MASTERING YOUR MONEY What would you do for $10,000? Years ago a Chicago radio station offered $10,000 to the individual who could devise the most outlandish way to get the money. More than 6,000 people responded to the challenge. The eventual winner was Jay Gwaltney of Indiana, who consumed an 11-foot birch tree - leaves, roots, bark and all. For the event he wore a tuxedo and dined at a table eloquently set with fine china, sterling silverware, candles and a rose vase. Armed with pruning sheers, he began chomping from the top of the tree and worked his way, branch by branch, to the roots. His only condiment: French dressing for the massive birch-leaf salad. Consuming the tree took 18 hours over a period of three days. Afterward, Gwaltney complained of an upset stomach. That seems crazy doesn‟t it? Eat a tree for $10,000? Ridiculous! But what would you be willing to do for a million? In „The Day America Told the Truth‟ James Patterson and Peter Kim reveal some shocking statistics on how far people in America are willing to go for a million dollars: 25% Would abandon their entire family 23% Would become prostitutes for a week or more 16% Would give up their American citizenship 16% Would leave their spouses 10% Would withhold testimony and let a murderer go free 7% Would kill a stranger 3% Would put their children up for adoption There is an old story about a rich man who was at a party. He was dancing with an attractive young woman and whispered into her ear “would you sleep with me if I gave you a million dollars”. The woman smiled back and answered “yes I would”. So the man whispered again, “would you sleep with me for 20 dollars”. The woman was insulted and asked “what kind of a girl do you think I am”. The man replied “we‟ve already established the kind of girl you are, now we are just haggling over the price”. There is a reason why "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire" is so popular. There is a reason why dozens of intelligent, attractive women would parade and degrade themselves on national TV. There is a reason why Americans owe hundreds of billions of dollars on their credit cards, why we work ourselves into an early grave, ignoring the people and things that matter most in life. The reason: we view money and the things it can buy as the answer to all our problems. We perceive the good life as an abundance of bigger and better things. We are infected with a cultural disease one author has termed "affluenza." Influenza used be a major killer eighty years ago. In 1918 some 548,000 Americans died of what we know as the flu. Today influenza is no longer a threat, but affluenza is. Here are the symptoms of affluenza: - Desire for more and more, despite what we already have - Insatiable drive to be successful without ever experiencing contentment - Consistently choosing career over family - Unchecked yearning for more possessions and wealth - Unwillingness to settle for less than the best of everything Affluenza has deadly consequences. It creates stress as we clamor for more and more. It strains and disrupts our relationships. It makes money our master, and rest assured that money is an unrelenting slave driver. It won‟t let up until it has drained every last bit of you. The key is to master your money, so that it won‟t master you. Maybe you have already had your influenza shot for the year, here is your afluenza shot: Matt 6:24 No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. 25 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28 And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' or `What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. 1. RECOGNIZE the Source of Your Anxiety – (vs. 25) Matt 6:25 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? In Kuwait the American Army radio station had radio talk show host Tom Joyner – the „hardest working man on radio‟. A newspaper article once gave a glimpse into his life. At the age of 40 he was at the top of his profession. His salary was $700,000. Just in case your were feeling envious here‟s a sample of his daily schedule: “He wakes up at 3:30 AM in the morning. At 5:30 AM, Joyner comes on the air at K104 in Dallas to do his 3 ½ hour morning drive time show. Shortly after 9:00 AM, he is quickly on his way to Dallas - Ft. Worth International Airport. He goes directly to the gates, flashes his $150,000 American Airlines Airpass, and sits down in First Class seat 4A of Flight 360 to Chicago. He carries with him only his briefcase and his lunch. Approximately two hour later, a limo picks him up at O‟Hare airport, rushes him to a local health club for a quick work out, and then dashes him to the studios of WGCI where he‟s on the air in Chicago from 2:00 to 6:00 for the afternoon commute crowd. Then it‟s a sprint back to O‟Hare to catch his flight to Dallas. He touches down at DFW around 9:00 and is in the bed by 11:00. And then he‟s up the next morning by 3:30 AM to do it all over again.” Why does he do it? In an interview Joyner said his primary concern was for his family‟s future. He wanted them to have all the things he didn‟t have when he was growing up. He wanted to provide them with financial security and was willing to pay a tremendous price to do it. Underlying our driveness and stress about money is often plain old fear. Whether conscious of it or not, we have this dread that one day we won‟t have what we need. It may be ridiculous and irrational, but very real. This anxiety is not limited to certain income levels either. It afflicts wealthy folks like Tom Joyner down to those who are at the bottom of the economic ladder. The audience Jesus addressed with those words from Matthew chapter six was a mixed crowd. Some barely had enough to eat from day to day. Others were quite rich by ancient standards. Understand that we all have this fear that we won‟t have enough. How do you address this fear? 2. REST through Faith in God‟s Provision – vs. 26-32 Matt 6:26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' or `What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. We overcome the scarcity mentality with faith. It‟s a trust that if we put God first in all our decisions and activities he‟ll meet our needs. After all, Jesus said, "If God looks after plants and animals, won‟t he provide for human beings who are his highest concern?" Story of George Muller. “During the next three years Mr.