Rhythms: Galatians 6:6-10

Rhythms: Finances
Dr. Dave Anderson

Galatians 6:6–10 (ESV) — 6 Let the one who is taught the word
share all good things with the one who teaches. 7 Do not be
deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he
also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the
flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from
the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing
good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So
then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and
especially to those who are of the household of faith.

This is part three of our 5-week series called “Rhythms.” So far,
we have examined the anxiety and tension created by trying to
stretch our limited time, energy, and resources across the daily
demands of life. Whether consciously or not, we prioritize
around an Organizing Principle. Each of the major categories of
life (finances, marriage and family, work. etc.) is important, but
everything can’t be number one. Something rules our hearts.
For the next three weeks, we will examine life’s major categories
and how making any of them our Organizing Principle leaves our
lives out of rhythm. Today we’ll talk about money.

WATCH—This clip from today’s message:

QUESTION— Can money buy happiness?

READ— 1 Timothy 6:6-12 and Matthew 13:22

QUESTION— How many truths about money can you find in
the above verses?

READ— Galatians 6:6

QUESTION— How much money should a person give to the
ministry?

QUESTION— What does “sharing all good things” mean to
you?

READ— Galatians 6:7-8

QUESTION— In what ways do we mock God?

QUESTION— Robert Lewis Stephenson wrote, “Sooner or later,
each of us sits down to a banquet of consequences.” What do you
think he meant?

QUESTION— Consequences can be good or bad. When did
you make good and bad choices, and what was the result? Give
the group examples of each from your life.

QUESTION— Some people use these verses to promote the
prosperity principle “You can’t out-give God.” Is this principle
true?

READ— Galatians 6:9-10

QUESTION— According to these verses, is there a condition to
reap good results from our efforts?

QUESTION— Does the phrase “as we have opportunity” mean
‘while we are still able’ or ‘when we have the time’?
Dig Deeper: Dave’s Four Spiritual Laws of Finances

QUESTION— Read Dr. Anderson’s article below. Which topic
resonates with you the most? Which is the most challenging? If
you have a life story, please share it with the group.

Let me share with you what I believe are the Four Spiritual Laws
of Finances:
1. Give by Faith. Proverbs 3:9 says, “Honor the Lord with your
possessions, and with the first fruits of all your increase.”
When we give the first fruits, we give by faith. After all, we
don’t know the future. So to give off the top is to tell the
Lord that our gifts are an expression of our faith in Him to
meet all our future needs. If we give by sight, we are saying,
“Lord, I’m not sure we will have enough to make it to the
next paycheck, but we’ll see. If we make it, we will give to
you from the leftovers.” Surprising how often we don’t have
anything left over when we give by sight rather than by faith
(see Mal 3:7-12, where the “devourer” is an insect sent by
God to eat up the crops of those who did not bring him the
whole tithe, the first fruits).
2. Borrow by Sight. Proverbs 22:7 reads, “The rich rules over
the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.” If you
cannot see where the money is available to pay off a loan in
time of emergency, better not borrow lest you become a
slave to that loan or lender. If you have liquid assets to pay
off a loan, no problem. Or if you have enough equity in a
piece of property that you could pay off a mortgage against it
in a “fire sale,” no problem. But if you don’t, watch out.
Even in business, this can be a problem. The banking crisis
of 2008 was caused by creative leveraging through Credit
Default Swaps and fraudulent triple-A ratings of B- mortgage
packages. On a personal level, I had two friends in real
estate in the eighties in the same city. One leveraged to the
hilt and made tens of millions. The other made it a point not
to borrow more than he had cash to pay off. He did well but
only made a tenth of the other fellow's money. When the
S&L crisis of the late eighties and early nineties hit, the first
guy lost everything. He lived in a mansion but was mowing
his own grass. The second guy just kept on trucking. He
couldn’t lose his properties because he did not owe
anything.
3. Save by Faith. Proverbs 6:6-12 tells us to learn from the ant.
No one has to tell the ant to provide for a cold winter during
the summer. Save some from the harvest for a time when
there is no reaping. By faith, we are to save for a future we
don’t know will come. James 4:13-14 teaches us not to get
consumed by overconfidence in a future we don’t know will
be there. But planning for a future when we cannot work or
harvest is wise. Just don’t let your savings become hoarding
like the rich man in Luke 12:15-21. He was rich on earth but
poor in heaven.
4. Spend by Sight. If you can’t see it, don’t spend it. I’ll never
forget when my first son came home from college with a
wallet full of credit cards. “Where did you get those, son?”
In the mail. The credit card companies knew college kids
couldn’t resist credit cards. I knew more than one college
kid who had to drop out because of gambling debts run up
through credit cards. If you can’t see it, don’t spend it.

Yes, there is a connection between our money and
happiness. When our money becomes seeds we sow for eternal
purposes, it turns into showers of blessings that bring us joy,
peace, and happiness, a greater quality of life than hoarding a
million or a billion could ever do.