Your needs will be met.

written by one of our partners in ministry at FBC, Dr. Dick Ivey

Malachi 3:10

Even as this Old Testament post-exilic prophet began to explore how the presence and protection of God might be restored to His people, he recognized that there was a cause and effect relationship between how our gratitude gets expressed to God and His provision for us.

Remembering that these were still primitive people and that God had not yet introduced the concept of proportional giving to His people, He simply reminded Israel that if they were generous with Him, He would literally open the windows of heaven and pour out more blessings than they could imagine.

I wish I had the attribution for this story (it may have been Charles H. Spurgeon or perhaps Peter Marshall who told this story) but it fits here.

In discussion with a very rich man, the rich man said he made too much money and had too many responsibilities to give more than a “tip” to God. The author of this story told the man that if could not bring himself to give in proportion to his earnings, perhaps God could reduce his income to the level that his giving represented.

Surely the principle of giving at least at the level of the primitive people to whom God first gave the command is not too much to ask.

Remember I asked you to look at your tax returns to see what percentage of your income you were giving? I encourage you to do these things as a place to start:

• Decide to give based on your GROSS and not your NET income

Regardless of what percentage of your income you are giving today, if it is less than the tithe, consider moving up some percentage NOW. If you are a 3%-er today, consider moving up to 4-5% if you cannot trust the promise of God fully today. Then at least annually, continue to increase your giving until you get to the minimum level of proportional giving that God asked of his first people

My Eternal 401k

written by one of our partners in ministry at FBC, Dr. Dick Ivey

We began this study last week with a short course in investment and planning strategies. Highlighted was the 80-10-10 rule or perhaps more accurately said, the 10-10-80 rule. That is, give 10% of what you make, save 10% of what you make (using some of the strategies we talked about in last week’s DD) and learning to live within your means (or below your means) on 80% of what you earn.

I reminded you of the mantra with which I grew up: Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without. For those of you who either grew up in or whose parents grew up in The Great Depression, you have probably experienced the largesse of over abundance that our parents gave us. They made certain that their children did not have to suffer the indignities of poverty they experienced…sometimes robbing their children of the struggles necessary to ensure success.

That calls to mind a story I may have told you about my backyard “camping” experience as a 10 year old boy. If I told it to you before, well here it is again…

My buddy and I were sleeping out in the backyard in West Texas one evening and awoke to see five cocoons wiggling on a branch over our heads. The first four produced those big brown moths with dark brown spots on their wings making them look like the eyes of something big and ferocious. God gave them that a deterrent to predators who were scared away fearing those “eyes” belonged to an even larger predator. The fifth and smallest moth was having lots of trouble getting out of the cocoon, so I asked my buddy to sit on one end of my army surplus cot to hold it down while I stood on the other end. I took my trusty Old Timer’s pocketknife and held gently to the small end of the cocoon and began to slit a small opening in the side of the cocoon. Surely enough, it helped the moth emerge from it’s sheath. It struggled and struggled to get on the top of the branch to dry its wings only to shudder, falter and die, falling to the ground.

I was a grown man before I learned that the moth and butterfly develop their respiratory and circulatory systems during the struggles they go through in extricating themselves from the cocoon. When I “helped” the tiny moth, I killed it.

So we raised a generation of people who have not had to struggle for what they have. This entitlement mentality has lowered the sense of need to give back that characterized our parents’ lives.

The life of R. G. Letourneau is the exact opposite of that tale.

(Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._G._LeTourneau)

Robert Gilmour LeTourneau (November 30, 1888 – June 1, 1969), was born in Richford, Vermont, and was a prolific inventor of earthmoving machinery. His machines represented nearly 70 percent of the earthmoving equipment and engineering vehicles used during World War II, and over the course of his life he secured nearly 300 patents. With the help of his wife, the late Evelyn Peterson (1900-1987), he founded LeTourneau University, a private, Christian institution, in Longview, Texas. LeTourneau was widely known as a devoted Christian and generous philanthropist to Christian causes, including the “LeTourneau Christian Center” camp and conference grounds in Rushville, New York.^[1] LeTourneau was often referred to by his contemporaries as “God’s businessman”.

During his lifetime, he decided to move from simple giving back to Christian causes until he came to give away 90% of what he earned and he and Evelyn lived on 10% of what he earned. He took seriously the commands that Malachi wrote about and that we are going to explore this week.

So the week begins with introspection on your part. What part of your income do you devote to giving back to God because of His unprecedented abundance to you? I’ll wait while you go check your tax return.

A little about Malachi before we get into the text for the week. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malachi)

Opinions vary as to the prophet’s exact date, but nearly all scholars agree that Malachi prophesied during the Persian period, and after the reconstruction and dedication of the second temple in 516 BC (compare Malachi 1:10 ; Malachi 3:1, Malachi 3:10). The prophet speaks of the “people’s governor” (Hebrew “pechah”, Malachi 1:8), as do Haggai and Nehemiah (Haggai 1:1 ; Nehemiah 5:14 ; Nehemiah 12:26). The social conditions portrayed are unquestionably those also of the period of the Restoration. More specifically, Malachi probably lived and labored during the times of Ezra and Nehemiah. The abuses that Malachi mentions in his writings correspond so exactly with those which Nehemiah found on his 2nd visit to Jerusalem in 432 BC (Nehemiah 13:7) that it seems reasonably certain that he prophesied shortly before that date, i.e. between 445 and 432 BC.

Shortly after Malachi wrote, there was no prophet in Israel for nearly 500 years. Significant is a study of what happened when the second Temple was dedicated. I urge you to go research this yourself, and when you do, compare how the presence of God was shown in the Tabernacle and the first Temple dedication. See specifically, Ezekiel 10-11.

Reading between the lines, you can hear the desperate plea from the prophet to see what could be done to get the presence of God to return to His people. Could it be that the withholding of tithes was what caused the covenant between Israel and God to be broken? (Sometime in the future you will hear a treatise from me on where the Israelites went astray from the “with us” God of the Old and New Covenants.)

⁶ “I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob are not destroyed.⁷ Ever since the time of your ancestors, you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty. But you ask, “How are we to return?”⁸ “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.” “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’” “In tithes and offerings.”⁹ “You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me.”¹⁰ “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.”¹¹ “I will prevent pests from devouring your crops and the vines of your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty.^{12 “}Then all the nations will call you blessed for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord almighty. Malachi 3:6-12

Tithing was a part of the original Levitical law.

written by one of our partners in ministry at FBC, Dr. Dick Ivey

Sometimes it is hard for us to remember that when God first called Israel to Himself as the chosen ones through whom redemption was to come to the human race, they were very primitive people. We often make mistakes when we try to read the Bible backwards, assuming that the early Israelites had the same understanding that we do today.

The tithe was simply a standard by which the people were to express their gratitude to God for all His wonderful works to them. How could those who were rescued from Egypt, had waters parted at the Red Sea, received manna and quail in the wilderness, were being led by pillars of cloud and fire NOT be grateful enough to give a small portion of their output back to God.

Remember that God did not and does not NEED our or their “tithes” to get His work done. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills and the wealth of every land.

This was simply His way of reminding His first people to be grateful for all He had done for them.

It was never intended to be the stopping point. By the time Jesus came, this principle of gratitude had been perverted to such an extent that the notion was that all you needed to do to be a “5-Star” believer was to count out your seeds of grain, your olive crop, your grapes and wine production, and your animals and give one in ten to the priests. The concept of gratitude got washed away in the legalism of “buying” God’s favor.

Nothing could be further from the truth, as we will see this week.

Review the principles of eternal investing as you close out this week and plan your giving for eternal causes this year.

written by one of our partners in ministry at FBC, Dr. Dick Ivey

• Investigate before you invest. Open your heart to investigate what God’s Word has to teach you about eternal rewards. We’ve done some of that this week and will do more in coming weeks.
• Ask yourself Who you are serving Eternal investing is dependent on Whom you are serving. We are either serving ourselves or serving God with our resources. We can tell whom we are serving by examining where we are investing our resources. This has nothing to do with meeting our monthly needs, but that is where we ask ourselves honestly this question, “What do we really need and what do we want?” What goes beyond our need to excess? I grew up with the premise that we were to “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.” In our early years, it was a fiscal necessity, but today when we have more, it is a principle to live by. Give yourself and your stuff away.
• Commit to patience that eternal investing requires. Sometimes I give to street people, because I know that but for God’s grace, there go I. They may not use the gifts for worthy purposes, but my job is not to judge their behaviors, but to be faithful in what I can do. I may not always see the results of what I invest in Kingdom causes, my church, my neighbors…but I must trust that if I am faithful in giving what I have, God will multiply and make fruitful my generosity.
• Make an eternal investment plan. Just like your earthly financial advisor will help you craft a risk profile for your earthly and depreciable assets, so you must earnestly seek God’s face for how you will give. I love the 80-10-10 rule as a place to start…or perhaps it should be stated as the 10-10-80 rule. Give away 10% of what you earn. Save 10% of what you earn. Learn to live on 80% of what you earn.
• Check your vision. Eternal investing is dependent on the health of your vision.   Are you looking at earthly things or are your eyes set on eternity? This sermon series will be a good eye exam for all of us. Will you let God check your vision through this series?

Eternal investing or lack thereof is dependent on the spiritual condition of your heart.

One of the questions I used to use when interviewing prospective employees was this.

If you tell me about your vocation, I’ll know how you have made a living, but if you tell me about your avocation, I’ll know what you are passionate about. Tell me about your avocation?

It was always enlightening to me to find out what the life goals and passions were in prospective employees. How about taking a minute or two to reflect today on your avocation. What are you passionate about? Where do you invest your time and money and talents and influence? How many of those are for eternal causes?

Remember that Jesus did not say that where your heart is will be where you put your treasure…NO, He said, for where your TREASURE is, there will your HEART be also. So, I ask you again, where are your treasures and heart intersecting? Are they causes who reflect Kingdom purposes?

For the Gorgeous Redhead and me, it’s all about creating and coaching strong and healthy marriages and in random acts of kindness where we can invest our time and talents and financial resources.

How about you?

written by one of our partners in ministry at FBC, Dr. Dick Ivey

Earthly investing is subject to risk whereas eternal investing is always secure

Paul speaks about the fact that there is no other way into God’s forever family apart from faith in Jesus…but he does remind us that there are substantial rewards waiting on those of us make eternal investments:

¹¹ For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.¹² Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. ¹³ But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. ¹⁴ If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. ¹⁵ But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames. I Corinthians 3:11-15

Did you get that? You can get to eternity with faith in Jesus’ death on the cross for you and His resurrection, but your heavenly net worth is going to be determined by how well you invest in things that last. I don’t want to go to heaven by the skin of my teeth with my pants and hair on fire…Do you?

Earthly investing is subject to depreciation whereas eternal investing always appreciates

¹⁹“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, ²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. v. 19-20.

Jesus never told you to ignore taking care of your family on this side of heaven, but He did say that you must not do that to the exclusion of that which lasts eternally. This scripture come to mind for today:

⁷ O God, I beg two favors from you; let me have them before I die.
⁸ First, help me never to tell a lie.  Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs.
⁹ For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name. Proverbs 30:7-9

It rings of Jesus’ command to store up treasures in heaven. I pray this passage as a prayer most days.

Invest for the long term…the eternal long term.

Jesus told his guys to make sure they knew where their greatest investments should be stored. Since they could not send a Denarius of a Farthing to heaven in advance, there had to be a different way for them to make eternal investments. He said to some fishermen one day, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” Matthew 4:19.

These guys left their livelihood and followed Jesus in ministry. God may not call you to vocational ministry, but He does call you into a life of eternal strategic investments in the lives of those He wishes to bring into His family.

So, today, in whom are you going to make an eternal investment? Will it be prayer, random act of kindness, a note or a letter, a word of encouragement, filling a need at our church, following your heart in support of some other worthy Kingdom cause? Just Do It…today. Open your heavenly IRA. Rich dividends are in store.

My Eternal 401K- Investing Basics

Before we drill down into Investing Basics some CAVEATS:

• There is no substitute for starting young
• Time + Discipline = Wealth
• The sad truth is that when we are young and have the time we frequently don’t have the discipline and when we are older we have the urgency of discipline but are out of runway when it comes to time

‘In The Richest Man in Babylon, a book by George Samuel Clason which dispenses financial advice through a collection of parables set in ancient times. Through their experiences in business and managing risk in household finance, the characters in the parables learn simple lessons in financial wisdom. By basing these parables in ancient times, but involving situations that modern people can understand and identify with, the author presents these lessons as timeless wisdom that is as relevant today as it was back then.’ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Richest_Man_in_Babylon_%28book%29

I suggest you rush out and spend the $5 or so that it will take you to get a copy.

In this classic, the Richest Man is Babylon – suggestions are given on how to get ready for the last of life.

• A part of what you earn is yours to keep
• Control your expenditures (live below your income) Remember the 80-10-10 rule?
• Put your money to work. Albert Einstein says that the greatest invention of modern man is compound interest. (More on that in a minute).
• Mitigate risk. Do your best not to make foolish or overly risky investments. You may not make great returns ON your money, but do your best to always ensure return OF your money
• Make your home a profitable investment…or don’t buy. Don’t buy more than you can afford and carefully examine the marketplace before you buy.
• Insure a future income by sending a portion of what you earn on ahead for the older person you will one day be.
• Increase your ability to earn, better education, new skills, multiple income streams, sound investments.

First, let’s look at two money principles and one classic example.

1. Rule of 72

For those of you not familiar with this principle, any two numbers that can be multiplied to equal 72 are the interest rate and number of years it takes to double your investment.

For example:

• An investment at 4% compounded annually takes 18 years to double.
• An investment at 6% compounded annually takes 12 years to double.
• An investment at 8% compounded annually takes 9 years to double.

2. Compound Interest

A dramatic example of compound interest is the classic illustration about taking a penny and doubling the amount in your hand every day for a month. With compound interest, your money works while you sleep. Try that and see what compounding works. Albert Einstein called Compound Interest the greatest invention of modern man.

The Wealthy Barber

‘The Wealthy Barber is a personal finance book by David Chilton. The book is structured around a story of three people in their late 20s visiting Roy, the title character, for lessons in financial planning. Each chapter of the book describes a different visit and a different element of financial planning. Each month along with their lessons the three students are required to start carrying out the actions prescribed by Roy. In addition to these individuals, Roy also shares his financial knowledge with the customers of his barber shop.’

‘The story is set primarily in Ontario Sarnia, Ontario, where Roy has been operating a barbershop for several decades. As a young man, Roy had planned to become a lawyer, but those plans are derailed. He ends up taking over his father’s barbershop. Worried about money, Roy visits Mr. White, one of the town’s wealthiest men, and asks for advice on financial planning. This advice paves the way for Roy’s accumulating wealth. The basis of the book is Roy’s advice to “save 10 per cent of all that you earn and invest it for long-term growth.” In that, it draws from the advice first set forth in The Richest Man in Babylon. ‘

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wealthy_Barber

The story is about twin boys who begin their lives committed to save for their retirement. They launched their work lives immediately after they finished college at age 22. The first twin decided he could not begin saving until he was 28 years because he was focused on investing heavily into his business to get it strong enough so he could afford to begin to save. The other twin decided to exercise the discipline (there’s that word again) and started saving $2,000/year immediately upon graduation. That’s just $5.47/day or $166.67/month. Suppose with me he invested the money at 12% compound in a tax deferred IRA. I know, nobody much gets 12% these days…that’s why I said “Suppose with me.”

When the boys reached 28 years of age, the first twin decided it was time for him to begin saving for retirement and he began investing $2,000/year at 12% compound interest and he continued to do that every year for 36 years until he reached age 64.

The second twin reached 28 years of age (obviously on the same day) and decided that he was finished investing and would simply let his six years of investing at $2,000/year create his nest egg.

Which one had the biggest retirement fund at retirement?

The first twin who deferred his savings until age 28 and continued his practice every year until age 64 had a pre-distribution value of a little over $1,074,000.

The second twin who only saved for 6 years and then quit came to age 64 with a nest egg of $1,085,000.

Can I get a witness here for STARTING EARLY??

I told you that TIME was a huge component of wealth unless you were born wealthy, have won the lottery or are very lucky. Better bet on Time + Discipline if you want to retire wealthy.

So, how do you get there? It’s a bit like the mosquito at the nudist colony. You are now armed with the notion of what to do, just not where to start.

Corporate 401k/403B- If your employer offers a matching retirement account, start by maximizing your investment. At a minimum, invest the maximum for which your employer deposits matching funds, regardless of the amount of the match.

Take a moment to calculate the percentage of return you get each year based on their matching dollars. It’s hard to match that anywhere else. Plus, that is deferred income on which you do not pay tax until you take a distribution when you decide to retire…presumably when your tax bracket will be lower.

CAUTION: Always, always read the fine print on your corporate retirement account. Get some advice on which of the investment options you will elect for the management of your funds and reexamine the performance and risks every year at the time of open enrollment for other company benefits.

In addition, whenever you leave the employ of a company, consider rolling over your 401K to an appropriate IRA where you have more control over how the money is invested. You have 60 days from the time you remove your 401K/403B to place them with another custodian and plan.

My personal preference is to find a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) who does two things: 1) invests his/her own money in whatever he/she invests for you, and 2) charges you a fee that is no more than 2% annually, paid at the rate ½% per quarter. If at any time your RIA starts making more on fees than you do on your portfolio, change advisors.

Investment management & Estate planning

Speaking about financial advisors, it is always wise to interview financial advisors so they can compete for your business. Here are some questions you will want to ask:

• Get a list of at least 3 planners/advisors to interview
• Check credentials…I prefer someone who has successfully traded his/her own account for years and is knowledgeable in a large range of financial issues rather than someone who just wants to sell me a particular product type. See if they have had any complaints lodged against them
• Pay a few bucks to somebody like Intellius and do a background check before you decide
• Ask to see your planner’s SEC ADV Form, Part II
• Check with your State’s Security Commission to ensure a clean record
• Ask what experience the advisor has
• Ask tough questions. Think of this as a job interview, and you are the employer this time
• What are your advisor’s qualifications
• What services does he/she offer
• What is the approach to financial planning
• Where does my money go in your system? Is it part of a large pool that some other analysts and money managers manipulate or are you actively involved in what happens to my money
• Will your advisor simply have system triggers to manage my money or will you be actively involved in watching the market for me
• Will your advisor be the only person working with you
• How will I pay for your services
• How will you communicate with me regarding the performance of my portfolio
• Will you be investing your own money in the same things you recommend for me
• How do you define success for a client
• How much do you typically charge
• Could anyone besides me benefit from your recommendations
• Have you or your firm ever been publicly disciplined for any unlawful/unethical actions in your professional career
• Ask for references, both professional and clients and call them
• Listen carefully to the questions the prospects ask you. If the planner just asks about your income and assets, be cautious. He/she should want to know far more about: your family, your goals, and your risk tolerance. You are looking for someone to hire to help you make your nest egg last in retirement
• Can I have it in writing

Well, that’s a short course on investing for your own retirement, but what about your eternal retirement? How important is it for you to pay attention to your investments in heaven?

Are you aware that the Bible has “devoted twice as many verses to money (about 2,350 of them) than to faith and prayer?” And Jesus spent 15% of His recorded words on the subject of money and possessions. That’s more than any other subject.[i]

Our eternal salvation is not determined by how much we give. Our eternal salvation is determined by faith in Jesus Christ. However, our attitude towards our money and possessions is a direct reflection of the true spiritual condition of our hearts. Jesus said as much and in so doing He taught some investing basics for His disciples.

¹⁹“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, ²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ²² “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, ²³ but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! ²⁴ “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. Matthew 6:19-24

[i] Alcorn, Randy. Money, Possessions, and Eternity. Tyndale Publishing, 2003. 3-4.

Run With Endurance

Let’s end this year as this week began: Hebrews 12:1-2

¹ Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. ² We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

Live One Day at a Time—Life is not a dress rehearsal. Time cannot be saved. Let’s learn from our past, look to the future, but live in the NOW! Make it happen Today. When you have traded this day off for something, make sure you didn’t leave anything on the table–that the trade-off was worth the cost.

Live with a View to the End—People are born, they suffer and as G.B. Shaw so eloquently put it, “one out of one of us dies.” Take some reflective time and look forward to your own funeral and reflect on how you want to be remembered. Work toward becoming that kind of person.

Give Myself to Others—From my personal theological position, the only time Jesus Christ ever said he was being an example for us was when he washed his disciples feet. Invest yourself in what is good for others. As Zig Ziglar says, “If you help enough other people get what they want, you will get what you want.”

Learn to Forgive and Forget—There ain’t no burden as heavy as carrying a grudge. If you are toting any, put them down this month and lose the cancer of resentment. Ultimately, only the grudge-carrier gets hurt.

Face Adversity with Courage—Nearly everyone gets at least one knockdown punch. It’s not whether or not you will get knocked down, it’s how often you get back up.

Keep a Sense of Humor—Complaining is not one of the spiritual gifts. Happiness is a choice, pain is inevitable, but misery is optional. As Abraham Lincoln reminded us, “Most of us are about as happy as we decide to be.” You can spend your life making “Oh, ain’t it awful” noises, or you can be a positive happy spirit–on purpose. Both tend to become self-fulfilling prophecies.

Do What’s Right—Become what the elder George Bush encouraged us to become, kinder and gentler.

Deal Kindly with Each Other—Lighten up. Be nice to your spouse, your children, your co-workers.

Walk Humbly—No arrogance, no rudeness. We have an awesome opportunity ahead of us this year with lots of promise. None of us knows the end. Whether we end in wealth or poverty, keep your eye on the prize and let’s walk humbly and gratefully with Jesus.