11/18 Sermon on Wisdom, Part 4

Last Sunday at The Family Church here in Gainesville, senior pastor Philip Griffin continued his ongoing series about wisdom, focusing on the book of Proverbs.  This message, titled Handling Money God's Way, examined how people can get sidetracked with their attitudes toward money and how God intends for us to manage it.  The scripture references, which you can read through Bible Gateway are Proverbs 3:9-10, 11:25, 11:28,  21:5, 21:20, 22:7, and 23:4-5...yes, there are an awful lot of passages about money in this book of wisdom...

So how does one handle money God's way?  Pastor Philip structured his answer around six points: live by a spending plan, save for the future, avoid the debt, put God first in my finances, trust in God, not money, and don't expect money to make me happy.  Philip started out by noting that even those of us in the United States who have a relatively low income would be considered very wealthy measured on a worldwide scale...I'd only qualify that claim by noting that in other places the costs of living are often also much lower.  Regarding spending plans, many are encouraged in our consumer society to buy on impulse...but as our pastor noted, this will lead to poverty.  Better to be more careful and systematic about where we put our money.  Statistically Americans, as Pastor Philip continued, compared with other countries, save very little or nothing...most are only two paychecks away from being homeless.  But God wants us to gather money and set it aside little by little.  With debt, the borrow is a slave to the lender...it also stands as an obstacle to giving as well as being a major stressor in relationships.  And with giving, Philip noted, God does not need our money, but rather it is us who, by our giving, rightfully put him above everything else.  Trusting in anything more than God is making that thing our god...and with many, money is their god.  And happiness is not a goal, but rather a natural by-product of trusting in God's provision and living to glorify him...seeking happiness in itself is a fruitless venture...

You can watch Pastor Philip's message through the church's YouTube video website...just click on the following link: [TFC Videos].  The Family Church meets each Sunday morning at 9 and 10:30 and is located at 2022 SW 122nd Street.  Each service features the sermon, praise and worship music, and prayer and fellowship.  I'm looking forward to this Sunday...