Thursday, February 4, 2010

Enough: Part 2

Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity & Generosity

By Adam Hamilton


Week Two: Wisdom and Finance



Key Bible Verses

  • Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity,
    but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty. Proverbs 21:5

  • The wise have wealth and luxury,
    but fools spend whatever they get. Proverbs 21:20



Key Insights from the Book and the Video

  1. Many of us have a bit of the prodigal son in us: We have the habits of squandering and wasting our resources.
  2. We have a tendency to focus on today rather than plan for tomorrow.
  3. When our purpose is having as much pleasure as we can in the moment, the things we do tend to become less and less satisfying until finally we come to a place where we're entirely dissatisfied – and often broke.
  4. Two of the primary money wasters we struggle with are impulse buying and eating out.
  5. The rule-of-thumb regarding impulse buying is to shop for only what you need. Make a list, buy what you need, and get out of the store. If this is difficult, wait twenty-four hours before purchasing the impulse item.
  6. Society tells us that our life purpose is to consume; the Bible tells us that our life purpose is to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Our money and possessions should be devoted to helping us fulfill God's purpose for our lives.
  7. Being able to accomplish the greater purposes God has for our lives require goal setting and planning.
  8. Without a plan to reach our goals, we will revert to being like the prodigal son. A plan gives us concrete steps that we can take to accomplish our goals.
  9. Simplifying our lives enables us to give more generously and experience the joy that comes from living for something beyond ourselves.

Financial principles to live by

  1. Pay God your first fruits; pay your tithe and offering first
  2. Create a budget to track your expenses
  3. Simplify your lifestyle (live below your means)
  4. Establish an emergency fund
  5. Pay off your credit cards, use cash/debit cards for purchases, and use credit wisely
  6. Practice long-term savings and wise investing habits



Questions to Think About

  1. In what ways are you like the prodigal son mentioned in Luke 15?
  2. Which of the following most resembles your lifestyle:
    1. Heading toward a looming financial crisis
    2. Wasting what you have; spending money here and there because you can afford it
  3. Which of the money wasters, impulse buying or eating out, presents the biggest problem for you?
  4. How would you describe your life's purpose, vision, or calling?
  5. What does the phrase "Blessed to be a blessing" mean to you?
  6. How can goals and planning help us better accomplish the plans that God has for our lives?
  7. Of the six financial principles, which is the most challenging to you?
  8. If we want to achieve financial peace and accomplish God's greater purposes for our lives, what are our options? Why is simplifying our lives an important option?


Closing Prayer

Generous God, all we have comes from you, yet we are not always wise stewards of what you have so graciously given us. We have listened to the lure of the world, buying and consuming compulsively and excessively. Forgive us for being wasteful like the prodigal son. Forgive us for leveraging our future in order to have pleasure in the present. Help us to begin to put into practice the biblical wisdom we have discussed so that we may become good stewards of all that you have given us. Teach us to be generous and willing to share, to be Kingdom minded people who are focused on accomplishing your purpose for our lives.

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