Rick Warren - Transforming How I See and Use Money Part Three

Hey, friends, thanks so much for joining us today on

Pastor Rick's Daily Hope, the Bible teaching ministry of Pastor

Rick Warren. We're so glad to have you with us

and today, Rick continues in his series called Transformed. Together,

We'll dive into God's Word and discover powerful principles that

can truly change our lives from the inside out spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, relationally, financially,

and vocationally. You'll experience how God's truth brings real transformation

to every part of your life. I can't wait to

get started. Here's the final part of a message called Transforming.

How I see and use money?

How do I use my money for God's purposes? How

do I use my money for good and for God? Well,

there are a lot of ways to do that, but

one of the ways you can do good with your

money is use money to save time. Say what, Yeah,

use money to save time? Why? Because you can always

get more money, but you can't get more time. Time

is far more important than money. Your time is your life.

If you watch a show on TV for an hour,

you just gave up an hour of your life. Was

it worth it? Because you're never getting that hour back.

You can always get more money, but you can't get

more time. So if you can use money to save time,

that's a good investment, because time is more important than money.

You can use money to save lives. You can use

money to do good, you can use money to honor God.

There are lots of things you can do good with money. Now,

let's look at this dishonest manager. Why did Jesus make

him the hero of the story. What did Jesus like

about this guy? He certainly didn't like his dishonesty. Remember,

the guy's gonna get canned, he's gonna get fired. And

so he brings in these people. This guy says, let's

write down your debt fifty percent. Okay, just write it

down fifty percent, and it'll be fine. Just write it

down and we'll we'll and we won't tell the boss

about it. Then the second thing, he brings another guy,

and he says, write down your debt twenty percent. Okay,

we're gonna write down your debt twenty percent, and we'll

take care of that. We're just between you and me,

all right. Obviously he's dishonest, but he did three things right.

And these are the three things that God wants you

to do with your money. Okay. Number one, what did

he do? He looked ahead? He looked ahead. In verse three,

he says, what am I gonna do now? He's thinking

about the future. And you know what, most people never

look ahead when it comes to their finances. They're living

for today because every advertisement in our society, this culture

teaches you have it now, spend it now, make it now,

use it now. Forget about the future. And that's why

I know, you know, very few people are savings. Okay.

The average savings in Europe is about twelve percent of

savings people say about twelve percent of their income. The

average saving in Japan is about twenty five percent of

their income. The average savings of Americans last year was

minus one percent. We spent one percent more than we made.

We're saving nothing. That's not smart, that's not good. And

so he looks ahead, What am I going to do now?

Look at this verse on the screen. Proverbs fourteen, verse

eight says this, the wise man looks ahead. The fool

attempts to fool himself and won't face the facts. I

wonder what facts you're willing to face in your life.

Let's just talk about this one area. What financial facts

are you unwilling to face? Some of you are living

in a house you can't really forward, and you're stretched,

and you're stressed, and you can't make friends meet. And

what you really need to do is downsize. You need

to get out of that house and buy something more manageable.

But whether it's comfort or ego or whatever it is,

you won't face the fact, and you're going deeper and

deeper into Some of you have a car you can't afford,

and you need to go sell that car, trade it in,

get something more manageable. I drive a fourteen year old forward.

It's been thirteen years since I made a car payment.

Wouldn't you like to be that I haven't made a

car payment thirteen years? Why? Because my car still runs fine.

I don't drive my car for bling. I drive it

to get me somewhere, so I'm not I don't want

to have to pay for that new smell. I'll just

go buy the little smell vans pray it. Okay. The

point is is he looked ahead. What facts do you

need to face up to you in your finances? Number two?

He made a plan, and that's the next verse. He says,

I know what I will do. Do you have a plan?

How do you know if you've got a financial plan? Natural? Simple?

Do you have a budget? Are you following? A budget

is simply planned spending, that's all a budget is. A

budget is simply planning you're spending. If you don't have

a budget, you don't have a plan. A budget is

telling your money where you wanted to go, rather than

wondering where it went. But you got to have a plan.

You got to have a plan. Look at this verse

on the screen Matthew's sixteen a proverb of sixteen nine.

We should make plans, the Bible says, counting on God

to direct us. So the third thing that he did,

he looked ahead, he made a plan. He acted quickly,

and he gets commended for that. He didn't procrastinate, he

didn't delay. He set his plan in motion. He didn't

say someday, I'm going to get my finances in order,

someday I'm going to start saving for retirement. He doesn't

say someday I'll one of these days. One of these

days is none of these days? Now? The Bible says

this in Luke sixteen, verse four, I know what I'll

do so that when I lose my job here, people

will welcome me into their houses. Now see that verse

on the screen. That is the very thing Jesus is commending,

not a dishonesty, but that attitude which says this, I'm

going to think ahead. I'm going to make a plan,

and I'm going to invest in some relationships so that

when I'm out on my rear end, they're going to

be people who will take me into their homes. He says,

that's smart, think ahead, make a plan. Now, most people

have no plan for the future. They're just drifting through

life day by day. He says, that's not very well.

He says, you need to take the long view. Now,

when Jesus talks about the long view, he's not talking

about retirement. He's talking about the long view on the

other side of death. Are you storing up treasure in heaven?

Or are you spending it all here and wasting it

all here? Are you storing up treasure in heaven? That's

the long range plan? What are you going to do

with that? Now? Number four? This fourth truth is really

really counter culture, but Jesus says it so I have

to teach it to you. And it's this, The best

use of money is to use it to get people

into heaven. The best use of my money is to

use it getting people into heaven. Now, let me read

this is the most problem verse people don't understand. Verse nine.

Jesus says, I tell you use worldly wealth to gain

friends for yourselves. They're talking about building relationships so that

when it is gone, they will welcome you into your

eternal dwelling. And he's talking about heaven. And he says,

just like this dishonest guy made friends that he could

count on later. He says, you need to use some

of your money to make spiritual friends, eternal friends, friends

you're going to have forever in heaven who will welcome

you when you get to heaven. And does that shock you? Now?

What is he not saying here? He's not saying you

can buy your way into heaven because you can't. You

can't buy your way into heaven. The price has already

been paid by Jesus on the cross. He's not saying

you can purchase your salvation because you can't. You can't

purchase your eternal salvation. It's free, it's a gift, it's

by grace. What he's saying is use your money to

build relationships that are going to go on and on

and on and on for eternity, spiritual friendships. Use your

affluence for good influence. And he says that when I

use my money to help other people meet Jesus, I

make friends for eternity, and I gain rewards for eternity.

I circle the phrase when they will welcome you, welcome

you into eternal dwellings. He's talking about heaven there. Now,

imagine one day you're going to die and you get

to heaven and there's one hundred people there standing at

the entrance to heaven clapping and cheering you, saying we've

been waiting on you. We're so glad you're here. We're

here because you spent some money to tell us the

good news, and we're your friends for life. No, we're

your friends for eternity because we're indebted to you. If

it weren't for the way you used your money, we

wouldn't have heard how to get to heaven? Are you

using any of your money for that kind of thing?

Is anybody going to be in heaven because of you?

Because the way you use your money? No, Loo, when

you go by a Christian book or a Bible, and

you give it to somebody who doesn't have a Bible.

You just invested stored up treasure in heaven. When you

go help support a radio program that shares the good

news around the world, you have just stored up treasure

in heaven. When you help build a church like Saddleback

or any other church, and that fifty years after you die,

that church helps somebody get to know God in a

personal way. You have just stored up treasure in heaven.

That is the highest and best use because you're sending

it on ahead. You can't take it with you, but

you can send it on ahead. How by investing in

people who are going there. That is your eternal IRA

individual retirement account. And number five, this is the last truth,

and this is an important one. One day I'll give

an account to God. One day there's going to be

an audit on my life. How I use not just

my money, but everything that God gave me. What did

you do with what you were giving your talent, your relationships,

your opportunities, your mind, your creativity, your contacts, your networks.

What did you do with what God gave you? That

doesn't really matter whether you got a lot or a little.

Our church is a church family with people at every

level of economic status. In our church we have many

people who are very very very poor, and in our

church we have some people who are very very very rich,

and the rest of us are all somewhere in between.

It really doesn't matter. It doesn't matter how much or

how little you've got. What matters is what are you

doing with what you've been given? And can God trust

you with more? You're going to stand before God one day.

He's going to do a life audit. Verse two says this,

you must now give an account of your stewardship and

report what you've done with what I entrusted to you,

because your time as a manager is ending one day.

Your time as a manager on earth is going to end.

You're not going to live on earth forever. No, no,

you weren't meant to live on earth forever. But God

has entrusted certain assets to you as the manager. And

he says, okay, I want you to I'm going to

watch you, and I'm going to test you, and I'm

going to see what you're doing with what you've been given.

What are you doing with the mind I gave you

What are you doing with the health I gave you?

What are you doing with the freedom I gave you?

Are you spending all on yourself? Oh? Well, time out.

Wait a minute. You think that's the whole purpose of

life to live for you? You think I created you

just to live for yourself. Wrong answer. One day your

management career is going to end, and the Bible says this,

each of us will have to give a personal account

to God. Here's the last principle. If I'm faithful with

a little, God can trust me with more. If I'm

faithful with a little, then God will be able to

trust me with more. And that's what Verse ten says.

Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be

trusted with much. And whoever is dishonest with little will

be dishonest with much. And obviously, whoever is irresponsible with

little but will be irresponsible with much. Are you using

your money in such a way that God says, man,

I want to give them more? Are you using your

time in such a way? Are you using your influence?

This principle applies to every area. Now follow me on this.

God has given you just a little bit of talent.

You just got a little bit of talent, but you're

faithful to use it. You know, I'm not a superstar,

so I won't do anything. I'm going to use what

little talent I've got. You know what will happen. God

will increase your talent. If you just got a little

bit of influence. But you said, you know what, I'm

going to lose what little influence of God for good

and for God. God will increase your influence if you

just got a little bit of money, he said, But

I'm going to use this wisely the way God says

to use it. Then God will increase your possessions, your

material possessions. It's true of opportunities, it's true of network,

It's true of everything in life. Look at this verse

on the screen, Matthew twenty five. Jesus said, to those

who use well what they are given, even more will

be given and they will have what I want. As

your pastor who loves you, I want you to have

that abundance in every area of your life. But you

got to use what you've been given. Faithfulness in little

ways produce fruitfulness in big ways. You say, when I

make it big, man, then I'll really become generous. When

I make it big. Then I'm gonna start tightening. No,

you won't. You start tightening when you're poor. That's how

you get out of poverty. You start managing well what

God has given you, and then God can trust you.

I have seen this happen in every area of my

life now for over forty years. And when I was

a very young man, I began to take what little

had been given, what little intelligence, what little talent, what

little influence, what little money God had given me. And

I was faithful with it, and I used it for good,

not for my purpose, but for good and for God.

And God gave me more, and God gave me more

and more and more, and it kept increasing me, my influence,

my blessings in all these different areas. Most of you

know that when I wrote Purpose Driven Life twelve years ago,

it became the best selling book in the world for

four years. It's in Guinness Book of Records with two records. First,

it's the best selling book in American history hardback, and

second it's the most translated book in the world, second

only to the Bible. And people often ask that, why

do you think God shows you. I'm not even an author,

I'm not a professional author. I'm a pastor. I've never

taken a class on writing. So how do you write

the best selling book in American history? Why do you

think God chose me? I didn't know for a long time.

I know now he knew he could trust me with

the money. He knew I wouldn't use it on myself.

He knew I would give it away because I had

a thirty year track record. Most of you know I

live on nine percent and give away ninety one percent.

When that book hit, I could have gone out and

bought a small nation, and I could have had all

these butlers serving me drinks with little umbrellas in them.

But when you write a book and the first line

is it's not about you, you know the money is

not for you. And so we didn't do that. And

you know I don't take a salary from this church.

Haven't done so don't. I've served this church now free

for thirty three years. Faithfulness and little ways produces fruitfulness

in big ways. I want God's blessing on your life,

but you got to do it God's way. Let's bow

our heads, so let's do a little personal evaluation in

your own life. I want you to ask yourself some questions. First,

does God really have first place in my life? Or

is something else first place in my life? Can God

trust me with what He's allowed me to have? If

I'm managing my money well, Am I managing my opportunities well?

Am I managing my life well? Am I managing my

health well? Or everything else God has given me? Does

the way that I'm using my money show God that

I can be trusted with more? What or how much

am I investing for eternity? Will anybody be in heaven

because of the way I'm using my money? Why don't

you pray this prayer? Say, Dear God, I don't want

to waste money. Just say that in your mind. God,

I don't want to waste your money. I don't want

to love it, I don't want to live for it.

I don't want to trust in it for my security,

and I don't want to expect it to satisfy and

meet needs that only you can meet. God. From this

day forward, help me to remember every day that it

all belongs to you, that I don't really own anything,

that it's all just on loan from God, and You're

going to loan it to somebody else after I die. God,

I want what I do with my money to show

that I love you the most, and I want what

I do with my money to show that I trust

you for security, not my bank account. And God, I

want you to look at the way I'm using my

life and my money and know that you can trust

me with greater responsibility. Help me to remember that money

is just a tool. While many people use it for bad,

I want to use it for good and for God.

Help me to do what this manager did right. Help

me to look ahead, Help me to make a plan.

Help me to act quickly and not procrastinate. Lord, you've

said from your own words that the best use of

money is to help get people into heaven, so that

that's storing up treasure in heaven. Lord, I want to

use some of my money to do that. I know

that one day I'll give an account to you for

how I used my life and what I did with

what I was given. You said that where your treasure is,

your heart is so God, I want to give you

my heart today. Jesus Christ. I don't understand it all,

but as much as I know how I ask you

to come into my life. I want a relationship with

you not a religion that I want to learn to

know you and love you and serve you and feel

your love. And I pray this in Jesus's name. Amen.

You know, if you just prayed that prayer for the

very first time, or you just recommitted your life to

Jesus again today, would you let me know about it.

There's something real about sharing your commitment. So write me

Rick at Pastorick dot com and say, Rick, I prayed

that prayer of commitment. I gave my life to Christ.

And I'll send you some material that will help you

on your journey with Jesus. And I'll also pray for you.

God bless you.

Wow. Some powerful words from Pastor Rick today. And now

this is really one of my favorite parts of the broadcast.

This is letters from our listeners. And now here's Rick.

I want to take a minute and tell you how

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East and in North Africa because of civil wars and violence.

One of those places is South Sudan, where over two

hundred thousand people are living in refugee camps. Now, when

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let me just read you one testimony that we've received.

Here's a note from a woman who's living in a

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South Sudan. I lost all five of my children and

my beloved husband. This is in the civil war that

was going on there, as well as our family possessions.

During the recent fighting in the capital of Juba, she said,

I had planned to commit suicide. There's somebody who needs hope.

When I listened to Rick Warren's broadcast, the one called

when You Feel Like Giving Up, I got inspired and

I dropped the idea of taking my life that very night.

And I'll continue to pray God to bless this great

preacher and thank you for giving me hope. Joyce. We're

happy to do that, and I want to say it's

because of the listener who are giving faithfully every month

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God amazing how when you just give what you can give,

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out to people that none of us could reach on

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want you to pray for Joyce, and today I want

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Today, when you give a gift to Daily Hope to

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