Save
more and spend less;|
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THRIFTINESS
§
Save
more and spend less;
§ Make good use of what I already have;
§ Look for the best value;
§ Budget my money, time, and energy;
§ Not confuse what I need with what I want.
Thriftiness is multiplying my resources through wise investments so I have more to give back to God. Power for True Success
So much great Biblical material and practical helps can be taught about thriftiness, so pray for discernment to see the greatest needs of your family or cell. Scriptural teaching on this subject is so necessary in our culture and many good resources are available to extend the applications. This study is especially applicable in this holiday season when we go overboard in spending and miss the real joy of Christmas – and have financial pain when the bills come in. This could lead to a discussion of how to get a good buy or ideas for good gifts to give.
CHRISTLIKE IN THRIFTINESS: For the Christian, thriftiness is a necessary part of stewardship – wisely using and increasing the resources entrusted to us by the owner. For Christians, who is really the owner of what we have? How does a realization that my time, energy, and money belong to God, not to me, change how we manage them? How can we invest them for a greater return? Are we committed to using them for His purposes, rather than our own pleasure? How can we increase them for Him?
Read the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 in order to find insights into Jesus’ thriftiness. Accounts of this miracle are found in Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:32-44, Luke 9:10-17; reading all three will give a fuller picture. Then discuss the following questions relating to thriftiness in money, in time, and in energy:
· What did Jesus start with before feeding the 5,000? Why would the Son of God who created all the universe from nothing need even loaves and fish to feed the people? God often begins a miracle by using what we already have; consider Moses’ rod turning into a snake.
· What resources did the disciples have to feed so many? (Really, the total number was much more as only the men were counted!) Do we ever respond like the disciples as we see that our small amount can do so little or be so ineffective? How do we respond like the disciples by sending them away? How do we fail to be thrifty when we are in that position?
· How did he use this small beginning? (proceeded with the planning by having them sit in groups, was thankful to God for what He had, began by using what was available, etc.)
· What did he do after everyone had had their fill? Why would he have the disciples pick up the fragments? Does abundance allow us to neglect thriftiness? Although the Bible does not give us the details, what could Jesus have done with the fragments?
When Jesus sent out the twelve in Luke 9:1-6, what did He give them for the task? (power, authority over Satan, ability to cure diseases, his teachings) What instructions did He give them about what to take along? Thriftiness involves only taking what is necessary to do the job. What were they to depend upon? How do we as Christians fail to fulfill our calling because we are waiting for provision to cover every possible eventuality?
EARN, SAVE, GIVE: A month’s training in thriftiness could be: week 1, an introduction or Jesus’ example in thriftiness, then the following weeks focus on the three areas necessary for thriftiness using John Wesley’s quote, “Earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can.” If you are more limited in time, divide into three small groups and give one topic to each group.
Week 1: Jesus is our highest example of Godly character, so focus on that to lay the groundwork; the helps above will get you started. Also use the bulletin’s introductory pages to understand the meaning of thriftiness and extravagance. The 5 I Wills or 5 Keys will give some practical applications. Does thriftiness apply only to financial areas? Consider how we are thrifty or extravagant in money, in time, in energy. Stress that thriftiness is neither hoarding or penny-pinching, but using our resources in the most God-glorifying way.
What makes something extravagant? Consider these scriptures describing what could have been extravagant and see why it was or was not.
Week 2: “EARN (GAIN) ALL YOU CAN”
*What is to be our motive in work? Ecclesiastes 2:24-26; 3:12-13; 5:18-20;I Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:23. How does this contrast with the world’s motives for working? Do we as Christians see it as a “sacred task”? Darrow Miller in Discipling Nations says: “Man, standing as God’s steward over creation, was designed to be a worker. Our life work is a calling that affirms our dignity and glorifies the Divine Worker.” How can we stay balanced in this area between consumerism and just getting by? When we get a raise, unexpected income, or decreased expenses, what is our first response? What are the dangers of wanting to get rich – I Timothy 6:9-10, Luke 16:13, Proverbs 23:4-5? Why would church leaders’ qualifications include “not a lover of money” (I Timothy 3:3)?
*Look at the three servants in Matthew 25:14-27 and see who was thrifty (who managed the resources wisely). Thriftiness is not hoarding, being stingy, or doing nothing for fear of the future. What was the motivation of each of the faithful stewards? How can we use our resources for the good of the Owner? Note that all did not get the same amount in the beginning; perhaps the owner knew what each could handle. What light does this give on the socialistic philosophy that all should have equal amounts, not just equal opportunity? Note that the first two were commended for not just protecting what they were entrusted with, but for increasing it – both made a 100% increase! What was the motivation of the third servant for not seeking to increase (gain) on the talent he was given? (fear and misinterpretation of the owner’s goals) How can fear keep us from making a gain on our resources?
*Compare hunger and appetite with thriftiness and extravagance? Hunger is a physical need and appetite is developed for what we want; hunger can be satisfied, but appetite only grows when it is indulged. How does this relate to needs (hunger) and wants (appetite) in our resources of money, time, and energy? Read Ecclesiastes 5:10-11: when we get the things we want, are we satisfied? When we gain more, are we tempted to want even more? How do we find balance in “earning all you can”?
*In what other ways can we “gain” by maximizing our resources? Examples:
§ Care for and make the most of what you already have - Proverbs 24:30-31, Proverbs 12:27, Proverbs 18:9, Proverbs 27:23-27.
§ Work diligently at the job you have – Proverbs 10:4; 14:23.
§ Be willing to learn from others and gain new skills – Proverbs 9:9.
§ Trade skills and items with others, or add your labor to other’s skills to decrease cost (In II Chronicles 2, Solomon negotiated with Hiram, king of Tyre, to get materials to build the temple: note that he was willing to pay for skill, but also sent his own men to provide some of the labor – even the richest man on the earth was thrifty!)
§ Do things in the proper “timing” – Proverbs 6:6-8; 20:4; 24:27
§ Get the best buy and avoid impulse buying -- Proverbs 20:14, Proverbs 21:5. Consider your need, how much you have to spend (without credit), and what is the best product you can afford.
§ Dispose of things you don’t need but cost you money and time to keep – Ecc. 5:12-17, 6:1-7,
§ Live a simpler lifestyle, content with basics—Proverbs 21:17, I Timothy 6:6-8, Luke 12:15, Psalm 62:10.
§ Wisely manage & develop a budget to plan your spending – Proverbs 21:20; Proverbs 12:11. “A budget is not a noose that restricts spending; it is a tool that enables knowledgeable spending” (Character bulletin, series 2). “Name every dollar,” before you spend it is Dave Ramsey’s budgeting advice.
§ Focus on eternal things—II Cor. 4:18, Matthew 6:31-33, Proverbs 21:21
§ Maintain righteous standards – Proverbs 15:6
§ Tithe – Malachi 3:10-12,
§ Keep out of debt and escape interest costs, late payment fees, etc. – Proverbs 22:7, 26-27. How does debt not only cost more, but presumes upon the future?
§ Ask God for what you need – James 4:1-3; Proverbs 10:22.
Week 3: SAVE ALL YOU CAN Saving often seems like a concept of yesteryear. Why?
§ What is to be our motive in saving? Proverbs 21:20 Larry Burkett advice: “The only difference in saving and hoarding is attitude.” What was the motive of the rich fool in Luke 12:16-21? Was he hoarding (storing up for himself) or saving (preserving/multiplying for the future)? What was the outcome? How is the truth of Ecclesiastes 5:13 seen?
§ Why do we need to save? Discuss the reasons: As a discipline, for a rainy day, for retirement, to spend, to give (taken from character bulletin, series 2). What would have happened if Joseph had not made the Egyptians saved during the seven good years (see Genesis 41:35-36)? They not only would have starved themselves, but been unable to help those from other areas when they were in need (such as Joseph’s family).
§ How can we plan for saving? Have group members share materials or plans that have helped them.
§ ”A penny saved is a penny earned.” How can a penny saved really be more than a penny earned? Do we dismiss saving because the amount we can save looks like such a small amount? Luke 16:10-12 gives three areas of faithfulness: money, little and what is another’s. What is promised to those who are faithful in little? Dave Ramsey encourages saving consistently over time because “compound interest is a mathematical explosion.” (Financial Peace University).
*How do we try to save money or make our money go further in the wrong ways? Examples:
Week 3: GIVE ALL YOU CAN
What should be our motive for giving?
How can we become good givers? Look for principles that will help us know how to give, to whom to give, and how much is enough (perhaps you could make three people scribes to write down the answers, one for each topic). What makes obedience to these principles very difficult?
Deuteronomy 16:17 Proverbs 28:27 I Corinthians 16:2
Psalm 112:5 Isaiah 58:7 II Corinthians 8:1-15
Proverbs 3:9 Malachi 3:10 II Corinthians 9:7
Proverbs 11:24, 25 Matthew 5:42
Proverbs 19:17 Matthew 6:1-3
Proverbs 21:25-26 Luke 6:38
Proverbs 22:9 Luke 12:33
1. Relate Money to the Time Required to Earn It
2. Compare Cost with Other Things that Could Be Bought
3. Figure Savings by Percentages, Not Cents
4. Put All Earnings Directly into the Bank
5. Carry as Little Cash as Necessary
6. Know What You Want before Shopping
7. Focus on the Buy, Not the Bank Balance
8. Look at the Price before You Look at the Product
9. Make Sure You Really Know the Full Price
10. Determine the Unit Price of Quantity Buying
11. Total Your Purchases before Checking Out
12. Check Products in a Consumer Guide
13. Write Out Questions and Answers
14. Get Counsel from Owners and Repairmen
15. Check with Your Wife before Buying
Men's Manual Volume 2, IBLP, Oak Brook, IL
TRAINING YOUR CHILDREN:
Training children in thriftiness is an important parental responsibility; it takes constant effort to combat the pervasive drive to have more and better. Share ways that parents can help children in this area. A simple budget for children is 10% tithe, then percentages for spending, short term savings, long term savings. If you have children in your group, consider having envelopes of play money to give to small groups – then have them count it and put it into other envelopes that are marked for the determined categories. Then talk with the children about what they would do with the money in each category. Be sure to stress that it all belongs to God and we should use it in ways that please Him.
THRIFTY WITH YOUR MINUTES: As we come to the end of a year, how often we comment that the past year has gone by so quickly. “Life is like a coin: you can spend it anyway you want, but you can only spent it once.” As we approach a New Year, how can we be thrifty with time that has been entrusted to us? How can we maximize the minutes of 2008? Here are three ideas adapted from Character Journal of Home Life Ministries, www.charactercincinnati.org/Faith/Qualities/Thriftiness. What difference would each of these make in how we budget and spend our time?
Helps developed by Deanna Guy, 2007