This is a series that appears on a regular basis here at JosephSangl.com – “Biblical Financial Lessons” Luke 14:28-30 ²⁸ “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? ²⁹ For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, ³⁰ saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ There are several key financial lessons we can learn from this parable that Jesus told.

1. It is important to plan when preparing for a large task  In this parable, an attempt to build a tower is referenced. Your great task will be different, but it will still require appropriate planning. You might want to build a business, an office building, or a home, but to attempt it without a plan will lead to disaster.
2. Money is an important part of the planning process  "Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?"  It can't be any clearer than that! It is essential and necessary to have a financial plan to support the major work you are setting out to accomplish!
3. It is clear to others when we attempt to accomplish something large without planning first  Have you ever seen a building project that was stopped in its tracks because the money ran out? I have seen literally thousands of these examples across the United States when the economy came to a screeching halt in 2008 and banks pulled their financing and individuals ran out of cash.

Most people wrestle with this issue. We want to move right away and start accomplishing the goal! The idea of stopping to prepare a plan seems to be too cumbersome and time-consuming. After all, we can make these decisions "on the fly." Planning ahead seems too abstract, and it seems to hurt the brain too much to consider all of the potential issues and plan for them ahead of time. But it is the planning process that differentiates good from great, bland from phenomenal, and uninspiring to life-changing. It is a cornerstone of financial freedom - "There must be a plan!" QUESTIONS

1. Have you ever attempted something great without a plan? If so, what was the result? What lessons did you learn that you would be willing to share with everyone?
2. How should you go about preparing a plan for a future project?

Read the series Read recent posts

This is a series that appears on a weekly basis here at JosephSangl.com – “Biblical Financial Lessons” Seed Costs Money - Mark 26-29 26 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.” Most financially broken people fail to recognize the fundamental fact that in order to have a harvest, one must first sow seed.  No matter how much you pray, seek God, call down fire from the heavens, or plead with God to bring you a tremendous harvest, one will have no harvest if seed is not sown.  This is so clear to me because I grew up on a farm.  If we did not invest the time and energy to plant seed in the Spring, there would be no harvest in the Fall. People get fired up about the idea of a huge harvest, but then they realize that seed costs tremendous money.  For example, special hybrid seed can cost 20 to 30 times what the harvested seed will sell for! Think about an author who dreamed of having a published book, but no publisher would print it for them.  Without being willing to spend money to self-publish the book, the author would just be standing around hoping for her dream of having a real-life printed book become reality.  BUT if she were willing to spend money to self-publish the book (sowing the seed), the author would be positioned to reap a harvest as the book was sold around the world. MAIN POINT: Most people remain broke without ever reaping a tremendous harvest because they lust for the harvest, but are unwilling to spend the money necessary to acquire, plant, and cultivate the seed. Application Questions

1. Have you saved up money to be able to purchase seed?
2. Are you actively sowing seed?

Read the series Read recent posts