The 5 Jars (part 4)
Good day! Welcome to this week’s notes: We have 4 segments in this message…
If you missed part 3, you can read it by clicking here!
MONEY MANAGEMENT: GET ADVICE
If you are battling to get your finances in order, then get some advice.
Why not chat to a friend or a respected family member who has got it right?
Seek wisdom. Get some advice.
“Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others.” (Proverbs 12:15)
If a person wants to build muscle, where do they go?
They usually join a gym.
Before they begin working out, they will first meet with a personal trainer, who will write out a program for them to help them achieve their ideal body. The gym program, when followed, will help that person get into shape.
If you are sick, what do you do?
You probably go to the Doctor.
But why go to a doctor?
Because you want advice from an expert. You want advice from a qualified professional who knows about the body and how it functions, and who can prescribe the right treatment or medicine to get you back to health.
Yet when people have money issues, often they do not get advice. They just battle away and try to fix their situation without the help of an expert.
If you want to manage your money well, build wealth, and ensure you have the right protections in place for your family, then set up a meeting with a financial planner.
Get the right advice.
A financial planner will be able to assess your needs and objectives and will be able to analyze your current situation while providing you a realistic and achievable solution, to help you build towards financial freedom.
Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life. (Proverbs 19:20)
If you want to achieve your financial dreams, get the right advice.
FINANCIAL FREEDOM: PICTURE. PLAN. PROCESS.
Many have taken so many hard knocks that they have stopped dreaming.
Maybe you have nothing but crushed dreams.
I need to encourage you to dream again.
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12 NLT)
Dreams give you hope for the future.
If you want to achieve your goals and dreams, you need to…
- PICTURE it
- Set up a PLAN on how you can achieve it
- Follow a step-by-step PROCESS to ensure you turn your dreams and goals into reality
What are your dreams? Can you see it?
“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” (Proverbs 29:18)
You need to see a clear picture of your dream in your mind before you can make it a reality.
PLAN
Many have dreams but the dreams never come to pass because there is no plan to achieve them.
Once you have a dream and a vision, you need to set up a plan that you can follow to achieve your goals and dreams.
You need to know what your objectives are and how you intend to reach them.
“Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty” (Proverbs 21:5)
By coming up with a plan, you are giving yourself a strategy to turn your dreams into reality.
PROCESS
But there is one more step.
Yes, you need the dream.
Yes, you need the workable plan.
But without following through, you will not achieve your desired outcome.
You therefore need a strategy, a step-by-step process to help you stay disciplined enough to follow through.
By sticking to the process, you can achieve a successful outcome.
If you want to build towards financial freedom, you need to…
- PICTURE – You need to see your dream.
- PLAN – You need a plan to take you from where you are to where you want to be.
- PROCESS – You need to set up a step-by-step process to help you stay disciplined to follow through.
With the right PICTURE, the right PLAN, and the right PROCESS, you can dare to dream, and see your dreams come true.
FINANCIAL FEATURE: THE 5 JARS (PART 4)
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 lifelong 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
“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.
In part 1, 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, and
- ?5 in the last SPENDING JAR.
In part 4, we are going to drill deeper into JAR 3.
But let me give you a quick re-cap…
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!
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.
“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.
JAR TWO – BLESSING JAR
Children are instructed to place 10% into the Blessing Jar.
These are funds set aside to help people in the community who are going through tough times or who are less fortunate.
Being a blessing in your community also helps you to become part of your community. The networks you build by being generous may even lead to business opportunities in the future.
By creating a generosity fund to bless others, you not only help those in need, but it also helps you not to be selfish and think of others.
Jars one and two help children to love God and love people.
“One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” (Proverbs 11:24-25)
With the first 10% in the TITHE JAR and 10% set aside in the BLESSING JAR, you can start looking after your needs.
Today we are going to unpack JAR 3: This jar excites me. It has the ability to launch you into a business that can change your life and financial situation forever.
JAR THREE – INVESTING JAR
Children are encouraged to place 20% of the money they receive in the Investing Jar.
The aim of this Jar is to build up a Wealth Portfolio over the long term. The proceeds in this jar are to be invested to generate income and growth.
Children are encouraged to dream, plan, and make their own choices.
“The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” (Proverbs 21:5)
Children are encouraged to study and come up with entrepreneurial ideas, seek advice, or make use of an existing investment opportunity.
They can buy shares, or invest in mutual funds, unit trust funds, or exchange-traded funds. They can also consider a business project!
Whether they invest the money in this jar, use the money in this jar to buy a packet of seeds to grow vegetables to sell to the community, or whether they use the money in the jar to buy goods to bake cakes, the decision is to be left to the child.
The intention must be to make a profit, grow the investment portfolio, or generate income. You will be amazed at the ideas children will come up with!
“Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. (Proverbs 11:11)
Please note that the investment jar is not money set aside for short-term spending or emergencies that may arise (this is addressed in Jar 4).
The investment jar is to hold your long-term investments. The money in this jar is to be put to work to earn more money.
“The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets.” (Proverbs 21:20)
Over time, through trial and error, and through successes, the child will come up with creative ideas to earn income.
At the same time, the child will be building business experience, and may even find their place in the world before they reach their adult life.
The process of coming up with a variety of income-generating opportunities will also help build problem-solving skills and will help develop a business mindset that looks for solutions to problems. These are useful skills that can generate cash flow!
“Ship your grain across the sea; after many days you may receive a return. Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight; you do not know what disaster may come upon the land. (Ecclesiastes 11:1-2)
Children can take the income earned from the Investment Jar and feed it back into the 5 Jars.
If they build up the Investing Jar and it is full, the child is free to access 50% of the profits to use on anything they like, but the remaining 50% must be put back into the other jars…
- 10% into the Tithe Jar
- 20% into the Blessing Jar
- 20% being reinvested into the Investment Jar
- 10% into the Savings Jar
This ensures that the child continues to accumulate wealth while being rewarded for their hard work.
With the first 10% in the TITHE JAR, 10% set aside into the BLESSING JAR, and 20% of your money put to work to build your wealth portfolio in your INVESTING JAR, you can now consider building up savings.
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 to be generous, thereby helping one form a habit of loving God and loving people.
The 5 JAR PRINCIPLE also encourages people to save, 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 one’s 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 your 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 develop a business mindset and valuable entrepreneurial skills.
Further, you will build a wealth portfolio over the long term, have savings for unforeseen short-term emergencies, and have 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 5 on the 5 JARS Saving strategy.
LIFE TIP: TRUST GOD
Life can be uncertain. Life can be hard.
When tough times hit, who do you run to?
When you face problems, where do you put your trust?
Before you put your trust in your bank manager or doctor, look to God. He wants you to bother him with your problems. He wants to be part of your life.
Let me give you a scripture that you can rely on…
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
God knows what you are going through. He understands. He knows what is happening, and he has the solution. Put your hope in God. Trust in him. Go to God first. Don’t rely on your own limited understanding of what to do, rather seek God. He can lead you on the right path. He can open doors that no man can shut. He can direct you and fix your situation.
I love what David said, “Once I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging for bread.” (Psalm 37:25)
God will never let you down. Hold onto him. Seek him. Trust him.
Now…
- If God knows what is happening and going to happen
- If God has the solution to your problem
Then…
- Why don’t you put your trust in him and live for him?
If you are not in a relationship with God, why not surrender your life to God and put your trust in him?
God loves you and he made a way for all people to come into a relationship with him – a walk that can start today and go right on into eternity.
There is a problem. We are cut off from God because of sin. But God sent his Son, Jesus, and he paid the full price for our mess-ups on the cross so that we can be made right with God.
Talking about Jesus, we are told, “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)
Jesus personally took our sins on the cross, so that we can be set free from our past transgressions, and so that we can be made right with God. Because of the finished work of Jesus on the cross, your life can be healed, and you can be reconnected to God.
Today, turn to God. Trust in God. Call on Jesus.
If you are not in a relationship with God, what are you waiting for?
Call on Jesus. Today you can put your trust in God.
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 on your journey with God.
CONCLUSION:
Get advice.
If you want to turn your dreams and goals into reality, you need to picture it, plan it, and set up a process to follow through.
Apply the 5 Jars to your money management.
Teach it to your children.
Trust God. He cares for you. He knows what is up. He wants to do life with you.
Get connected to Jesus.
God bless you.
Clinton.
