Habits, 30 March 2025
30 03 25 Filed in: Sermons | Master Your Money
Habits: Five Biblical Principles
Kirk Schneemann
College First Church of God
Master Your Money
March 30, 2025
Luke 12:16-21
Series Big Idea: We can find freedom in our finances through God’s Word.
Sermon Big Idea: Our habits create our lives, for better or worse.
Habits. They create our lives, for better or worse. What are some of your good habits? What are some of your not-so-good habits?
The word habit derives from the Latin words habere, which means "have, consist of," and habitus, which means "condition, or state of being” so it makes sense that author James Clear in his bestselling book Atomic Habits declared, “You are your habits.”
Today’s we’re finishing our series Master Your Money. We began by saying there is hope for your finances, no matter your current reality. Then we talked about the heart and how our behavior follows belief. In week three, we talked about financial health and the things we can do with money. Today we’re looking at habits and five biblical principles that will help us shape our future.
There are five biblical money management habits:
Spend less than you earn
Give generously.
Avoid the use of debt.
Plan for financial margin.
Set long-term goals.
Two weeks ago, we talked about live, give, grow, and owe. I want to revisit it and look at how they can lead us to financial freedom. After all, we can find freedom in our finances through God’s Word, which includes more than 2000 verses on money and possessions. We need to develop good habits in our lives to Master our Money.
To review, the live principle is spend less than you earn. God owns it all. We are His stewards. We begin with a budget. Many believe a budget restricts freedom, but it actually creates it. If you’re in debt, this is especially important since you don’t want to go further in debt, which will always occur if you spend more than you earn. Simple.
We begin by giving generously. Many give their leftovers, spare change, whatever they have at the end of the month. I suppose that’s fine when it comes to Girl Scout cookies or supporting a child’s field trip, but I’m talking about biblical generosity. The Old Testament principle was the tithe, 10%, which is a good place to start.
I realize for those of you not used to giving, ten percent might seem like a lot. Start with 5%. Maybe you need to start with 1% but start giving. Even if you don’t think you can afford it, take God at His word.
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. (Malachi 3:10)
It can be scary to trust God, but He never fails. You can’t out give God. I’m not asking you to take a leap of faith, but a step of faith. Once you start giving and move to percentage giving, level 3 is sacrificial giving.
Let me say again this is not a fundraising pitch. We’re not in a capital campaign and our bills are being paid thanks to the generosity of many of you. This is about you taking a faith-filled risk and seeing how God responds.
Owe obviously speaks to debt. Ideally, avoid it at all costs…because there are costs associated with debt, and they are high.
I read recently our nation’s debt is more than $36 trillion and the interest we are paying on that debt…for fiscal year 2023 our government’s interest expenses totaled almost $900 billion! What do have to show for nearly a trillion dollars? Nothing!
I know your debt’s not that high, but many of you are paying a fortune in debt expenses. If that’s you, logically pay down the debts with the highest interest rates…usually credit cards. Repay other debts next and repay your mortgage last, if you have one. There are tax reasons for this, and the rate is usually lower than other loans.
Grow is about maintaining margin, saving for emergencies and then God-given goals. Rainy days will come…I promise! If you don’t have an emergency fund, you will someday have a financial emergency! Proverbs 30 says to pray for daily bread, but elsewhere in Proverbs 6 we’re advised to set aside some money for the future. Plus, investments can generate income through interest, dividends, and appreciation.
Be sure you know the condition of your flocks,
give careful attention to your herds;
24 for riches do not endure forever,
and a crown is not secure for all generations.
25 When the hay is removed and new growth appears
and the grass from the hills is gathered in,
26 the lambs will provide you with clothing,
and the goats with the price of a field.
27 You will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed your family
and to nourish your female servants. (Proverbs 27:23-27)
Pay attention. Plan. Save. Things break!
On the other extreme of debt, tragically, many hoard money. Some of you don’t have months of living expenses saved up, you have years or even decades of wealth…for what?
And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ (Luke 12:16-17)
“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’ (Luke 12:18-19)
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ (Luke 12:20)
“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:21)
How much is enough? You can’t take it with you! “You can’t take it with you—but you can send it on ahead.” – Randy Alcorn
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. (1 Timothy 6:17-19)
I must admit it can be challenging to know how much is enough. What about investments? What about leaving an inheritance? Is it wrong to have money? No, but it is a sin if your money has you!
Several years ago, I was at the National Pastor’s Convention in San Diego. The late Tony Campolo was doing a Q&A and a gutsy person asked how he could talk about serving the poor while staying in a nice hotel. I was on the edge of my seat! I’ve felt guilty for buying things like another pair of shoes when there are people who walk barefoot. Heather and I own two cars while many have only a bicycle. Tony replied by quoting the ancient wisdom of Solomon:
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build, (Ecclesiastes 3:1-3)
Campolo said something like, “There is a time to be with the poor and a time to be with the rich, a time to suffer and a time to enjoy comfort.
What an answer! My paraphrase is don’t feel guilty, but be grateful and generous.
Part of that generosity may be with your wisdom. Some of you need help with your finances. Some of you are able to help. I would love for you to let me or the office know if you need help or are able to help. We’re working on several projects over the next several months to help those of you in trouble get the help you need.
As I said in week one, virtually every one of us is rich…compared to the rest of the world. How will we steward and use the gifts we’ve been given for God’s glory?
So What?
When we had children in the house, we taught them the 10/10/80 principle. Give 10, save 10, and the rest is yours. At some point, that 80 may become far more than you need and you can increase your giving.
I’ve long appreciated the words of John Wesley:
It all begins with our heart. Do we really believe God owns it all? Do we trust Him to provide our daily bread? Have we experienced Jesus’ declaration that it’s better to give than to receive? Are you content? Faith-filled? Wise?
Look at your habits. What’s your next step in your relationship with God…and money?
Kirk Schneemann
College First Church of God
Master Your Money
March 30, 2025
Luke 12:16-21
Series Big Idea: We can find freedom in our finances through God’s Word.
Sermon Big Idea: Our habits create our lives, for better or worse.
Habits. They create our lives, for better or worse. What are some of your good habits? What are some of your not-so-good habits?
The word habit derives from the Latin words habere, which means "have, consist of," and habitus, which means "condition, or state of being” so it makes sense that author James Clear in his bestselling book Atomic Habits declared, “You are your habits.”
Today’s we’re finishing our series Master Your Money. We began by saying there is hope for your finances, no matter your current reality. Then we talked about the heart and how our behavior follows belief. In week three, we talked about financial health and the things we can do with money. Today we’re looking at habits and five biblical principles that will help us shape our future.
There are five biblical money management habits:
Spend less than you earn
Give generously.
Avoid the use of debt.
Plan for financial margin.
Set long-term goals.
Two weeks ago, we talked about live, give, grow, and owe. I want to revisit it and look at how they can lead us to financial freedom. After all, we can find freedom in our finances through God’s Word, which includes more than 2000 verses on money and possessions. We need to develop good habits in our lives to Master our Money.
To review, the live principle is spend less than you earn. God owns it all. We are His stewards. We begin with a budget. Many believe a budget restricts freedom, but it actually creates it. If you’re in debt, this is especially important since you don’t want to go further in debt, which will always occur if you spend more than you earn. Simple.
We begin by giving generously. Many give their leftovers, spare change, whatever they have at the end of the month. I suppose that’s fine when it comes to Girl Scout cookies or supporting a child’s field trip, but I’m talking about biblical generosity. The Old Testament principle was the tithe, 10%, which is a good place to start.
I realize for those of you not used to giving, ten percent might seem like a lot. Start with 5%. Maybe you need to start with 1% but start giving. Even if you don’t think you can afford it, take God at His word.
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. (Malachi 3:10)
It can be scary to trust God, but He never fails. You can’t out give God. I’m not asking you to take a leap of faith, but a step of faith. Once you start giving and move to percentage giving, level 3 is sacrificial giving.
Let me say again this is not a fundraising pitch. We’re not in a capital campaign and our bills are being paid thanks to the generosity of many of you. This is about you taking a faith-filled risk and seeing how God responds.
Owe obviously speaks to debt. Ideally, avoid it at all costs…because there are costs associated with debt, and they are high.
I read recently our nation’s debt is more than $36 trillion and the interest we are paying on that debt…for fiscal year 2023 our government’s interest expenses totaled almost $900 billion! What do have to show for nearly a trillion dollars? Nothing!
I know your debt’s not that high, but many of you are paying a fortune in debt expenses. If that’s you, logically pay down the debts with the highest interest rates…usually credit cards. Repay other debts next and repay your mortgage last, if you have one. There are tax reasons for this, and the rate is usually lower than other loans.
Grow is about maintaining margin, saving for emergencies and then God-given goals. Rainy days will come…I promise! If you don’t have an emergency fund, you will someday have a financial emergency! Proverbs 30 says to pray for daily bread, but elsewhere in Proverbs 6 we’re advised to set aside some money for the future. Plus, investments can generate income through interest, dividends, and appreciation.
Be sure you know the condition of your flocks,
give careful attention to your herds;
24 for riches do not endure forever,
and a crown is not secure for all generations.
25 When the hay is removed and new growth appears
and the grass from the hills is gathered in,
26 the lambs will provide you with clothing,
and the goats with the price of a field.
27 You will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed your family
and to nourish your female servants. (Proverbs 27:23-27)
Pay attention. Plan. Save. Things break!
On the other extreme of debt, tragically, many hoard money. Some of you don’t have months of living expenses saved up, you have years or even decades of wealth…for what?
And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ (Luke 12:16-17)
“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’ (Luke 12:18-19)
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ (Luke 12:20)
“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:21)
How much is enough? You can’t take it with you! “You can’t take it with you—but you can send it on ahead.” – Randy Alcorn
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. (1 Timothy 6:17-19)
I must admit it can be challenging to know how much is enough. What about investments? What about leaving an inheritance? Is it wrong to have money? No, but it is a sin if your money has you!
Several years ago, I was at the National Pastor’s Convention in San Diego. The late Tony Campolo was doing a Q&A and a gutsy person asked how he could talk about serving the poor while staying in a nice hotel. I was on the edge of my seat! I’ve felt guilty for buying things like another pair of shoes when there are people who walk barefoot. Heather and I own two cars while many have only a bicycle. Tony replied by quoting the ancient wisdom of Solomon:
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build, (Ecclesiastes 3:1-3)
Campolo said something like, “There is a time to be with the poor and a time to be with the rich, a time to suffer and a time to enjoy comfort.
What an answer! My paraphrase is don’t feel guilty, but be grateful and generous.
Part of that generosity may be with your wisdom. Some of you need help with your finances. Some of you are able to help. I would love for you to let me or the office know if you need help or are able to help. We’re working on several projects over the next several months to help those of you in trouble get the help you need.
As I said in week one, virtually every one of us is rich…compared to the rest of the world. How will we steward and use the gifts we’ve been given for God’s glory?
So What?
When we had children in the house, we taught them the 10/10/80 principle. Give 10, save 10, and the rest is yours. At some point, that 80 may become far more than you need and you can increase your giving.
I’ve long appreciated the words of John Wesley:
- Gain all you can – through honest and ethical means.
- Save all you can – by living frugally and avoiding waste.
- Give all you can – by using wealth to help others and do good.
It all begins with our heart. Do we really believe God owns it all? Do we trust Him to provide our daily bread? Have we experienced Jesus’ declaration that it’s better to give than to receive? Are you content? Faith-filled? Wise?
Look at your habits. What’s your next step in your relationship with God…and money?