#26
An Investment You Can’t Lose
How to be Sure Your Money is Secure

Prior to Y2K, people made millions of dollars by investing money in the Stock Market. Overnight they raked it in and reaped fortunes.

Not any more! Out of the blue Bill Gates and the world’s rich have been losing billions.

Enron scandals. Corporate greed. Cheaters on Wall Street. Politics. War in the Middle East. Today’s financial roller-coaster spirals up and down like a yo-yo. Unprecedented. Heading who knows where.

So, people are searching. Wondering: “Is anything stable or permanent?” Not just security for the future, but for the present!

Did you know God never intended you and I should have to worry about the present or the future? A perfect partnership plan guaranteed so that we’d never have to worry about the future or fear what’s going to happen to us?

<Matthew 6:31, 32>
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ Or, ‘What shall we drink?’ Or, ‘What shall we wear?’...For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.”

God’s social security plan started in the Garden of Eden. When planet Earth came fresh from the Creator’s hands in all its splendor and perfection, glorious beyond description. the stroke of the Master Artist greeted the eye at every turn. Magnificent sunrises were rivaled only by breathtaking sunsets. Peaceful lakes nestled between the hills. Gorgeous blossoms delighting the senses. Trees were loaded with delicious fruit of every kind. Songbirds filled the air with melody. Animals in the lush meadows played and roamed unafraid. The streams and lakes were alive with beautifully colored fish. A paradise, from pole to pole! But there was more!

<Genesis 2:8>
“The Lord God planted a garden...and there He put the man whom He had formed.”

God personally sculptured and manicured a luxurious home for Adam and Eve. So exquisite, so lavish, it was incomparably beautiful. No down payment. No mortgage. Zero interest rate. He even stocked their refrigerator with groceries!

<Genesis 1:29>
“...I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.”

Adam and Eve paid no rent, never worried about taxes, no locks or keys, no vandals, burglars, no hospitals or drugstores. They had everything.

Perfect health. Endless youth. Undying commitment to each other, and a boundless love for God. God said, “Live it up! Enjoy these blessings.”

<Genesis 1:28>
“...Be fruitful, and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it...”

God’s original design was one big, happy, family inhabiting Planet Earth. Life. Health. And wealth. Of course, God also knew mankind would be happiest if he had several kinds of responsibilities; some challenges. Like employment. Tasks they’d be responsible for. So He told Adam and Eve, “I own it; I created it. But I want you to become the managers of my property. I want you to be partners.” Not owners. Stewards who manage everything I’ve created.

<Genesis 1:28>
“...Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth...

<Genesis 2:15>
“Then the Lord God took the man, and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and keep it.”

You see, ladies and gentlemen: There are two theories of ownership in our world today. One is right. The other is wrong. One is Christian. The other is pagan. And because most people practice the pagan concept, billions live miserable lives!

According to the Bible’s theory of ownership, Bill Gates and Martha Stewart own nothing. God owns everything in the world. It’s His:

<Psalm 24:1>
“The earth is the Lord’s and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein.”

<Psalm 50:10, 11>
“For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are Mine.”

But the primitive pagan concept of ownership is that the best title to property is conquest. OWNERSHIP. Earn. Grasp. Get what you can by brute force – and it’s yours! – Wit. Cunning. Get two Harvard degrees. Get an MBA in Business Management. Develop market savvy. Conniving. Real estate intellect. Fraud and extortion. – But is this true? Might makes right? Whoever gets the most marbles wins? Wall Street gives that impression. But that’s the pagan concept that’s cursing mankind. Because in the end it means the big man, the Mafia, gets all.

This theory says,

<Deuteronomy 8:17>
“...my power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth,”

“The best man wins. Survival of the fittest. Dominate. Make your pile early in life. Money is power. You only go around once in life, so go for all the gusto you can get!” That’s the secular concept of ownership.

The Christian concept of ownership is that we really don’t own anything! Nothing. Zilch. Nada. God owns everything.

We’re just here managing things for Him. Not owners. Stewards. Because…

<Deuteronomy 8:18>
“...remember...it is He [God] who gives you power to get wealth...”

Put simply, we really don’t own anything. God the Creator has prior claim on our possessions and on us. We’re just stewards.

What’s a steward? The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines steward as “a person entrusted with the management of another’s property.”

So, do you see the two theories? Two philosophies. Two radically different approaches to wealth and money that are universes apart.
1. Ownership
2. Stewardship

These two opposites were the big issue back in the Garden of Eden. The question was not over an apple. The big test was: Would Adam let God be Owner and trust His plan? Or would Adam try to take over as owner and manage things his own way? Who is going to be boss? That’s what sin is all about. God. Or, me. And just like Adam and Eve had a test back there in Eden, God has a test for us here in 2003, only it’s not by a tree.

In fact, there are five basic areas God tests us as stewards to see whether we’re making proper use to the glory of God of what he has entrusted to us.

First of all, from the beginning, God outlined very clearly that we’re stewards of property and material goods.

<Genesis 2:16. 17>
“...Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Notice how God tests our love and loyalty: By something we produce – or grow! Adam and Eve could eat from all the trees in the garden – their trees, thousands of them – except one restriction. One specific tree – God’s tree. Okay, by obeying God, they’d show their recognition of His rightful ownership. After all, He had made it all, and even made them, too! So, if they remained faithful stewards and respected that arrangement, they would live forever in a world that was paradise!

Sadly, Adam and Eve failed. They flunked the one simple test God required of them. They were unfaithful stewards. By selfishness – trying to be owners – they lost everything: their garden home, immortality, love, happiness, security, face to face walks and talks with God! They slipped from being heirs to slaves, from blessings to curses. Never realizing the serious implications of adopting the wrong theory of ownership.

And we know, of course, watching behind it all in sadistic satisfaction was Satan, who announced he commandeered ownership now. Man forfeited and abdicated to his control, his power. By force and cunning, Satan usurped control of Planet Earth with a whole planet in rebellion!

Thank God Satan’s assumed domination and hi-jacking was shattered by Christ’s entrance into the world centuries later. He bought back our world at infinite cost.

That’s why Satan’s plan was to deceive Jesus, too – zero in on the very same way he tricked Adam and Eve. Force Jesus to take things into His own hands and control. Adopt the same pagan theory of ownership of things.

Satan waited with his dark glasses on one day – until Jesus had fasted for forty days. Then he took Him up to an…

<Matthew 4:8, 9>
“...exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world...and he said, ‘All these things I will give you if You will fall down and worship me.’”

See the issue here? Satan tried to entice Jesus to control things. “Here, Jesus! Money. Kingdoms. Finances. I’ll give You ownership!” But his deception didn’t get very far with Jesus because Jesus knew God already owned the Universe! The “things” Satan promised to give Christ were not really his to give. Satan had hi-jacked a planet by fraud and deceit.

Right there, Jesus Christ defeated Satan. “It is written” – three times Jesus bowled over the Devil with those words. And Calvary forever sealed Satan’s fate; returning Planet Earth into the rightful hands of men and women as stewards.

Our very lives and possessions are Christ’s property. He’s not only Creator; He’s not only Redeemer; He is the rightful Owner of the world and the universe! Whether we love and serve Him or not, our very lives – all our possessions – are His property. Just like Adam and Eve – we too, now, are again stewards of what God entrusts to us. So what does He require of us? When you stand before God in the judgment what’s God going to be looking for in us stewards?

Listen carefully, because the Bible gets very specific about God’s expectations of stewards :

<1 Corinthians 4:2>
“Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.”

Faithful first and foremost in our stewardship of property and material goods. Next, faithful in a second area. We are stewards of life.

The greatest of all God’s gifts we take for granted! It surges through our bodies. Paul writes in:

<Acts 17:24, 25>
“God, who made the world and everything in it...gives to all life, breath, and all things.”

Every heartbeat, every breath of air, every pulse of our bodies is a gift from God. You and I are stewards of our life and health. Because God originates life. He sustains it. It’s His.

<Romans 12:1>
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

A living sacrifice means unreserved commitment. Stewards of life means that we are stewards of how we use our lives.

Jesus, for example, said good stewards should follow His example, and go…

<Acts 10:38>
“...about doing good...”

in their lives, letting their lives shine! Affect others always for good, like Ann Landers recommended. Do good deeds every day because that’s integrity. It builds character.

You count. You matter. You make a difference. So, #2: you are stewards of life.

Third, we are stewards of time. God gives us time 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. How will the faithful steward use it? The Psalmist wrote:

<Psalm 90:12>
“So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

The person who wastes time, wastes life. Squanders the one talent which God Himself gave identically to every man and woman. Time is the stuff life is made of.

Every person has the same exact number of hours in a day. 24/7. God expects that we each use our time wisely. Especially to remember the seventh-day Sabbath. That’s His very special “time”, set apart – His gift to us to set aside and rest. Holy time. God’s time. How will we use time? On God’s terms? Or, our own terms? Will we devote 1/7 of our time to fellowship with God, resting in His Word, drawing refreshment from His promises, putting aside the weekly rat race of pressures at work? Shopping. Worldly pursuits. And remembering Him as Creator? We are stewards of time.

Fourth, we are stewards of the talents God gives us. “Well,” you ask, “What are the specific talents for which I’m responsible to God as His steward? I don’t think I have any talents.”

Do you sing? Play an instrument? Paint pictures? Can you sew a dress? Write; or organize? Talk on the phone?

God says, “I give you life, time, possessions – and abilities. It’s your privilege to either use these to enrich yourself and to satisfy your own whims and pleasures! Or, you can choose to use them to bless others. We’re stewards of talents, loaned to us by God to bless others.

Then #5. God says, we are stewards of the money God gives us.

Did you know the Bible spends more time talking about money than any other theme? Money is very important to God! That’s why He invites faithful stewards to go into business with God and partnership with a specific figure of money. Millionaire Maurice Hitchcock once called my friend George Vandeman, laughing, “George, is it true that God’s going to tax me 10%?” Yes! It’s all through the Bible. Let’s go back to a story in Genesis 14. It’s an interesting story about how you say “Thank You” to God.

One day Abraham’s nephew Lot was kidnapped by an enemy tribe, the Elamites. They took Lot, his family, their possessions – everything. When news reached Abraham, he mounted a posse, determined to rescue Lot and the others, praying “God help me, please!”

And God did help him deliver Lot and his family. Abraham caught the kidnappers along with their loot and brought them all back home to Sodom where even the King came out to meet him with all sorts of rewards and fanfare. But Abraham refused to take any reward for himself. Instead, when Melchizedek, a priest of God, came to bless Abraham Genesis 14:20 says then Abraham,

“...gave him a tithe of all.”

Now here’s an interesting new insight. A proposal to us managers and stewards. Here’s an investment where you can’t lose, that many modern businessmen are catching on to! A profound financial principle most churches today are re-discovering – because God doesn’t lie! When Abraham wanted to express appreciation to God, he gave a tithe, ten percent. And we know God blessed Abraham and that he became a wealthy man! Like most of the descendants of Abraham (the Jews) who tithe.

Fast-forward 150 years later. Abraham’s grandson Jacob expressed his gratitude to God the same way.

<Genesis 28:22>
“...of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”

Jacob became a wealthy man.

King David. He tithed. (Ps. 116:12). Same thing! He was a financial success. Over and over again, a principle of success through stewardship.

Did you know Jesus in the New Testament approved and endorsed this same tithing principle? He told His disciples that tithing was something that ought to be done.

<Matthew 23:23>
“...For you pay tithe...these you ought to have done...”

But don’t forget to be a nice person, too. In today’s language Jesus said, “Hey, Scrooge! Don’t forget that giving 10% doesn’t get you off the hook from being a nice person. It’s a package deal. Gotta’ be fair. Kind. Just. Courteous, too.” And then I’ll bless you, big time.

One tenth. God gives us 10/10. But to remind us we’re just stewards, He asks just 10 cents on a dollar. “That 10% is Mine. My property. It’s holy. The portion I, God, reserve for Myself.”

<Leviticus 27:30>
“And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s. It is holy to the Lord.”

Now, why does God specify 10%? Does He need the money? Hardly. But He knows tithing does something for us. You see, we humans have a basic problem in our hearts. It’s called selfishness. The essence of sin is – what? Selfishness.

A little boy was on his way to Sunday School one morning. As he started out his mother gave him two silver dollars. “One is for you – for ice cream on the way home. The other is for the Lord, to put into the offering plate.” So off he went, clutching the two silver dollars tightly in his little fist. But as he ran along, he tripped and fell. The coins started rolling down the street. He quickly grabbed one of them. But the other rolled...right into a gutter and down into the sewer. “Oh-h! There goes the Lord’s dollar!”

That’s our human dilemma. We’re selfish. No, God doesn’t need the money. We need a cure for selfishness because the Bible says in our heart, by nature, we’re robbers! Malachi 3:8-10:

“Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be food in My house...”

Tithing challenges and tests us in four crucial ways:

1. It challenges our OBEDIENCE.
2. It challenges our FAITH. Jesus says in Matthew 6:33…

“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

3. It challenges us to consistent RESPONSIBILITY. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:1-2 Christians ought to give systematically. Not when we feel in the mood. Do it every week. (By the way, if it hurts too much – if you give it grudgingly, don’t even bother!) 2 Corinthians 9:7 says,

“...God loves a cheerful giver.”

In Greek the word for “cheerful” is hilaron from which we get our word “hilarious.” That’s the kind of givers God wants – where it is a joy and privilege to give responsibly.

God doesn’t want us to give to Him grudgingly. The tithe is not a tax – something we have to send to heaven to support God and the angels like some sort of heavenly bureaucrats. No! Psalm 50:12 says,

‘If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world is Mine, and all its fullness.’

God isn’t waiting for us to give our tithes and offerings so He can pay the bills and can keep the lights turned on. The reason why He asks us to be faithful in our gifts is found in the next two verses:

<Psalm 50:14, 15>
‘Offer to God thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High. Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.’

Giving is God’s way of helping us develop a spirit of thankfulness – a spirit of appreciation; a spirit that revels in – is joyful about – all good things God gives us. That joy comes from giving, not getting!

It’s putting our faith in Him when days of trouble come. Instead of relying on our wits, our savings account, or our paycheck.

It’s about developing a deeper, more trusting, more thankful relationship with our Creator. So giving challenges our obedience. Giving challenges our faith. It challenges us to consistent responsibility.

But there’s something more about being faithful with our gifts to God.

4. It challenges us SPIRITUALLY.

God says: “I’ll guarantee you something.” So amazing, you won’t believe it. In fact, He says, “I want you to try this as an experiment – Try Me for several months. Test Me, prove Me, to see if I’m a liar. Set that tithe aside. (Put it in a jar on the mantle – if it doesn’t work, take it back. I don’t lie.) You’ll see I’m the best financial Partner you can joint-venture with.”

<Malachi 3:10>
“‘And try Me now in this,’ Says the LORD of hosts, ‘If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.’”

You know, there are whole books full of stories of people who have tithed faithfully and seen God’s blessings large and small. Unbelievable, but true stories.

Joe and his wife had been successful Christian business people for years, when they sensed the call of God to sell their businesses and go to college to prepare for Gospel ministry.

Now, you’d expect that making a decision like that, and being faithful tithers, they would never encounter any financial problems, right?

No, friend! God doesn’t promise that we’ll never have challenges to face. He only promises to see us through them, and to bless us as we face them.

After arriving on the college campus, Joe and his wife tried opening a new small clothing store business, but it didn’t go well. Soon their meager savings dwindled down to nothing. Joe tried marking a few leftover suits “on sale” from the store, but it seemed like he couldn't even give them away.

One particular Friday they realized they were flat broke. Didn't have a dollar to their name. Very little food in the house, no gas in the car, and the electricity bill was overdue. The power company had given notice they were coming out that Friday afternoon to shut off the power because they owed twenty-nine dollars. They had tried to get jobs at factories, doing menial labor, but had been turned down every time.

It was terrible – they didn't know which way to turn. They literally had lost everything. All the capital they had built up in two businesses, all their savings. Gone! And their faith was waning without heat or power. It was cold outside, and they had a little boy to take care of, and they didn't even have money for groceries.

So they did the only thing they could do. They knelt down in the house and prayed: "Lord help us, or we perish!"

True story! Within one hour, someone knocked on the front door. Joe went to the door and found two guys from the college standing there. "Hey, I hear you have some suits for sale here."

"No, I don't have any left," but then suddenly he remembered. "Well, I guess I do have one left, but it's an odd size – I haven't been able to sell it. It's a 39 short quad." (In case you don't remember those days, a quad was a polyester suit with two pairs of pants and a reversible vest.)

"Well, let me try it on. I do take a short."

The suit fit him perfectly, and he loved it and paid Joe fifty dollars for it on the spot. It had originally retailed for over $200. But Joe was happy. As Joe watched him count out five ten-dollar bills from his wallet, it was like the biggest sale of his life. He was so excited he could hardly keep from shouting "Thank You Lord! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! with each bill.

What a thanksgiving session – Joe and his wife had in their little living room – weeping and praying and praising the Lord. Their little boy must have wondered what in the world was wrong with his parents, but they were just overcome with the sense of God's leading and His provision for them.

Because Malachi goes further.

<Malachi 3:11>
“‘And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,’ says the Lord of hosts.”

Some people say, “No way! I just can’t do it! Give 10%? I have to think of my children first!” Jeannie and I know from firsthand experience it works! We’ve “proved Him.”

My Dad and Mom, plus five kids, on a preacher’s salary. School tuition. Five sons in college, all at the same time. There was no way, mathematically! And it was hard sometimes. Hand-me-downs.

But my Dad always squeezed an honest tithe out of a scant paycheck. And a miracle happened! God blessed! We never went in the hole; never went on welfare. Somehow, God stretches nine-tenths of income that’s been tithed further than ten tenths ever went!

Right here is God’s secret to financial security!

In fact, did you know lots of big-name businessmen have discovered the Bible’s secret to financial security? They wouldn’t think of not paying tithe. William Colgate. J. C. Penney. Kellogg. Kraft. Kerr. Heinz. Quaker Oats. Hershey. Baldwin Locomotive. Alvin Dark. McNeilus. The McKee Company with “Little Debbies.” I know some of these people! They all credit God’s tithing plan for their financial success.

Take Ed, in Oklahoma City – sells motor homes. He began to tithe. Plus he took a leap of faith by closing his business on Sabbaths – the busiest day of the season. His did more business in six days than he ever did in seven days of the week! God is a promise keeper!

One of our staff members at Voice of Prophecy comes from a family whose very successful business demanded 7-day-a week involvement.

They began coming to meetings just like these…enrolled in a Bible course much like Discover. And became convinced they ought to make some big changes so they could keep the Sabbath and give a faithful tithe. So they sold the business. Started paying tithe. Went into another line.

And almost went broke. But does the Lord ever forget His faithful servants? No.

The Lord guided that family into another line of work, and from then on the father worked five days a week as a salesman for a company that demanded six-day weeks of their staff. But guess what. You’re right. He was the top salesman nearly ever month! Working five-day weeks. Giving the Sabbath to the Lord. And returning a faithful tithe.

Check it out! Test God’s promise in Malachi. Try Him! He keeps His Word, but He wants you to trust Him. Give Him a chance.

When we really love someone, how do we express our love? We automatically give because it’s impossible to love without giving.

Same with God. If we love Him, we’ll cheerfully, gladly, and generously demonstrate we love Him. And that we’ve been cured of the cancer of selfishness.

No one learned the lesson of what selfishness with money can do to a person more than John D. Rockefeller, Sr. As a boy he was strong and husky like anybody else. But when he entered business he drove himself harder than any slave by a whip. What a work-a-holic! By the time he was 33 he’d made his first million dollars. By staying awake nights and pouring it on he controlled (at 43) the biggest business in the world. At 53 he was the richest man on earth, and the world’s only billionaire.

But for all this he lost his health. He developed alopecia, where your hair falls out from (your head, your eyelashes, your eyebrows.) He looked awful. His own biographer said he looked like a “mummy.” His weekly income? A million dollars a week. But his digestion was so bad he could eat only crackers and milk.

Like Scrooge, John D. was a hermit. He lived in solitary confinement with no friends. No acquaintances. Only lots of enemies: people he’d crushed and ground into the dust in his lust to make bigger profits. In the Pennsylvania oilfields, the men he’d made into paupers hanged him in effigy. He was hated. He had to have bodyguards day and night. His wealth was a nightmare. He couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t eat. All he did was worry. His wealth was smothering him.

Living on just crackers and milk, his medical prognosis was he wouldn’t live another year. The newspapers had his obituary written and ready in their files. Pathetic!

Then something happened. One sleepless night as he lay awake worrying, he made a startling discovery. He wouldn’t be able to take one thin dime with him to the next world. That nearly killed him! Oh! Did he despair! All those riches, all those dreams – they meant nothing!

For the first time in his life he recognized money wasn’t a commodity to be hoarded, but something to be shared for the benefit of others. And suddenly the light of truth went on, and John D. Rockefeller began transforming his money into blessings to others. He helped worthy causes. He established the Rockefeller Foundation. Showered money on universities, hospitals, missions and millions of underprivileged. His money helped rid the South of its greatest economic and medical scourge, hookworm.

Every time we’re saved by an injection of penicillin, we can thank John D., because his contributions aided in the discovery of this miracle drug. Millions are saved today from malaria, TB, diphtheria for the same reason.

The WORLD was blessed when John D. changed his thinking from “getting” to “giving.” And guess what happened to old John D. when he began thinking outwardly? A miracle. He didn’t die. He began to sleep, to eat, to enjoy life. He felt great. Refreshed. He should have died at 53. But he started to practice one of God’s eternal laws:

<Luke 6:38>
“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over...”

He celebrated birthday #54, then #55, 56, 57, 58; then 68, then 78, then 88. He lived to be 98 years old. Modern psychiatry is just now catching up to this philosophy of the Bible. Living is not just “whoever dies with the most toys, wins.” It’s not just grabbing but giving. And friend, God promises five special promises when you begin by giving to Him.

Five promises for our good stewardship. He’ll bless our:
1. Property.
2. Life.
3. Time.
4. Talents.
5. Tithe Money.

Proverbs 3:9, 10 says:

“Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of thine increase. So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.”

Why not step out in faith and joint venture with God. He invites you to try it. Experiment. Prove Him. “Lord, I’m going to take You up on your challenge. I’m going to test You in this area of stewardship. Including tithing. A partnership incredible. I choose to place You first in my finances and therefore in every area of my life.” If that’s your choice, tell God about it. He will hear you, and He will bless you.