Dollars and Sense- understand my part, the perils, and the purpose of money. An invitation to STEWARDSHIP.

2. • What is your part
concerning finances?
• Which are the pitfalls
brought on by finances?
• What are the purposes of
finances?

3. A. Clarify and
accept our part
concerning
finances.

4. My part is being a good steward and
recognizing I am not the owner.
Here are four principles to become a
good steward from Luke 14:28:

5. “Supposing that one of you wishes to
build a tower, will he not first sit down
and calculate the cost, to see if he
has enough money to finish it?”
(Luke 14:28)

6. A. Set clear goals: The person alluded
to in the passage had three goals. First,
he wanted to be a builder. Second, he
wanted to build towers. And third, he
wanted to build one tower at a time. Do
you want to be a good administrator?
Then you should set clear goals—
specific goals you can reach.

7. b. Think first: Before building, the man
sat down. Sitting down implies
thoughtfulness. He didn’t make
emotional, hasty, or irrevocable
decisions. The same counsel applies
to us. If we made financial decisions
more calmly, there would be less
suffering afterward.

8. c. Set a Budget: The text says: “To
see if he has.” What a powerful phrase.
The question is not, “How much do I
pay a month?” but, “How much does it
cost?” A budget is what tells your
money where it should go, instead of
you asking yourself where it went.

9. d. Always persevere: Many lives are
filled with projects begun, but rarely
finished. Persevere, and discover the
immense joy of seeing something
completed.

10. B. Be careful
about the pitfalls
concerning
finances.

11. There are three pitfalls one
must avoid.

12. 1. Don’t be seduced.
But watch out, or you may be
seduced by wealth.
Don’t let yourself be bribed
into sin.” (Job 36:18).

13. Seduction Questions:
• Do you neglect your family because of
your work?
• Is it hard for you to leave your work
behind in the workplace?
• Do you keep thinking of work, even
when you are vacationing or resting?
• What do you think of first when you
get up, and last when you go to bed?

14. • Do you think about work and finances
when you pray, read the Bible, or are in
church?
• Did you choose your occupation,
based on what you could earn?
• Do you buy things you don’t need, just
because they are on sale?

15. • When you go out to eat, do you eat
more when another person pays the
tab?
• Is having more money the object of
your life?

16. 2. Don’t put your trust in them.
Proverbs 11:28 Those who trust
in their riches will fall, but the
righteous will thrive like a
green leaf.

17. 3. Don’t pledge for another’s debt.
“Do not be a man who strikes hands
in pledge or puts up security for
debts; if you lack the means to pay,
your very bed will be snatched from
under you” (Proverbs 22:26, 27).

18. C. Understand
the purpose of
money.

19. Money is neither moral nor immoral, neither
good nor bad. It’s like a brick, which can be
used to build a nice chimney or break the
window of the neighbor who plays loud music
at 3 o’clock in the morning. The problem is not
money, but how it’s used. It adopts the same
characteristics as its owner and becomes
more of what he/she is. (More than Rich p. 5)

20. God created
money for four
purposes:

21. 1.It should be saved.
Proverbs 21:20 The wise store
up choice food and olive oil, but
fools gulp theirs down.

22. When we save, we do three things:
a. We’re preparing for the unexpected.
b. We’re making sure our children will have
a better chance for success.
c. We’re obeying what the Bible
commands.

23. 2. It should be invested.
Ecclesiastes 11:2 But divide
your investments among many
places, for you do not know
what risks might lie ahead.

24. 3. It should be given.
Proverbs 3:9-10 Honor the LORD
with your wealth, with the firstfruits
of all your crops; 10 then your barns
will be filled to overflowing, and your
vats will brim over with new wine.

25. 3. It should be given.
A philanthropist once said: “I give my
money with a shovel to God, and He
does the same. But the interesting
thing is that His shovel is a lot bigger
than mine.” Givers first.

26. 4. It should be enjoyed.
“Moreover, when God gives any man
wealth and possessions, and enables
him to enjoy them, to accept his lot
and be happy in his work—this is a
gift of God. (Ecclesiastes 5:19,

27. Conclusion:
A promise from God
A commitment to God

28. “If they obey and serve him,
they will spend the rest of their
days in prosperity and their
years in contentment (Job
36:11).

29. “He left it all”
Rockefeller’s accountant
when asked how much he
left when he died.