MAXED OUT!

We started a new series in church today that is really interesting. It is about $$$!! Not about giving it to the church (like some might be thinking) but about how to use/spend/save it wisely. It is a 4 part series and I am going to do a brief re-cap each week here on my scrappy blog. :o) He teaches in a very informal way and we have a "fill in the blank" sheet to follow along with so I am going to follow that same format here.



1. Debt causes people to get MAXED OUT!
"The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender" (Proverbs 22:7)
Maxed out is not refering to racking up credit card bills to their limits but that when we are overwhelmed by debt we get stressed "to the max". That it starts to become the forefront of our lives and it starts to take over. When we become debtors we become bondaged to those debts and that we do not truly live free.

2. Why should the Church talk about money?
* 2/3 of all parables are about money or possessions.
* 1 out of every 10 scriptures from Jesus are about money.
God understands that money is an important part of our lives. Without it we would not have shelter, food, clothes or basic needs. But He also understands, and warns us against, money becoming more than just a way to provide our basic needs. Hundreds and hundreds of years ago He understood. And He still understands and through scripture He tries to give us some answers.

3. Money is a heart issue.
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also"
(Luke 12:34)
We tie our worth into our wealth. That if we just had a little more ____ or a new ____ then we might be happy. But we have piles of stuff in our homes, outrageous payments on things like cars, credit cards, "toys" and we still aren't happy. We try to use money to bandage the needs of our heart. God is calling for more. He is calling for us to heal those heart issues with more substantial things than cash and stuff.

4. Vision should drive your lifestyle.
"Where there is no vision, the people parish" (Proverbs 29:18)
How you use your money should be driven by your goals, not your wants. If your goal is to own a home, or to have children, or to save for college (for you or your kids) or prepare for retirement then that is what should shape your budget. That should be your vision, your goal, your driving force. Not the instant gratification or "retail therapy" on a bad day. If you have a vision, God will help get you there. "Where God leads, God provides" and "If He calls you to it, He will lead you through it"

5. Good debt is based on love.
"Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another..." (Romans 13:8)
This is not a "oooh, that purse is so cute, I just love it! so that means I can buy it, right??" thing. This is saying that the only thing we should owe anyone is our friendship, our love, our hearts. That we should invest in people, not stuff.

6. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!
"the plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty" (Proverbs 21:5)
You gotta have a plan or you'll never get out of debt and settled with money issues. Period.

Homework for the week:
* What is God's vision for your life? How will you use your $ to help you fulfill that vision? Is He calling you to spend more time volunteering but you can't afford to cut back your hours? Is He calling you back to school? To adopt a child? To help out a friend? Think about what He is wanting for your life right now and for the future. Is debt or bad spending holding you back?

* Pizza Problem: You only have so much money. Your paycheck comes in and it gets divided up between bills, groceries, gas, etc etc etc. When all is said and done, how much of that is left? Or is all that you are left with the oily cheese strings at the bottom of the box? Where does your money go now?

That's a recap of this week. Sorry if that was long. Hope it helps someone out there. If you want to find out more about my church or our pastor, check out http://www.aviatorchurch.com/. Next week's series part is titled "Acting your Wage". See you then!