The 5 Jars (part 2)
Good Day! Welcome to this week’s notes! We have 4 segments in this message…
If you missed part 1, you can read it by clicking here!
MONEY MANAGEMENT: BUDGET
It is important to budget. If you do not track your money, you will not know what is going on with your money.
Drawing up a budget is simply listing your INCOME and your EXPENSES.
You need to know what is coming IN and what is flowing OUT.
When last did you review your budget? If you currently do not have a budget in place, why not start today?
Just like a small leak can sink a great ship, a leak in your budget can sink you financially. By reviewing your bank statements and tracking your expenses, you can plug the leaks and ensure that you don’t waste money.
Is your budget aligning with your priorities and your objectives?
Where does God fit in with your money?
What about your dreams – Are you investing toward achieving them?
Make sure that you differentiate between what is essential and what the nice-to-haves are.
First, cover your basic needs and only spend money on the extra non-essential items when your money permits you to. And please do your best to stay away from unnecessary debt, as debt just erodes cash flow!
Consider the 10-20-70 principle:
- Give your first 10% to God.
- Put 20% away into savings and investments.
- Live on the remaining 70%.
If you get this right, you will be honoring God. You will also build up your savings for emergencies and a wealth portfolio for your future, and you will be living within your means!
Jesus said, “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.” (Matthew 14:28)
Count the cost. You need to know what is going on with your money. Spend less than you earn. Set up a budget and stick to it. Only spend what your budget allows.
Learn more about the 10-20-70 principle by clicking here!
FINANCIAL FREEDOM: BUILD A HABIT OF SAVING
If you want to build towards financial freedom, you need to build a good habit of saving, and you need to stick to this over the long term.
Once you are committed to saving, you won’t even miss the amount you put aside each month, and you will be surprised how quickly your savings grow!
You might think you don’t have ‘spare’ cash to save, but just go back to your budget. Surely you can make room to save!
If you aim to save what is left over each month, once you have paid all your bills, you will never end up saving.
There will always be another “thing” that you will need to buy or spend money on, thereby eroding your cash flow and making it impossible to save.
In other words, unless you make saving money a priority, you will find it hard to save. Build savings into your budget. Why not set up an automated debit order that comes off your account at the beginning of each month? This way you will always save before you have something else to spend the money on.
“The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets.” (Proverbs 21:20)
Don’t be foolish. Don’t be tempted to spend all you earn. Be wise. Save for your future. If you make saving a habit, and do it over the long term, you can build towards financial freedom.
FINANCIAL FEATURE: THE 5 JARS (PART 2)
Jewish people are known to be astute money managers.
So recently while in Israel, I did some digging to find out why this is true. I was interested and inspired to discover that one of the secrets lies with what they teach their children about money. It turns out that from a young age many children a taught a basic money principle using 5 jars, which develops a life-long habit of managing money well.
The golden rule taught using 5 jars is simple…
- Put God first
- Be generous,
- Invest over the long-term
- Save up for short-term needs
- Only spend what is left over
In other words, young Jewish children are taught to…
- 1st GIVE
- 2nd KEEP
- 3rd SPEND LESS THAN THEY RECEIVE
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)
Parents have taught the timeless 5 Jars principle to their children from a young age. It has been passed down from generation to generation. By the time young children reach their teenage years, they already have a healthy understanding of how to manage money in a God-honoring way, which also helps to eliminate bad debt, live within one’s means, and build wealth.
Last week we unpacked the 5 JAR PRINCIPLE…
- JAR ONE – TITHE JAR
- JAR TWO – BLESSING JAR
- JAR THREE – INVESTING JAR
- JAR FOUR – SAVINGS JAR
- JAR FIVE – SPENDING JAR
Each time the child receives money, they are required to distribute it among the five jars. If a child receives ₪10 Shekels (this is the Israeli Currency), the child is taught to put…
- ₪1 in the TITHE JAR
- ₪1 in the BLESSING JAR
- ₪2 in the INVESTING JAR
- ₪1 in the SAVINGS JAR
- ₪5 in the last SPENDING JAR
Today we are going to drill a little deeper into JAR 1…
JAR ONE – TITHE JAR
Whenever a child receives money, they are taught to place the first 10% in the Tithe Jar.
By the way, a tithe means one-tenth. Jewish children are taught that the first 10% doesn’t belong to them but to God.
“A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.” (Leviticus 27:30)
Once a month, this jar is opened and taken to their place of worship where the money in Jar 1 is given to God.
The principle of giving the first 10% of your income and earnings to God helps to teach children not to be selfish, but rather to put God first and love him. It is acknowledging that God is our Father who cares for his children (us).
By putting God first with your money, God remains at the center of all your decisions, and your life!
Concerning giving to God, look at what God told his people…
“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, 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. “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; “And all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land,” Says the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 3:8-12)
Children are also taught that giving to God opens doors of opportunity, where God will bless his children for giving their first and best back to Him.
Look at what God’s word says about putting God first…
“Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.” (Provers 3:9-10)
So, the first 10% goes into the TITHE JAR and this is given back to God each month.
Next week, we will look into the mystery behind the other Jars and we will show you how this can lead to financial freedom.
The 5 JAR PRINCIPLE helps people to put God first and be generous, thereby helping one form a habit of loving God and loving people.
The 5 JAR PRINCIPLE also encourages people to save and invest and build a business, thereby securing income, building a wealth portfolio, and having cash flow available for short-term needs and opportunities.
The 5 JAR PRINCIPLE also helps one to take a disciplined approach to money management, which helps to eliminate debt and encourages people to live within their means.
Why not teach your children the 5 JAR PRINCIPLE to money management? Why don’t you consider using it yourself?
By setting up a deliberate plan to train your children, you will be making one of the best investment decisions you can ever make for your children. It will set them up for a fruitful future.
If you stick to the 5 JAR principle, you will learn to honor God and be a blessing to others with your generosity. You will also build a wealth portfolio over the long term and have savings for unforeseen short-term emergencies, with funds available for opportunities that may arise. You will also learn to eliminate debt, make good money decisions, and live within your means.
Join us next week for part 3 on the 5 JARS ancient investment strategy.
LIFE TIP: LIFE IS SHORT. ETERNITY IS FOREVER.
Life is short. Make the most of it. Spend time with your loved ones. Don’t live with regrets. Life is too short to get bitter and twisted. Be grateful. Be kind. Live on purpose. Live with passion. But also give some thought to your eternity…
“How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.” (James 4:14)
Life on earth is short. Eternity is forever.
If you die today, do you know where you will spend your eternity? Life doesn’t end at the grave. You will continue to live into eternity. Jesus spoke about heaven and hell as the final destinations for mankind. However, he does not want anyone to perish and spend eternity separated from him.
“For God so loved the world (YOU) that he gave his one and only Son (JESUS), that whoever believes in him shall not perish (HELL) but have eternal life (HEAVEN). For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16)
There is good news for you today. God loves you and he made a way for all people to share eternity with him. Jesus paid the full price on the cross for our sins so that we can be made right with God. He wants to share forever with you.
If your eternity is a matter of chance, please call on Jesus. Today you can become a child of God and know that your eternity is secure.
Let us pray…
Dear Lord Jesus, I need you. I know that I am lost and that I have sinned. I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe that You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
If you have prayed this prayer, please let us know. We would love to pray for you and send you an incredible eBook to help you in your journey with God.
CONCLUSION
Enjoy life. Budget. Live within your means. Build towards financial freedom by developing a habit of saving.
Apply the 5 Jars to your money management. Teach it to your children. Live your best life now. Live with purpose and passion. Above all, make certain of your eternity.
God bless you.
Clinton.
