This post is taken from my personal Bible study notes during my pastor's sermon titled Money Margin.

Creating Financial Margin Space

Let's take a look at a verse in Proverbs.

There is precious treasure and oil in the home of the wise, but a foolish person swallows it up.  Proverbs 21:20

This verse does not speak to the rich person or the poor person.  This verse speaks to the wise person.  We've been covering the topic of margin space.  Margin is the space between your load and your limit.  We need margin space so that we don't become overloaded with busyness, so that we make the best choices in life, so that we can deal with our feelings, and so that we can concentrate on our best relationships.  We also need financial margin space so that we can wisely manage our resources.  

Financial margin leads to joy, peace, and contentment.  

No financial margin space leads to no joy, no peace, and no contentment.

Now when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest.  And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger.  I am the Lord your God.  Leviticus 19:9-10

We should not consume everything.  The more margin we create, the more free we are and the more freely we can give.

We shouldn't live above our incomes.  This creates bondage.  Let's not fall into toxic financial traps.

Let's act our wage.

Creating Financial Margin Space

Financial margin is a heart issue and a wisdom issue, not an income issue.

1.  Financial margin is a heart issue no matter what our income is.

Greed and discontentment are bad things.  

Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flows the springs of life.  Proverbs 4:23

Not that I speak from need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.  I know how to get along with little, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both having abundance and suffering need.  Philippians 4:11-12.

We aren't born with contentment.  We learn it.

Christ is sufficient.  Jesus meets our every need.

I can do all things through Him Who strengthens me.  Philippians 4:13

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Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever abandon you."  Hebrews 13:5

God will never leave us.  Money will.

Let's be free from the love of money . . . 

So that we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper.  I will not be afraid.  What will man do to me?"  Hebrews 13:6.

Jesus is our "ever constant."  The world is not.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  Hebrews 13:8

But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.  For we have brought nothing into the world so we cannot take anything out of it either.  If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.  But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge people into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.  1 Timothy 6:6-10

2.  Financial margin is a wisdom issue.  

Let's manage our financial resources wisely. 

*Spend less than we earn.

*Plan for the future,

*Eliminate debt.

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*Pursue margin.

*Give generously

Let's tithe our first and our best.  God will bless the rest.

Are you someone who already has a lot of financial margin?  Don't worship it.  Use it for Kingdom building.

Great wealth is in the house of the righteous, but is in the income of the wicked.  Proverbs 15:6

This post is taken from my personal Bible study notes during my pastor's sermon.  You are invited to watch that sermon in its entirety here.

 

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Creating Financial Margin Space