Larry Burkett - Money Matters: The Host of the Worlds Most Popular Financial Radio Program Answers All Your Questions

Money Matters

Money Matters

ANSWERS TO YOUR FINANCIAL QUESTIONS

Larry Burkett

Copyright 2001 by Larry Burkett

All rights reserved. Written permission must be secured from the publisher to use or reproduce any part of this book, except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE , Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1995. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Edited by Adeline Griffith, Crown Financial Ministries

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Burkett, Larry.

Money matters : answers to your financial questions / Larry Burkett.

p. cm.

ISBN 0-7852-6609-7
1. Finance, PersonalReligious aspectsChristianity. 2. Finance, PersonalBiblical teaching. I. Title.

HG179 .B83854 2001
332.024dc21

2001045032

Printed in the United States of America

01 02 03 04 05 BVG 5 4 3 2 1

Contents

I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING to read this book. Essentially, its made up of questions Ive been asked, over the last fifteen years, on our daily Money Matters radio program. During this time, I think Ive heard basically every question on money that can be askedfrom a biblical perspective.

To the best of my ability, Ive tried to answer these questions honestly and, when possible, to quote the Scripture that deals with the specific question. As you might imagine, in most instances my answers are based on my limited knowledge of some complicated economic issues presented in a short time frame (a thirty-minute radio program). Therefore, as you read this book youll often see the phrase in my opinion, and it means exactly that.

Id like to back up a bit and tell you how I came to be a teacher on biblical principles of handling money. I believe this book actually began about thirty years agowhen I became a Christian. Obviously, becoming a Christian at thirty-two years of age meant that many of my thought patterns, opinions, and objectives in life had been settled long before I accepted Christ.

My wife, Judy, had accepted the Lord about three years before I did, through the influence of Campus Crusade for Christ and their door-to-door evangelism. She subsequently joined a Baptist church in Florida, and during the next two and one-half years I had a steady parade of Baptists through my home (including her pastor)all sharing Christ with me.

Unfortunately, my personal opinions had been well established prior to that, and I was not interested in becoming a Christian and told them so pretty vehemently. I wouldnt go to church and I wouldnt change my life, so my wife asked if I would attend a Tuesday evening Bible study with her. The only reason I agreed to go was the fact that I had just finished all my college education and was looking for something in which I could get involved. Also, the Bible study was being taught by a businessman I knew and respected. So I joined this couples Bible study, and for about five months I proceeded to argue with everything the teacher said.

One of the mistakes he made was telling us what scriptures he was going to cover the next week. I would go home and study those scriptures and come up with a good argument for why they couldnt possibly mean what they said. Then Id go back the next week and dispute what he was teaching.

After a few weeks of this, he asked if I would meet him for breakfast one morning. I accepted his invitation and fully expected that he, like many of the other members of Judys church, was going to present Christ to me (again). So, I was ready to explain (again) why I didnt need Christ. I believed there was a God, but I had no need for a personal God. Besides, I couldnt comprehend the fact that God would care one way or the other about human beings; it seemed to me that we were just a bother to Him.

I met my teacher/friend that morning, and as we ate breakfast he commented that I was a disruptive influence in the study group. My ready defense was that I was there to learn and that the way I learned was by confronting what was being presented. Furthermore, I thought that if someone believed what he said he should be able to defend his position. He then said something to me that really made an impact.

The conversation at breakfast went something like this.

Larry, obviously youve been studying the Bible. Am I right?

Sure. You assign the scriptures and I read them.

And then you come back and argue about them.

Well, I take the position that if you believe what you say you should be able to defend it.

He stopped eating and looked directly at me. Let me tell you what your problem is. When you read the Bible youre looking for errors, and if thats the only reason youre reading it you wont learn the truth. He continued, Id like to ask you to do two things. Number one, just sit down and read through the book of John and ask God to show you the truth as you read. After you read through the book of John, if God doesnt show you anything meaningful, then put the Bible down. Its not for you, because if youre seeking the truth God promises to show it to you.

Then he told me the second thing he wanted me to do. Please dont ever come back to my Bible study, unless you become a Christian, because youre entirely too disruptive. Im not teaching that class just for your benefit; Im there to help others learn.

As I thought about what he said, at first it irritated me (just a little bit), but then it made a lot of sense. Most of the other Christians I had met (the majority of whom were my wifes friends) had encouraged me to accept Christ. That didnt get through to me, but what he said did.

This man couldnt possibly have known what I was going through, but I was sincerely searching for truth. College had always been a life goal of mine; but, after getting two degrees I concluded that most of what Id learned in school really didnt help solve my problems.

At the time, I was running a department with General Electric at Cape Canaveral and had just started a business venture with some friends, which led me down the road to another new career. I was pretty disheartened about life in general.

Even though I was making more money than Id ever made before, somehow it didnt seem to make me any happier. Since I had come from a poor family, I had always believed that money would be the answer. It wasnt that I was going to spend the money; I was sure that just having it would make me feel better. But it didnt.

So I was drifting, believing in nothing in particular. There were some things that I didnt believe in, and I had put Christianity among them. But there was nothing that held my attention or interest.

So I went home that evening, sat down with my Bible, and asked of God as honestly as I could, If theres something in here that Im supposed to know, please show me. Later that night, I accepted Christ as my Savior. I made a promise to God that, to the best of my ability, I have kept for the last thirty-two years: God, You know that Im an ignorant person. I dont know much about the Bible and what I know is probably wrong, but I promise You this: if You will show me the truth and help me to understand it, I will do it, no matter what. And thats all God asks of any of us.

He doesnt ask for our ability; He asks for our availability.

As the psalmist says, I love the L