PLANNING AHEAD

The key to being mature is being responsible. As we grow older chronologically, our life experiences should have taught us many things. One of these experiences is to plan ahead. Planning ahead presupposes the attribute of foresight. Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines "foresight," as, "Prescience; foreknowledge; prognostication; the act of foreseeing. Milton. 2. Providence care of futurity; foreknowledge accompanied with prudence in guarding against evil. Spenser." We know that God has all foreknowledge.

Since we are created in the image of God, we possess foreknowledge to a limited degree. We possess foreknowledge because of our prior knowledge. We can make somewhat accurate predictions. This ability enables us to progress beyond the obvious. It is an extension of our intelligence. Another concept that comes to mind, in this regard, is forecasting. Every business attempts to forecast future consumer demand. Without this aspect, they could not properly have an adequate supply of goods.

Because we live in a world of predictability, we can make these projections and be relatively correct. We have meteorologists who forecast the upcoming weather for us. While sometimes they are incorrect, they at least provide us with the means to make an assessment about what we can expect on a given day. If they say that it will be 12 degrees and it turns out to be 18 degrees overnight, it is still cold and we would know what precautions to take. We are all in need of knowing what the weather is going to be. You would not decide to take a vacation to Florida during a hurricane, would you?

Proverbs 29:18 speaks about foresight, "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." People perish because they are unable to make accurate prognostications about the future. This is because they no longer keep the law of God and the world becomes to them a place of pure chance and their lives are predicated upon the winds of fate. The one who keeps the law of God is happy because he makes accurate forecasts of the future and he is blessed for his efforts.

If something is true, then, by definition, the opposite is also true. This is because truth is always in balance. The book of Proverbs is replete with this very axiom. One such example is Proverbs 20:4, "The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing." The idler does not plan ahead. He always has a justification for his inactions. This verse tells us that those who fail to plan ahead will be led into poverty. The opposite would be true for those who are diligent. Because they took the time and effort to forecast the future, they will have plenty in the times to come. This is the conclusion of Proverbs 13:4, "The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat." Knowing the truth axiom enables us to know that what is true also has an opposite truth.

All foresight is based upon this commandment found in Exodus 20:3, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." This is a negative command. Its opposite would say that we are to have only one God. If we keep this commandment, in its full import, then Proverbs 3:9-10 will be the result, "Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: 10So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine." This would be foreseeing the consequences of our actions. In this regard, the results would be positive.

The book of Proverbs is replete with examples of how to have an abundance and how to be poverty stricken. A good illustration is found in Proverbs 28:19, "He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread: but he that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough." Those who are willing to put forth the effort of forecasting i.e. planning ahead and then, working their plan, will have prosperity. The contrast here is for those who follow dreamers, whose plans and schemes never do come to fruition. They boast of great feats but deliver on nothing. It is always about what they are going to do, not what they actually accomplish, which is nothing.

Wise individuals are those who have learned from their mistakes and now take them into account when forecasting the future. They know what does not work and they have the knowledge not to repeat what failed, but try something that will succeed. It all comes down to trial and error. While this may be the case, we can short cut the process by looking to the Lord in His word and think His thoughts after Him. By so doing, we become omniscient to a limited degree.

Planning ahead would normally be thought to be merely physical. Planning ahead is first and foremost a spiritual enterprise. Planning requires thought. This is a spiritual exercise. As has been pointed out elsewhere, short term thinking will result in lower class living, whereas, long term planning brings about upper class thinking. Those who desire to be prosperous must learn the character trait of delayed gratification. Without it, nothing of any long lasting reward will be available.

Those who have truly planned ahead have made reservations for the life hereafter. Paul made this clear in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 18While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." Here we see that physical life is temporary. The most important things are clearly spiritual. To plan ahead means taking care of the spiritual first and foremost and then the physical. Most people take care of the physical and completely ignore the spiritual. My brethren, such things ought not to be.

WINNERS AND LOSERS

All of life can be characterized between winners and losers. It is always better to be on the side of the winners long term. Question, Why be a loser? What advantage is there in this? Winners are always determined by competence. Losers are always incompetent. There is no getting around this. Winners never give up and losers give up easily. The old saying is that winners never quit and quitters never win. How true.

Adversity is something which we all of us face each and every day. Most days, not everything goes the way we want it go. Trials and temptations are designed, not to weaken us, but to strengthen us. We are to grow stronger, not weaker. This is the crucible where the metal of faith is completed. The mass of humanity is content with being mediocre. In fact, this is their middle name. They do nothing to try to improve their present conditions. They put forth no effort to be over comers. They are content with the status quo. Their mantra is that this is the way things are and there is nothing you can do about it.

The market economy is made of winners and losers. Winners reap the rewards and losers declare bankruptcy. The market economy is comprised of competition. Competition forces those who enter the market to perform at their best or be thrown out with the rest of the trash. It separates the proverbial wheat from the chaff. Only the competent survive. This means that quality improves, and does not decrease.

Quantity is good, but quality is better. You can have a whole lot of something that is nothing more or less than junk or you can have few of something that has value. Something which has value in our day is oil. Oil is the most valuable commodity of our day. It is more valuable than diamonds or gold. It is something that we cannot do without. It effects our daily lives. The question is why not let the oil companies win? We all would be better off for it.

The only legitimate market that the government has a monopoly on is law enforcement. They are to protect our market economy from evildoers. This is their paramount function. They, however, decided that they need to be God. They have the arrogance to believe that they are omniscient and have a reality show called "Government Knows Best." Government does not know what is best for me when it comes to the market. They are to protect the righteous and good people in their daily market transactions and punish evildoers.

Being able to compete has behind it the concept of competence. From a Biblical point of view, competition and competence are best illustrated in the following parable found in Matthew 25:14-30, "For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. 15And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. 16Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. 17And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. 18But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money. 19After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. 20And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. 21His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 22He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. 23His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 24Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: 25And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. 26His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: 27Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. 28Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. 29For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. 30And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Two were proficient and one was inefficient.

Those who were successful, in this parable, followed an economic law of economies of scale. They put their talents to their highest use and were able to increase their holdings. The Lord commends them for their expenditure of effort. Now the market is better off because of their labors. The one that hid his talent did not want to compete. He was satisfied with the status quo. The market was harmed not benefitted by his actions. The Lord calls him an unprofitable servant. He was satisfied with mediocrity. To be mediocre is to be wasting valuable limited resources. These people are losers.

Christians are to be exceptional in all that they put their hands to. The Lord Jesus Christ said in Luke 9:61-62, "And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. 62And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." Once we become Christians there is nothing to look back to in our former lives. It is only forward and upward. This means that our skills i.e. competence, should be increasing in our callings. Christ does not accept losers, only winners. Which are you?

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY DOES NOT SELL

If you want to shrink your market opportunities, try preaching personal responsibility and yet, it is personal responsibility that leads to prosperity. Most people want to get something for nothing. I recently read in the Johnson City Press about how a convenience store clerk found a $10 bill in the store and used it to purchase a lottery ticket. It turns out that the lottery ticket was a winner, to the tune of $1 million.

Her comments on her winning are enlightening. "Schneider, 32, opted to take 20 yearly payments of $50,000, or $34,500 after taxes. ‘If I’d taken a lump sum, I’d be broke again within five years,’ she said." Well, it is out in the open. She does not know how to manage money. At least she realizes this. Of course, the media desires for you to have pity on this woman and her good luck. As with the media, it is designed to touch your heart strings. It is designed to be emotional in nature. There is, however, no mention about the morality or intellectual side of this situation.

I, for one,am totally repulsed by this situation. The story says, "The single mother–with nine maxed out credit cards and $8,500 in debt for her associate’s degree..." First of all, why is she a single mother? We do not know if she was previously married and now divorced or whether she has ever been married and had children out of wedlock. How many children does she have? Does she have custody? Do they live with her? We are not told, but these questions are relevant.

What in the world is she doing with 9 credit cards? It is obvious that she is not financially astute enough to handle even one card. They are maxed out. She is bankrupt. On top of that she owes $8,500 for an associate’s degree. If she has an associate’s degree, why is she working at a minimum wage job? What did she get this degree in? Did she upgrade her job skills or did she major in something that does not translate into a marketable skill, like Women’s Studies?

The article does not go into these areas because it is designed to appeal to the emotions rather than the intellect. Now, we need to analyze the lottery itself. What is a lottery anyway? It is gambling right out in the open. It is not productive but rather destructive over the long period. Who are those who play it? Convenience store clerks in Ohio who are in serious debt. Those that play this are those who live for this day with no regard for the future i.e. poor people.

The lottery is a tax on the those who can least afford to pay it. While the majority that do play can afford to and limit their purchase, there are those who like this convenience clerk that cannot. What is the lottery based upon? That you can get a lot of money by not expending and amount of productivity. Does the lottery add to the wealth of a nation? The answer is a resounding no. State governments use this ill gotten gain most of the time to fund education. They do this to get another source of funding.

Millionaires do not stand in line to play the lottery. To them it is a grand waste of time and money. They are to busy making their own money. They have learned the principles of personal responsibility, especially delayed gratification. The lottery is all about instant gratification. No skill involved here. This is where the masses dwell. They never get it. They think that the rich are that way because of reasons not related to the truth. The reason that people remain poor is because they are not going to discipline themselves to better their condition. They want what they see as the easy way out, the lottery.

The lottery is based upon the principle of chance which is Darwinian to the core. Your odds of winning are slim to nil. However, if you go out and get a job and work it with excellence and increase your skill level and become successful, then you will prosper. In this regard, you are not relying on chance but on predictability. The world is not governed by chance but by predictable laws. The lottery tries to circumvent these predictable laws.

The Bible teaches personal responsibility, thrift, and productivity. It is the Protestant work ethic that has made America great, not the lottery. This is stated in Ecclesiastes 9:10, "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." In other words, put forth your best effort in all of your endeavors, if you desire to be wealthy.

The lottery destroys motivation for people to better their lot. They are led to believe that they can get something for nothing. The highlight of their day is hanging around convenience stores buying lottery tickets. They say, I know that this one is the big one. The lottery encourages laziness and sloth. Why work, if you can win the lottery? Sounds like government entitlement programs doesn’t it? This is because the lottery is built upon a false foundation. It is socialism right out in the open. No longer hanging in the closet.

Paul wrote in 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12, "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. 11For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. 12Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread." God’s provision for our daily bread is to come from being productive in gainful employment. Working for the Lottery is not deemed a biblical vocation. It promotes the opposite of orderliness. God does not want us to play the lottery, but work.

Christians are opposed to the lottery. It is counter to godliness. Kristina Schneider says that if she took a lump sum she would be broke within five years. Here is a prediction that will be accurate, after 20 yearly payments, she will be broke. Unless, she learns the principles of financial management, she will be back in the same position she was prior to winning the lottery. Even winning the lottery does not ensure that you won’t be impoverished later. Spiritual bankruptcy leads to financial bankruptcy.

FIXED INCOME

It is an interesting comment when we hear our seniors say that they are living on fixed incomes. What they mean by this is that they are dependent upon government welfare programs and have trusted the government to meet their needs in their golden years. They receive a predictable fixed amount each month and each year, they may get a very modest increase which will probably not keep up with the rate of inflation.

What these seniors have not considered is that we are all on a fixed income. When they tell me they are on a fixed income, I respond by saying, "So am I." This takes them aback. Each of us are only able to generate so much income, at a given time. Take for instance a professional athlete. He agrees to play his given sport for so much a year. He may make more money in reaching certain levels but his salary is going to be a determined amount.

To increase our fixed income, to another fixed level, we must increase our value to the market. There are only so many athletes and other entertainers that are able to do what they do. They earn more than the rest because they are in an elite class. Still, they can only earn so much. Built into this world is the concept of limits. We are all limited to one extent or another. We can exceed our limitations to a degree but there comes a point when we can no longer surpass those limits. At that point, things have become fixed.

Knowing this, it behooves us to learn to live in a world of limits, especially in the area of finance. To effectively do this, one must separate needs from wants. Needs come first in priority. Wants come out of discretionary income i.e. what is left over after priority bills have been paid. This is unallocated money. Living in a world of limits means establishing a budget. Budgets make us aware of just how fixed our incomes are. Once we see where our money is going, then we can begin to make necessary adjustments to get our spending under control.

Besides the idea of living on a fixed income , we must come to the realization that we must self govern. It takes self discipline to be on a budget. It takes wisdom. The ant gives us the wisdom of having a budget in Proverbs 6:6-8, "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: 7Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, 8Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest." The ant instinctively knows that she must be productive and then budget her produce to get through the year. This is a good example of self government.

A principle that is universally true is, if you do not govern yourself, someone else must do it. This is why it is imperative that we take the proverbial bulls by the horns and take responsibility for ourselves and our actions. Budgeting is taking responsibility. Planning is what budgeting amounts to. It is anticipatory of the future. It is living in accord with the laws established in the universe. Budgeting has a harmonious effect.