Sowing Finances

Luke 8:5

A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.

The parable of the sower gives great insight into finances. Though sowing the seed was talking about spreading the Gospel, there is much similarity when it comes to your finances. Let's face it, our finances are critical to our ability to serving the Lord, to spreading the Gospel, and to the enjoyment of life. Sowing finances in the wrong way always reaps a field of bills. Let me share several lessons this parable teaches about sowing finances properly.

First, watch your way side spending. As the sower went to sow his seed, he allowed some to fall by the way side. Way side spending always eats into your finances and leaves you empty. Way side spending is spending money on what we consider little things. It is buying the candy bar in the grocery store when we did not have it on our grocery list. It purchasing from Amazon something we thought we needed, and later realized we wasted our money. Way side spending is spending one or two dollars here and there, but what we don't understand is that spending one and two dollars here and there ends up eating into our finances to the point that it has devoured our finances. Many people don't have money to pay their bills because of way side spending.

Second, watch spending for immediate gratification. The second place this sower sowed his seeds was on the rocks. There is no place on the rock for the seed to grow roots. Likewise, many people spend money for immediate gratification when they could've used that money to invest in something that could've grown their financial package. Spending money on new cars and things of pleasure often leaves your finances withered away. Many people get themselves into debt situations that eat away at their ability to give money towards the Lord's work. You better be careful about which debt you get yourself into because it can eventually come back and hurt your purchasing or investing ability.

Third, watch credit cards and fast cash loans. The third place this sower allowed his seed to fall was among the thorns. Credit card debt can become a thorn in your side. Likewise, fast cash loans are rarely a good thing. You have to understand that these credit card companies and fast cash loan companies do not make great wealth by giving you a great deal. Often, your interest rates are so high that you will rarely be able to get yourself out of debt. Credit cards and fast cash loans will choke your finances and force you to live in poverty lane.

Fourth, spend money on that which bears fruit. The best place this sower sowed his seed was in the good ground because it was able to take root and bear fruit later on. As my uncle taught me, you can spend money when you're young and have no money when you are old, or you can save your money when you're young and have money when you're old. My friend, be careful with the spending of your money. That money that you have is not yours, but God's. You cannot serve the Lord spiritually through financial giving if you've wasted your money frivolously. Let me challenge you to be a good steward of your finances, realizing that God promised to supply your needs, but you must make sure you don't spend what He has supplied on things that God never intended for you to purchase.