WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.399 --> 00:00:06.160 Hey, everyone, welcome to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope, the Bible 2 00:00:06.280 --> 00:00:09.720 Teaching Ministry of Rick Warren. We are so glad you've 3 00:00:09.800 --> 00:00:12.359 joined us today. And Rick is going to share part 4 00:00:12.439 --> 00:00:15.960 one of a special message called Lessons from a Shrewd 5 00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:16.800 Money Manager. 6 00:00:17.079 --> 00:00:18.399 So let's get started. 7 00:00:18.839 --> 00:00:20.399 If you have a Bible, I want you to turn 8 00:00:20.480 --> 00:00:24.480 to Luke chapter sixteen, Luke sixteen. If you don't have 9 00:00:24.760 --> 00:00:27.160 your Bible with you, pull out the message notes and 10 00:00:27.199 --> 00:00:30.640 all of the verses are there on the outline. This 11 00:00:30.719 --> 00:00:35.039 is an amazing parable that I'm about the Lessons from 12 00:00:35.039 --> 00:00:38.399 the Shrewd Money Manager. Now, a lot of people don't 13 00:00:38.479 --> 00:00:42.679 realize how much Jesus talked about money. Half of all 14 00:00:42.719 --> 00:00:45.439 of the parables of Jesus, fifty percent of all the 15 00:00:45.439 --> 00:00:49.679 parables Jesus told have to do with money and possessions. 16 00:00:50.439 --> 00:00:53.880 In fact, in the Bible, one out of every six 17 00:00:54.159 --> 00:00:58.000 verses in Matthew Mark, Luke John, the Gospels are about money. 18 00:00:58.039 --> 00:00:58.920 Why out of every six? 19 00:00:59.159 --> 00:01:03.359 In fact, Jesus Us talked more about money than he 20 00:01:03.439 --> 00:01:09.000 did either heaven or hell. Why Because we think about 21 00:01:09.040 --> 00:01:12.159 money more than we think about heaven or hell, and 22 00:01:12.239 --> 00:01:15.560 we spend most of our lives dealing with this issue 23 00:01:15.879 --> 00:01:17.640 of how to get it, how to save it, how 24 00:01:17.680 --> 00:01:19.719 to spend it, how to invest it, how to keep 25 00:01:19.760 --> 00:01:23.040 accounting of it, how to share it, all the different things. 26 00:01:23.079 --> 00:01:28.439 Money has enormous influence on our lives. You know, Gallup 27 00:01:28.480 --> 00:01:31.120 has done many many polls that show the number one 28 00:01:31.280 --> 00:01:35.079 cause of divorce. The number one cause of divorce is 29 00:01:35.159 --> 00:01:39.400 financial tension. Fifty six percent of all divorces come because 30 00:01:39.599 --> 00:01:43.280 of money problems. But regardless of that, God wants us 31 00:01:43.319 --> 00:01:46.840 to learn even in tough, difficult times, and the Bible 32 00:01:46.879 --> 00:01:51.680 tells us that money management is a test from God. Now, 33 00:01:51.680 --> 00:01:53.840 the parable we're going to look at today that Jesus 34 00:01:53.879 --> 00:01:57.799 tells in Matthew ourscubay Luke sixteen is actually one of 35 00:01:57.840 --> 00:02:02.000 the most misunderstood section the scripture in the Bible, because 36 00:02:02.040 --> 00:02:04.799 when you read it initially, it looks like Jesus is 37 00:02:04.959 --> 00:02:09.879 complimenting or commending a crook. There is a dishonest manager 38 00:02:10.560 --> 00:02:15.039 money manager in this story, and he actually praises the guy. 39 00:02:15.960 --> 00:02:20.159 He uses a clever crook as an illustration of wise 40 00:02:20.360 --> 00:02:23.840 money management. Now you need to understand who Jesus is 41 00:02:23.879 --> 00:02:26.800 talking to when he tells his story. Jesus told this 42 00:02:26.879 --> 00:02:29.520 story not to the general public, but he told it 43 00:02:30.439 --> 00:02:33.639 to the Pharisees. Now, who are the Pharisees. Well, remember 44 00:02:33.680 --> 00:02:36.680 they're the religious leaders of the day. They're self righteous, 45 00:02:37.560 --> 00:02:43.280 they're judgmental, they're legalistic, and the Bible says they love money. 46 00:02:43.879 --> 00:02:46.439 They were obsessed with money. In fact, on the screen 47 00:02:46.800 --> 00:02:49.520 in this chapter and verse fourteen Luke, sixteen fourteen, it 48 00:02:49.560 --> 00:02:54.039 says the Pharisees made fun of Jesus because they dearly 49 00:02:54.240 --> 00:02:59.560 loved their money. And Jesus loved to shock pious people, 50 00:03:00.439 --> 00:03:05.039 self righteous, legalistic religious people. He loved to shock them. 51 00:03:05.159 --> 00:03:07.000 So he tells the story, and he makes the hero 52 00:03:07.080 --> 00:03:12.080 of a story a crook. A crook. Now, let's look 53 00:03:12.080 --> 00:03:14.560 at the story. It's there on your outline, Luke, chapter sixteen. 54 00:03:15.840 --> 00:03:18.840 Jesus told his disciples there there once was a rich 55 00:03:18.919 --> 00:03:24.960 man whose manager was accused of wasting his master's possession. 56 00:03:25.000 --> 00:03:27.479 And notice he's not wasting his own money. He's wasting 57 00:03:27.479 --> 00:03:30.879 his master's possessions. It's not really his money. So the 58 00:03:30.919 --> 00:03:33.919 owner calls him in and asked, what's this I hear 59 00:03:33.960 --> 00:03:36.599 about you? He says, you know I want you to 60 00:03:36.639 --> 00:03:38.439 are you are you cheating me? I want you to 61 00:03:38.479 --> 00:03:43.080 give an account of what you've done with my money, 62 00:03:43.439 --> 00:03:46.000 because your time as my manager is ending. 63 00:03:47.159 --> 00:03:47.479 Now. 64 00:03:47.960 --> 00:03:49.599 The guy knows he's going to lose his job. So 65 00:03:49.639 --> 00:03:52.000 the manager says to himself, what am I going to 66 00:03:52.080 --> 00:03:55.520 do now? I'm losing my job as a manager. But 67 00:03:55.599 --> 00:03:58.879 I'm not strong enough to dig ditches and I'm too 68 00:03:58.960 --> 00:04:02.120 proud to beg So he says this, I know what 69 00:04:02.159 --> 00:04:05.120 I'll do, and he hatches this plan. I know what 70 00:04:05.159 --> 00:04:07.360 I'll do so I'll have friends to take care of 71 00:04:07.400 --> 00:04:11.719 me when I lose my job. So he calls in 72 00:04:11.800 --> 00:04:14.280 each one of his master's debtors, the guys who owe 73 00:04:14.319 --> 00:04:17.439 is his boss money? And he asked the first guy, 74 00:04:18.160 --> 00:04:21.879 how much do you owe my master? And the guy 75 00:04:21.879 --> 00:04:25.079 says eight hundred gallons of olive oil. He replied, the 76 00:04:25.120 --> 00:04:28.160 manager said, well, take your bill, sit down quickly, and 77 00:04:28.160 --> 00:04:28.920 make it four hundred. 78 00:04:28.920 --> 00:04:30.199 In other words, we're going to just write. 79 00:04:30.040 --> 00:04:32.199 Off half of it, okay, and we're gonna tell a 80 00:04:32.240 --> 00:04:34.519 boss about this. But instead of you own eight hundred, 81 00:04:34.519 --> 00:04:36.519 you're only gonna o four hundred. Now, just write it off. 82 00:04:37.319 --> 00:04:40.480 And then the manager found another debtor and he asked, 83 00:04:40.600 --> 00:04:43.879 how much do you owe a thousand bushels of wheat. 84 00:04:43.959 --> 00:04:47.600 He replied, The manager said, okay, you change your bill 85 00:04:48.040 --> 00:04:52.639 to say that you only owe eight hundred. Now, what's 86 00:04:52.720 --> 00:04:57.040 going on here? The reason for this story is told 87 00:04:57.079 --> 00:05:00.439 in the next verse, verse eight. Now, when the heard 88 00:05:00.560 --> 00:05:04.040 what the dishonest manager had done, because what he done 89 00:05:04.040 --> 00:05:06.360 he hadn't told his master, he just did it, he 90 00:05:06.519 --> 00:05:11.560 still commended his shrewdness. Circle that he commended his shrewdness, 91 00:05:12.560 --> 00:05:15.399 for the people of this world are more shrewd in 92 00:05:15.480 --> 00:05:19.560 handling their affairs than are the people who belong to 93 00:05:19.639 --> 00:05:24.000 the light. Jesus says, saying, sometimes unbelievers are far more 94 00:05:25.519 --> 00:05:29.680 equipped and wise in the way they handle their wealth 95 00:05:29.959 --> 00:05:33.560 than believers do. Now, what's going on here, Well, I 96 00:05:33.600 --> 00:05:34.920 want you to know this a couple of things. First, 97 00:05:35.000 --> 00:05:38.800 Jesus is not praising this man's dishonesty. What he did 98 00:05:38.959 --> 00:05:44.759 was clearly wrong. He's cheating his boss by discounting the debts. 99 00:05:46.040 --> 00:05:51.959 But he did praise his shrewdness. Now, what is shrewdness. Well, 100 00:05:52.000 --> 00:05:53.759 most of us, when we hear that word a guy shrewd, 101 00:05:53.800 --> 00:05:56.720 we think he's a manipulator, he's a crook, he's a 102 00:05:56.720 --> 00:06:00.120 con man. He's going to be smarter than me, and 103 00:06:00.160 --> 00:06:02.319 so he's going to weasel me out of some money 104 00:06:02.319 --> 00:06:05.639 that's rightly owed me. But that's not really what the 105 00:06:05.639 --> 00:06:09.000 word shrewd means. If you look the word shrewd up 106 00:06:09.000 --> 00:06:13.519 in a dictionary, it means three things. It means keen awareness, 107 00:06:14.480 --> 00:06:20.000 it means astute intelligence, and it means clever resourcefulness. 108 00:06:21.360 --> 00:06:22.600 You need shrewdness. 109 00:06:22.920 --> 00:06:26.600 You need to know what the problem is in your finances, 110 00:06:27.160 --> 00:06:30.600 and you've got keen awareness of that what's really the problem, 111 00:06:31.000 --> 00:06:34.079 and you need to pinpoint it. And second you need 112 00:06:34.240 --> 00:06:37.160 astute intelligence where you go, I know what I need 113 00:06:37.199 --> 00:06:39.240 to do, and you need to know the steps to 114 00:06:39.240 --> 00:06:43.800 take out. And then third you need clever you know resourcefulness, 115 00:06:43.959 --> 00:06:46.439 You need to know how to get out of the 116 00:06:46.519 --> 00:06:49.759 mess that you're in right now. What I want to 117 00:06:49.800 --> 00:06:52.439 do with you this weekend is I want to teach 118 00:06:52.480 --> 00:06:58.759 you biblical shrewdness, scriptural shrewdness, how to manage your money 119 00:06:58.959 --> 00:07:02.160 so you're not constantly trying to make ends meet and 120 00:07:02.160 --> 00:07:07.240 always under tension and always under pressure. Now again, Jesus 121 00:07:07.319 --> 00:07:11.480 isn't commending this guy's dishonesty. But you can appreciate something 122 00:07:11.519 --> 00:07:16.079 in somebody without admiring everything that they do. Do you 123 00:07:16.120 --> 00:07:19.040 understand what I'm saying? In other words? For instance, there 124 00:07:19.079 --> 00:07:22.680 are some actors out there who live really immoral lives, 125 00:07:23.079 --> 00:07:25.839 but they're still good actors, and you can appreciate the 126 00:07:25.839 --> 00:07:28.600 fact that they're a good actor. There are musicians out 127 00:07:28.600 --> 00:07:31.839 there who are totally living, you know, drug infested lives 128 00:07:31.879 --> 00:07:35.680 and you know, just total lives for self centeredness, but 129 00:07:35.720 --> 00:07:38.839 they still make good music, and you can appreciate the 130 00:07:38.879 --> 00:07:43.639 good music. When I go to a doctor if I've 131 00:07:43.639 --> 00:07:45.879 got a brain tumor, I don't go and ask the. 132 00:07:45.920 --> 00:07:47.079 Doctor are you an atheist? 133 00:07:48.360 --> 00:07:50.720 Or are you Muslim or Jewish or Christian or Buddhist 134 00:07:50.800 --> 00:07:52.879 or Baptist or whatever? I want to know have you 135 00:07:52.959 --> 00:07:58.800 done this before? Okay, so you know it doesn't matter 136 00:07:58.920 --> 00:08:01.399 what their faith is. But at that point you're looking 137 00:08:01.439 --> 00:08:04.560 for their skill. Does that make sense? And so you 138 00:08:04.639 --> 00:08:08.199 can learn even from a crook if you don't copy 139 00:08:08.240 --> 00:08:12.000 his dishonesty, but you copy the right things that he did. 140 00:08:12.480 --> 00:08:13.959 Now, in this story. 141 00:08:13.600 --> 00:08:17.439 That Jesus tells us, we have eight attitudes toward money. 142 00:08:17.519 --> 00:08:18.399 Let's get right into it. 143 00:08:18.439 --> 00:08:21.079 The first thing we learn from this story of the 144 00:08:21.360 --> 00:08:25.360 shrewd manager is that what I think I own is 145 00:08:25.439 --> 00:08:31.000 really on loan. What I think I own is really 146 00:08:31.720 --> 00:08:32.279 on loan. 147 00:08:32.720 --> 00:08:33.600 You see, I don't. 148 00:08:33.480 --> 00:08:35.879 Really own anything, and by the way, neither do you. 149 00:08:36.159 --> 00:08:39.200 It all belongs to God. It was God's from the beginning, 150 00:08:39.240 --> 00:08:42.840 it'll be God's at the end. You didn't bring anything 151 00:08:42.919 --> 00:08:45.960 into this world. You're not taking anything out of this world. 152 00:08:46.200 --> 00:08:47.360 God just loans it to. 153 00:08:47.360 --> 00:08:48.639 You for about eighty years. 154 00:08:49.639 --> 00:08:52.600 It's all God's and God loaned it to somebody else 155 00:08:52.639 --> 00:08:55.080 in the previous generation, and he's going to loan it 156 00:08:55.080 --> 00:08:57.879 to somebody else in the next generation after you, and 157 00:08:57.960 --> 00:09:00.279 you get to use it for a short period of time. 158 00:09:00.440 --> 00:09:04.159 But everything you have in your life, including your own heartbeat, 159 00:09:04.519 --> 00:09:08.120 is on loan from God. You would have nothing without God. 160 00:09:08.559 --> 00:09:11.879 It's all his and he's giving it to you. So 161 00:09:12.039 --> 00:09:15.120 really we have the role of being a manager. We 162 00:09:15.159 --> 00:09:19.000 are to manage what God has given us. The Bible 163 00:09:19.000 --> 00:09:21.720 says that everything you have is a gift from God, 164 00:09:21.759 --> 00:09:24.600 and you're to manage it. Wisely, God gave you your health, 165 00:09:24.759 --> 00:09:28.000 You're to manage your health. Wisely, God gave you your freedom. 166 00:09:28.120 --> 00:09:31.240 You're to manage your freedom. Wisely, God gave you your mind. 167 00:09:31.559 --> 00:09:34.320 You are to manage your mind wisely. He gave you 168 00:09:34.320 --> 00:09:37.399 your time, You're to manage your time wisely. He gave 169 00:09:37.440 --> 00:09:40.480 you your talents, You're to manage them wisely. He gave 170 00:09:40.559 --> 00:09:44.559 you your money, you are to manage it wisely. What I 171 00:09:44.639 --> 00:09:47.600 think I own is really on loan. 172 00:09:48.159 --> 00:09:48.399 Now. 173 00:09:48.440 --> 00:09:50.799 The word for management in the Bible is the old 174 00:09:50.840 --> 00:09:55.799 English word stewardship. Stewardship is just the old word for management. 175 00:09:56.039 --> 00:09:58.519 Every time you see the word steward in the Bible, 176 00:09:58.879 --> 00:10:02.759 it means manage. That's what it means. A steward is 177 00:10:02.799 --> 00:10:06.200 a manager in Stewardship is management, and the Bible says 178 00:10:06.200 --> 00:10:08.960 that we are to be good stewards of everything. 179 00:10:08.759 --> 00:10:09.639 God has given us. 180 00:10:10.879 --> 00:10:13.679 Now that may not seem like a big deal, but 181 00:10:13.759 --> 00:10:16.279 it certainly changes the way I deal with money when 182 00:10:16.279 --> 00:10:19.519 I realize it's not really mine. It's just on loan 183 00:10:19.600 --> 00:10:21.879 to me, and God is watching how I manage it. 184 00:10:22.919 --> 00:10:25.039 You see, if I want to blow if I think 185 00:10:25.080 --> 00:10:26.799 it's all my money and I want to blow it, 186 00:10:27.000 --> 00:10:29.600 I say, you know, I know this is a frivolous, 187 00:10:29.720 --> 00:10:31.360 trivial thing to blow it on, but I'm going to 188 00:10:31.440 --> 00:10:34.679 spend this money on this, and I just waste it. Well, 189 00:10:34.720 --> 00:10:36.200 I say, so what, it's my money. If I want 190 00:10:36.200 --> 00:10:37.879 to waste it, I waste it. But when I realize 191 00:10:37.919 --> 00:10:42.240 it's really God's money, I'm wasting. That puts it in 192 00:10:42.240 --> 00:10:46.120 a different perspective. It puts it in a different perspective 193 00:10:46.120 --> 00:10:48.519 because the second thing we learned from this story is 194 00:10:48.559 --> 00:10:51.200 that one day I'll give an account to God. You 195 00:10:51.240 --> 00:10:54.440 need to write that down. One day I will give 196 00:10:54.519 --> 00:10:57.559 an account to God. One day God is going to 197 00:10:57.639 --> 00:11:00.639 do an audit on your life. He's going to do 198 00:11:00.679 --> 00:11:03.440 a life audit. You'll stand before God when you die, 199 00:11:03.840 --> 00:11:06.399 and he's going to say, what did you do with 200 00:11:06.480 --> 00:11:08.679 what I gave you? What did you do with the 201 00:11:08.720 --> 00:11:10.799 talent I gave you? What did you do with the 202 00:11:10.840 --> 00:11:13.279 money I allowed you to have? What did you do 203 00:11:13.559 --> 00:11:17.440 with your freedom, with your relationships, with your network, with 204 00:11:17.559 --> 00:11:21.759 your intelligence? What did you do with what you were given? 205 00:11:23.000 --> 00:11:24.879 And one day I'm going to have to give an 206 00:11:24.879 --> 00:11:27.480 account to God on how well I managed what he 207 00:11:27.519 --> 00:11:29.919 allowed me to manage for eighty or one hundred years. 208 00:11:30.919 --> 00:11:33.919 The Bible in Ecclesiastes eleven, verse nine says this, on 209 00:11:33.960 --> 00:11:38.080 the screen, young man, it's wonderful to be young. 210 00:11:38.279 --> 00:11:39.960 How many of you agree with that part. 211 00:11:40.679 --> 00:11:44.759 Yeah, yeah, young man, it's wonderful to be young. Enjoy 212 00:11:44.840 --> 00:11:47.639 every minute of it. Do everything you want to do. 213 00:11:48.480 --> 00:11:50.399 Take it all in. In other words, live it up. 214 00:11:50.600 --> 00:11:53.799 But remember that you will give an account. 215 00:11:53.480 --> 00:11:56.799 To God for everything you do. There's a little butt there. 216 00:11:57.519 --> 00:12:00.200 Go ahead and enjoy, lie, but remember one day you're 217 00:12:00.200 --> 00:12:02.320 going to give an account to God for everything you do. 218 00:12:02.639 --> 00:12:03.879 You know, they used to say. 219 00:12:03.679 --> 00:12:07.559 What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. 220 00:12:07.720 --> 00:12:08.759 That's not true anymore. 221 00:12:08.799 --> 00:12:14.519 What happens in Vegas stays on YouTube. And the truth 222 00:12:14.639 --> 00:12:18.279 is all bad behavior is permanently chronicled on the Internet. 223 00:12:18.320 --> 00:12:22.080 Now you can't hide bad behavior. Now, it's not just 224 00:12:22.159 --> 00:12:24.240 that other people see your bad behavior. 225 00:12:24.840 --> 00:12:25.600 God sees it. 226 00:12:26.240 --> 00:12:28.480 And the Bible says, one day, you're going to give 227 00:12:28.480 --> 00:12:31.320 an account for how you used your time, your money, 228 00:12:31.399 --> 00:12:35.440 your relationships, everything that you've got. The Bible says in 229 00:12:35.519 --> 00:12:38.720 Romans fourteen twelve, Yes, each of us will have to 230 00:12:38.759 --> 00:12:43.000 give a personal account to God. Now that's part of 231 00:12:43.039 --> 00:12:47.360 what this story is about, because in verse two, the 232 00:12:47.679 --> 00:12:50.840 owner comes to the manager and says this, I want 233 00:12:50.919 --> 00:12:53.120 you to give an account of what you've done with 234 00:12:53.200 --> 00:12:55.600 my money. God's going to say that to you. One day, 235 00:12:55.799 --> 00:12:57.720 I want you to give an account of what you've 236 00:12:57.759 --> 00:13:01.840 done with my money. Do Your time as my manager 237 00:13:02.200 --> 00:13:05.440 is ending, and one day your time as a manager 238 00:13:05.720 --> 00:13:08.120 on this planet is going to end, and you're going 239 00:13:08.159 --> 00:13:09.960 to stand before God and he's going to say, what 240 00:13:10.080 --> 00:13:13.440 did you do with what I gave you. Now, this 241 00:13:13.480 --> 00:13:16.919 guy knows he's losing his job. He knows, you know, 242 00:13:16.960 --> 00:13:19.960 the jigs up, I'm I'm going to be out on 243 00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:24.919 the streets. So he hatches a pretty creative plan, a 244 00:13:24.960 --> 00:13:28.639 clever scheme, and it's dishonest, but at least he's got 245 00:13:28.639 --> 00:13:32.679 a plan. And he brings in the masters, his masters, 246 00:13:32.720 --> 00:13:35.519 his bosses, debtors, if people owe them money, and he 247 00:13:35.519 --> 00:13:37.320 says the first guy, how much do you owe? And 248 00:13:37.360 --> 00:13:40.600 he tells him eight hundred, you know, barrels. And he goes, okay, 249 00:13:41.120 --> 00:13:44.200 fifty percent discount. Okay, you now only own four hundred. 250 00:13:44.279 --> 00:13:46.399 Let's don't tell a boss, but I'm just gonna cut 251 00:13:46.480 --> 00:13:48.720 you some slack, right, four hundred dollars, So we just 252 00:13:48.759 --> 00:13:51.240 pretend like you only owe four hundred barrels, not eight hundred. 253 00:13:51.759 --> 00:13:53.720 And the second guy, he says, how much you always 254 00:13:53.720 --> 00:13:55.919 says one thousand bushels a week. He says, okay, twenty 255 00:13:55.960 --> 00:13:59.360 percent discount for you. Let's make it eight hundred. Now, 256 00:13:59.360 --> 00:14:02.759 what he's doing, it's totally unscrupulous because the boss hadn't told. 257 00:14:02.639 --> 00:14:03.159 Me to do this. 258 00:14:03.720 --> 00:14:07.399 But what he's doing is he's making friends for a 259 00:14:07.440 --> 00:14:10.639 long term relationship. He's saying, you know, I'm going to 260 00:14:10.720 --> 00:14:12.759 lose my job, and if I have these friends around 261 00:14:12.840 --> 00:14:16.200 me who owe me one, then they're going to probably 262 00:14:16.200 --> 00:14:17.919 think kindly on me when I'm out of work. Maybe 263 00:14:17.919 --> 00:14:20.360 they'll give me a job, maybe they'll take me into 264 00:14:20.360 --> 00:14:23.080 their home, maybe they'll loan me a little money. And 265 00:14:24.000 --> 00:14:28.600 at least I'm building these relationships as a safety net 266 00:14:28.840 --> 00:14:33.759 for when I'm out on my own. Now again, Jesus 267 00:14:33.840 --> 00:14:37.080 is not commending this guy's dishonesty because what he did 268 00:14:37.200 --> 00:14:40.840 was clearly wrong. But he did do three things right. 269 00:14:41.600 --> 00:14:43.679 And these are the three things that you need to 270 00:14:43.720 --> 00:14:48.279 do with your money when knowing that one day God's 271 00:14:48.320 --> 00:14:50.399 going to hold you accountable for what you did with 272 00:14:50.440 --> 00:14:53.960 what you were given. To manage my money, the third 273 00:14:54.000 --> 00:14:56.600 thing you need to write down is to manage my 274 00:14:56.759 --> 00:14:59.559 money wisely, I must do these three things. Number one, 275 00:14:59.720 --> 00:15:07.080 I'm look ahead. I must look ahead. And in verse three, 276 00:15:07.480 --> 00:15:10.799 the first thing this money manager does is he goes, Okay, 277 00:15:10.919 --> 00:15:13.080 what am I going to do now? Now he's asking 278 00:15:13.120 --> 00:15:17.799 this question before he gets fired. He hasn't gone to 279 00:15:17.879 --> 00:15:21.279 the meeting yet, he hasn't received the pink slip. He's 280 00:15:21.360 --> 00:15:25.200 already three thinking ahead. My master's asked me to come 281 00:15:25.240 --> 00:15:27.240 in and give an account. He's not going to like 282 00:15:27.279 --> 00:15:29.960 what he hears, so he's gonna likely fire me before 283 00:15:30.000 --> 00:15:33.799 he's even fired. He is thinking ahead. That's a good thing. 284 00:15:34.480 --> 00:15:37.000 The Bible says this on the screen Proverbs fourteen. 285 00:15:37.039 --> 00:15:38.200 Read it with me. Verse eight. 286 00:15:38.799 --> 00:15:43.559 The wise man looks ahead. The fool attempts to fool 287 00:15:43.639 --> 00:15:47.720 himself and won't face the facts. He said, it's wise 288 00:15:47.840 --> 00:15:49.080 to look ahead. 289 00:15:48.840 --> 00:15:49.879 In your finances. 290 00:15:50.600 --> 00:15:55.320 It's foolish to just ignore it and to try to 291 00:15:55.360 --> 00:15:59.039 just live for today, and you get into all kinds 292 00:15:59.039 --> 00:15:59.960 of problems. 293 00:16:00.039 --> 00:16:00.240 See. 294 00:16:00.240 --> 00:16:03.279 The number one reason people are in debt is short 295 00:16:03.559 --> 00:16:07.919 term thinking. They're not thinking about next year, they're not 296 00:16:08.000 --> 00:16:10.480 thinking about five years. They're not even thinking about in 297 00:16:10.519 --> 00:16:15.200 five months. They're living for today. The number one cause 298 00:16:15.240 --> 00:16:20.240 of debt is the inability to delay gratification. I gotta 299 00:16:20.320 --> 00:16:22.399 have it, and I gotta have it now, and I 300 00:16:22.440 --> 00:16:24.039 want it now even though I can't afford it, so 301 00:16:24.080 --> 00:16:25.919 I will charge it. I will buy a house I 302 00:16:25.960 --> 00:16:28.120 can't afford. I will buy a TV I can't afford. 303 00:16:28.320 --> 00:16:30.559 I will buy a vacation I can't afford. I want 304 00:16:30.600 --> 00:16:33.159 it because I want it now. It's short term thinking. 305 00:16:33.360 --> 00:16:36.240 It's the opposite of planning head. And the Bible says 306 00:16:36.279 --> 00:16:40.840 plan and not planning ahead is foolish because when you 307 00:16:40.919 --> 00:16:45.960 don't plan ahead, you spend money you don't have. And 308 00:16:46.039 --> 00:16:49.240 one of the principles of life is real simple. You 309 00:16:49.320 --> 00:16:54.879 don't spend what you don't have. Now, this guy, he 310 00:16:55.399 --> 00:16:59.240 knows he's losing his job, and he looks ahead. He says, 311 00:16:59.279 --> 00:17:01.279 what am I going to do? I haven't got fired yet, 312 00:17:01.320 --> 00:17:04.559 but I better think ahead. You need to think ahead, 313 00:17:04.759 --> 00:17:09.240 and thinking ahead means you don't spend what you don't have. Now, 314 00:17:09.240 --> 00:17:10.119 look at that verse again. 315 00:17:10.160 --> 00:17:10.720 On your outline. 316 00:17:10.720 --> 00:17:14.599 Proverb is fourteen eight. The wise man looks ahead. The 317 00:17:14.640 --> 00:17:19.039 fool attempts to fool himself and won't what face facts? 318 00:17:19.039 --> 00:17:22.319 Circle that on your outline won't face facts? 319 00:17:22.640 --> 00:17:24.839 Now, what does that mean? What does it mean? 320 00:17:25.160 --> 00:17:28.440 I won't face facts? Some of you are not facing 321 00:17:28.480 --> 00:17:31.839 the facts about your financial situation. What is that you're 322 00:17:31.880 --> 00:17:34.960 pretending is not a problem, and you keep ignoring it, 323 00:17:35.000 --> 00:17:36.920 and you keep saying, well, it'll get better, but it's not. 324 00:17:37.440 --> 00:17:41.960 Some of you bought a house you cannot afford. You 325 00:17:42.039 --> 00:17:44.680 need to face the fact and you need to sell 326 00:17:44.680 --> 00:17:48.039 the house and buy a smaller one because you're never 327 00:17:48.119 --> 00:17:50.279 gonna get out of debt until you do that. You 328 00:17:50.519 --> 00:17:54.079 over bought a house that you cannot afford. Some of 329 00:17:54.119 --> 00:17:57.759 you are driving a car. You need to turn in 330 00:17:57.839 --> 00:18:01.759 and get a cheaper car, facing the facts, and you 331 00:18:01.799 --> 00:18:04.240 need to stop pretending it's not a problem. You need 332 00:18:04.279 --> 00:18:06.759 to turn the car in and get a cheaper car. 333 00:18:07.079 --> 00:18:10.079 You know, I haven't had a car payment in ten years. 334 00:18:10.799 --> 00:18:15.039 Why because I drive a ten year old Ford and 335 00:18:15.079 --> 00:18:18.319 I paid cash for it ten years ago. Now it 336 00:18:18.480 --> 00:18:21.799 still gets me to the same places just as fast 337 00:18:22.000 --> 00:18:26.200 as if I had a Rolls or Bentley. Now, if 338 00:18:26.200 --> 00:18:29.119 my ego depends that my car is not simply a 339 00:18:29.160 --> 00:18:32.200 means of transportation, but it's for ego status, well then 340 00:18:32.240 --> 00:18:35.559 I need an expensive car. But since my car is 341 00:18:35.559 --> 00:18:38.480 not for ego, my car is for travel. A ten 342 00:18:38.559 --> 00:18:41.559 year old Forward does fine. Just thank you very much. 343 00:18:42.559 --> 00:18:44.960 And I don't need to have ten years of car 344 00:18:45.000 --> 00:18:47.440 payments when you've liked to have gone ten years without 345 00:18:47.440 --> 00:18:52.920 car payments. Well, it's your choice. I'm this watch. I 346 00:18:53.079 --> 00:18:57.079 bought this watch at Walmart. It keeps just as good 347 00:18:57.119 --> 00:19:02.440 times as a Rolex, doesn't make it go faster or slower. 348 00:19:03.200 --> 00:19:05.839 In fact, I like my watch better than Rolex because 349 00:19:05.880 --> 00:19:07.920 if I lost it, I just go buy. 350 00:19:07.799 --> 00:19:08.799 Another one at Walmart. 351 00:19:10.839 --> 00:19:13.119 And so when I have my ten year old Ford 352 00:19:13.319 --> 00:19:16.720 and I pull into Albertson's and somebody dings the dings 353 00:19:16.759 --> 00:19:19.359 the card my card, I go, who cares it's ten 354 00:19:19.440 --> 00:19:23.400 years old? Okay, I'm not worried about it. You know, 355 00:19:23.720 --> 00:19:28.039 my stress level is dramatically down, and so you can 356 00:19:28.160 --> 00:19:31.000 you know, you can save enormous money by not wearing socks. 357 00:19:35.680 --> 00:19:37.839 You may have noticed this lately. I'm saving money by 358 00:19:37.880 --> 00:19:42.880 not getting a haircut. And so if you don't have 359 00:19:42.960 --> 00:19:47.039 to have clothes with a label that says purpose driven, uh, 360 00:19:47.519 --> 00:19:50.240 you know, and you can just buy the same shirt 361 00:19:50.279 --> 00:19:54.119 and it doesn't say needless markup on it, then you 362 00:19:54.240 --> 00:19:56.799 save a whole lot of money. But you have to 363 00:19:56.920 --> 00:19:57.799 look ahead. 364 00:20:04.160 --> 00:20:07.440 Wow, what a great message from Pastor Rick today and 365 00:20:07.799 --> 00:20:10.039 I have some exciting news to share with you. 366 00:20:10.319 --> 00:20:13.319 For just a limited time, you can get the Daily 367 00:20:13.440 --> 00:20:17.640 Hope devotional three hundred sixty five days of Purpose, Peace 368 00:20:17.680 --> 00:20:22.000 and Promise in a beautiful special leatherlook gift edition. This 369 00:20:22.160 --> 00:20:26.240 stunning keepsake volume brings together three hundred and sixty five 370 00:20:26.319 --> 00:20:30.720 of Pastor Rick Warren's most loved devotionals, each design. 371 00:20:30.359 --> 00:20:34.480 To help you start your day with clarity, strength, and hope. 372 00:20:34.519 --> 00:20:37.839 Pastor Rick often says the most important decision you'll make 373 00:20:37.920 --> 00:20:41.400 each day is what you focus on, and this devotional 374 00:20:41.480 --> 00:20:44.640 will help you center your heart on God every day. 375 00:20:44.839 --> 00:20:47.720 You'll find a Bible verse to ground you in God's 376 00:20:47.720 --> 00:20:51.599 Word and a short teaching to help you understand God's truth. 377 00:20:52.039 --> 00:20:55.920 So whether you're seeking deeper peace, stronger faith, or a 378 00:20:55.960 --> 00:21:00.160 renewed sense of direction, this book provides a trusted frame 379 00:21:00.160 --> 00:21:03.279 work to grow spiritually one day at a time. And 380 00:21:03.480 --> 00:21:06.799 because this leather look addition makes such a meaningful and 381 00:21:06.920 --> 00:21:10.440 lasting gift, it's also a powerful way to share God's 382 00:21:10.480 --> 00:21:13.640 love with the people you care about most. Be sure 383 00:21:13.680 --> 00:21:16.720 to request your copy today when you give a gift 384 00:21:16.759 --> 00:21:19.079 to help Daily Hope bring the Word of God to 385 00:21:19.200 --> 00:21:22.880 people all around the world. Just go to pastorick dot 386 00:21:22.920 --> 00:21:26.279 com to get your copy of this great resource. That's 387 00:21:26.400 --> 00:21:29.920 Pastororick dot com. Or you can text the word hope 388 00:21:30.039 --> 00:21:32.160 to seven oh three oh nine. 389 00:21:32.319 --> 00:21:35.640 Again, that's the word hope to seven oh three oh nine. 390 00:21:35.960 --> 00:21:38.519 Be sure to join us next time as we look 391 00:21:38.559 --> 00:21:42.000 into God's Word for our daily hope. This program is 392 00:21:42.039 --> 00:21:46.720 sponsored by Pastor Rick's Daily Hope and your generous financial support.