SURVIVOR SERIES
#3 - "SURVIVING WHEN THE BILLS PILE UP"
by Rev. John Hannem,
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Today we continue in our "Survivor" series, with a message entitled "Surviving When The Bills Pile Up." Financial problems are one of the main reasons for marital conflict. But it is not just couples with 2-1/2 kids and a minivan who deal with financial stress. Whatever problems a married couple has, it is often twice as hard for a single parent. Many senior citizens are on fixed incomes and very tight budgets. Young people going to school are always short on cash. And it is not just folk who don't have much money who worry about it. Many wealthy people spend all sorts of time and energy anxiously trying to figure out ways to keep their wealth from evaporating, and if the stock market goes into a free fall, it can be very hard to keep from worrying. Financial problems become especially prevalent during tough economic times. Here in
Let's pray this morning that as we look at this very practical topic, God's Word would provide both instruction and encouragement to each one of us, and especially for those who are facing financial challenges.
As Christians, it should be our goal to develop a biblical perspective on money. As we seek to honor the Lord, how we think about money is far more important than how much money we have. When we turn to God's Word, the Bible, we find He has plenty to say on the topic. In fact, almost half of Jesus' parables, 17 of the 37, have to do with the use of material possessions. Yet, even though the Bible has all sorts of things to say about money, I'm afraid a lot of Christians have some rather unbiblical attitudes on the topic. As Spurgeon said, "A man's wallet is often his last part to be baptized," and that is true of our actions and our thinking. Now, there are many aspects of the biblical perspective on finances, but I want to mention just two that are especially important if we are to survive when the bills pile up.
1) There are a lot more important things in life than money. Maybe that sounds trite, but it is true and important. In Matthew 6:25, Jesus asks, "Is not life more important than food and the body more important than clothes?" The implied answer is, "Yes." There is a lot more to life than money and the things it can buy. Or, as Jesus said in Luke 12:15, "A man's life doesn't consist in the abundance of his possessions." Now, this is obviously a warning against living a shallow lifestyle which focuses only on accumulating things. As Buck Henry put it, "Yes, money can buy happiness - for about twenty minutes." There are a lot of very wealthy, but very miserable, people out there.
But, these verses also encourage us when we don't have much money or when the bills are piling up. It is foolish to allow a lack of wealth to keep us from enjoying life. I’ve heard stories from the older generation of how they had so little while growing up; how their mom would make clothes out of flour sacks, but how also at the same time they were very happy and, in fact, didn't really think of themselves as poor because no one else had much either. I read something this week about a primitive village in which an individual grew up in another part of the world. He said, "There is no electricity, no running water, but you will never see happier children any place on earth." Throughout history, people who have had very little material wealth have always found ways to be happy. So, my point is this: There is no reason why a lack of money in your household needs to make you miserable. Now, I am certainly not suggesting anyone should be lazy or irresponsible in not paying bills, but I am saying that if the bills are piling up, if things are real, real tight, you don't have to feel sorry for yourself, you don't have to be miserable, and you can still enjoy the blessings you do have, and you can thank God for them.
If a couple comes in and wants to get married, I always ask them about their finances and jobs. I want them to think about how they are going to pay the rent and buy food because, as I said, financial problems can cause a lot of marital conflict. But, there is one thing I used to say that I will never say any more: "You can't live on love." I won't say that any more because I’m not sure about that anymore. I have sometimes seen a young couple start out with absolutely nothing, and have a much happier, much stronger marriage than a couple who had all sorts of financial resources. Why? Because of their love and commitment to Jesus Christ and to each other. There is a lot more to marriage than money. And I have seen people who have almost nothing, but who are very happy because they are living on love; they are thriving on the love of God which they have found through faith in Jesus Christ. Life is not about money. It is more about love, about experiencing God's love as we trust in Jesus, and in response, loving God and loving the people around us. Money is only money. Life involves much more than that. So #1 – There are a lot more important things in life than money.
2) From a biblical perspective our goal should be contentment. Listen to these verses: Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." -- 1 Timothy 6:6-8 But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. -- Philippians 4:11,12 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
Oh, friends, this is one thing that we as Canadians are not very good at. When asked how much money was enough, Bernard Baruch, the multibillionaire, said, "Just a little bit more." No matter how much we have, it always seems that there is something else we want. For many people, accumulating more seems to be their number one goal in life. When asked what one thing they would like to change about their lives, 64% of the people in one survey said they would like to be rich. That was by far the top answer. Now, that doesn't mean that it is always wrong to try to make more money. It does not mean we should be complacent or lazy. What it does mean, however, is that we ought to enjoy and be thankful to the Lord for what we have today.
OK, realizing there are far more important things in life than money and being content with what we have are two of the first steps in having a biblical perspective on money. Now, let me shift gears and give some practical suggestions which may help when the bills are piling up. I am not going to say anything profound; it is all pretty much common sense, but these are some things to remember if we are having a tough time financially, or if we are giving advice to someone who is struggling in this way.
1) When money is short, try to adjust both income and expenses. When some folk face a financial problem, the only thing they do is try to spend less. That can be a good thing to do, but sometimes it can be very frustrating. It is also good to consider ways that income might be increased. This could mean volunteering for some overtime at work, picking up a paper route, or starting a home-based family business. Just having a little extra income can often ease the financial pressure. Liquidating assets is another way to increase income. Whether that means having a garage sale or selling the cottage, you will have to decide. Often it is much more practical to sell some things we own but don't really use, than it is to trim our regular expenses. So don't get stuck just budgeting how much money is going out each month. Consider both the expenses and the income.
2) Develop a family or personal budget. Some folk who have financial problems don't have the foggiest idea where their money goes. Maybe they cash a big check at the beginning of the month, but ten days later it is all gone, and they are not really sure what happened to it. One purpose of having a budget is so we are aware of what our priority expenses are and can develop a plan to spend our money on these things. Now, there are all sorts of different suggestions that people have for developing a budget. I know some people who use the envelope method. Each month, income is divided into envelopes representing various categories of expenses and then you can always tell how much money you have available for a particular purchase. In our church library we have books by Larry Burkett, Ron Blue and probably some others which give very practical suggestions for making a family or personal budget. The point is that if you are having financial difficulty, this is one of the first things you should do.
3) Learn to distinguish between wants and needs. This is an important one. When things are tight financially, it is often necessary to cut expenses, and a good way to do that is to spend money only on what you need, not on all the things you want. Now, of course, defining needs is not always easy. It is good to remember that many of the things we now consider necessities today, didn't even exist when our parents were growing up. In fact, how many VCRs or cell phones did you have in your house twenty years ago? In 1982, 2% of people surveyed said it was a necessity for them to have a computer in their home. By 1992 that figure had grown to 11%. Last year, a survey showed that over 60% now consider a personal computer something they need. Oh, I can't give you any hard and fast rules how to distinguish between wants and needs. I will simply warn you that most of us put many things in the needs column, which are really just wants, really just things that our lives would be perfectly fine without. So, when money is tight, and you are thinking about making a purchase, make sure it is something you really need. Ask God to give you wisdom on that decision. Check with your spouse or a good friend about whether it is really a need or merely a want.
4) Be really careful how you use credit. Do you know that right now there are over 2 trillion dollars in outstanding consumer debt in
5) Be disciplined in saving money. When it comes to financial problems, an ounce of prevention is worth many pounds of cure. Unexpected bills are a part of life. Maybe the transmission on the car has to be fixed, or the plumber has come to fix the bathtub. When that happens, those people who have saved money grit their teeth and pay those bills. Those who have not saved any money, panic. A regular savings plan is important, even if it's only $50 a month. And of course as we get older, it is important to save for that time when we can't or won't work any more. A few years ago only 15% of North Americans had over $250 in cash savings when they hit age 65. Just being able to pay the bills and living from paycheck to paycheck is not a good situation to be in. Too many unexpected expenses come up. Make sure you put savings into your budget.
Now, when you are saving money, invest it wisely. What does that mean? Well, as Will Rogers once said, "Don't gamble. Take all your savings and buy some good stock and hold it till it goes up, then sell it. If it doesn't go up, don't buy it." Easier said than done. But do be a wise steward of the money you have saved. No, burying it in the ground or stuffing it in a mattress is not smart, but don't get caught up in risky schemes to double your money in a year. Be disciplined in saving and wise in investing.
6) Be generous in giving money. Some of the best advice ever given comes from John Wesley, He said, "Gain all you can, save all you can, and give all you can." That was his practice. Now, obviously there can be a tension between saving and giving, but there doesn't have to be. It is good to save, but wrong to hoard. In Proverbs 6:6-8 the Lord tells us to be like the wise man that stores up food for the winter. But, as Larry Burkett points out, ants don't hoard food. If they have food left over in the spring, they don't store as much the next fall. Now, I'm not going to try to tell you how much savings you should have, but make sure you are giving generously. This means giving to the Lord's work through the church and other ministries, and giving to people around you who are in need. One suggestion is to give and save in equal proportions. If you only spend 70% of your income each month (I know it is hard for some of you to believe, but there are folks who do that), then save 15% and give away 15%. Second Corinthians 9:7 tells us that with God's help each one needs to determine what he or she should give, but remember to be generous.
And, remember to give even if you don't have a lot of money. It is hard to do that, but it is good to give to support the work of Jesus' kingdom and to those who have less than we do, even if the bills have piled up. The Lord doesn't promise us a 500% cash return if we give, but He does tell us not to expect His blessing if we refuse to share what He has entrusted to us.
Friends, in closing I want to say, whether you have lots of money in the bank or have all sorts of bills that you are not able to pay, I encourage you to seek to find joy in the Lord rather than in money or in things. I am afraid we are always going to have a problem keeping money in the right perspective until we know the wonder and worth of knowing the Lord Jesus Christ. Our closing song today says, "Lord, You are more precious than silver." And, friend, if you don't know that, if you don't believe that, if you have forgotten, I pray that God would make this truth clear in your mind and heart.