May 30, 2010
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Real stewardship is learning to manage money so that it multiplies. The essence of many offering exhortations that we’ve all sat through is that if we give money away it multiplies. Giving is good, but wealth is not multiplied by giving it away – sorry. There are times when we are afraid to get to involved with money for fear we’ll be contaminated by its “filthy” nature; or, we may fall in love with it! "No servant
can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love
the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You
cannot serve both God and Money." Luke 16:13
I want to suggest that the people who “serve” money are those closest to poverty. They give their time and energy every week trying to make enough to survive. They are never far from being unable to pay the next bill and barely survive from paycheck to paycheck. That is the bondage of serving money. Let’s talk about the progression from poverty to freedom. Stage 1) stop the bleeding! – Most of us can recognize ourselves in this verse: You
have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never
have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes,
but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with
holes in it." Hag 1:6 NIV
Poverty is an attitude that causes money to flee from us. The root cause is that we don’t “manage” it well as stewards of what we do have. The very first stage is, “What are you doing with what you have?” That is the essential first question of stewardship. Not what happened in the past… not what we hope for in the future. But, what are we doing now with what we have? That’s a question God is asking! That is the question in the parables of the talents and minas. No matter how small your present income is, there is a way to faithfully steward it into something more and learn to multiply it. Would you like to know how? Meet Larry - Larry Tyler spent a 37-year career as a loan officer in banking, helping people learn to multiply finances in business. As soon as I heard the emphasis of his consulting message, I asked for an interview with Larry – you will enjoy it. What was the message? Cash Flow! Here is the foundation for multiplying wealth – understanding cash flow. It’s very simply a concept (counting the cost) from the accounting world that we all need to adopt for our personal finances as well as business finances. Cash flow is an accounting term that is simply a monthly summary of income and expenses – usually done on an EXCEL spreadsheet. Both business and personal finances can be tracked and “managed” with cash flow. This tool can be used to track the prior 12 months of income and expenses and to project 12-24 months into the future. Cash flow can (and should) be used to track both personal and business income and expenses. It helps reduce financial surprises and it will help you stop the “bleeding” of poverty. Cash Flow is more important than profit; businesses fail and individuals go bankrupt because they run out of cash and simply can’t pay the bills. Cash flow is a budgeting tool that can be used to remind us of annual expenses and seasonal fluctuations in expenses. For example, taxes are due once a year, insurances twice a year. Income may be the same every month if you have a job. However, if you work on a commission or in a seasonal industry, like agriculture or tourism, your income may vary from month to month. Here’s how – You don’t need to be an accountant to manage your finances.
Here’s why – Understanding how much money you have and where it goes every month will help you make a realistic plan to save and multiply money. People who don’t budget their finances with cash flow simply get a surprise every few months that keeps them broke and in the bondage of poverty. In reality, there are no surprises if you give your finances a little thought. Extend your monthly columns out into the future a year or two and use the previous year or two to remind yourself of the kind of expenses that may show up. Update those projections into the future at the end of each month based on your prior actual income and expense. Multi-million-dollar businesses are managed exactly that way. Once you learn how to manage money instead of letting it manage you… guess what? You’re a candidate to run a multi-million-dollar business. Thank you, Larry! The spiritual side – Cash flow is a tool that puts you as head over your finances instead of the tail. Instead of your finances managing your actions, you are now managing your finances and your actions, too. That “ownership,” or responsibility, to be a good steward, or manager, of what you have is spiritual. It releases God’s hand to add more… Take
the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten
talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an
abundance. Matt 25:28-29 NIV
The feeling – Let me share a secret from the business mountain: “It’s fun to make money.” For Kings it’s not only fun, it’s spiritual. Multiplying wealth positions us for ministry. It is the means by which the Kingdom is built. Try it. You’ll like it! Promise me this – that you
won’t feel guilty for possessing your
inheritance and having enough money to do your part in building God’s
Kingdom.
Desire to Destiny is available now at our store along with reviews. Not sure what your dream is? This book will help you pull the curtain back on your future. Newsletter - If your newsletter comes incomplete (filtered), you can always catch the latest version in our archive along with 200 others. 1800+ people from around the world get Kingly encouragement from our weekly newsletter. Invite a friend to subscribe - they will be blessed. How to Start a Small Group - Kings are increasingly getting involved in Bible study or mentoring groups to facilitate their "Release." Here are some helpful suggestions www.Releasing-Kings.com/Starting-a-Group.html. We've also updated our Vision Brochure with graphics to show how to become a King and how you can help Release Kings. Lastly we've created a guideline to help you take your dream to the next level by considering the elements of a business plan. See Write Your Business Plan. French Translation - Releasing Kings is now available in French thanks to the efforts of Cees Bakker and Support Ministries in the Netherlands. In France, copies can be obtained from Editions Menor or Librairie Chretienne CLC. The Title in French is “Libération des Rois pour le ministère dans le monde du travail”. Cees is also the guy who made the Dutch translation possible - available through his website. He can be contacted for Releasing Kings conferences in France and throughout Europe. Facebook - I'm posting more information on Face book at http://www.facebook.com/john.garfield1
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