Gaurdrails - Money Matters

Have you ever wondered what your life would look like if you were never influenced by what other people have. Meaning, what would you own, if you didn't know what others owned. I wonder how much money I would have saved if I didn't spend based on what other people spent their money on, and listen, how much money I would have given away to help others if I didn't spend it on trying to keep up with everybody else.

Here is the problem for you and for me, I know too much about what others have that I don’t have. And you know this, is that this information can make us dangerously discontent. This information can lure us towards the edge of financial destruction, it lures us to regret, it lures us to wish we could sell things for half the price we bought it for. If we are not careful, making personal financial decisions, based on what others have that I don’t have, or that you don’t have, will lead you into a ditch. That is why starting at a young age I want to help you place up Guardrails when it comes to your money and personal finances. So what is a Guardrail, some of you might have this memorized by now.

A guardrail is “A system designed to keep vehicles from straying into dangerous or off-limit areas.”  As we have learned and you should know this by now Guardrails are never placed in the danger they are placed in the what? Safety Zone. Guardrails are designed to minimize damage and to direct us and protect us. However the highway isn't the only place we need Guardrails, we need them in our life. When we are talking about Guardrails we are talking about “personal standards of behavior.” That is rooted in one single question, and that question then helps us when we begin to drift, when I start getting close to a guardrail it helps me get back on track does anyone know what that one question is? “In light of my past experiences, the current circumstances and my future hopes and dreams, what is the wise thing to do.”

So today we are going to talk about Financial Guardrails. Here is the reality we are going to look at things that Jesus has said and if you are a Christian, it is too late for you to back off, Jesus has authority over you, however, most Christian’s don’t even do what I am about to explain to you, but maybe you do. When it comes to following Jesus our answer comes before his question. Let me explain, our answer to Jesus is Yes…now what is it that you would like me to do? Our answer to Jesus goes before any question he asks and that answer should always be Yes…now what is it that you would like me to do?

Here is a quick question for you, maybe as you get older your understand this but I want you to get this now…when people come to the church and ask for counseling, advice or need help. Do you know the top two most common reasons are? Sex and money. These are the two topics people ruin their lives by not looking into the teaching of Jesus and his apostles and then doing what they actually said. If people just did what Jesus taught regret would be extinct. But here is the problem, for most people, not you, for most people they only learn the lesson after the experience. But for you, I want you to learn from others experiences, and what Jesus taught so that you don’t have to experience the regret.

When I say financial Guardrails I’m not talking about staying out of debt, there are other people who can do that. Making smart decisions about student loans isn't what I am talking about though you should make wise decisions on student loans. But this is what I know, you can be debt free, how a bunch of money in the bank account and still be in a ditch financially. I’ve seen it, I’ve experienced it. You could be golden financially but according to Jesus you could still be in a ditch. Because for Jesus it isn't about the money, thats where people get confused that the church is all about money, no it isn't or no it shouldn’t be. It goes far beyond that, just as Jesus will show us, its about what God wants for you.

No one can serve two masters - Matt 6:24 - We do not live in a culture where we serve masters, so you might think that this doesn’t apply to you. But this is the wisdom of Jesus he goes on to say, “Either you will hate the one and love the towers, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” Now the original Greek work for master does not mean boss, this means someone who owned someone else. That is you can’t have two owners, you can only have one owner. I can only have one spouse, unless your momron, but you can only have one spouse. One owner is what Jesus is saying. You might think thats awesome, but nobody owns me. But look at what Jesus says, You cannot serve both God and Money.

That for Jesus the primary issue regarding money isn't the money, its mastery, control or ownership. So a primary question we have to ask ourselves that Jesus is asking, Do we have money or does money have us? Do you own it, or does it own us. Do we possess and use it or does it possess and use us. And the reason Jesus followers need financial Guardrails is because money and stuff is the chief competitor for your heart and for my heart. Money and what money promises is the number one competitors for ownership of my heart over God. You may be good with your money, no debt, but without Guardrails financially you will do two things, you will either get into a ditch with consumerism, or crash into the wall or hoarding.

One is all desire, consume consume consume, new new new, upgrade upgrade upgrade. The other is fear, what if I don’t have enough. And the root cause for both of these is the same thing, Greed. Greed is the assumption it's all for my consumption. We think of greedy people as billionaires who have all the money. We never think being greedy is about us, it is always about someone else who has…more. But greed is the assumption that if its in my hand its for me, if its in my bank account its for me, if its in my room it is for me. It is an assumption that its all fo my consumption. And if we choose to give out of the kindness of our heart to someone else what we think is ours…well God you better be watching to see how generous I am.

When you live this way, you are living as if there is no God, as if all there is to this life is this life. You are living like Solomon said, “If all of this life is this life, you might as well as eat, drink and be marry and go and die.”  Basically, who cares what people think because you are gone. But according to Jesus there is more to life than this life. Since that is true you cannot live your life in consumption or hoarding. If we don’t not have financial Guardrails, we live as if there is no God, and if there is a God he is not invited into my money.

But have you ever noticed what people do when they hit a financial crisis…what do they do? They pray, and only after the crisis, do they invite God in. They are saying, “God I chose the wrong master” If you think that you would pray to invite God into your finances when there is a problem, why wouldn’t you invite him in to be the master now. So what is the guardrail against greed?

This is how most people live their life and view their finances. Mastered by Money: 1: Live 2: Save 3: Give. Me first, me second, everyone else third. When you live this way you are mastered because you are living as if there is nothing more in this life than this life. You are living as if there is no tomorrow. But Jesus tells if we are going to live this life being mastered by him, this is how you will master your Money. 1: Give 2: Save 3: Live. You do this and you will understand how you can master your money. You will thank me later.

Here is the thing I’ve taught this for years and it is something that we instill in our kids. That whenever you get money, you might say, Cam I don’t have a job. Ok cool, when ever grandma gives you money, birthday money, christmas money, chores money, whatever it is however you receive it this is the order in which Jesus tells us to give. It’s not just when you get a job, its with every dollar God gives you to steward. This is how it is broken up,

Give = 10% Save = 10% Live = 80% - Why give 10% well God tells us that he expects us to return the tithe back to the church. To support the mission of the Gospel but listen it isn't about the money, its about two things, 1: Not being mastered by money. 2: Being obedient to God. And when you give first, you are saying God I trust you with the 90% as you have given me all of it already.

Save 10% - Why save becasue we don’t live like there is no tomorrow. If wisdom is knowing our past impacts out present and our present impacts our future, then we should put money aside so that we have something to fall back onto if financial trouble hits. It better yet, when there is a great cause to give more too, you have saved up to give more. If you save now you are setting the future you up for success and the future you will be thankful for the past you.

Live 80% - God is saying you have 80% to live on, go see the movie, get DoorDash, pay your bills, go on the date, get the extra candy whatever you want do it. You know what this automatically does living on 80% it keeps you living within your means. We talked at the very beginning the the reason why we constantly find ourselves in financial ruin is beucase we know what others have, and we want what they have. But living off of 80% keeps you within your means, keeps you form overspending, keeps you from trying to get what everyone else has now. And when you save, you can get whatever you want later.

I’m telling you I have basically been living this way since I was 16 years old. There were seasons I’d didn't give, didn't save, hear me, and those were the seasons in my life that I was in financial distress. It is as if God was showing me first hand how not to do it.

So here is the question, Will you be mastered by money, or will you be the master of your money? The choice is yours.