Joseph's 20 Percent

[Andry]

The National Bureau of Economic Research declared it official on Monday that the U.S. has been in a recession since December 2007; the DOW responded by plunging 680-some points, and global indexes followed suit.

As God's children, financial stewardship goes far beyond simply our weekly tithes/offerings - and please don't debate that here. Scripture gives us examples of good stewardship of our income/surplus/blessings...

"Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance.....they should collect all the food of these good years that are coming....this food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine."
Gen 41:34-35, paraphrased

How many of us have done this - taking the example of storing up 20%? Or similarly, from Ecclesiastes:

"Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth."
Ecc 11:2

(Or from Aesop, "Don't put your eggs in one basket.")

Thoughts?

 

[BenAdam]

Interesting Andry,

Unfortunately this isn't a money maker for people to preach about. The book would be a page long and cost more to publish than it would cost.

 

[Andry]

Interesting Andry,

Unfortunately this isn't a money maker for people to preach about. The book would be a page long and cost more to publish than it would cost.

If there was ever a time to learn to be good stewards, it's now. If there was ever a time to give, it's now.

 

[BenAdam]

If there was ever a time to learn to be good stewards, it's now. If there was ever a time to give, it's now.

I agree, I was just being cynical. A true pastor/teacher would share this with people. I just happen to think that many of the more well know Christian celebri..err... teachers are just like the economists right now, they want people to buy the mess they are saying.

 

[JimB]

I am a pastor of a church and, while we have seen a bit of a decrease in attendance at our church since Hurricane Ike (the eye of the storm went right over our city), the overall giving of our members has remained somewhat stable. Hurricanes do not affect generous people—they remain generous even when they can’t "afford" it. It is simply who/what they are.

One of the things I have noticed in my 40+ years as a minister is the truth of Proverbs 11.24-25, There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty. The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself. Generous people are not only generous in their giving to the church but in their giving to other people, as well, and they never seem to be the ones who can’t pay their bills. It is usually those who can never seem to “afford” to give to the church or others who are the ones the church (i.e., the generous people in the church who make it possible for the church to help others) is always helping out. It seems to be an invariable principle. And it was plainly spelled out in Proverbs.

I never say this to heap guilt on a person for not giving (because I do not always know the circumstances) but I do know that generosity, not tightfistedness, is the real path to debt-free living.

~Jim

The Bible is so simple you have to have help to misunderstand it.​

 

[lismore]

Amen. The Joseph principle came out in prophetic insights in 1997. My family, mother, aunt, uncles etc bought their home at that time in response. They got a ten year mortgage in 1998. In 2008, two weeks after their mortgage ended, the bottom fell out of the mortgage market. The discount was withdrawn. The door closed.

The Joseph principle is good, but I think we have crossed into the 'seven' lean years now. I think it will last until 2017, when the news says, we will be officially in a global, cashless society.

UK and the USA are guinea pigs though apparently!!! Limited, microchip experiment will be next year in the USA. If it works everyone globally are getting chipped.

P>S Dont buy gold, it will soon have no value and will be dumped in the streets. Cashless society coming!