Money Management

Happy Sunday. It's likely that most people, Christian and non-Christian, will know the story of the prodigal son. We'll not focus on the story today. We're still looking at selected verses in the book of Proverbs.

However, I do want to start in Luke 15, beginning at verse 11. Jesus said, "There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, "Father, give me the share of the wealth that will belong to me." So, he divided his assets between them.

A few days later, the young son gathered all that he had and traveled to a distant region, and there he squandered his wealth in dissolute living. This young son is proof of the word from Proverbs 13:11. There we learn, "Wealth hastily gotten will dwindle, but those who gather little by little will increase it." Let me read it again.

Wealth hastily gotten will dwindle, but those who gather little by little will increase it. The prodical son received some easy money and went through it like it meant nothing. We don't know how long it took for him to lose it all, but we kn do know that it dwindled away. He lost everything.

Wealth hastily gotten will dwindle. Did you know that 70% of lottery winners end up broke or bankrupt within a few years of their bonanza? 70%. They take the easy money and they blow it on reckless spending.

Why would people do this? From the prodigal son to the lottery winner, the common thread is that they were given the money. They did not work for it. They had no sweat in the game.

It literally was easy money. I thought when kids do not pay for their own tires and their gas and their insurance, they can drive like NASCAR drivers. But when they have to build pay the bills, they slow down. Things are different.

I know of a few people who have inherited money and went through it not long after the will was read. It's not hard to find stories about athletes who made millions in a hurry and are now bankrupt. Wealth hastily gotten will dwindle. What's the cure for this?

The last part of Proverbs 13:11 is key. I'll read the whole verse again. Wealth hastily gotten will dwindle, but those who gather little by little will increase it. Those who gather little by little will increase it.

Can't you just see these two types of people, the spender and the saver. Those who gather little by little know the value of a dollar. They work hard for their money and they are careful. Dave Ramsey is one of my favorite authors and radio personalities.

His books have helped shape my financial future. I loved his book, Financial Peace. Over the years, it's interesting to see how Proverbs 13:11 has proved true in my life. Years ago, when Jeanie and I were first married and we would get some unexpected money, like a tax return, for instance, we would think, "Great, what can we buy?"

Now, when we grew up a bit and matured in our financial literacy, when we receive some unexpected cash, we would think, what is it now we can pay off? Now that we're out of debt, thank God, we think, how can we save this money or how can we give this when we receive something unexpected? Wealth hastily gotten will dwindle, but those who gather little by little will increase it. Saving little by little will pay big dividends.

I hope you there's young people paying attention to this. A few stories. Ted worked for UPS and never made over $30,000 in his life. He's been retired a while.

He invested in company stock and amassed a fortune worth millions of dollars. I have a friend who never made a big salary. However, he was disciplined for decades and today he can do whatever he wants to do. Do you know which professions according to studies are likely to become millionaires?

The top three are engineers, then accountants, and then school teachers. The key is not to big salaries. They're people that way make way more money than engineers and accountants and school teachers. The key is methodical saving.

Savers savers learn of compound interest. But sadly, the world we live in is all about get rich quick. People want immediate results. Financial success is best as a crockpot and not as a microwave.

Wealth hastily gotten will dwindle, but those who gather it little by little will increase it. Pray with me. Lord, help us to be good stewards of what you give us. Help us to be willing to share our knowledge with others that maybe are living foolishly.

Give us opportunities to minister to others. Thank you for everything you have given to us. Our goal is to be rich spiritually. It's in Jesus name we pray.

Amen. God bless. Thanks for watching.