Making Your Money Grow

Elder Andrew Kamwala

Many of us are not able to tithe, not because we dont want to, but because we dont have. We are not able to give an offering not because we are protesting but we dont have. We are spectators when the church calls to raise funds for building not because we are not interested..., but we dont have what to give .The truth is you cannot give what you dont have. We dont have what to give perhaps because we have not followed certain principles that govern money.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR MONEY GROW & SAVE FOR THE FUTURE Introduction : Many of us are not able to tithe, not because we dont want to, but because we dont have. We are not able to give an offering not because we are protesting but we dont have. We are spectators when the church calls to raise funds for building not because we are not interested..., but we dont have what to give .The truth is you cannot give what you dont have. We dont have what to give perhaps because we have not followed certain principles that govern money. We are in times when the whole world is struggling economically. Some have actually given up hope , given up life. Question is how do we survive in these times? I believe by the help and grace of God, I will be sharing with you some principles which can aid you to be financially successful. Financial success has nothing to do with being a millionaire of having too much money. You can have all the money but still be a miserable person. I believe that if you are able to meet your family monthly needs without struggling and without getting into debt, you are on the path of financial success. I will be sharing with you on the subject.... How to make your money grow and save for the future Ecclesiastes says money answers all things. Yet Timothy on the other hand says ...love of money is the root of all evil. I understand when Ecclesiastes says that money answers all things; all he is saying is that when you have money you have options. You can go anywhere you want if you have money. You can send your kids to expensive school if you have money. Therefore money is necessary. We would not be here in church if it was not for money. The problem comes in when you make money an idol in your life, when money becomes your God. Thats why Jesus said you cannot worship God and mammon. Money should therefore never control our lives but we should control money. ....How to make your money grow and save for the future. I will start with the first part on how to make your money grow. Mathew 25 vs. 14....... To every person is given a measure of grace .It matters what you do with what God has given you. Every person has ability. You can use that ability to make money or waste it .The parable in Mathew tells me that God expects us to grow/multiply and give results from what He has given us. Thats why Paul says ....waulesi asadye. It says in Psalm 128 vs. 2 that you shall eat the fruit of the labour of your hands. The way I understand labour, it is hard work. Many of us want to sit down and earn a living but thats not going to happen because thats not the way God has made things.

One was given 10 talents, another 5 talents and another 1 talent. I think the Lord would have had mercy and perhaps given the 1 talent guy another chance if he came and apologised. But alas he came and started accusing the master. Thats what many of us, lazy people do. Blame shifting. If we cant blame God, we will blame the Pastor, If not the pastor we will blame the church, if not church we will blame our job, our friends. It does not matter what you have. You can turn it around and produce even if it is 1 talent. Do not despise small beginnings. It surprises me that the Master simply gave the people talents...according to each ones ability. God knows what you are capable of .So dont waste time envying that others have more than you. And the Master did not tell the servants what to do with the talents. Each one had to think and move on. It tells me then that the ability each one had was enough to take them into their destination.

People of God we are surrounded with a lot of opportunities that God expects us to grab. But many of us procrastinate. Opportunities dont hang around for long. They have an expiry date. So make hay while sun shines. Papsa tongola , sudziwa mtima wamoto. Christians we need to learn to jump on opportunities. Most people when they read newspapers ...., it is because they want to know what crime has happened....., where is Bingu etc. Some of us when we get hold of a newspaper we are looking for opportunities. Where can I make money. Six things I want to share on how you can make your money grow 1. Think and Plan...Luke 16 Many people think that thinking is an art or a gift and we leave that to others. We are lazy to think. All these giant companies we see are a result of someone`s thinking. Some one invested time to think. What you are today is a result of what you thought about sometime. Thinking can change and shape your future. Christians we should embrace the culture of thinking and then develop our thoughts. What is it that you want to do in life ? If you are in business ...think about growing, expanding. If you are an employee think of where you want to be in the next 2 or 3 years. Have a PDP (Personal Development Plan) I tend to think if you are an Office clerk now and you still be an Office Clerk come 3 or so years...there is a problem either with the system in your organisation or you. People need to progress. If you are selling cassava now ,I dont expect you to be doing the same in 10 years time. At least if you were at the end of the supply chain (retailer) , you should cut the chain by moving to being a wholesaler. That is progress. People who have succeeded in life are not average thinkers. So think outside the box. In Luke 16 , this servant was accused by His master of not delivering. That provoked him to think and come up with a plan. His plan worked and he ended up collecting half of his masters debts. Look at what the master says in vs 8 .He commended him .He who was said to be lazy ,useless ,good for nothing .....Things turned around and he was praised. It goes on

to say in same verse that the children of this world are more wiser than the children of the light. God help us. Children of God dont be lazy. Think about something, develop a plan and take action.

2. Be conversant with what you want to do/ Learn the trade/Master the area Many have lost money because they have gone into businesses they knew nothing about. You got to know your trade. Even it means taking lessons. Ask people who have experience in what you want to do. Many of us our problem is that we can not ask a fellow church member because we think we will be competitors. But its because your vision is limited. You dont have to look at your church as the only potential market. Look all over. Look outside. So consultation is good whether you want to pursue a career or you want to do some business. Proverbs says In the multitude of counsellors there is safety .I have discovered this secret that if you go about asking people on a certain subject, you are likely to become more knowledgeable that most of those you asked.

3. Pursue your plan by looking for opportunities People of God we are surrounded with opportunities. We just need to open our eyes to see them and covert them to cash. Problem is most of us are too smart .We are so choosy. But the very things we despise are the same through which others are making money. A certain friend with a degree and a qualified accountant told me ...she went to sell flowers to graduates at a graduation ceremony. She saw an opportunity and jumped on it. People may laugh you to scorn but not every one sees what you see. You will be seeing money while others are seeing shame and ridicule. A good example of grabbing opportunity is in Luke 19. Zaccheaus knew he had a problem and wanted help. He was a very rich man by the standards of the time. He cared less but wanted to meet Jesus and went up into a tree. You got to know that people who are rich have a certain way of dressing and doing things. Imagine Honourable Zach in his expensive clothing ,going up into a tree to see Jesus. He knew that that was the moment. May the Lord open your eyes to see opportunities lying around. Now opportunities will not come knocking on your door. You got to decide to look for them. You got to seek them and you will find.

4. Dont delay ,dont procrastinate If opportunity comes our problem is delay. We take our time.

Brethren you have prayed long enough and God has opened doors. Get hold of the open opportunities . They wont wait for you. Its time for action . If you want to grow your money , it is your decision. Nothing just happens. It wont come to you like mana. The best that God has done is to open doors for you .He wont come and force you in. I have lost opportunities before . I now dont have what I would have had because I did not seize the opportunity. How many times have you delayed to apply for a job until they closed and you remembered 2days after they close. You delayed to make a bid until they closed. And you keep asking God to open doors. What else should God do ..people. 5. Balance the equation days If you are to grow your money, spend less than you are making. Masumu ochotsela sagwila. If your income is K10, 000 a month and you happen to spend K15,000 a month. Where are on earth are you getting the K5,000. Its your future income that you are eating today through borrowing. You can never grow your money that way. You have to live within your means. If you dont have , accept that you dont have. Don`t use money that you dont have. It is called prestige. 6. Be a giver Having said everything above.....we will be lying to ourselves that we can successfully grow our money if we dont give. Giving is Gods principle. He has somehow made it that way that you give and you receive. Many corporations that have succeeded have learnt to give. People who are doing well do give and people who give do well. Look for opportunities to give. When they call for a tithe , dont grudge , rush to give because God will keep away the devourer. When they call for Sunday offering, take it for joy to give. When they call for building funds , be the first to give and God will open more doors for you. Proverbs says there is one who scatters and yet grows richer and richer and there is one who withhold but gets poorer and poorer. Some of us think that we will have more when we keep to ourselves. No thats not right. When you let go , you indicate that you trust that God is the provider. So look for opportunity to give to people. Those shoes my sister, they are too many for two feet. Give them away. Look through your wardrobe and give out. You may not see a direct connection to making your money grow but by giving , you will be opening doors for your self. Bible says a gift will make a way for you. I have no regrets when it comes to giving. At times I see month end taking long for me to go and give my tithe because I am a witness of what this principle does.

In summary you can grow your money by letting your money work for you. Put your money to use. .......Save for future use After growing your money there is this thing that we all need to learn. Save. Most of us dont have because all our lives we have learnt to pay out ......pay the landlord, pay the grocerman, pay the taxman and we dont pay ourselves. You got to learn to pay yourself by saving. It is not what you earn but what you keep that determines your financial position. No matter how small it is ....learn to keep something. It will help you at the time of need. In Gen 23 .when Abraham lost his wife , he was looking for a grave. People offered him a grave for free but he refused and paid silver for his wifes grave. I believe Abraham had the discipline of saving part of his earnings. We need to embrace the culture of saving. Saving will among other things : 1. Help you grab opportunities that would otherwise pass you by if you did not have a saving. During the time of IPO for company shares , many Malawians have been crying that IPO only benefits Indians. Its like we Malawians are caught off guard. But its because Indians have a culture of saving. I attended a socam conference and one speaker , Chairman of FMB said in his presentation that he is able to run FMB because of the savings his grandfather made. His grandpa never spent anyhow. He was able to make savings and then passed on the business to his son (father of Anadkat, Chairman of FMB) . Anadkat s father was making savings and running businesses .He would drive an old merc when he had money to buy 10 brand new mercs. Until he passed on the business to his sons. His son Anadkat says.. when they get dividends from FMB (mind you ,these are millions) , they dont eat up all the dividend. They just take part and put back the rest into the business. Most Malawians when we run a business the moment we make profits ,in our second year we are driving a brand new C class. No wonder the 3rd year we are out of business. When you go to bank to get a loan ,no matter how good your proposal may be ,they will ask you how much of your own do you have. Thus savings will help you not to miss opportunities. 2. A culture of saving will give you the discipline to properly manage the resources you have. 3. You can easily take opportunity to give when you have a saving and God will open more doors. If you have no saving , when they call for an opportunity to give towards certain projects or to people in need you wont participate and you will miss the cup of blessing.

I know someone may be saying .....Andrew what you are saying is not possible with some of us. How can we save when our needs are huge than our earnings. We hardly make ends meet. Yes the truth is you could be at a time when your expenditure budget is more than your earning. But you need to

grasp this principle of saving in you. Once you get this into you , you will always look for opportunity to make saving. Take it with you where ever you go. It will help you. I want to quickly share a few things that can help you have money to save. It is not magic .You got to decide . a. Life style changes Simply by changing your food menu , you could make a big saving on your food budget. You wont die if somedays you just have phala and tea. Some of us because we can afford, we want sausage ,eggs for breakfast everyday. And because we are in a hurry every morning we also dont eat much. We waste food and money that we could keep for future use. You could move from a suburb area to another above average location and thereby cut your rentals by 50% without necessarily affecting your life. Same house that costs you K100,000 could cost you K50,000 in another decent location. Some people have realised that they can send their kids to Universities in South Africa at less than half the fees they could pay to Universities in UK. You can make that saving. Some of us like designer clothes. We are high up there that we can not wear anything unless it is Gucci, van Hussein , peirre cardin etc. I have realised that I can get a very nice suit ( not a designer ) and look much better and yet spend much less than what I would spend on a designer suit. By changing some of our life styles we can make big savings for the future. Women be warned. You are the culprits most times. A conduit of wastefulness. You dont need all colours of shoes at your feet. Just have enough. b. Improve your skills/learn new skills If you dont like your job, change it. So they say. And I will say if you dont like your pay, upskill. School siinama. You can earn more by getting a paper higher thereby having extra money to save. Not all of us have been to school but even though you are not educated , you can learn some skills and make extra money to save. People want to eat every day....Why not learn to cook some special food and supply in building sites. Learn to bake and be the best. Learn tailoring and be the best. Specialise in something that people will know you for. People of God there is money all around us . Lets learn some trade . c. Set up a business Not many people will be good at this. If you are working for example and you have a small business, it helps to free up your salary as the business takes care of you everyday bread and butter, thereby leaving part of your salary to save. Have an asset that will be generating money while you are busy at work. Have a hawker outside your house to sell foodstuffs.

Open a consultancy film and do part time consultancy. Once in a time you will be getting piece jobs that will give you extra cash. d. Realign your assets Idle /redundant assets is money lying idle. Why have 5 cars when you can only drive 1 at a time. Do away with some of these assets you have and raise money. That money can be your starting point for a saving. When you have a savings plan people of God and you start following it, you get motivated all the way. It pains at the start but then eventually it becomes fun .. especially when you see the fruits of your saving miracle. Do a garage sale....that is if you dont feel like giving. Otherwise giving would be best. Remember that when you give, it is also a way of saving treasures for yourself . e. Accelerate your debt repayment If you have no debts , you have the freedom to decide what to do with your money. Accelerating debt repayments will help you have room to save. The money you used to repay your debts , you can start saving. Do away with the Short term loans on your payslip. Short term loan 1 ,2 ena Mpaka STL 7. And many times you ask yourself what did you do with all these Short Term Loans..... nothing tangible. Clear up all your small loans and have room to build a fund for yourself. f. Save up any increase/additional income Learn to get a bonus and live like you have not received any. Some of us when we get bonus or 13th cheque, we completely get confused. We get spending fever .Learn to have money and live the same way. You then can set aside that money into a saving .It will help you in future at a point of need. I have seen people get a fat cheque from office and they go and cash the whole cheque.....for what. No wonder that money doesnt last and you think akukawa. No you were not wise with your money. Every time that I have received a bonus and 13th cheque from my job, I have set aside a big portion of it. At times even just take out the tithe only and save the rest. This has helped me jump on opportunities of investments and the like. Suppose you have a loan at work. Once you finish repaying that loan ,its not freedom time to get a bigger loan. Continue living like you still have a loan and instead be saving that money which used to be a loan deduction.

A saving culture is possible only if you are willing to embrace it. Ask experts who will help you where and how to save your money. It may not be so much about the interest but the future. Once I would get my bonus , I would rush to continental discount house and deposit. Away from me where I could not easily get tempted to withdraw.

And I believe that you will learn more once you start the journey. It is possible.

AMEN.