Jump Start # 3779

Proverbs 28:11 “The rich man is wise in his own eyes, but the poor who has understanding sees through him.”

I saw three recent statistics about football players in the NFL that was interesting. The average career for a football player in the NFL is 3.5 years. That’s not very long. The average salary for an NFL player is 2.8 million a year. And, most shocking, the majority of NFL players, retire broke. You’d think with sign on bonuses, and six to eight million dollars through those 3.5 years, most football players would be set. They aren’t.

The study I read went on to say that the majority of football players never understood nor were taught about money. Most expected to play more than 3.5 years. And, the report declared that the majority had only one skill set, playing football. It’s all they have done since they were a kid. All through high school, and then college, it’s only been football. Most burned through the money buying expensive cars and large homes and not anticipating what life would be like after football. Careers over, broke, and not having any marketable skills, many find themselves in low paying jobs. Their dreams became a nightmare.

The book of Proverbs, where our passage is taken from, has much to say about money, riches, wealth, and  the attitude we need to have towards those things. Many are uncomfortable talking about money in the church building. Some go so far as to say such topics do not belong in church. However, Jesus said more about money than He did Heaven. His parables are laced with contrasts between rich and poor. And, like the broke NFL football players, many of us have never been taught about money.

Budgeting and money management ought to be a concern for today’s shepherds. How we handle the money in the church is as important as how we handle our personal finances. Money issues are the leading causes of divorce these days. In preparing young couples for marriage, lessons about money are a must. Without careful teaching and planning, many are on the trajectory of being future benevolent cases for the congregation. Wise teaching can help us in this area.

Here are some things I see:

First, the past generation never talked much about money. What was in the will and who got what was a secret that was not revealed until a death. It is not uncommon for a husband and wife to have different backgrounds and views about money. Some want to save every nickel. Others, want to spend a dime when they only have a nickel. And, without a plan and a budget, couples race into retirement realizing that they can’t retire or worse, they become a burden to the church because they never handled money well.

Second, among preachers, this is a real disaster. The horror stories are unbelievable. I’ve known preachers who died broke. They left their family destitute. Others have the grand idea of preaching until they die. But, what if health won’t allow that. Or, worse, what if brethren won’t allow that. Then what? Shepherds and preachers ought to have conversations on this topic. Amounts ought to be put away for retirement. I heard of a congregation in Texas that has invited older, retired preachers to come and be a part of their fellowship. In the process, they pledge to take care of those old preachers as long as they live, whether they preach or not. What a wonderful blessing and payback to honor those who have dedicated their lives to teaching God’s word.

Third, we must not be embarrassed to take such topics to the pulpit nor have classes on this. This is not only helpful and healthy, it can prevent future problems. Young people need to be taught about giving. We assume they know. They don’t. How much ought one to give? What happens when the month is longer than the paycheck? Establishing emergency funds, for both a congregation and teaching people to have their own helps when the storm clouds of troubles roll in.

Teaching generosity goes along with this. God treats us better than we deserve. And, as God’s people we must learn to be generous. That is a spirit that will open doors and shows people that you care.

Much of this begins in the home. Don’t just give your child a dollar to put in the collection plate. That doesn’t teach him anything. And, when grandma gives your child $20 for his birthday, don’t go out and buy something that costs $25. That doesn’t teach anything. Have three jars: Save, Give, Spend. Teach them to fill those jars. Patience and working up for something that is expensive is a good character quality that will help them in life.

There are wonderful books on this topic. Sit down with someone in the congregation that has done well financially and talk with them about how they got there. Learn and understand the principles of finance.

Retired broke football players. Not a good place to be.

Roger

Jump Start # 3776

Proverbs 4:24 “Put away from you a deceitful mouth and put devious speech far from you.”

Have you noticed the language of public officials. Cursing is in. Speech after speech is no longer filtered. Headlines of leading publications contain offending and curse words. In live interviews, from sports to politics, cursing is accepted. And, all of this has an impact upon us, the people of God.

Here are some thoughts:

First, the numerous use of cursing numbs us and before long we hardly recognize it. We get use to it and that is not good. The shock factor leaves us. As in the days of Jeremiah, the people could not even blush. The embarrassment factor no longer worked.

And, when all of this takes place, it is just a step from us to begin using those words. We hear it, we hear it, we hear it, and then, one day, we say it. We say it when we are angry. We say it when a terrible crisis comes upon us. We say it when we don’t know what else to say.

Second, with this cussing culture around us, it influences our children. Saying wrong words doesn’t mean that you are tougher than someone else. If anything, it illustrates a very limited vocabulary. It also shows that one follows the pack. Everyone else says those words, so I can. Don’t do what everyone else does.

Your words are a window into your soul and your heart. Cursing doesn’t make a person look better. Filling your heart with the goodness of God will help you in knowing what to say. The Colossians were told to let the word of Christ richly dwell within you. The Philippians were told to let your mind dwell upon the things that are pure, right and good. Movies laced with cursing will not help you in your thoughts nor words. Hanging around cusses, won’t help you speak words fit for edification.

Parents may need to get safeguards that filter the language of movies and TV. Our cars need filters. Our water is filtered. Why shouldn’t we get filters for our ears and hearts?

Third, it doesn’t take very long for people at school and the work place to recognize that you don’t talk the way that they talk. You don’t cuss. You don’t talk with a potty mouth. You don’t gossip. You don’t tell lies. Without preaching, you are preaching. You light shines by the selection of words that you use. Those tha cuss won’t like that, nor you. But, there will be some who admire you. There will be some who gravitate towards you and trust you, simply because you don’t talk the way everyone does.

Third, cussing is a choice. One can come from a home of cussing, and yet, grow up and speak words that encourage, uplift and help others. Sometimes you have to raise the windows of your heart and air out a bit to get all the smelly cussing out of your mind, but surrounding yourself with those that honor the Lord, will make all the difference.

Our verse today, one of many from Proverbs about the subject of talking and speech, reminds us that our words are a choice. “Put away from you,” tells us that a person could do that. “I can’t help it,” really is an excuse for someone who doesn’t want to change. Put away…put off…common Biblical reminders of the choices we have in our lives. Our words are one of those choices.

James helps us with the principle of being slow to speak and quick to hear. We have one mouth and two ears. That ought to tell us that we need to be listening more than we do talking. And, words do not have to be cuss words to be hurtful, unkind, mean and out of place. Gossip does that. There may not be a single cuss word in the gossip conversation, but the unloving and cruel things said between two people about someone else is wrong. It is WRONG. And, sadly, churches tolerate it. If a brother set up a grill to sell hotdogs in the church building on a Sunday morning, people would scream in righteous protest. However, get folks gossiping in a pew before services begins, and people know it, but they look the other way.

It’s a cussing world that we live in these days. Our homes and our worship houses ought to be an oasis of calm, peace and righteousness. A sanctuary of hope is what our homes and church buildings need to be. Now, if a neighbor came over and started cussing repeatedly, you’d politely tell him to not talk that way. If he continued, you’d show him the door. However, if instead of a neighbor, it’s a sitcom on TV, we excuse the cussing and continue on watching. Maybe it’s time we helped our TVs out by finding the on/off switch and then do something better.

Roger