(uplifting theme music)
00:00:00.53\00:00:08.57
(music ends)
00:00:13.44\00:00:15.48
>>Welcome to "Sabbath School,"
00:00:16.88\00:00:18.18
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:00:18.21\00:00:20.22
We're glad to have you
back with us again today
00:00:20.25\00:00:22.72
as we continue our study
00:00:22.75\00:00:24.15
of "Managing for the
Master Till He Comes."
00:00:24.19\00:00:26.49
This is lesson
number 11, week number 11.
00:00:26.52\00:00:29.89
We have one more to go, but
we've got two great subjects
00:00:29.92\00:00:33.46
that we're
going to be looking at
00:00:33.50\00:00:34.46
before we finish this quarter.
00:00:34.50\00:00:36.46
And we're delighted to
have with us once again
00:00:36.50\00:00:38.40
the author of this
quarter's lesson, Ed Reid.
00:00:38.43\00:00:40.74
He is an ordained minister
and a licensed attorney,
00:00:40.77\00:00:44.57
and we're
delighted with the content
00:00:44.61\00:00:47.98
that we have found in
this quarter's lesson.
00:00:48.01\00:00:49.81
I know that you
have found that as well.
00:00:49.84\00:00:51.68
Before we dive into
this particular lesson,
00:00:51.71\00:00:54.35
"Managing in Tough Times,"
00:00:54.38\00:00:56.92
let's ask that the
Lord would bless us.
00:00:56.95\00:00:59.09
Father, we ask again,
as You have in the past,
00:00:59.12\00:01:01.49
that You would
bless us once again.
00:01:01.52\00:01:03.32
Help us to
understand how we can continue
00:01:03.36\00:01:05.76
to manage our
finances in the difficult times
00:01:05.79\00:01:08.23
that are to come. We ask
this in Jesus' name. Amen.
00:01:08.26\00:01:12.00
>>Amen. >>Ed,
welcome back once again.
00:01:12.03\00:01:14.27
>>Thank you,
it's great to be here.
00:01:14.30\00:01:15.87
>>So we are getting
toward the very end,
00:01:15.90\00:01:17.47
we've covered a whole
lot of ground this quarter,
00:01:17.51\00:01:20.38
and we've got two lessons left,
this one being one of them.
00:01:20.41\00:01:23.38
It's "Managing in Tough Times."
00:01:23.41\00:01:25.58
We've talked about tithe,
00:01:25.61\00:01:26.88
we've talked about
helping out the poor,
00:01:26.92\00:01:29.32
we've talked about
a whole lot of things,
00:01:29.35\00:01:30.95
but when we get down
to the very end of time,
00:01:30.99\00:01:33.76
the Bible indicates
00:01:33.79\00:01:34.99
that there are going to be
some very, very difficult times.
00:01:35.02\00:01:38.06
I'm gonna read
the memory text here.
00:01:38.09\00:01:39.46
It says, "Offer
to God thanksgiving,
00:01:39.49\00:01:41.33
"and pay your
vows to the Most High.
00:01:41.36\00:01:43.43
"Call upon me in
the day of trouble;
00:01:43.47\00:01:46.10
I will deliver you,
and you shall glorify me."
00:01:46.13\00:01:49.94
At the end of
time, there's going to be
00:01:49.97\00:01:51.84
some very difficult
times for Christians.
00:01:51.87\00:01:55.38
How can we manage our finances?
00:01:55.41\00:01:58.91
How should we
manage our finances--
00:01:58.95\00:02:01.12
and in light of
what we know is coming?
00:02:01.15\00:02:04.82
>>Well, it's an
interesting situation
00:02:04.85\00:02:06.29
because the Bible talked about
difficult times at the end.
00:02:06.32\00:02:09.22
When we look at
what's going on today,
00:02:09.26\00:02:10.49
we can see that we're certainly
00:02:10.53\00:02:12.09
at one of the signs of the end.
00:02:12.13\00:02:13.06
So we've got
bloodshed of all kinds, crime,
00:02:13.09\00:02:15.76
immorality, natural
disasters, pandemics.
00:02:15.80\00:02:19.67
This is pretty current stuff,
isn't it? Economic uncertainty
00:02:19.70\00:02:22.94
and political
corruption and much more.
00:02:22.97\00:02:25.11
Now, there's a natural tendency
00:02:25.14\00:02:26.47
for people in those situations
to get into a survival mode
00:02:26.51\00:02:30.18
and think only
of their families--
00:02:30.21\00:02:31.21
"Make sure we've got
everything that we need."
00:02:31.25\00:02:33.62
But what we're
gonna talk about is
00:02:33.65\00:02:35.72
to remember that Jesus
said, "If you put me first,"
00:02:35.75\00:02:38.85
what we wanna do is think of
00:02:39.69\00:02:40.66
what God's
interests are on the earth.
00:02:40.69\00:02:42.62
And there's basically
several different things
00:02:42.66\00:02:44.89
we know about; we
just can talk about
00:02:44.93\00:02:47.23
something that we've
talked about already,
00:02:47.30\00:02:48.40
and that's taking care of
poor people and helping others,
00:02:48.43\00:02:51.60
also helping to see the cause
of God go to all the world.
00:02:51.63\00:02:54.94
And that's one of the
reasons I like It Is Written
00:02:54.97\00:02:56.60
because they're one of
the international ministries
00:02:56.64\00:02:58.81
that makes sure that
people are hearing the gospel
00:02:58.84\00:03:00.74
all around the world.
00:03:00.78\00:03:01.81
And people are working
overtime in hard times,
00:03:01.84\00:03:03.58
their volunteers and
all those team people here,
00:03:03.61\00:03:06.28
because they wanna
see the work finished,
00:03:06.31\00:03:08.52
because Jesus said
that this gospel thing
00:03:08.55\00:03:10.22
"will be
preached in all the world"
00:03:10.25\00:03:11.42
for a witness to the end,
"and then the end will come."
00:03:11.45\00:03:15.09
So I'm very glad for this,
00:03:15.12\00:03:17.03
that we're involved
in things like this.
00:03:17.06\00:03:18.79
So we're in troublous days,
00:03:18.83\00:03:20.36
but God says, "Seek
first the kingdom of God
00:03:20.40\00:03:21.76
"and His righteousness,
00:03:21.80\00:03:22.96
and [then] all these things
[will] be added [unto] you."
00:03:23.00\00:03:24.37
>>You know, Ed, that really
leads us into Sunday's lesson,
00:03:24.40\00:03:27.00
which is about
putting God first.
00:03:27.04\00:03:29.84
What kind of
important spiritual principles
00:03:29.87\00:03:32.41
can we learn from the
story of Jehoshaphat's reign,
00:03:32.44\00:03:36.91
whatever the struggles
are that we are facing?
00:03:36.95\00:03:40.18
>>Well, that's a good question,
00:03:40.22\00:03:41.12
because when you
look through the Bible,
00:03:41.15\00:03:42.75
there are many good
kings and many bad kings,
00:03:42.78\00:03:44.55
more bad kings than good
kings in Israel and Judah.
00:03:44.59\00:03:47.09
But Jehoshaphat was a good king,
00:03:47.12\00:03:48.86
and God had blessed him,
00:03:48.89\00:03:50.06
and he had been able to fortify
the cities of his country
00:03:50.09\00:03:52.93
and to restock all the supplies
that they needed and so on.
00:03:52.96\00:03:57.37
And then
something amazing happened;
00:03:57.40\00:03:59.03
a great multitude from
Moab and Ammon and Syria,
00:03:59.07\00:04:01.77
huge crowd, his spies told him
00:04:01.80\00:04:04.91
that these people
were coming into the land
00:04:04.94\00:04:06.51
and planning to
ransack the city.
00:04:06.54\00:04:08.34
So instead of
resorting to his own energies
00:04:08.38\00:04:11.88
and his own work
that he had done,
00:04:11.91\00:04:13.72
he called upon God.
00:04:13.75\00:04:15.32
So I'm gonna give you
the short version right now,
00:04:15.35\00:04:17.09
and then I'll give ya, flesh
out this a little bit more.
00:04:17.12\00:04:19.15
In your Christian life,
you do your best to prepare.
00:04:19.19\00:04:21.72
We talked about some of
the things we've already--
00:04:21.76\00:04:23.12
you wanna make
sure you're out of debt,
00:04:23.16\00:04:24.33
that you're a diligent worker,
00:04:24.36\00:04:26.39
that you're
saving for the future
00:04:26.43\00:04:28.36
and that you're
helping others and so on,
00:04:28.40\00:04:30.30
but when the chips
fall, you understand that God
00:04:30.33\00:04:33.10
is really your first
person that you call.
00:04:33.13\00:04:35.50
I remember being involved
00:04:35.54\00:04:36.60
in several trying
circumstances in my life,
00:04:36.64\00:04:38.84
and people would say,
"Well, we've tried everything.
00:04:38.87\00:04:41.38
Now it's time to pray."
00:04:41.41\00:04:42.98
Jehoshaphat
didn't do that; he said,
00:04:43.01\00:04:44.35
"It's time to pray first."
So they went to the temple,
00:04:44.38\00:04:46.85
and you remember
Solomon said years ago,
00:04:46.88\00:04:48.68
when they first
dedicated the temple,
00:04:48.72\00:04:51.99
that if the
people of God would pray
00:04:52.02\00:04:54.39
and look toward Jerusalem
during times of difficulty,
00:04:54.42\00:04:56.36
that God would bless them.
00:04:56.39\00:04:57.53
So here they came,
the Bible describes it
00:04:57.56\00:04:59.46
as men, women, and
children coming to the temple,
00:04:59.49\00:05:01.26
and little children holding
00:05:01.30\00:05:02.40
onto their mothers' and
daddies' hands and coming there,
00:05:02.43\00:05:05.00
and Jehoshaphat
made this big prayer.
00:05:05.03\00:05:07.07
And I'm gonna
read the prayer to you;
00:05:08.50\00:05:09.87
it's pretty interesting:
00:05:09.90\00:05:11.47
"We have no power
against this great multitude
00:05:11.51\00:05:13.34
"that's coming against
us; nor do we know what to do,
00:05:13.38\00:05:15.01
but our eyes are
upon You," talking to God.
00:05:15.04\00:05:17.25
And then after,
they committed themselves
00:05:17.28\00:05:18.95
to God in this manner,
00:05:18.98\00:05:20.02
and the spirit of the
Lord came upon a man who said--
00:05:20.05\00:05:22.02
this was a man in the audience,
00:05:22.05\00:05:23.72
and he said--he was
a prophet apparently--
00:05:23.75\00:05:25.69
and he said, "Do not
be afraid [or] dismayed
00:05:25.72\00:05:27.86
"because of
this great multitude,
00:05:27.89\00:05:29.32
"for the battle is
not yours, but God's....
00:05:29.36\00:05:31.26
"You will not need
to fight in this battle.
00:05:31.29\00:05:32.73
"Position yourselves,
00:05:32.76\00:05:33.93
stand still and see
the salvation of the Lord."
00:05:33.96\00:05:35.86
Now, this is
incredible. So the next morning,
00:05:35.90\00:05:37.80
the king assembled
the people all together
00:05:37.83\00:05:40.94
with a Levitical
choir. Can you imagine this?
00:05:40.97\00:05:44.14
This is about as foolish as
marching quietly around Jericho
00:05:44.17\00:05:48.68
when the walls of
Jericho came down.
00:05:48.71\00:05:50.91
But he said, "What I wanna do is
00:05:50.95\00:05:52.31
to send the choir out
first singing praises to God;
00:05:52.35\00:05:54.82
then the
soldiers can follow them."
00:05:54.85\00:05:57.05
So the Levitical
choir went out to the front;
00:05:58.45\00:06:01.26
then the king
admonished the people
00:06:01.29\00:06:03.02
these words from
2 Chronicles 20:20--
00:06:03.06\00:06:05.29
this should be
underlined in everybody's Bible:
00:06:05.33\00:06:07.00
"Believe in the Lord your God,
00:06:07.03\00:06:08.16
"and you shall be established;
00:06:08.20\00:06:09.43
believe His prophets,
and you shall prosper."
00:06:09.46\00:06:11.10
In other words, "Since
God has told us what to do,
00:06:11.13\00:06:12.87
let's do it." So
the choir began to sing,
00:06:12.90\00:06:15.37
and their enemies
destroyed one another,
00:06:15.40\00:06:16.94
and the Bible
says, "None escaped,"
00:06:16.97\00:06:18.74
2 Chronicles 20:24;
not one man escaped.
00:06:18.77\00:06:21.88
This was such a
great victory for Israel,
00:06:21.91\00:06:23.88
though no blood got on anybody.
00:06:23.91\00:06:25.95
This is interesting
that it took them four days,
00:06:25.98\00:06:29.25
or three days just to collect
the spoils of the battle.
00:06:29.28\00:06:31.25
And on the fourth day,
they returned to Jerusalem,
00:06:31.29\00:06:32.99
singing as they went.
00:06:33.02\00:06:34.02
And of course, the
God who delivered them
00:06:34.06\00:06:35.32
is the same God who we
love and worship today.
00:06:35.36\00:06:37.76
So His power is
just as great today;
00:06:37.79\00:06:39.93
the challenge before us is
to trust Him and His leading.
00:06:39.96\00:06:42.90
>>So God's people
faced a great challenge,
00:06:43.93\00:06:46.84
but He had a way, He
provided a way out for them,
00:06:46.87\00:06:50.97
and they ended up
benefiting in the end.
00:06:51.01\00:06:53.88
Didn't look like a
great outcome was coming,
00:06:53.91\00:06:56.51
but God had that all cared for.
00:06:56.54\00:06:58.55
>>That's true. >>Trust--
00:07:00.28\00:07:01.35
trust in God. Trust in God.
00:07:01.38\00:07:03.12
I wanna hit Monday's lesson,
00:07:03.15\00:07:04.69
"Trust God, Not
Your Own Resources."
00:07:04.72\00:07:07.36
We've looked at Jehoshaphat
and how he made a wise decision,
00:07:07.39\00:07:11.23
chose to follow God's
leading. What about David?
00:07:11.26\00:07:14.60
David also learned
some lessons along the way.
00:07:14.63\00:07:17.63
Some of them he may
have learned easily,
00:07:17.67\00:07:20.40
and others he may
have learned the hard way.
00:07:20.44\00:07:22.87
What can we learn from David?
00:07:22.90\00:07:24.77
>>It's really interesting;
we look at King David's life,
00:07:24.81\00:07:27.51
he was a man of war,
00:07:27.54\00:07:29.14
and best I can tell,
he never lost a battle.
00:07:29.18\00:07:33.05
But this great commander
00:07:33.08\00:07:35.02
was kind of
resting in his successes,
00:07:35.05\00:07:37.99
and he decided
he was gonna count--
00:07:38.02\00:07:40.29
what we call "number"--Israel,
00:07:40.32\00:07:41.52
to count his soldiers and so on.
00:07:41.56\00:07:42.62
So he called his chief
of staff in the army, Joab,
00:07:42.66\00:07:46.83
to come in and
said, "I want you to count
00:07:46.86\00:07:48.50
"and see how
many soldiers we have.
00:07:48.53\00:07:49.63
"Go from Dan to Beersheba,
the whole country of Israel,
00:07:49.66\00:07:51.87
counting all the people."
00:07:51.90\00:07:53.10
David should have
known better than this
00:07:53.13\00:07:54.50
because his best
friend, Jonathan,
00:07:54.54\00:07:55.74
had defeated the Philistines
00:07:55.77\00:07:57.01
with just he and his
armor-bearer, you remember,
00:07:57.04\00:07:59.41
real interesting story.
00:07:59.44\00:08:01.04
But Joab said to David,
trying to reason with him,
00:08:01.08\00:08:03.41
"Listen, we
don't need to do this.
00:08:03.45\00:08:04.81
"No matter how
many people we have,
00:08:04.85\00:08:06.18
God's always been with us,
and He'll take care of us,"
00:08:06.21\00:08:08.42
but David insisted that they go.
00:08:08.45\00:08:10.35
And by the way, it's interesting
00:08:10.39\00:08:11.42
that when you read 1
Chronicles 21, verses 1-14,
00:08:11.45\00:08:15.99
it says, "Satan
stood up against Israel
00:08:16.02\00:08:17.69
and provoked
David to number Israel."
00:08:17.73\00:08:19.23
So it was Satan's
idea to count the people,
00:08:19.26\00:08:20.66
but David didn't counter that,
00:08:20.70\00:08:22.10
he said, "No, God's
gonna take care of me,"
00:08:22.13\00:08:23.26
but he told Joab, "No, I
insist you count the people."
00:08:23.30\00:08:26.50
So when the counting was done,
00:08:26.53\00:08:29.17
they came back, and
Joab gave him the report.
00:08:29.20\00:08:31.47
Something interesting,
the prophet came up to them
00:08:31.51\00:08:33.44
and said,
"You've done wrong here.
00:08:33.48\00:08:36.01
There's three things
that could happen to you."
00:08:36.91\00:08:38.41
And what David chose was, "Let
me fall in the hands of God."
00:08:38.45\00:08:41.75
So it's really interesting
that in the immediate context,
00:08:41.78\00:08:44.29
attempting to
trust in our own power
00:08:44.32\00:08:45.89
and government can have--and
our own bank accounts--
00:08:45.92\00:08:48.86
can have
disastrous consequences,
00:08:48.89\00:08:51.93
and they did that in
this particular case.
00:08:51.96\00:08:54.40
So, you remember that
a plague came on Israel,
00:08:54.46\00:08:57.43
and 70,000 people died.
That was not their own fault,
00:08:57.47\00:09:00.54
but this was a
rebuke to David, of course.
00:09:00.57\00:09:03.24
And this is interesting,
in the present time,
00:09:03.27\00:09:04.67
we wanna square up
with God, get out of debt,
00:09:04.71\00:09:06.31
and be generous with
what we have been given,
00:09:06.34\00:09:08.98
but the old gospel song that
many of us have heard before--
00:09:09.01\00:09:12.81
"If we ever
needed the Lord before,
00:09:12.85\00:09:14.28
we sure do need Him now."
00:09:14.32\00:09:15.75
So it's not time to wait
till everything else is done,
00:09:15.78\00:09:17.85
but to seek God
on a regular basis,
00:09:17.89\00:09:20.36
be filled with His Holy Spirit
00:09:20.39\00:09:21.36
to give you providential
leading in your life,
00:09:21.39\00:09:23.26
and be ready to follow God's
counsel, and trust in the Lord;
00:09:23.29\00:09:26.26
that's what the whole Bible
is about: trust in the Lord.
00:09:26.29\00:09:29.70
>>Yeah, I think absolutely
an important lesson to learn,
00:09:29.73\00:09:32.43
and hopefully we can learn
it a little bit more easily
00:09:32.47\00:09:35.14
than David had to learn it
00:09:35.17\00:09:36.34
because that was a high
price to pay to learn that.
00:09:36.37\00:09:39.54
Tuesday's lesson is "Time
to Simplify?"--a question.
00:09:39.57\00:09:44.05
We are facing
today challenging times;
00:09:44.08\00:09:46.92
I think most people
would agree with that.
00:09:46.95\00:09:48.32
We know times are
going to get more challenging
00:09:48.35\00:09:50.19
as time goes on. What
should we as Christians do
00:09:50.22\00:09:53.82
in response to difficult times?
00:09:53.86\00:09:56.36
How should we respond
to it? What should we do?
00:09:56.39\00:09:58.73
Are there any
preparations that we can make?
00:09:58.76\00:10:01.43
Are there things
that we can do beforehand
00:10:01.46\00:10:03.16
knowing that difficult times
are coming? How do we prepare?
00:10:03.20\00:10:06.94
>>Well, we're
talking later in the quarter
00:10:06.97\00:10:08.70
about getting out of debt.
This is very, very valuable.
00:10:08.74\00:10:11.41
The average person
has quite a bit of debt,
00:10:11.44\00:10:13.38
but we don't wanna
be one of those people
00:10:13.41\00:10:14.98
because that can
really be a burden to us
00:10:15.01\00:10:16.61
and tie us down to this earth.
00:10:16.64\00:10:19.21
I can tell you for one thing
00:10:19.25\00:10:20.58
that there are
many opportunities--
00:10:20.62\00:10:22.58
even It Is Written offers
some a couple times a year
00:10:22.62\00:10:25.22
where people can
volunteer and go with them
00:10:25.25\00:10:26.79
for mission trips.
00:10:26.82\00:10:28.19
The people that are in
debt really would love to go,
00:10:28.22\00:10:29.86
but they can't
afford to be off of work,
00:10:29.89\00:10:31.49
or they can't afford the
expenses of going and so on.
00:10:31.53\00:10:34.10
So if you're out of debt,
you live a much freer life,
00:10:34.13\00:10:36.30
you're not bound by the debts,
00:10:36.33\00:10:38.17
and you can do
things that are valuable.
00:10:38.20\00:10:39.90
So that's one thing you can
do, and I always mention that.
00:10:39.93\00:10:42.54
Be generous with others,
00:10:42.57\00:10:43.74
God will bless
you when you do that,
00:10:43.77\00:10:45.54
and I will also suggest that
we trust God, to start with,
00:10:45.57\00:10:49.81
and just say this is
part of our trust in God,
00:10:49.84\00:10:52.28
we wanna make
sure that God's with us
00:10:52.31\00:10:54.18
and that we're with
Him and we trust Him,
00:10:54.22\00:10:55.35
and He'll take care of us.
00:10:55.38\00:10:57.09
Let me tell you
about the possessions.
00:10:57.12\00:10:59.62
In 2 Peter, the third
chapter, we talk about
00:10:59.65\00:11:01.56
when the Lord comes back,
00:11:01.59\00:11:02.59
the earth's gonna be
"melt with fervent heat,"
00:11:02.62\00:11:03.96
and all the works of
men will be burned up.
00:11:03.99\00:11:07.23
So what we're talking about is
00:11:07.23\00:11:08.83
we should try to
divest ourselves of our assets
00:11:08.86\00:11:10.90
to help finish the work,
so that when Jesus comes back,
00:11:10.93\00:11:13.10
not much of our stuff
gets burned up at the end.
00:11:13.13\00:11:15.34
Does that make sense?
00:11:15.37\00:11:16.67
>>Makes a lot of sense.
00:11:16.71\00:11:17.91
>>So we're going
forward with this kind of idea,
00:11:17.94\00:11:20.11
as to get our stuff in.
There's a little statement
00:11:20.14\00:11:22.68
I've put in here
under this section:
00:11:22.71\00:11:24.25
"It is now that our brethren
00:11:24.28\00:11:25.38
"should be cutting
down their possessions
00:11:25.41\00:11:26.68
"instead of increasing them.
00:11:26.72\00:11:27.88
"We're about to move to a
better country, even a heavenly.
00:11:27.92\00:11:30.32
"Then let us not be
dwellers upon the earth,
00:11:30.35\00:11:32.75
but...getting things into [a]
compact...[form] as possible."
00:11:32.79\00:11:35.06
So in the light of eternity,
00:11:35.09\00:11:36.22
well, we ought to be simplifying
00:11:36.26\00:11:37.63
because when
the Lord comes back,
00:11:37.66\00:11:39.63
whatever we haven't
used up for His cause
00:11:39.66\00:11:41.26
is gonna be lost, isn't it?
00:11:41.30\00:11:42.63
>>That's right; ultimately,
everything is gonna end up
00:11:42.66\00:11:44.37
turning to ashes and smoke
and will disappear, everything,
00:11:44.40\00:11:47.64
every material
possession that we have.
00:11:47.67\00:11:50.61
One thing we're
gonna be able to keep,
00:11:50.64\00:11:52.37
of course, as you know
know, Ed, is our character.
00:11:52.41\00:11:54.58
And that's something that
is indestructible, as it were,
00:11:54.61\00:11:57.68
at least by fire
for the righteous.
00:11:57.71\00:12:00.22
We are looking at how we
can prepare for difficult times,
00:12:00.25\00:12:03.69
managing the gifts
that God has given us.
00:12:03.72\00:12:06.72
We're near the end,
we're on the 11th lesson of 12,
00:12:06.76\00:12:10.23
the 11th week out of 12.
00:12:10.26\00:12:12.33
If you have put off
picking up the companion book
00:12:12.36\00:12:15.53
to this quarter's lesson,
00:12:15.56\00:12:16.63
don't put it off any longer.
00:12:16.67\00:12:18.57
You will be
blessed by it abundantly.
00:12:18.60\00:12:20.94
It is entitled
"Managing for the Master."
00:12:20.97\00:12:24.21
And you can pick it
up at itiswritten.shop.
00:12:24.24\00:12:26.98
Again, that is itiswritten.shop.
00:12:27.01\00:12:29.41
Just search for
"Managing for the Master"
00:12:29.44\00:12:31.95
by G. Edward Reid.
00:12:31.98\00:12:33.68
We're delighted to have him
00:12:33.72\00:12:34.92
each and every week here this
quarter on "Sabbath School."
00:12:34.95\00:12:38.79
And he shared some
incredible insights;
00:12:38.82\00:12:40.89
some of those
insights are in this book.
00:12:40.92\00:12:43.29
So if you wanna dig a
little bit more deeply into it,
00:12:43.32\00:12:45.59
this book is what
you want to pick up,
00:12:45.63\00:12:48.20
and it will be an
incredible blessing to you.
00:12:48.23\00:12:50.00
We're going to be back
in just a moment or two
00:12:50.03\00:12:52.83
as we continue looking at
"Managing in Tough Times."
00:12:52.87\00:12:57.54
There are tough times today,
00:12:57.57\00:12:58.54
and the times are
only going to get tougher,
00:12:58.57\00:13:00.41
so we're looking for practical
ways that we can manage
00:13:00.44\00:13:03.41
during those times.
Thanks for joining us this week,
00:13:03.45\00:13:06.05
we're gonna be back
in just a couple minutes
00:13:06.08\00:13:07.82
as we continue our study.
00:13:07.85\00:13:09.85
We'll see you in a moment.
00:13:09.88\00:13:10.92
(uplifting theme
music swells and ends)
00:13:10.95\00:13:13.76
>>[John Bradshaw] The prophet
Daniel writes authoritatively
00:13:15.49\00:13:18.33
about the rise and fall of
kingdoms, the fate of nations,
00:13:18.36\00:13:22.10
and the soon return of Jesus.
00:13:22.13\00:13:24.97
Join me for "Kingdom Come."
00:13:25.00\00:13:27.64
We'll witness the rise
and fall of global powers,
00:13:27.67\00:13:31.21
we'll understand symbols
00:13:31.24\00:13:32.71
found in the
writings of the prophets,
00:13:32.74\00:13:35.28
and we'll learn
how Bible prophecy
00:13:35.31\00:13:37.21
applies to our current reality.
00:13:37.25\00:13:40.45
Waiting for the world
to get better seems futile.
00:13:40.48\00:13:43.82
We exist in the
midst of global confusion,
00:13:43.85\00:13:47.02
in a world wrestling
with the devastating effects
00:13:47.06\00:13:49.72
of sickness, war, and death.
00:13:49.76\00:13:52.83
Yet God encourages us:
00:13:52.86\00:13:55.56
"The dream is certain." The
interpretation can be trusted.
00:13:55.60\00:14:00.67
Jesus is coming back soon.
00:14:00.70\00:14:03.17
The best is yet to come.
00:14:03.20\00:14:06.27
Don't miss "Kingdom Come"
00:14:06.31\00:14:08.14
as we explore
the book of Daniel.
00:14:08.18\00:14:10.38
"Kingdom Come"
on It Is Written TV.
00:14:10.41\00:14:13.65
You know that at It Is Written,
00:14:16.02\00:14:17.85
we are serious about the
study of the Word of God,
00:14:17.89\00:14:21.09
and we encourage you to be
serious about God's Word also.
00:14:21.12\00:14:25.36
Well, I wanna share
with you another way
00:14:25.39\00:14:27.46
that you can dig
deeper into the Word of God,
00:14:27.50\00:14:30.20
and here it is:
00:14:30.23\00:14:31.33
itiswritten.study.
00:14:31.37\00:14:35.30
Go online to itiswritten.study
00:14:35.34\00:14:37.81
and you can access the It
Is Written Bible Study Guides,
00:14:37.84\00:14:42.48
25 in-depth Bible studies
00:14:42.51\00:14:44.98
that will walk
you through the Bible.
00:14:45.01\00:14:47.52
It's gonna be good for you,
00:14:47.55\00:14:49.35
and it's the sort of thing
00:14:49.38\00:14:50.45
that you will want to
tell somebody else about
00:14:50.49\00:14:53.76
so that they can dig
deeper into the Word of God
00:14:53.79\00:14:56.69
and come to know the
things of the Bible intimately.
00:14:56.73\00:15:00.40
As you get into
the It Is Written
00:15:00.43\00:15:01.93
online Bible study guides,
00:15:01.96\00:15:03.63
you'll understand the
prophecies of the Bible,
00:15:03.67\00:15:05.63
the plan of salvation, and more.
00:15:05.67\00:15:07.84
So don't forget:
itiswritten.study,
00:15:07.87\00:15:11.01
itiswritten.study.
00:15:11.04\00:15:13.41
(uplifting theme music)
00:15:15.48\00:15:18.05
>>[Eric] Welcome
back to "Sabbath School,"
00:15:20.48\00:15:21.85
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:15:21.88\00:15:23.39
We're continuing
our look this week
00:15:23.42\00:15:26.09
at "Managing in Tough Times."
00:15:26.12\00:15:28.56
And, Ed, I wanna take a
look at Wednesday's lesson,
00:15:28.59\00:15:30.73
Wednesday talks
about priorities.
00:15:30.76\00:15:33.46
In light of the future,
00:15:33.50\00:15:35.40
how should we
arrange our priorities?
00:15:35.43\00:15:38.50
If we wanna put
first things first,
00:15:38.53\00:15:40.70
what does "first
things" look like?
00:15:40.74\00:15:43.54
>>Well, the Shema
from the Old Testament
00:15:43.57\00:15:45.07
when the words of Moses were,
00:15:45.11\00:15:46.98
"Serve the Lord
with all your heart,
00:15:47.01\00:15:48.48
your mind, and soul," and so on,
00:15:48.51\00:15:49.88
this is total
commitment, all in for God.
00:15:49.91\00:15:52.51
And we have
many Bible characters
00:15:52.55\00:15:53.98
that we'll talk about
next week about that as well,
00:15:54.02\00:15:56.52
but I'd like to
quote Mark 12, verse 30:
00:15:56.55\00:15:59.82
"You shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart,
00:15:59.85\00:16:01.89
"with all your
soul, with all your mind,
00:16:01.92\00:16:03.32
and with all your strength."
00:16:03.36\00:16:04.39
When we give all to Christ,
00:16:04.43\00:16:05.39
there's nothing left
to give to another master,
00:16:05.43\00:16:07.23
and that's why it
is..said in Matthew 6:24,
00:16:07.23\00:16:11.67
"No man can serve two masters;
00:16:11.70\00:16:13.03
"...either he will hate
the one and love the other,
00:16:13.07\00:16:14.57
or else [he'll hold] the
one and despise the other."
00:16:14.60\00:16:16.57
And then this concluding
statement of Matthew 6:24,
00:16:16.60\00:16:19.17
"You cannot
serve God and mammon."
00:16:19.21\00:16:21.11
The Bible characters that
serve God with all their heart,
00:16:21.14\00:16:24.25
they did some drastic things.
I mean, they built the ark;
00:16:24.28\00:16:27.52
they traveled to
foreign countries;
00:16:27.55\00:16:29.35
they committed their whole life
00:16:29.38\00:16:32.62
to extending the
gospel and so on;
00:16:32.65\00:16:34.79
these are real
important characters to me.
00:16:34.82\00:16:38.26
In 1 John 2:15-17, we're
told, "[Love not] the world,
00:16:38.29\00:16:41.90
"[neither] the things
[that are] in the world.
00:16:41.93\00:16:42.90
"If [any man] loves the world,
00:16:42.93\00:16:43.80
"the love of the
Father is not in him.
00:16:43.83\00:16:45.33
"For all that is in the
world--the lust of the flesh,
00:16:45.37\00:16:47.10
"the lust of the eyes,
and the pride of life--
00:16:47.14\00:16:48.60
"is not of the
Father but is of the world.
00:16:48.64\00:16:50.41
"And the world is passing away,
00:16:50.44\00:16:52.34
"[but then] the lust of it;
00:16:52.37\00:16:53.44
but he [that] does the
will of God abides forever."
00:16:53.48\00:16:55.21
So the Bible
actually harmonizes itself;
00:16:55.24\00:16:56.78
it says, "The
world is passing away."
00:16:56.81\00:16:57.98
That's what is happening.
00:16:58.01\00:16:59.38
Paul said to us, "Set
your affections [above],
00:16:59.41\00:17:01.85
on things above, not
on things [of] the earth."
00:17:01.88\00:17:03.65
It's very clear for most of
us who have lived long enough
00:17:03.69\00:17:05.72
that more money
doesn't make people happier;
00:17:05.75\00:17:07.86
it really makes 'em
more miserable, typically.
00:17:07.89\00:17:10.53
So the more we can help others,
00:17:10.56\00:17:11.66
the more we can
help our family members,
00:17:11.69\00:17:13.46
the more we can help our church,
00:17:13.50\00:17:14.40
the more we can
help things go forward,
00:17:14.46\00:17:16.10
help the poor, and so on.
00:17:16.13\00:17:17.37
Those are things we can do to
arrange our priorities to be..
00:17:17.40\00:17:21.34
others, to care for
others, not just ourselves;
00:17:21.37\00:17:24.04
that's the big
point from this, I think.
00:17:24.07\00:17:26.24
>>So God's giving us
opportunities even right now
00:17:26.27\00:17:28.88
to learn how to
minister to others,
00:17:28.91\00:17:31.68
to learn how to have a
giving and selfless attitude,
00:17:31.71\00:17:35.32
which are going to
prepare us for difficult times.
00:17:35.35\00:17:38.15
Now, as students of the Bible,
00:17:38.19\00:17:40.12
and especially
of Bible prophecy,
00:17:40.16\00:17:42.09
we know that sometime in
the not-too-distant future,
00:17:42.12\00:17:45.56
there is going to
be a time that comes
00:17:45.59\00:17:47.40
when those who choose
to follow God completely,
00:17:47.40\00:17:50.43
as you mentioned a moment ago,
00:17:50.47\00:17:51.70
those who are all-in with God,
00:17:51.73\00:17:53.27
who aren't
holding anything back,
00:17:53.30\00:17:55.04
who are taking a stand for Him,
00:17:55.07\00:17:56.44
are not going to be
able to buy or sell.
00:17:56.47\00:17:59.41
Now, that sounds a little--
00:17:59.44\00:18:01.78
that sounds like it
could be an anxious time
00:18:01.81\00:18:04.11
because we stop and think about
00:18:04.15\00:18:05.58
how much we buy and sell today.
00:18:05.61\00:18:08.25
You know, we buy our
food, we pay our rent,
00:18:08.28\00:18:11.05
we pay our mortgage,
we make our car payments,
00:18:11.09\00:18:13.42
if we have car
payments, and so forth.
00:18:13.46\00:18:15.82
If we are not able to buy
and we're not able to sell,
00:18:15.86\00:18:19.66
that is, to make money,
00:18:19.69\00:18:21.00
our ability to interact
financially with the world
00:18:21.86\00:18:25.10
is inhibited significantly.
00:18:25.13\00:18:28.07
How is God going to
take care of his people
00:18:28.10\00:18:31.54
and what can we do today
to prepare for that time?
00:18:31.57\00:18:36.38
>>Well, it's
really interesting, Eric,
00:18:36.41\00:18:37.78
that probably
that everybody here
00:18:37.81\00:18:40.85
has been to a store somewhere
00:18:40.88\00:18:42.65
where you have
somebody in front of you in line
00:18:42.68\00:18:43.99
when they try to
use a credit card,
00:18:44.02\00:18:45.32
that it won't be accepted.
And I was recently at a store
00:18:45.35\00:18:48.46
when a lady tried four
or five different cards to--
00:18:48.49\00:18:50.73
it must've been all
maxed out on her cards
00:18:50.76\00:18:52.56
because she
couldn't make her payment.
00:18:52.59\00:18:54.30
Finally, she got one, a
debit card, that worked.
00:18:54.36\00:18:57.07
And the bottom line is
00:18:57.10\00:18:58.33
we're heading more
toward a cashless society
00:18:58.37\00:19:00.50
and digital currency and so on,
00:19:00.54\00:19:02.30
and it'd be very easy to
say you can't buy or sell.
00:19:02.34\00:19:05.04
And that's a difficult time,
00:19:05.07\00:19:06.74
because the Bible paints a
painful picture of the world
00:19:06.78\00:19:08.58
before the
second coming of Jesus.
00:19:08.61\00:19:09.88
Daniel talks about
"a time of trouble,
00:19:09.91\00:19:11.91
"such as never was
since there was a nation,
00:19:11.95\00:19:13.48
even to that
time," Daniel 12, verse 1.
00:19:13.52\00:19:15.52
So considering some of the
troublous times of the past
00:19:15.55\00:19:17.45
he's referring to
here, it must be pretty bad.
00:19:17.49\00:19:20.02
So how much of our lives today
00:19:20.06\00:19:22.49
revolve around
buying and selling?
00:19:22.52\00:19:24.53
Well, this is interesting
00:19:24.56\00:19:25.39
because we do it
more than we think.
00:19:25.43\00:19:27.93
People buy online
a lot of times now,
00:19:27.96\00:19:29.70
and they have to
use their credit cards.
00:19:29.73\00:19:30.90
What if it won't be accepted?
00:19:30.93\00:19:33.30
I mean, it's very interesting
that we're talking about
00:19:33.34\00:19:36.84
an unusual situation
of resetting and all that,
00:19:36.87\00:19:39.71
that we can worry
about if we want to,
00:19:39.74\00:19:41.38
or we can trust God, but
not being able to buy or sell
00:19:41.41\00:19:44.85
is not being able
to function in society.
00:19:44.88\00:19:47.78
Can you imagine? Your
internet will be cut off
00:19:47.82\00:19:50.12
if you can't pay for it; your
electricity will be cut off;
00:19:50.15\00:19:53.25
your water
supply will be cut off.
00:19:53.29\00:19:55.39
It's just--what can you do
for that? How do we prepare?
00:19:55.42\00:19:58.93
Well, how we prepare now
00:19:58.96\00:20:00.03
is by making God's
grace part of our lives,
00:20:00.06\00:20:03.47
not slaves to money
or things of the world.
00:20:03.50\00:20:05.63
We're not bound up by them,
but we won't be slaves to money
00:20:05.67\00:20:10.14
when we trust fully in
God. Deuteronomy 14, verse 23
00:20:10.17\00:20:13.81
is one that I always
like to talk about here.
00:20:13.84\00:20:15.88
God explained through Moses
00:20:15.91\00:20:17.05
one of His reasons for
establishing the tithing system
00:20:17.08\00:20:19.25
was, "That you may learn to
fear the Lord your God always."
00:20:19.28\00:20:22.28
This is what tithing is about.
If you give part away to God,
00:20:22.32\00:20:24.72
that means you're gonna trust
Him to take care of the rest.
00:20:24.75\00:20:27.32
In the Bible, there's something
called poetic parallelism.
00:20:27.36\00:20:30.29
Many of you are familiar
00:20:30.33\00:20:31.23
when you study the
Psalms and the Proverbs
00:20:31.26\00:20:32.49
that it says the same
thing two different ways
00:20:32.53\00:20:34.36
in many of the
verses. Here's one;
00:20:34.36\00:20:36.60
this is poetic parallelism
of Psalm 31, verse 19.
00:20:36.63\00:20:40.67
We can see that fear
is synonymous with trust.
00:20:40.70\00:20:42.90
So let me read
the passage to you,
00:20:42.94\00:20:44.41
and you can see
what we're talking about:
00:20:44.44\00:20:46.04
"Oh, how great is Your goodness,
00:20:46.07\00:20:47.71
"which You have laid
up for those who fear You,
00:20:47.74\00:20:49.51
which You have prepared
for those who trust...You."
00:20:49.54\00:20:51.91
So fear and trust
are the same thing here.
00:20:51.95\00:20:53.95
These parallel lines
show that the fear of the Lord
00:20:53.98\00:20:56.02
is trusting Him.
Therefore we understand
00:20:56.05\00:20:58.05
that God
established the tithing system,
00:20:58.09\00:21:00.12
not just to
protect us from selfishness
00:21:00.16\00:21:01.69
and provide for His work,
00:21:01.72\00:21:02.66
but to help us to
trust Him to provide for us.
00:21:02.69\00:21:05.96
While being faithful in tithe
certainly is not a guarantee
00:21:05.99\00:21:07.93
that people will
stay faithful in the end,
00:21:07.96\00:21:09.73
those who are
faithful will be ones
00:21:09.76\00:21:11.57
who have learned to trust God,
00:21:11.60\00:21:12.63
and that's what kinda
we're talking about here.
00:21:12.67\00:21:14.67
>>Ed, let me ask
you; there may be somebody
00:21:14.70\00:21:16.40
who's watching this
program, and they're--
00:21:16.44\00:21:19.37
you know, this week is
"Managing in Tough Times"--
00:21:19.41\00:21:22.38
they may be thinking, "Well,
I'm in tough times right now.
00:21:22.41\00:21:25.25
"I'm not even worried about
00:21:25.28\00:21:26.61
"what's gonna
come down further on.
00:21:26.65\00:21:28.52
Right now my
situation is tough."
00:21:28.55\00:21:33.02
What kind of
words of encouragement,
00:21:33.05\00:21:34.96
what kind of advice,
00:21:34.99\00:21:36.32
what kind of counsel
might you give someone
00:21:36.36\00:21:39.09
who says, "I'd love
to be there at some point
00:21:39.13\00:21:42.16
"and prepared for the
difficult times ahead,
00:21:42.20\00:21:45.53
"but I'm not even able to
deal with the difficult times
00:21:45.57\00:21:48.04
that I'm facing right now"--
00:21:48.07\00:21:49.54
what kind of
encouragement or hope
00:21:49.57\00:21:51.54
or advice would
you give to someone
00:21:51.57\00:21:53.17
who finds
themselves in that situation?
00:21:53.21\00:21:55.21
>>Well, it's
certainly not time to despair,
00:21:55.24\00:21:56.71
it's time to trust in
God and to learn His counsel.
00:21:56.75\00:21:59.71
As we--we'll talk about that
00:21:59.75\00:22:01.58
when we talk about
getting out of debt.
00:22:01.62\00:22:02.95
One of the
reasons people are in debt
00:22:02.98\00:22:04.55
is because they haven't
learned to manage properly,
00:22:04.59\00:22:06.72
or they've had misfortune
in their lives or whatever.
00:22:06.76\00:22:09.76
It's time to pray and
commit their selves to God
00:22:09.79\00:22:11.49
like Jehoshaphat did.
00:22:11.53\00:22:13.03
I think it's very
amazing that people today
00:22:13.06\00:22:16.06
are looking to
their own resources.
00:22:16.10\00:22:18.47
And as you say, if they
don't have any resources,
00:22:18.50\00:22:20.17
what do they do then? Well,
they have to trust God for sure.
00:22:20.20\00:22:22.97
We really can't--people go
to a life of crime if they,
00:22:23.00\00:22:26.31
you know--some people are
just desperate to get food.
00:22:26.34\00:22:29.84
But the bottom
line, I think, here
00:22:29.88\00:22:31.81
to answer the question is, put
the priorities of the Bible--
00:22:31.85\00:22:34.18
and, in fact, put
God first, trust Him,
00:22:34.22\00:22:36.62
be a diligent worker,
00:22:36.65\00:22:38.12
and try to avoid
debt if at all possible.
00:22:38.15\00:22:41.36
We'll have a whole set--
00:22:41.39\00:22:42.42
we've had a whole
section on getting out of debt,
00:22:42.46\00:22:44.49
and this is important stuff
that we're telling you about.
00:22:44.53\00:22:46.83
It's not just fantasy;
00:22:46.86\00:22:48.60
everybody can
benefit by the principles
00:22:48.63\00:22:50.10
we've talked about here.
00:22:50.13\00:22:51.50
"Honor the Lord
with your possessions,
00:22:51.53\00:22:52.87
and...the firstfruits
of all your [income]."
00:22:52.90\00:22:54.10
That's what Proverbs, third
chapter, verse 9 talks about.
00:22:54.14\00:22:57.31
So I would say,
commit yourself to the Lord.
00:22:57.34\00:23:00.74
I tell people recently,
00:23:00.78\00:23:01.88
that I've told a
lot of young people,
00:23:01.91\00:23:03.61
you can't be too busy
to be involved with God;
00:23:03.65\00:23:05.85
you can't be too
busy to read His Word;
00:23:05.88\00:23:07.22
you can't allow
Satan to keep you so busy
00:23:07.25\00:23:09.02
that you don't have
time for spiritual things,
00:23:09.05\00:23:11.12
'cause the spiritual basis
00:23:11.15\00:23:12.19
is what really
keeps us all together,
00:23:12.22\00:23:14.16
especially mentally and
spiritually and physically,
00:23:14.19\00:23:16.83
in God's cause. I'm thinking
that the more we trust God,
00:23:16.86\00:23:21.16
the more He will give
us wisdom as to what to do.
00:23:21.20\00:23:23.60
One of the things that God does,
00:23:23.63\00:23:24.80
in addition to the promises
that He's made in the Bible,
00:23:24.83\00:23:27.07
is providential leading.
00:23:27.10\00:23:28.10
You can pray that God
will guide you with wisdom,
00:23:28.14\00:23:30.54
give you the--if
you lack understanding,
00:23:30.57\00:23:32.91
ask Him to give you the wisdom.
00:23:32.94\00:23:34.81
It's hard to know what to do,
00:23:34.84\00:23:36.01
what kind of decisions to
make in these kind of things,
00:23:36.04\00:23:37.81
but if you read Proverbs,
third chapter, verses 1-10,
00:23:37.85\00:23:41.45
that's where one of my
favorite places is for counsel.
00:23:41.48\00:23:44.12
I think people that can do that
00:23:44.15\00:23:45.49
will be very helpful to them.
00:23:45.52\00:23:47.79
>>So let's flip the situation
on its head for just a moment,
00:23:48.86\00:23:51.73
let's say that there's
somebody who's watching,
00:23:51.76\00:23:53.86
listening to this lesson today,
00:23:53.90\00:23:56.40
and they know of someone
who's going through tough times,
00:23:56.43\00:23:59.63
and they have some
means to be able to help.
00:23:59.67\00:24:02.50
What would be some ways
that they could assist someone
00:24:02.54\00:24:06.01
who's going through tough
times, but not be an enabler
00:24:06.04\00:24:10.35
of continued bad
financial decisions
00:24:10.38\00:24:14.72
on the part of the other person?
00:24:14.75\00:24:16.79
How might they be
able to help someone
00:24:16.82\00:24:18.85
who's going
through difficult times,
00:24:18.89\00:24:20.76
but not make that other person's
life more difficult by--
00:24:20.79\00:24:24.89
I lack the better term,
00:24:26.53\00:24:27.83
but bailing them out so that
they can get in trouble again?
00:24:27.86\00:24:31.20
>>Well, there's--I would say
00:24:31.23\00:24:32.57
that you get simple means
of instruction for people,
00:24:32.60\00:24:36.91
share the Sabbath school
lessons with them, for example.
00:24:36.94\00:24:39.37
I'm sure that
there are many people
00:24:39.41\00:24:40.54
that will benefit this
quarter from the lessons
00:24:40.58\00:24:42.21
because they've tried
to follow God's principles,
00:24:42.24\00:24:44.35
and He has blessed
them. I can remember days--
00:24:44.38\00:24:47.45
Eric, you mentioned
these kind of payments--
00:24:47.48\00:24:49.32
there was a time in our lives
00:24:49.35\00:24:50.42
when Kathy and I
had the house payments,
00:24:50.45\00:24:51.92
we were paying on two
cars, we had living expenses,
00:24:51.95\00:24:54.82
tuition expenses
for our kids and so on,
00:24:54.86\00:24:56.42
and we thought, "Well,
how are we ever gonna manage?"
00:24:56.46\00:24:58.43
But we learned
these principles early
00:24:58.46\00:24:59.66
and put 'em into practice,
00:24:59.69\00:25:00.70
and God has blessed
our family immensely.
00:25:00.73\00:25:02.60
So I think that I can
give God the credit for that,
00:25:02.63\00:25:06.23
and we all know that it's
important that we do that.
00:25:06.27\00:25:09.60
>>That's
fantastic, great counsel,
00:25:09.64\00:25:11.04
both for those who
may be going through
00:25:11.07\00:25:12.61
difficult times right now
00:25:12.64\00:25:14.04
and for those who may
be able to assist them.
00:25:14.08\00:25:17.31
And regardless of which camp
you happen to find yourself in,
00:25:17.35\00:25:20.28
I think there's
some great advice there.
00:25:20.32\00:25:22.92
Any final words of wisdom, Ed?
00:25:22.95\00:25:24.72
I wanna read a quote here
from the book "Steps to Christ"
00:25:24.75\00:25:27.59
and allow you to build
a little something on it.
00:25:27.62\00:25:31.23
This is from the book "Steps
to Christ," page number 44.
00:25:31.26\00:25:34.30
The author writes these words:
00:25:34.36\00:25:35.50
"The love of money,
the desire for wealth,
00:25:35.53\00:25:38.50
is the golden
chain that binds them"--
00:25:38.53\00:25:41.30
that is, people--"to Satan."
00:25:41.34\00:25:43.87
How does that fit,
00:25:43.91\00:25:45.11
how does that tie into what
we're talking about right now?
00:25:45.14\00:25:48.18
>>The Bible says, "The
rich rule over the poor,
00:25:48.21\00:25:49.81
and the borrower is
a slave of the lender."
00:25:49.84\00:25:51.95
So you can't emphasize
enough to try to get debt free;
00:25:51.98\00:25:54.55
this is important
00:25:54.58\00:25:55.72
because the devil would
like us to think about money--
00:25:55.75\00:25:57.95
this one you just read
00:25:57.99\00:25:59.45
is exactly what happened
to the rich young ruler;
00:25:59.49\00:26:01.22
he was bound by Satan's chains.
00:26:01.26\00:26:03.16
We don't wanna be
bound to anybody's chains,
00:26:03.19\00:26:04.99
and especially not
Satan and his group.
00:26:05.03\00:26:07.30
The devil is very crafty
00:26:07.36\00:26:08.86
in how he can
catch people off guard,
00:26:08.90\00:26:11.00
and what we wanna make sure
00:26:11.03\00:26:12.20
is that we have made a
provision for our family,
00:26:12.23\00:26:14.64
we've made a
provision to help others,
00:26:14.67\00:26:16.44
we're faithful with
our tithes and offerings,
00:26:16.47\00:26:18.27
and God will
bless those who do that.
00:26:18.31\00:26:19.87
There's just no
question about it.
00:26:19.91\00:26:21.31
There's been example
in my life and our lives
00:26:21.34\00:26:23.75
and many that
we've helped as well.
00:26:23.78\00:26:25.61
>>So some practical counsel
this week that we've looked at,
00:26:26.61\00:26:28.85
how to manage in tough times,
00:26:28.88\00:26:31.12
times that we may be
experiencing right now,
00:26:31.15\00:26:32.89
but certainly
difficult times to come,
00:26:32.92\00:26:35.06
the Bible tells us that those
are just around the corner.
00:26:35.09\00:26:38.13
And the more that we can
get our finances in order today,
00:26:38.16\00:26:41.93
the better off we are
going to be in the future,
00:26:41.96\00:26:43.83
and the fewer cords
we will be bound with
00:26:43.87\00:26:48.24
by the devil later on. And we
need to be as free as possible
00:26:48.27\00:26:52.01
by the time that
comes, and that starts today.
00:26:52.04\00:26:55.51
Ed, thank you once
again for joining us.
00:26:55.54\00:26:57.55
We have one week left to go,
00:26:57.58\00:27:00.65
one week left to
go in this quarter,
00:27:00.68\00:27:02.28
and we're gonna tie
everything together.
00:27:02.32\00:27:04.69
I trust that you have
been blessed by this journey,
00:27:04.72\00:27:07.22
and if you have, please be sure
00:27:07.26\00:27:08.49
to let other people
know about this program
00:27:08.52\00:27:11.49
so that they can
be blessed as well,
00:27:11.53\00:27:13.56
and one final week that
we can can, that we can glean
00:27:13.60\00:27:16.87
the last little bits
of wisdom and insight
00:27:16.90\00:27:19.60
from our guest, Ed Reid,
00:27:19.63\00:27:21.90
at least on this
subject in this quarter.
00:27:21.94\00:27:24.31
He's written some phenomenal
books on this subject,
00:27:24.34\00:27:26.44
and I would
encourage you to pick them up.
00:27:26.47\00:27:28.84
They are
available at It Is Written
00:27:28.88\00:27:31.35
and other locations as well.
00:27:31.38\00:27:32.95
You'll be blessed by those
books on faith and finances.
00:27:32.98\00:27:36.79
Have a wonderful week;
00:27:36.82\00:27:38.02
we look forward to
seeing you again next time
00:27:38.05\00:27:41.26
when we come back
here to "Sabbath School,"
00:27:41.29\00:27:44.09
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:27:44.13\00:27:47.13
God bless you,
have a wonderful week,
00:27:47.20\00:27:48.86
and we look forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:27:48.90\00:27:52.03
(uplifting theme music)
00:27:52.07\00:28:07.08
(uplifting theme music)
00:28:07.08\00:28:22.30
(music ends)
00:28:27.17\00:28:29.17