THE FAMILY.. MANAGING MONEY..    		 Pastor Bob Chroninger 
Trinity C.U.  5-24-98 A.M.    	 1Corinthians 16:1-3   	A:\1COR16-1 
	Have you noticed... disagreements over "money" in the home cause much 
      of the tension...and trouble?  Much of our money management is learned
      rather "haphazardly" by trial and error...and mostly by error! Notice...
I.  LEARN TO LIVE WITHIN OUR MEANS... 
  A. Culture has changed drastically... 
    1. But it is still true... "it's not so much the 'high cost of living' 
       as it is  the cost of living too high." 
    2. Practice living on ONE INCOME... (if both are working) 
	- a pay check is like a garage... no matter how big.. clutter seems 
        to fill it up... so we tend to live up to the salary 
  B. Avoid Unnecessary Debt... 
    1. Credit cards are easy to come by... and they say, "come, buy" 
	- if used... use only of necessity ... pay off monthly
	- "the borrower is servant to the lender..." Prov.22:7 
    2. "Owe no man anything but to love one another..."  Ro.13:8
  C. Develop a Budget... Books and Materials... Larry Burkett, Ron Blue, etc.
    1. Bills come due at different times... quarterly, monthly, annually,
       semi-annually, etc. 
    2. Money must be kept back to meet them when due... 
  D. Save.. "for a rainy day" 
    1. Save for an "emergency" fund...
    2. Save for larger purchases... 
    3. Save to "invest" 
  E. "Get An Attitude" 
    1. We don't have to start out at our parents level... 
    2. We don't have to have the newest gadgets or fashions, brand names 
    3. We don't have to always eat at fancy restaurants
    4. We DO NEED to trust in God... Obey His Directions.... 
II.  LEARN TO GIVE BIBLICALLY.... 
 ** There is no better indicator of growth in the New Life than in the area 
     of giving. 
  A. It Should Be Regular... "on the first day of the week" 
  B. It Should Be Personal.. "let each one of you" 
    1. Dad, Mom, Youth... 
    2. We are to come into His presence... with an offering.. Ps.96:8,9
  C. It Should Be Purposeful... "lay something aside.."  2Cor.9:7 
    1. Plan on it... 
    2. Don't spend the tithe and offering on other things... 
	- The tithe belongs to God... Leviticus 27:30
	- I "rob" God when I use it for myself... Malachi 3:8-10 
	- All the money in the world belongs to Him... my giving doesn't make 
        Him richer... it only makes me "richer"... spiritually 
    3. Give because you Love Him and want to give... Jn.14:15,23,24 
  D. It Should Be Proportionate.. "as the Lord has prospered" 
    1. It is the Lord who gives you power to get wealth... Deut.8:18 
    2. It is the Lord who provides our every need... Phil.4:19 
    3. It is the Lord who provides seed for the sower... 2Cor.9:7-10 
  E. It Should Be Willingly and Cheerfully Given... 2Cor.8:3,12; 9:7 

MANAGING YOUR MONEY...
   INVOLVES LEARNING TO LIVE WITHIN YOUR MEANS... 
      INVOLVES LEARNING TO GIVE BIBLICALLY....
AND GIVING IS NOT ONLY THE INDICATOR OF GROWTH IN THE NEW LIFE... 
   IT IS THE KEY TO GROWTH IN CHRIST!! 
      ARE YOU "IN CHRIST" TODAY?   ARE YOU GROWING IN CHRIST TODAY?