[music] I4m John
Bradshaw and this
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is It Is Written.
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Thanks for joining me today.
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I am at the financial
nerve center of the world,
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right outside the New York
Stock Exchange, on the corner
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of Wall Street and Broad Street
in Lower Manhattan, in e heart
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of New York City.
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What takes place here
affects the financial well-being
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of every corner of the globe.
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Fortunes are made here
and they are lost here.
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National and global economies
are fueled here and they
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are depressed here.
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It is here that the movers
and the shakers of the financial
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world, sometimes the Bulls
and the Bears, make decisions
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that affect the material
destiny of millions of people
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all over the world and sometimes
it4s even a whispered rumor
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emanating from this
place that can have enormous
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consequences,
sometis devastating
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consequences.
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Now there are plenty of people
who believe that what takes
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place here on Wall Street
is nothing but a legalized form
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of high stakes and gambling,
which one investor said
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"lacks the
dignity of Las Vegas."
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Of course, there are plenty
of people who invest here and in
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other places in good faith
and with the best of motives.
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But what we know is
this: Wealth is a dynamic thing
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and it can even be a
very dangerous thing.
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Apart from what it can do
to economies, it holds major
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potential for either inflating
or collapsing our emotional
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self-worth.
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Wealth can mean the difference
and often in extreme terms
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between comfort and crisis.
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And also, wealth can
impact our relationships,
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often in dramatic ways.
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Our relationships with people
and our relationship with God.
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[Intro music] It has
stood the test of time,
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God's book, the Bible.
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Still relevant in
today's complex world.
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It Is Written,
sharing hope around the globe.
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[music] In the
1920's, the United States
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firmly believed it had reached
the summit of material success.
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President Herbert Hoover spoke
expansively of how the country
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was drawing closer in, in
his words, to such a complete
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triumph over poverty unlike
anything that had ever occurred
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in the history of any land.
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Investors bought feverishly.
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Some, even embezzling
company funds in the confidence
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that they could easily
pay the money back because,
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in the words of one person,
the stock market was about
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to climb to the moon.
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[Music]
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Let's go back to that fateful
fall and the waning months
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of 1929.
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As September began to
unroll, New York City streets
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were filled with back to school
and back to the city shoppers.
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Fifth Avenue windows drew
crowds of admiring shoppers
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looking at the latest fashions.
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Theater ticket brokers
were rushed off their feet.
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Broadway musicals were
sold out months in advance.
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The building
industry was booming.
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Towers and terraces were
rising along streets and avenues
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all around the city.
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And through it all, the stock
market was at an all-time high.
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On the 3rd of September, 1929,
a single share of Montgomery
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Ward stock bought the previous
year for $132 was selling
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for $469.
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Shares in Radio Corporation
of America, best known
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as RCA sold the previous
year at $95.50 and now they
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were selling at $505.
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There were a lot of people
in those heady days who owned
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thousands of shares like these.
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After all, you could buy
them with only 10% down and owe
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the broker for the rest.
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Then, on the 4th of September,
there was a little slip
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in the market.
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Nobody really noticed.
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The following day, the New York
Times reported that the market
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had dropped by 10 points.
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Surely, nothing for anybody
to get too concerned about.
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But one well-known financial
writer warned that in his
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opinion, the wild
ride of prosperity was over
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and soon a
depression would follow.
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But like so many prophets,
whether secular or sacred,
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he was treated
nothing more than an alarmist.
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After all, people said, surely
things must slip a little bit
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[sad blues music under]
before the rise continues
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in earnest.
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It was on October 21st, though,
that the market slide began
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to pick up speed and brokers
started sending out margin
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calls.
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[Thunder] When the money wasn't
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forthcoming, and how
could it be, the dumping began.
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On October the 24th, later known
as Black Thursday, a structure
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of the market cracked wide open.
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Millions of shares were
pitched into streaming chaos on
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the floor of the Stock Exchange.
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On this very corner right
behind me, crowds gathered ...
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numb and waiting ...
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hoping against hope
that something would happen
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to restore the damage
and to retrieve the losses
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that they and so many
others were experiencing.
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That day became known as
the day of the millionaires
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slaughter.
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For five days the madness
continued until on October 29th,
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the market
really hit rock bottom.
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On one of those five days,
General Electric saw its stock
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price absolutely plummet
and GE had historically been
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a very sound and
well performing company.
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Even though at the
time the people did not
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even realize it, it
was worse yet to come.
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Companies such as US
Steel and General Motors saw
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their share prices
drop precipitously.
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This economic downturn,
this hardship affected people
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so badly that across the country
there were people who took
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their own lives, so
badly had they been affected
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by what had happened
in the stock market crash.
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[sad slow Piano muisc]
Around the city, the towers
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and the terraces stopped rising.
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The building industry, usually
an indicator as to the strength
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of weakness of an economy,
came to a virtual standstill.
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It has been said that children
born in 1929 didn't even hear
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the sound of
builders at work until they
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graduated high school.
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So how does God
feel about money?
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The Bible has a lot to
say about money and finance.
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We'll find out
more in just a moment.
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In Matthew 4:4 the Word of God
says, "It is written, man shall
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not live by bread alone
but by every word that proceeds
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from the mouth of God.
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Every Word is a one-minute
Bible-based daily devotional
00:07:29.16\00:07:32.86
presented by pastor
John Bradshaw and designed
00:07:32.86\00:07:35.73
especially for
busy people like you.
00:07:35.73\00:07:40.23
Look for Every Word on selected
networks or watch it on-line
00:07:40.23\00:07:42.16
everyday on our
website, itiswritten.com.
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Receive a daily spiritual boost.
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Watch Every Word.
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You'll be glad you did.
00:07:48.40\00:07:50.36
Here's a sample.
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Thanks for joining me.
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Every now and then
my daughter will show me
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a feature on my phone that I
knew nothing about and I'll say,
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"well, that's really
helpful, I did not know that."
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It can be like that
with God's blessings.
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There might be things we
are missing out on because we
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simply don't know about them.
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You know, the Bible says
in Exodus 20:8, "Remember
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the Sabbath day
to keep it holy."
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God carved a day out of the
rock of time and set it aside
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for us to spend
time especially with him.
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If you are missing
it, you are missing it,
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you are missing a real blessing.
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I wonder how many people
are losing a blessing because
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they are not
remembering the Sabbath day.
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Just letting the hours
pass by without taking them
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to spend with God.
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Don't make that mistake.
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Let the Sabbath be the
blessing that God wants it to be
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in your life.
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I am John
Bradshaw for It Is Written.
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Let's live today by Every Word.
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This is It Is Written.
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I'm John Bradshaw.
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Thanks for joining me today.
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It's with good reason that
the writer, George Santiano once
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observed that those who do not
remember the past are condemned
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to repeat it.
00:09:06.13\00:09:07.46
When we think back to the
more recent economic crisis
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this planet has gone
through, we would be excused
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if we thought that people
just don't seem to be very good
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at learning from history.
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The crash of 2008 was really
brought about by the collapse
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of the housing market in 2007.
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Just as people in the
1920's were able to buy stocks
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at ridiculously low
prices, leaving them vulnerable
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to the demands of brokers
when the difficult times came,
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people were able to buy
homes in the first decade
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of this century when
their finances and, in fact,
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the shape or the
financial health of many
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of the institutions suggested
that wasn't a very good idea.
00:09:48.76\00:09:52.16
There was easy credit,
fraudulent underwriting,
00:09:52.16\00:09:54.53
predatory lending practices.
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And what happened was,
when the economy tanked,
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and people lost their
jobs, they became terribly,
00:10:00.80\00:10:04.70
terribly vulnerable.
00:10:04.70\00:10:07.00
Making mortgage
payments became either
00:10:07.00\00:10:09.10
excruciatingly
difficult or, in many cases,
00:10:09.10\00:10:11.40
simply impossible.
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The economy was
in disastrous shape.
00:10:12.63\00:10:18.40
Foreclosures and evictions
multiplied and the pain
00:10:18.40\00:10:22.93
is still being felt today.
00:10:22.93\00:10:25.03
As in 1929, the stock
market soared to record heights
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in October of 2007.
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The Dow Jones got
up past 14,000 points.
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But after the crash,
there was a dramatic decline.
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It picked up pace during
2008 so that by March of 2009,
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rather than being way up at
14,000 points, the Dow Jones
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was way down at 6,600.
00:10:48.43\00:10:52.26
Market analyst Phil Dow
compared the great depression
00:10:52.26\00:10:57.46
and the months and
years that followed that with
00:10:57.46\00:10:59.80
the recent collapse
and the years that followed
00:10:59.80\00:11:02.10
that and he said,
these were his words,
00:11:02.10\00:11:04.63
"it's very troubling
when you have a mirror image."
00:11:04.63\00:11:08.06
Now not all analysts agree
with his assessment and by many
00:11:08.06\00:11:12.00
markers, by many indications,
the US economy has rebounded,
00:11:12.00\00:11:16.16
in some ways, in recent years.
00:11:16.16\00:11:18.03
But as the recent economic
difficulties have shown us,
00:11:18.03\00:11:22.76
when we fail to learn
the lessons of the past,
00:11:22.76\00:11:25.60
it can be ruinous.
00:11:25.60\00:11:28.13
Even though there are certainly
some differences, there are
00:11:28.13\00:11:30.73
many parallels between
what happened in 1929 and what
00:11:30.73\00:11:34.66
happened in 2008.
00:11:34.66\00:11:37.43
But one big difference is this
and this might be just a little
00:11:37.43\00:11:40.63
troubling when
we think about it.
00:11:40.63\00:11:43.16
In 1929, far more Americans
lived in rural areas and on
00:11:43.16\00:11:47.93
farms and could at
least grow their own food.
00:11:47.93\00:11:51.83
Today, many more Americans live
in suburbia and in big cities
00:11:51.83\00:11:57.13
where self-sufficiency
is virtually impossible.
00:11:57.13\00:12:00.96
The civil and the social
unrest that would follow an even
00:12:00.96\00:12:04.20
larger financial melt-down
would be dramatic and would lead
00:12:04.20\00:12:08.23
to scenes of chaos and unrest,
the likes of which you have
00:12:08.23\00:12:12.30
never seen before.
00:12:12.30\00:12:14.23
[Oriental style string
Music] Just as many stories
00:12:15.83\00:12:24.06
of personal tragedy followed
the Wall Street crash of 1929,
00:12:24.06\00:12:28.96
many similar stories followed
the global economic crisis
00:12:28.96\00:12:32.00
of 2008.
00:12:32.00\00:12:34.23
One of them was the story
of Adolf Merkel, a businessman
00:12:34.23\00:12:38.40
and a stock trader and one
of Germany's richest people.
00:12:38.40\00:12:41.73
Merkel was born into a
very wealthy family in the City
00:12:41.73\00:12:45.53
of Dresden.
00:12:45.53\00:12:47.20
He developed his Bohemian
grandfather's chemical wholesale
00:12:47.20\00:12:51.00
company and turned it
into one of Germany's largest
00:12:51.00\00:12:54.16
pharmaceutical outlets.
00:12:54.16\00:12:55.96
His family's holdings
also included a genetic drug
00:12:55.96\00:12:59.03
manufacturer, a cement company
and a vehicle manufacturer.
00:12:59.03\00:13:04.03
Even though he was
trained as a lawyer, he spent
00:13:04.03\00:13:06.83
most of his time and energy
investing and just like many
00:13:06.83\00:13:10.83
people towards the
end of the roaring 20's,
00:13:10.83\00:13:13.40
Adolf Merkel got involved
in some risky and speculative
00:13:13.40\00:13:17.23
investments.
00:13:17.23\00:13:18.63
In 2007 he was worth 12 billion
dollars, but after the global
00:13:18.63\00:13:23.50
financial collapse, his
worth had dropped to 9 billion.
00:13:23.50\00:13:27.40
Still a lot of money and
he was still one of Germany's
00:13:27.40\00:13:29.43
five richest men.
00:13:29.43\00:13:33.23
But the loss of that $3
billion weighed heavily upon him
00:13:33.23\00:13:36.56
to the extent that in the
early days of 2009 near his home
00:13:36.56\00:13:41.63
in Southern Germany,
Adolf Merkel threw himself
00:13:41.63\00:13:44.66
into the path of
an oncoming train.
00:13:44.66\00:13:47.60
He left behind a
wife and four daughters.
00:13:47.60\00:13:51.60
But of course there are
plenty of stories that have much
00:13:57.56\00:13:59.66
happier endings.
00:13:59.66\00:14:01.36
In 2001, Michael
Bloomberg became the Mayor
00:14:01.36\00:14:04.80
of New York City.
00:14:04.80\00:14:06.06
Now he is somebody that many
people have called a genuine
00:14:06.06\00:14:09.23
success story.
00:14:09.23\00:14:10.70
Not only has he earned plenty
of money but he has devoted
00:14:10.70\00:14:13.73
a lot of his time
and many of his resources
00:14:13.73\00:14:16.30
to public
service and philanthropy.
00:14:16.30\00:14:19.66
Michael Bloomberg was born
to an immigrant father, a real
00:14:19.66\00:14:22.80
estate agent in
Boston, Massachusetts.
00:14:22.80\00:14:25.96
Young Michael worked his
way through college as a parking
00:14:25.96\00:14:29.36
lot attendant, helping to
pay for his tuition at Johns
00:14:29.36\00:14:32.53
Hopkins University.
00:14:32.53\00:14:33.76
He earned an MBA from Harvard
Business School and then he
00:14:33.76\00:14:37.66
began his career as a general
partner at Solomon Brothers
00:14:37.66\00:14:41.43
on Wall Street.
00:14:41.43\00:14:42.50
Eventually he found his own
company and by the year 2012
00:14:42.50\00:14:48.23
he was worth $27 billion,
making him the 13th richest
00:14:48.23\00:14:54.33
man in the world.
00:14:54.33\00:14:56.53
But what is most important?
00:14:56.53\00:14:59.13
To hear some preachers
tell it, God wants everybody
00:14:59.13\00:15:02.60
to be wealthy.
00:15:02.60\00:15:03.60
You're not
blessed until your rich.
00:15:03.60\00:15:06.60
But looking at it biblically,
that can't possibly be true.
00:15:06.60\00:15:09.56
1 Timothy 6:10 says
that, "the love of money
00:15:09.56\00:15:14.03
is the root of
all kinds of evil."
00:15:14.03\00:15:16.30
Jesus told one man
who evidently had plenty
00:15:16.30\00:15:19.10
of resources to sell
everything that he had and give
00:15:19.10\00:15:22.76
the proceeds to the poor.
00:15:22.76\00:15:25.33
In fact, the Bible
contains a lot of warnings about
00:15:25.33\00:15:27.56
the misuse of wealth,
how we ought to be careful
00:15:27.56\00:15:30.73
about money and careful
that finance, money, wealth,
00:15:30.73\00:15:34.70
doesn't become an idol to us.
00:15:34.70\00:15:37.50
One interesting thing the Bible
says is this, in Proverbs 23:5,
00:15:37.50\00:15:41.06
it says: "For riches
certainly make themselves wings.
00:15:41.06\00:15:44.63
They fly away as an
eagle towards heaven.
00:15:44.63\00:15:52.80
That's the thing with money.
00:15:52.80\00:15:53.80
It can be here
today and gone tomorrow.
00:15:53.80\00:15:57.86
So, does God have a plan?
00:15:57.86\00:15:59.76
Does he have a plan to
bless and prosper his people.
00:15:59.76\00:16:02.76
We will find that
out in just a moment.
00:16:02.76\00:16:07.40
Eyes for India is giving
sight to the blind and you
00:16:14.73\00:16:18.26
can be a part of this
amazing work that God is doing.
00:16:18.26\00:16:21.90
15 million blind people
live in India, more than
00:16:21.90\00:16:25.06
any other country in the world.
00:16:25.06\00:16:26.70
And many of the blind
in India could see again
00:16:26.70\00:16:29.86
if only they could have
simple cataract surgery.
00:16:29.86\00:16:32.93
It Is Written is
making that happen.
00:16:32.93\00:16:35.83
Would you
support Eyes for India?
00:16:35.83\00:16:38.86
For just $75, you'll be giving
the gift of sight to someone
00:16:38.86\00:16:42.90
who desperately wants to see.
00:16:42.90\00:16:45.13
Here is all you need to
do: Call 1.800.253.3000.
00:16:45.13\00:16:50.30
That's 1.800.253.3000
to donate and support Eyes
00:16:50.30\00:16:56.76
for India or you can write to
It Is Written, Box O, Thousand
00:16:56.76\00:17:01.23
Oaks, California 91359.
00:17:01.23\00:17:04.56
You'll also find
Eyes for India on-line
00:17:04.56\00:17:08.20
at itiswritten.com.
00:17:08.20\00:17:09.53
Every $75 you give gives
someone the precious gift
00:17:09.53\00:17:13.36
of sight.
00:17:13.36\00:17:14.43
Eyes for India, doing
the work of Jesus in opening
00:17:14.43\00:17:17.90
the eyes of the
blind, and opening hearts
00:17:17.90\00:17:21.03
to the love of God.
00:17:21.03\00:17:23.03
Just a couple of years ago one
California businessman earned
00:17:23.46\00:17:26.66
$33 million in just one year.
00:17:26.66\00:17:31.43
He had 5 homes, a fleet
of luxury cars, including
00:17:31.43\00:17:34.53
a chauffer
driven $320,000 Maybach.
00:17:34.53\00:17:38.70
He socialized with lots of
big name people, he had Wolfgang
00:17:38.70\00:17:41.73
Puck to his house
to cook him dinner.
00:17:41.73\00:17:44.33
The man was
doing very, very well.
00:17:44.33\00:17:46.33
But then, his company hit
some difficult circumstances,
00:17:46.33\00:17:49.86
which meant that before
long, his company was bankrupt.
00:17:49.86\00:17:54.70
No more charter jets.
00:17:54.70\00:17:56.36
No more chauffer driven vehicle.
00:17:56.36\00:17:58.76
all that wealth, disappeared
He had had a net worth of $230
00:17:58.76\00:18:04.86
million but suddenly
all the wealth was gone
00:18:04.86\00:18:10.36
just like that, gone!
00:18:10.36\00:18:14.66
Now, let's not think
for a moment that the Bible
00:18:14.66\00:18:17.46
says that God doesn't
want anybody to be rich,
00:18:17.46\00:18:20.06
that's just not true.
00:18:20.06\00:18:21.16
And Jesus certainly doesn't
say that everybody should sell
00:18:21.16\00:18:24.60
their possessions and
give the money to the poor.
00:18:24.60\00:18:26.90
In fact, in Deuteronomy 8:18,
the Bible says it is God who
00:18:26.90\00:18:32.23
gives you power to get wealth.
00:18:32.23\00:18:35.26
Wealth and material prosperity
are simply gifts given us
00:18:35.26\00:18:38.96
by God.
00:18:38.96\00:18:40.23
And like all gifts given
us by God, here is the key.
00:18:40.23\00:18:44.53
God wants that our wealth
and our prosperity be used
00:18:44.53\00:18:47.93
in ways that bring glory to him.
00:18:47.93\00:18:51.73
[Electronic Music]
00:18:52.73\00:18:55.06
The Bible contains a lot
of stories about people who
00:18:57.10\00:18:59.26
were very wealthy in
terms of this world's goods
00:18:59.26\00:19:03.83
and yet they
remained faithful to God.
00:19:03.83\00:19:06.16
One person like that was Job.
00:19:06.16\00:19:07.83
He had 7000 sheep, 3000 camels,
500 yoke of oxen and 500 female
00:19:07.83\00:19:11.73
donkeys.
00:19:11.73\00:19:12.73
This man was rich and yet
the Bible says of him that he
00:19:12.73\00:19:16.26
shunned evil and he feared God.
00:19:16.26\00:19:19.46
In fact, when he lost
everything, virtually all
00:19:19.46\00:19:22.40
of his family and all of
his possessions, the Word of God
00:19:22.40\00:19:25.30
says in all of
this, Job did not sin.
00:19:25.30\00:19:28.40
In fact, during one point
in his affliction, Job said:
00:19:28.40\00:19:32.33
"Though he slay me
yet will I trust in him."
00:19:32.33\00:19:37.13
After Job lost everything, God
gave back to him twice as much
00:19:37.13\00:19:42.00
as he had before.
00:19:42.00\00:19:43.33
So clearly God
doesn't disapprove of wealth.
00:19:43.33\00:19:46.70
What God disapprove of is when
wealth becomes the overruling
00:19:46.70\00:19:51.13
passion, the overriding passion
in our lives to the extent
00:19:51.13\00:19:54.86
that when suffer a
loss of means, we consider,
00:19:54.86\00:19:57.90
like Adolf Merkel, that
maybe life isn't worth living.
00:19:57.90\00:20:01.83
When we live to get and
acquire and to have for selfish
00:20:01.83\00:20:06.23
purposes, that
becomes a problem.
00:20:06.23\00:20:09.53
In Luke 12:15 Jesus said, "Take
heed and beware of covetousness
00:20:09.53\00:20:15.46
for one's life does not consist
in the abundance of the things
00:20:15.46\00:20:19.26
he possesses.
00:20:19.26\00:20:21.20
The Patriarch Abraham was also
a man of great wealth, yet God
00:20:21.20\00:20:24.93
said of him at one point: For I
have known him in order that he
00:20:24.93\00:20:28.80
may command his children
and his household after him,
00:20:28.80\00:20:31.60
that they keep the way of
the Lord to do righteousness
00:20:31.60\00:20:35.60
and justice.
00:20:35.60\00:20:38.10
Though he had plenty of
it, material wealth wasn't
00:20:38.10\00:20:41.10
the focus of Abraham's life.
00:20:41.10\00:20:42.80
Now, it was the focus
of the life of the rich
00:20:42.80\00:20:45.70
young ruler, the young
man Jesus spoke to in the 19th
00:20:45.70\00:20:48.63
Chapter of the
Gospel of Matthew.
00:20:48.63\00:20:50.93
Jesus told him to sell
everything that he had and give
00:20:50.93\00:20:53.40
the proceeds to the
poor because his possessions
00:20:53.40\00:20:56.23
were coming between him
and a right relationship
00:20:56.23\00:20:59.40
with God.
00:20:59.40\00:21:00.46
Now, in his final address
to the nation of Israel, King
00:21:00.46\00:21:04.46
David said this: For all things
come from you and of your own,
00:21:04.46\00:21:09.93
we have given you.
00:21:09.93\00:21:10.93
Here is where we see
the principle of what we
00:21:10.93\00:21:14.13
could call Biblical stewardship.
00:21:14.13\00:21:16.43
Now it does not only
apply to our finances but to
00:21:16.43\00:21:19.96
everything that we possess.
00:21:19.96\00:21:21.83
When we dedicate what we have
to God, we are only giving him
00:21:21.83\00:21:26.06
what was his in the first place.
00:21:26.06\00:21:29.23
The children of Israel
acknowledged this principle
00:21:29.23\00:21:31.50
as they returned to God
their tithes and offerings.
00:21:31.50\00:21:34.96
And what God had to say about
this through the prophet Malachi
00:21:34.96\00:21:38.36
contains one of the
most remarkable promises
00:21:38.36\00:21:41.23
in the entire Bible.
00:21:41.23\00:21:44.30
"Bring all the
tithes into the storehouse
00:21:44.30\00:21:46.90
that there may be food
in my house and prove me
00:21:46.90\00:21:50.06
now in this, says the Lord
of Hosts, if I will not open
00:21:50.06\00:21:53.90
for you the windows
of heaven and pour out
00:21:53.90\00:21:56.90
for you such blessing
that there will not be room
00:21:56.90\00:21:59.70
enough to receive it.
00:21:59.70\00:22:01.76
The children of Israel were
to acknowledge God's ownership
00:22:03.86\00:22:06.90
of everything they possessed.
00:22:06.90\00:22:08.70
By returning to God a 10th
of all they earned, this was
00:22:08.70\00:22:13.13
the tithe.
00:22:13.13\00:22:14.53
The tithing system was
established by God long ago,
00:22:14.53\00:22:17.70
even before the establishment
of the Nation of Israel.
00:22:17.70\00:22:20.83
You see this in Genesis
14 where Abraham gave tithes
00:22:20.83\00:22:25.00
to Melchisedec and you see it
in the experience of Jacob, who
00:22:25.00\00:22:29.90
when he was fleeing from his
brother Esau made a similar vow
00:22:29.90\00:22:32.96
to God in Genesis 28:22.
00:22:32.96\00:22:37.26
"And this stone which I
have set as a pillar shall be
00:22:37.26\00:22:40.26
God's house.
00:22:40.26\00:22:41.26
And of all that you give
me I will surely give a 10th
00:22:41.26\00:22:44.63
to you."
00:22:44.63\00:22:47.26
Now of course, there are some
who will say that the tithing
00:22:47.26\00:22:49.93
system was done away with when
Jesus died on the cross so that
00:22:49.93\00:22:53.50
God's people today no longer
have to return to him a 10th
00:22:53.50\00:22:56.73
of their increase as was done
during the Old Testament times.
00:22:56.73\00:23:00.53
But writing to the Corinthians
in 1 Corinthians 9:13, 14,
00:23:00.53\00:23:05.30
Paul couldn't disagree
with that idea more strongly.
00:23:05.30\00:23:08.30
Here is what he said: "Do
you not know that those who
00:23:08.30\00:23:11.63
minister the holy things
eat of the things of the temple
00:23:11.63\00:23:16.13
and those who serve at the
altar partake of the offerings
00:23:16.13\00:23:20.56
of the altar.
00:23:20.56\00:23:22.80
Even so the Lord has
commanded that those who preach
00:23:22.80\00:23:25.90
the gospel should
live from the gospel."
00:23:25.90\00:23:28.23
What we can see is
that the tithing system
00:23:28.23\00:23:31.20
was established by God.
00:23:31.20\00:23:33.46
It existed before Israel was
a nation during the time of his
00:23:33.46\00:23:37.20
realm during Christ's time
on earth and was even endorsed
00:23:37.20\00:23:40.66
by the Apostle Paul after Jesus
had died and gone to heaven
00:23:40.66\00:23:44.16
and it is not just about
tithing as important as that is.
00:23:44.16\00:23:48.26
The believer in God says
God has control of everything,
00:23:48.26\00:23:52.76
everything that I have
and everything that I am.
00:23:52.76\00:23:56.23
When we give it
to God, God blesses.
00:23:56.23\00:23:58.80
Jesus said, "where your treasure
is, there will your heart
00:23:58.80\00:24:01.86
be also."
00:24:01.86\00:24:02.86
If your treasure is parked
in the driveway and never placed
00:24:02.86\00:24:06.10
in the offering plate, it
might be time to think again.
00:24:06.10\00:24:09.20
If your treasure is in your
bank account and in your stock
00:24:09.20\00:24:12.56
portfolio and not given to
God and to the work of God,
00:24:12.56\00:24:15.80
it could be that we have
got things out of balance.
00:24:15.80\00:24:19.23
And remember this,
here is the promise of Jesus
00:24:19.23\00:24:22.06
in Matthew 6:33.
00:24:22.06\00:24:23.06
He said, "Seek ye first
the kingdom of God and his
00:24:23.06\00:24:25.56
righteousness and all these
things will be added unto you.
00:24:25.56\00:24:29.06
You can't out-give God.
00:24:29.06\00:24:30.26
You don't give to
God and end up broke.
00:24:30.26\00:24:32.40
Malachi's promise was
God's promise through Malachi
00:24:32.40\00:24:36.33
that when we give to God he will
open up the windows of heaven
00:24:36.33\00:24:39.46
and pour out such a blessing
we won't have room enough
00:24:39.46\00:24:41.46
to receive it.
00:24:41.46\00:24:42.40
Not that we give to God to
be blessed but we give to God
00:24:42.40\00:24:46.23
knowing that he will bless.
00:24:46.23\00:24:50.03
We give to God our stuff,
our finances, we give to God
00:24:50.03\00:24:54.13
everything we have
and everything we are.
00:24:54.13\00:24:58.80
Today we've been talking
about crucial financial issues
00:25:09.26\00:25:12.13
that affect all of us.
00:25:12.13\00:25:13.53
Our goal at It Is
Written is to help you live
00:25:13.53\00:25:15.53
a more satisfying
and God-centered life.
00:25:15.53\00:25:17.66
So this week, our free offer
is a helpful book on finance
00:25:17.66\00:25:21.33
called "God will Provide."
00:25:21.33\00:25:23.70
It is a practical
discussion on how a faithful God
00:25:23.70\00:25:26.56
has promised to
provide for the needs of his
00:25:26.56\00:25:28.80
faithful children.
00:25:28.80\00:25:29.76
And includes a special section
prepared by Ed Reid on Managing
00:25:29.76\00:25:33.46
Finances in Difficult times.
00:25:33.46\00:25:35.53
Please call or write
us and this free book
00:25:35.53\00:25:37.86
will be on its way to you.
00:25:37.86\00:25:38.86
There's no cost
and no obligation.
00:25:38.86\00:25:41.66
Just call 1.800.253.3000
and ask for the book God
00:25:41.66\00:25:46.73
Will Provide.
00:25:46.73\00:25:47.73
You can call any
time day or night.
00:25:47.73\00:25:50.63
If the line is
busy, please keep trying.
00:25:50.63\00:25:53.36
You can also request this
free book by writing to It Is
00:25:53.36\00:25:56.46
Written, Box O,
Thousand Oaks, California 91359.
00:25:56.46\00:26:00.76
And we'll mail a
copy to your address
00:26:00.76\00:26:03.40
in North America.
00:26:03.40\00:26:04.73
Please note, this free
book is limited to the supply
00:26:04.73\00:26:07.93
on hand.
00:26:07.93\00:26:08.93
For immediate access, you
can download a free electronic
00:26:08.93\00:26:12.23
version of the book God
will Provide from our website,
00:26:12.23\00:26:15.53
itiswritten.com.
00:26:15.53\00:26:17.73
It Is Written is a faith-based
ministry made possible
00:26:17.73\00:26:20.73
by viewers like you.
00:26:20.73\00:26:22.10
If you wish to help
the worldwide outreach
00:26:22.10\00:26:24.10
of It Is Written and
help us ensure people continue
00:26:24.10\00:26:26.56
to be blessed by solid Bible
teaching your tax-deductible
00:26:26.56\00:26:29.36
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00:26:29.36\00:26:32.30
make a gift
on-line at itiswritten.com.
00:26:32.30\00:26:35.53
Thank you for your letters
and your continued support.
00:26:35.53\00:26:37.96
Our toll-free number is
1.800.253.3000 and our web
00:26:37.96\00:26:41.70
address is itiswritten.com.
00:26:41.70\00:26:46.70
Let's take the time to
pray together for a moment:
00:26:48.90\00:26:51.76
Our father in heaven,
I thank you that you are
00:26:51.76\00:26:54.00
the giver of all good gifts.
00:26:54.00\00:26:55.33
I thank you that you
give us power to get wealth
00:26:55.33\00:26:57.16
and that you bless us as you
do and I know that many people
00:26:57.16\00:27:02.20
and they are saying Lord,sing
I am struggling to make
00:27:02.20\00:27:06.16
ends meet.
00:27:06.16\00:27:07.16
Father, irrespective of how
much we have, I pray that all
00:27:07.16\00:27:10.10
we have can be placed on
the altar and given to you.
00:27:10.10\00:27:13.83
You have given what
we have is all yours.
00:27:13.83\00:27:16.80
Take it and please
bless it and bless us.
00:27:16.80\00:27:20.03
Let us be faithful to
you in all things I pray,
00:27:20.03\00:27:22.43
in Jesus' name, Amen.
00:27:22.43\00:27:28.43
Thanks for joining me today.
00:27:46.20\00:27:47.20
I look forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:27:47.20\00:27:49.56
Until then, remember, it
is written, man shall not
00:27:49.56\00:27:54.16
live by bread
alone but by every word
00:27:54.16\00:27:57.50
that proceeds
from the mouth of God.
00:27:57.50\00:28:01.60