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Stewardship: Setting Godly Goals Facts:
1)
Stewardship is the use of God given resources to accomplish God given goals. God
owns it all (Psalms 50.10-12); God
has the right to everything He wants whenever He wants it. Faith requires us to
use what we have in a proper fashion. 2.
Money can create problems (1 Timothy 6.10).
Money problems are the #1 cause o divorce, anxiety, and worry. 3)
Money is something we all have in common. 4)
We feel as if we will never have enough money (Haggai
1.6). I)
We learn by using money A)
A man gave his daughter (9 years old( $25 to spend in 4 hours. 1.
Creates the dilemma of what should I buy? 2.
As we grow we should be learning and making better decisions, 1 Corinthians 4.2. B)
We all have limited resources, Matthew 25.14-15 1.
There are more ways to spend money than the amount we have to spend. 2.
Our decisions determines our destiny and happiness. II)
One big problem is the lack of goal setting A)
Lack of planning—means there are no objectives or plan of action 1.
In sports the players have to understand the goal.
a. On vacation we usually set a course of action: place, time, purpose.
b. Can you imagine starting a business without any idea of what they
are going to produce, or service to provide. Businesses develop
mission statements and vision statements for a reason. 2.
Some people believe not planning is a sign of faith.
a. One preacher explained he did not have insurance or a
retirement plan because he was “living by faith.”
b. Yes we live by faith but we also are stewards. B)
People usually respond instead of plan 1.
They respond to advertizing, their emotions (emotional buying, impulse buying), Luke
14.28-29 2.
A lot of people do not know their financial condition
a. They do not know how much they take in or spend in any given
month.
b. They act like they are the federal government. III)
Goals help us to succeed. A)
Goals crystallize our thinking - We
must come up with a plan, work, time requirements, even contingency plans. B)
Goals provide motivation – the
picture of a new house, smaller clothes, etc. C)
Goals can make a statement of faith, James 4.13-15; Philippians 3.14
– a belief that God will provide a way. He answers our prayers, good
stewardship will pay off, long term planning works. IV)
How to set goals A)
Spend time with God, Matthew 7.7 1.
We tend to be too self-reliant when it comes to finances. 2.
Remember that we are here to serve God and not the reverse. B)
Make the goals measurable 1.
Generalize goals generally do not work.
a. I want to be a good father? How?
b. I want to be out of debt some day. 2.
Paying off our debts or one particular debt, how much are we going to spend
on…. C)
Put your goals to action, Hebrews 11.7 V)
Goals and money A)
There are five basic uses of money 1.
Giving – to God, helping others 2.
Lifestyle – clothes, housing, food, medical, etc. 3.
Taxes – we are to render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s. 4.
Savings/investing – putting back for later 5.
Paying off debt B)
Priorities of the world – lifestyle, debt, taxes, saving/investing, giving C)
Biblical priorities 1.
Giving, Proverbs 3.9 2.
Taxes, Romans 13.7 3.
Paying off debt, Psalms 37.21 4.
Lifestyle and investing are last.
a. Giving is for our benefit, a sign of closeness to God
b. Some people will never have enough, Proverbs
11.24 VI)
General Principles of Goal Setting A)
Emphasize the spiritual over the physical, James 1.7-8 B)
Make your goals according to God’s will, Proverbs 16.3,9 C)
Husbands and wives should make their goals together D)
Giving should be important to us, we are to give our first fruits Conclusion:
Living life without a purpose is to ensure failure. The only way we can succeed
is to understand the goals, methods, ways to achieve those goals, and then do
the work. Salvation should be our #1 goal. How? By relying on God’s grace,
believing Jesus, obeying Him, and being faithful till death. |