Skip to main content

Managing God's Possessions

*notes from the CO Weekend Talk 6 (Financial Stewardship) by Ate Gigi Alcala

  • We live in a physical world. We are facing worldly lures. The good news is, we can be rich without losing our souls.
  • God wants to protect us from financial bondage. 
    • Financial bondage - being held captive or obsessed not only from the lack of money or overspending but also from an abundance of money or misunderstanding of why God has given us so much
  • Everything belongs to the Lord. We possess, but God owns. God owns, we manage.
  • It is God who enables us to acquire wealth.
  • Why talk about money?
    • God uses money to teach us to TRUST Him and to TEST and DEVELOP our character.
    • Proverbs 3:9. "Honor the Lord with your wealth." Wealth is not exclusively for your benefit. Know how to use your possession to serve God.
    • Malachi 3:10. "I will pour out on you in abundance all kinds of good things."
  • Purpose of tithing:
    • Financial support for the church
    • Economic support for the ministry or those who are called to full-time evangelical service
    • Means of WORSHIP
  • Debt = death

 10 Tips for a Debt-free Lifestyle

1. Administrators
  • We are only stewards of everything we have. God owns, we manage.
  • Blessings are measured in different units, different standards. So don't compare your blessings with others.
2. Budgeting 
  • List the things that you NEED. Make that your priority.
  • BUY based on NEEDS and not WANTS.
  • Know your expenses.
  • Beware of unexpected purchases.
3. Cut credit card
  • LOANS = (can be) LASON, so beware!
  • Borrow only to buy real estate (properties that don't depreciate).
  • Simplify your lifestyle.
  • Accumulate more and desire less.
4. Debt pay off
  • ASAP
  • Know the difference between good debt and bad debt
5a. Envelopes of cash
  • Separate your money in tangible envelopes for easy tracking of expenses
5b. Educate yourself
  • Raise your Financial IQ
  • Invest in yourself; join seminars and lectures
  • Find a financial coach or partner
  • Parable of 3 servants. "He gave each one according to his ability." God will not give you something that you cannot handle.
6. Family Planning
  • No. 1 cause of divorce: financial problems
  • Be guided by 1 Timothy 5:8
7. Grateful not Greedy
  • Have an attitude of gratitude
  • Gratefulness leaders to generosity
  • Count your blessings!
  • "So blessed I can't contain it, so much I've got to give it away."
8. Hardworking
  • 2 Thessalonians 3:10-11
  • Avoid "get rich quick" schemes
9. Invest
  • Increase your sources of funds. Create sources of passive income.
  • You should NOT invest before you develop the habit of saving!
10. Ten-Twenty-Seventy
  • 10% tithes, 20% savings (use separate bank account for savings), 70% expenses
  • Expenses = Income - Tithe - Savings
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Understanding Lupang Hinirang

Every Filipino knows Lupang Hinirang (though some know it better as " Bayang Magiliw "). How can you not know it when it is the national anthem of the Philippines? But do we really mean the lyrics that we sing? Do we understand it in the first place?  Photo Credit:  http://diazi.ism-online.org This video has gone viral weeks ago. This afternoon, I shared it to my teammates, and one commented, "Yun pala yun . Ngayon ko lang naintindihan."   He immediately downloaded it and converted to MP3.   So for those who have not seen it, once again, here is Joey Ayala's version of Lupang Hinirang. And I agree, you would never want to sing it in another way. (But that's just me. :D) This rendition is simply beautiful. Truly Filipino. :) Of course that doesn't mean we need to revise our national anthem but maybe we can consider about correcting the way we sing it (read: proper pronunciation). Read more about the Philippine National Anthem here .
6 comments
Read more

Jesus Week 2015: A Time To HEAL ♥

I had the best, most meaningful HOLY WEEK ever, so far (the best is yet to come!). :) Thanks to Joy who shared the Jesus Week poster on Facebook. It was God's personal invitation, and I couldn't thank Him enough for the grace that He also gave me to respond. Everything is grace. It was not just my personal decision to join. It was God's grace that allowed me to.  So how did it go? Well, as what I have told my friends, it was amazingly beautiful! The experience was priceless! On Holy Monday, I posted Fr. Jerry Orbos' acronym for HOLY WEEK . I experienced all of that and more! :)  I won't be able to share everything as there is just a lot of personal, intimate encounters with the Lord. But if I were to summarize, it was a time for me to HEAL. :)  H alt . Indeed, I was able to stop and just rest in the Lord. Before leaving Manila, I have already told myself that this retreat will be all about Jesus ( Jesus Week nga e :D ). No emails, no texts, no calls. I
Post a Comment
Read more

Thank You, Lord! :)

It has been a long and stressful day (the past three days have been lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng and stressssssssssssssssssssssssssssssful), but You are just so amazing, Lord that I couldn't sleep without telling You how grateful I am. :) Thank You, Lord for the miracle that You did yesterday. Break even and more. :) Thank You, Lord for the laughter and stories shared during the post-mission meeting with Team Thailand. :) Team Thailand - Princesses from SFC Metro Manila :) Thank You, Lord for Lawrence. He is just the (almost) perfect man. He has his flaws, but they are acceptable; he makes mistakes, but they are all forgivable. There are a lot of men but there can never be anyone else. He's really the one. And You know it very well. :) ♥ Nemo. Love. ♥ Thank You, Lord for giving me strength and endurance each day. :) Thank You, Lord for the short but restful sleeps. :) Thank You, Lord for every waking moment and every opportunity that You give
2 comments
Read more

The Holy Spirit*

*Cluster 4 Household Topic Reflections from John 15:26-16:4 True friendship is strengthened in adversity. Jesus offers His disciples the best and truest of friends. Who is this promised friend?  Jesus calls the Holy Spirit our Counselor and Advocate (also translated Paraclete or Helper). Counselor is a legal term for the one who will defend someone against an adversary and who guides that person during the ordeal of trial. The Holy Spirit is our Advocate and Helper who brings us safely through the challenges and adversities we must face in this life. As Jesus approaches the hour that He was to be glorified - through His death on the cross and His resurrection - He revealed more fully to His disciples the person and the role of the Holy Spirit. What does Jesus tell us about the Holy Spirit?  First, the Holy Spirit is inseparably one with the Father and the Son. It is the Holy Spirit who gives life - the very life of God - and who kindles faith in hearts receptive
Post a Comment
Read more

Interesting Facts Courtesy of Celebrity Bluff :)

I was writing a different post, but Celebrity Bluff  is just so fun and informative, I had to stop from blogging to list down the fun facts that I learn from each round. :)  Thought it would be nice to share them here as well. For future reference. :D  Q: In 2012, what kind of animal was named after Beyonce? A: Horse Fly Q: What rare job in China will pay you US$50,000 a year?  A: Fart Smeller Q: What alcoholic drink literally means "water of life"? A: Whisky   Q: In which part of the body can you find the tragus? A: Ear Q: According to Merriam-Webster, what is the female equivalent of dude? A: Dudine Q: What is longer in the male turtles than in the females?  A: Nails And the final question is... Q:  According to Box Office Mojo   what are the top four (4) movies of 2013 according to global profit? A: (1) Iron Man 3, (2) Despicable Me 2, (3) Fast and the Furious 6 (4) The Hunger Games: Catching Fire That's all
2 comments
Read more