When you preach on stewardship you should make sure to include teaching on wise money management. Most people around the world violate these principles and suffer the consequences. To help you in the preaching task, I’m including the first two points from the second sermon in the stewardship series presented in Pastor Driven Stewardship: 10 Steps to Lead Your Church to Biblical Giving. I. Use a Budget (Prov. 21:5a). A. “The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage” 1. The plans that the “diligent” (determined, steady worker) make lead to financial prosperity. 2. The verse doesn’t say, “Use a budget,” but the principle of diligent planning implies the need for a budget. B. A budget is simply a way of planning your financial life. ILLUSTRATION: The late Larry Burkett was a Christian financial planner. He ppi reclaims made a wonderful contribution to the church with his books and tapes on biblical principles of money management. In his book, Answers to Your Family’s Financial Questions, he writes about the purpose and value of a budget: A budget is nothing more than a short-range plan for how you will spend your money during the coming year. A budget should not restrict your freedom to enjoy life; it should expand it. ”How,” you say, “can living on a budget expand my freedom?” By helping you live within your means and not go into debt. If you’re already in debt, a budget will help you out of it. A budget is not magical, and living on one won’t permit you to spend more than you make and avoid debt. But a budget will tell you when you have spent all you can afford to each month in each category, such as entertainment, food, and gasoline.