Or, you know,
38:41
Speaker 1: I never have told you, While we're having this hamburger together,
38:46
Speaker 1: let me share with you something that Nana and I
38:51
Speaker 1: have learned in years past. Let me explain to you
38:57
Speaker 1: what Pops and I have gone through, or whatever they
39:01
Speaker 1: may call you. We have friends who have great names
39:04
Speaker 1: for their grandparenting names, Lolly and Pop. How good is that?
39:10
Speaker 1: I just wasn't that creative. Let me tell you what
39:14
Speaker 1: Lolly has taught me as her husband. Let me tell
39:22
Speaker 1: you how we stay together. It isn't easy. These are
39:28
Speaker 1: the things we have learned. And a big part of
39:31
Speaker 1: this has been money. We've learned the hard way how
39:36
Speaker 1: to handle our money. That is so much better than
39:40
Speaker 1: writing them a hundred dollar check and wishing them the best.
39:45
Speaker 1: Because you see, wisdom is priceless. And you've got it.
39:50
Speaker 1: just by living longer. Rarely is a young person wise.
39:55
Speaker 1: I can't remember ever meeting one. But I often come
39:59
Speaker 1: across those who are older. And I'm just bold enough
40:04
Speaker 1: to ask them, but children aren't. So take that with
40:09
Speaker 1: no extra charge. Wisdom gives wealth needed guidance. You could
40:14
Speaker 1: help that guidance take place. if you would take the
40:19
Speaker 1: time for it. Here's the fourth principle. Increased riches bring
40:23
Speaker 1: increased complications. This principle, by the way, helps dispel the very,
40:31
Speaker 1: very popular rumors. One goes like this. If I had
40:37
Speaker 1: unlimited wealth, I could do whatever I want and wherever
40:43
Speaker 1: I wish and whenever I would like. without any distractions
40:48
Speaker 1: or cares in this world. I just need more money. Oh, please.
40:53
Speaker 1: That's not so. You're near chapter 18. Look at verse 11.
41:01
Speaker 1: The rich think of their wealth as a strong defense.
41:06
Speaker 1: They imagine it to be a high wall of safety. Oh, no.
41:12
Speaker 1: Haughtiness goes before destruction. Humility precedes honor. You know what
41:21
Speaker 1: I see in verse 11? A false sense of security.
41:26
Speaker 1: A false sense of security. Increased riches will give you that.
41:30
Speaker 1: What makes you feel secure? I got a loaded bank account. Man,
41:34
Speaker 1: my portfolio is really impressive. Compared to what my folks made,
41:39
Speaker 1: you should see my income. Haughtiness. And with haughtiness comes
41:45
Speaker 1: insulting others. Sound familiar? When you've got wealth, you insult
41:52
Speaker 1: other people. You belittle them if your wealth is misplaced
41:57
Speaker 1: and has become your God. Become unaccountable. In fact, another
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Speaker 1: false message that money gives is, I don't really need others.
42:12
Speaker 1: See verse 23? The poor plead for mercy, the rich
42:16
Speaker 1: answer with insults. You do need others. The longer you live,
42:25
Speaker 1: the more you will realize the value of others. Why? Well,
42:28
Speaker 1: first of all, they don't believe your stuff, those close
42:32
Speaker 1: to you. They won't let you get lost in your
42:35
Speaker 1: own clippings. They will hold you accountable. They will point
42:40
Speaker 1: out blind spots, which we all have. You see, when
42:45
Speaker 1: you're really wealthy, you begin to cultivate a lack of self-awareness.
42:51
Speaker 1: And you're a fool. You're a jerk. But you don't
42:55
Speaker 1: know it. It's, in fact, embarrassing to see it. Look
42:59
Speaker 1: at 28, 11. 28, verse 11. This is one more
43:01
Speaker 1: before we go to the fifth principle. Rich people may
43:12
Speaker 1: think they are wise, but a poor person with discernment
43:16
Speaker 1: can see right through them. Isn't that amazing about our folks?
43:23
Speaker 1: I can't speak for yours. I can say for my
43:26
Speaker 1: folks and certainly my grandparents, they just, they could see
43:32
Speaker 1: right through people. Remarkable. How do they know? How could
43:37
Speaker 1: they do it? I got a granddaddy who was born
43:39
Speaker 1: on a covered wagon. coming to the state of Texas.
43:43
Speaker 1: That's how long ago he lived. I got a dad
43:46
Speaker 1: who was born in 1892, now dead. What wisdom they
43:52
Speaker 1: had just from living back when every turn of the
43:56
Speaker 1: soil was a labor and every crop grown was a
44:02
Speaker 1: point of gratitude. But when I'm Lacking in self-awareness, I
44:12
Speaker 1: don't see those things. One more, I said it was
44:19
Speaker 1: the last, but I've got to show you. 29, verse 3.
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Speaker 1: The man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father,
44:28
Speaker 1: but if he hangs around with prostitutes, his wealth is wasted.
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Speaker 1: You see, wealth will often create great temptations. Why do
44:37
Speaker 1: you think so many professional ballplayers have many other sex
44:44
Speaker 1: partners on the side. Wealth. They can afford it. The
44:51
Speaker 1: temptations are many. And they've started believing that these people,
44:56
Speaker 1: other people, not just the prostitutes and those they're running with,
45:00
Speaker 1: but other people that show up are their friends. Are
45:03
Speaker 1: you kidding? Win the lottery. You won't believe how many
45:08
Speaker 1: friends you've got. They come out of the woodwork. It's
45:11
Speaker 1: like owning a pickup. I mean, friends are everywhere. Let
45:20
Speaker 1: me give you a fifth principle. Money cannot buy life's
45:25
Speaker 1: most valuable possessions. Money cannot buy life's most valuable possessions.
45:36
Speaker 1: Proverbs 15, 17 says, Thank you for turning from one
45:42
Speaker 1: to another. I love this one in the New Living Translation.
45:46
Speaker 1: A bowl of vegetables with someone you love is better
45:49
Speaker 1: than steak with someone you hate. Haven't you eaten? Don't
45:54
Speaker 1: answer out loud. Haven't you eaten with people you don't like? Oh, man.
45:59
Speaker 1: It may be a five-course meal, which only makes it worse.
46:04
Speaker 1: How long do I have to sit here? Oh, brother.
46:07
Speaker 1: But when you're around somebody you love, it doesn't matter.
46:10
Speaker 1: Leftovers will be fine. Even if they're cold leftovers. The
46:15
Speaker 1: other evening, Cynthia and I put together a real scary meal.
46:19
Speaker 1: It was, as I remember, refried beans and tacos from,
46:23
Speaker 1: I don't know, two weeks ago? It wasn't two weeks ago.
46:26
Speaker 1: It was a couple days ago, and boy, it was
46:29
Speaker 1: scary on the plate. You know what? It didn't matter
46:32
Speaker 1: because I was with somebody I adore. And the meal
46:36
Speaker 1: just filled my stomach. By the way, isn't refried beans
46:39
Speaker 1: a mystery? I mean, if they weren't good when they
46:43
Speaker 1: were fried, why do you want to refry them, make
46:45
Speaker 1: them mushy and all? But we eat them nevertheless. Let's
46:49
Speaker 1: put that in here. A bowl of refried beans with
46:53
Speaker 1: someone you love is better than steak with somebody you
46:56
Speaker 1: can't stand. No extra charge for that translation. The verse before,
47:05
Speaker 1: look at verse 16. Better to have little with fear
47:09
Speaker 1: for the Lord than to have great treasure and inner turmoil.
47:16
Speaker 1: Isn't it true? One more and I'll give you another
47:19
Speaker 1: list that you won't forget. 22 verse 1. 22.1. Choose
47:25
Speaker 1: a good reputation over great riches. Being held in high
47:31
Speaker 1: esteem is better than silver or gold. You cannot buy
47:36
Speaker 1: the respect of your grandkids. You cannot buy the respect
47:40
Speaker 1: of your neighbors. You earn it. You earn it every day.
47:46
Speaker 1: You earn it in acts, random acts of generosity and love.
47:53
Speaker 1: The most valuable treasures in life are without price. They
48:00
Speaker 1: are not for sale. You can't buy them. They have
48:03
Speaker 1: no barcode. but we live for them. Here's a list.
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Speaker 1: Money will buy a bed but not sleep. Money will
48:15
Speaker 1: buy books but not brains. Money will buy food but
48:21
Speaker 1: not an appetite. Money will buy finery but not beauty.
48:30
Speaker 1: Money will buy a house but not a home. Money
48:34
Speaker 1: will buy medicines but not health. Money will buy luxuries,
48:40
Speaker 1: but not culture, amusement, but not joy. Money will buy
48:47
Speaker 1: a crucifix, but not a savior. Money will buy church buildings,
48:56
Speaker 1: but not heaven. See what I mean? These are invaluable
49:03
Speaker 1: possessions above and beyond the coin of the realm. One
49:10
Speaker 1: more principle and we'll wrap it up. Number six, if
49:15
Speaker 1: handled wisely, money can grow. bring great encouragement. If not,
49:24
Speaker 1: great stress. If handled wisely, money can bring great encouragement.
49:35
Speaker 1: If not, great stress. Let me camp on the first one.
49:43
Speaker 1: Great encouragement. You're in 22. Look at 21 verse 5.
49:52
Speaker 1: Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty
49:56
Speaker 1: shortcuts lead to poverty. Wealth created by a lying tongue
50:04
Speaker 1: is a vanishing mist and a deadly trap. 22, 9.
50:12
Speaker 1: Blessed are those who are generous because they feed the poor. 28, 25.
50:26
Speaker 1: Greed causes fighting. Trusting the Lord leads to prosperity. Pause
50:35
Speaker 1: for a moment and think. Just listen. Think of those
50:41
Speaker 1: and think of ministries that have benefited from the giving
50:46
Speaker 1: of God's people. Missionaries are still on the field because
50:53
Speaker 1: people with money give to keep them there. Mission organizations
50:58
Speaker 1: are able to provide equipment they need, whether it's for
51:01
Speaker 1: translating the work or carrying on some technical part of
51:05
Speaker 1: their ministry. Money buys that. Orphans are housed by the
51:13
Speaker 1: money of faithful, generous givers. Those caught in human trafficking
51:20
Speaker 1: are rescued by those who will never meet them because
51:25
Speaker 1: they funded the rescue operation. Money given by those who
51:33
Speaker 1: care about the sick by hospitals, seminaries, provides seminary students
51:42
Speaker 1: with the ability to stay in school. Let me tell
51:46
Speaker 1: you my story. I enrolled at Dallas Seminary in the
51:51
Speaker 1: fall of 1959, paid my tuition, barely able to do
51:57
Speaker 1: that as Cynthia found a job and I gave myself
52:01
Speaker 1: as a full-time student. By the second semester, we weren't
52:05
Speaker 1: sure where we'd get the money for the tuition, only
52:08
Speaker 1: to receive a letter from home from a man who
52:11
Speaker 1: asked that his name never, ever be mentioned publicly. He
52:16
Speaker 1: paid my tuition that second semester and every other semester
52:20
Speaker 1: till I graduated in the spring of 1963. He, in
52:26
Speaker 1: his generosity, sent his gift that my tuition might be paid.
52:30
Speaker 1: I was so thrilled, and I learned halfway through my
52:35
Speaker 1: education he did that for 17 seminary students at the
52:40
Speaker 1: same time. That is generosity. That is a vision for
52:49
Speaker 1: using money. Why would he want to stack it up
52:53
Speaker 1: in a bank account that was already packed and loaded?
52:58
Speaker 1: Why not have the joy of giving it? Money pays
53:04
Speaker 1: off debts in churches, buys buildings, furniture, playground equipment, The
53:14
Speaker 1: things you look around and see, they didn't just happen.
53:18
Speaker 1: People gave sacrificially that we might have a pipe organ.
53:24
Speaker 1: That we might have some of the fine things that
53:27
Speaker 1: enhance our worship. But you know what is amazing about
53:31
Speaker 1: our church? Less than 20% of you give regularly. Over
53:39
Speaker 1: 80% of you do not give to this ministry. And
53:44
Speaker 1: for the life of me, I do not know why.
53:48
Speaker 1: It certainly isn't that we're not handling the money well.
53:52
Speaker 1: It certainly isn't that there is a lack of integrity
53:56
Speaker 1: behind the scenes. It's that you're not generous. It's that
54:01
Speaker 1: you haven't taken the same challenge my sister took. And
54:05
Speaker 1: I mention her only because she's the one I know.
54:07
Speaker 1: I don't know anybody who gives and doesn't give, so
54:10
Speaker 1: this isn't targeted to one or two or three of you.
54:12
Speaker 1: This is to all of you who don't give. Give.
54:18
Speaker 1: Learn the pleasure of releasing. Learn it when you don't
54:22
Speaker 1: have much. Lest you think that if you had more,
54:26
Speaker 1: you'd give more. You wouldn't. You still wouldn't give. Generosity
54:32
Speaker 1: doesn't come from the accumulation of wealth. It comes from
54:36
Speaker 1: an attitude about wealth. Your grandchildren will know much more
54:41
Speaker 1: about your spirituality if they can see your checkbook rather
54:44
Speaker 1: than your Bible. Because where your treasure is, your heart is.
54:52
Speaker 1: So I urge you, for your benefit, to know the
54:58
Speaker 1: pleasure of generous giving We've seen examples of that already,
55:04
Speaker 1: but maybe a couple more will help. 1322, good people
55:10
Speaker 1: leave an inheritance to their grandchildren, but the sinner's wealth
55:14
Speaker 1: passes to the godly. You're not taking it with you, pal.
55:24
Speaker 1: Just like when you came naked, born naked, you'll die naked.
55:31
Speaker 1: Job put it right. Naked I came from my mother's womb.
55:35
Speaker 1: Naked I'll return. The Lord gave. The Lord took away.
55:41
Speaker 1: Blessed be his name. Job's way of saying, I never
55:45
Speaker 1: had my heart set on any of it anyway. I
55:49
Speaker 1: didn't need the big ranch. I didn't need all the cattle.
55:52
Speaker 1: I didn't need all those servants, but God allowed me
55:55
Speaker 1: to have them through the produce that came from bumper crops.
56:00
Speaker 1: And I'm grateful, but when I'm gone, I'm gone. None
56:03
Speaker 1: of that goes with me. Now, I close with Proverbs.
56:07
Speaker 1: And you're glad I'm closing. I know. Proverbs 3, verses
56:10
Speaker 1: 9 and 10. Go back. 3, verse 9. Honor the
56:15
Speaker 1: Lord with your wealth and with the best part of
56:19
Speaker 1: everything you produce. Don't stop with your money. Use your time.
56:23
Speaker 1: A number of you, most of you do not serve
56:26
Speaker 1: in this church. And there are opportunities with children, with youth,
56:30
Speaker 1: with adults, home fellowships. There are opportunities to minister in song,
56:36
Speaker 1: to do organizational work behind the scenes. We announce those opportunities.
56:41
Speaker 1: And very few of you are participating in it. We
56:44
Speaker 1: want you all to be involved in it. Why else
56:47
Speaker 1: would you be a member without participating? It's like my
56:52
Speaker 1: being called to ministry and I don't preach. I must preach.
56:58
Speaker 1: You must serve. You give God the best of what
57:02
Speaker 1: you produce. Now the ultimate question you have to ask,
57:08
Speaker 1: and only you can ask it, am I walking in
57:12
Speaker 1: obedience to God in my giving? Am I giving as
57:21
Speaker 1: I should for his greater glory? That's for you to answer.
57:31
Speaker 1: You don't get closer to heaven by giving. This is
57:34
Speaker 1: not some kind of ethereal promise that you will be
57:37
Speaker 1: given long life. But I will tell you the blessings
57:41
Speaker 1: that will come your way, just ask my sister. The
57:46
Speaker 1: blessings that will come your way are too numerous to mention.
57:52
Speaker 1: Not the least of which is a clear conscience. knowing
57:56
Speaker 1: that you're walking in obedience. We sing, in my life, Lord,
58:01
Speaker 1: be glorified. In my home, Lord, be glorified. In my church, Lord,
58:08
Speaker 1: be glorified. How about in my wealth, Lord? In my money, Lord,
58:17
Speaker 1: be glorified. Be glorified today. Bow with me, will you?
58:26
Speaker 1: Show us, our Father, the pertinent truth of what we
58:30
Speaker 1: have seen in principles, in exhortation, in specific challenges that
58:40
Speaker 1: have been expressed in this message. Be glorified, Lord. Use
58:46
Speaker 1: us as a church known not just for great music,
58:52
Speaker 1: not just for strong Bible study, Not just for integrity,
58:58
Speaker 1: but may we be known for generosity. May we be
59:04
Speaker 1: a model of that. In our wealth, Lord. be glorified
59:14
Speaker 1: in the name of Jesus we all pray everyone said
59:21
Speaker 1: amen amen.
59:25
Speaker 2: The preceding message, Timeless Principles of Money Management, was copyrighted
59:31
Speaker 2: in 2015 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2016
59:35
Speaker 2: by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights are reserved worldwide.