財務福祉
If you’ve been away or just connecting with us, over the past 5 weeks, we’ve been considering what it looks like for us to experience the flourishing life Jesus invites us into:
如果你刚好不在，或刚刚参加教会聚会，在过去的五周里，我们一直在思考，耶稣邀请我们进入的丰盛生活是什么样子：
“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”/ John 10:10
我来了，是要使羊得生命，并且得的更丰盛。（约10:10）
As I mentioned in our first week of the series, when I hear these words from Jesus, I think of Huka Falls: . Living life from an over-supply of resource. Life to the full.
正如我在本系列的第一周提到的，当我听到耶稣的这些话时，我想到了胡卡瀑布。 。在资源丰富的情况下生活，享受丰盛的生命。
It’s like a river runs into all of us and out of us. When the river level remains high, we can lead and live well. Of course, the opposite is also true. When the levels get low, we can become overwhelmed and exhausted.
这就像一条河流流入我们所有人的体内，又从我们体内流出。当河水水位保持在高位时，我们可以生活得很好。当然，相反的情况也是如此。当水位变低时，我们会变得不堪重负，疲惫不堪。
Right at the beginning of this series, I also showed these two photos thatwere both taken at the same place – the Upper Nihotupu dam, off the road to Piha.
就在这个系列的开头，我还展示了这两张照片， 都是在同一个地方拍摄的 - Upper Nihotupu 大坝，在通往皮哈的路上。
It was pictures like Huka Falls that made many of us Aucklanders quite jealous in 2020 when we faced a citywide water shortage. Our physical dams were becoming dangerously depleted.
像胡卡瀑布这样的照片，让许多奥克兰人在2020年面临全市范围内的用水短缺时相当羡慕。我们的“物理”大坝正在危险地耗尽。
Dams that were once high were now dangerously low.
曾经高高在上的水坝，现在却低得危险。
The first one was taken 7 Feb 2020. The second just three months later on 8 May 2020.
第一张是2020年2月7日拍摄的。第二张是在三个月后的2020年5月8日。
In three months, it went from slightly below-normal water levels to dangerously low levels - exposing huge empty slopes between the tree line and water.
在三个月内，它从略低于正常的水位，变成了危险的低水位，在树线和水之间暴露出巨大的空坡。
Perhaps what was happening to our water supply in 2020 is an appropriate picture to describe what has been happening in many of our lives these past 3 years.
也许2020年我们缺水的事件，是描述过去三年我们许多人生活中所发生的事情的合适画面。
We’ve been relying on the reserves. But, the reserves are running dry. The water level is dropping significantly and the rocks are beginning to show. It leaves us feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. 我们一直在依靠储备。但是，储备正在耗尽。水位正在大幅下降，岩石开始显现。这让我们感到筋疲力尽，不堪重负。
If we don’t replenish the reservoir, at some point, those reserves are going to run out.
如果我们不补充水库，在某些时候，这些储备就会耗尽。
Those water levels might be a variety of aspects that we’re looking at in this series.
这些水位可能是我们在这个系列中所关注的各种方面。
That’s why we are honing in on 6 areas of wellbeing: Physical, emotional, relational, vocational, spiritual, and – the one we’re looking at today – financial.
这就是为什么我们要磨练6个方面的福祉。身体、情感、关系、职业、属灵，以及我们今天要讨论的 - 财务。
You don’t need me to tell you that finances causes huge stresses in relationships, emotions, sleeplessness. When we have no financial reserves, we begin to feel overwhelmed and anxious.
财务会在关系、情绪、失眠方面造成巨大压力。当我们没有财务储备时，我们开始感到不堪重负和焦虑。
A drain on our finances leaves us vulnerable to unspeakable pain. We dread answering the phone or opening the mail for fear of facing another late bill. Or worse extra fees, or a fine. Or something
cancelled.
财务上的消耗使我们容易受到难以言喻的痛苦。我们害怕接电话或打开邮件，因为害怕面对另一个逾期账单。或者更糟的是额外的费用，或者罚款。或者事件（事物）被取消。
Some studies have shown that:
● 77% of people feel stressed because of money and
● 17% describe themselves as very stressed because of money.
● 20% of people feel genuinely sacred to check their bank account.
● Perhaps the most concerning part is how 38% of those surveyed said they don’t feel comfortable talking about their money struggles.
一些研究表明：
● 77%的人因为钱而感到压力
● 17%的人形容自己因为钱而感到极具压力
● 20%的人觉得惶恐去检查自己的银行账户。
● 也许最令人担忧的是，38%的被调查者说他们对谈论自己的财务状况感到不舒服。
The interesting part of this research is that it came out before
- our heightened cost of living
- a spike in mortgage rates,
- and the struggles many business owners are now experiencing.
这项研究的有趣之处在于，它是在下列这些事件之前出来的：
- 生活成本提高
- 抵押贷款利率飙升
- 许多企业主现在正在经历的挣扎
If you’ve been following the news this week, you will know the Herald poll showed the global
cost-of-living crisis is by far the most important issue for New Zealanders right now. Another Herald article I was reading just yesterday said that one person’s grocery bill had increased from $120 to
$200 simply due to the cost of living.
如果你关注本周的新闻，你会知道英文先驱报的民意调查显示，全球生活成本危机是目前新西兰人最关注的话题。我昨天刚刚读到的另一篇英文先驱报文章说，一个人的生活采购账单从120纽币增加到200纽币，仅仅是由于生活成本的原因。
No wonder so many are feeling financial pressure.
难怪这么多人都感到经济压力。
One of the difficulties in talking about financial wellbeing is that many don’t feel that church is the place to talk about it.
谈论财务状况的困难之一是，许多人不觉得教会是谈论这个问题的地方。
In fact, some of you are groaning internally - ‘1) why this topic?’2) What’s it to do with wellbeing? 3) And what’s it to do with church?’
一些人也许正在内心呻吟：1）为什么是这个话题？ 2）它与福祉有什么关系？3）它与教会有什么关系？
We can be puzzled – even annoyed – when finances comes in church. Our reasoning sometimes is that following Jesus is primarily about my internal life, especially my spiritual development, so we can struggle to see the relevance.
当教会出现财务问题时，我们可能会感到不解、甚至恼怒。我们的推理有时是，跟随耶稣主要是关于我的内在生活，特别是灵性方面发展，所以我们可能很难看到其中的关联性。
But, if you study the Bible, the more you will see that our attitude towards money and the material world is of considerable importance to Jesus.
但是，如果你查考圣经，你就会发现，我们对金钱和物质世界的态度，对耶稣来说是相当重要的。
Jesus himself talked a lot about money and possessions. 16 of the 38 parables /stories he told were concerned with how to handle money. In the gospels (that’s four books in the Bible that give an
account of Jesus’ life - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), an amazing 1/10 verses – 288 in all – deal directly with the subject of money.
耶稣本人谈了很多关于金钱和财产的问题。他讲的38个比喻/故事中，有16个是关于如何处理金钱的。在福音书（即圣经中记载耶稣生平的四本书：马太福音、马可福音、路加福音和约翰福音）中，有十分之一的经文，共288节，直接涉及到金钱的问题。
What’s more if we return to the biblical foundation of wellbeing which is the Hebrew concept of
‘Shalom’ Wellbeing = Shalom -- we begin to understand that it includes financial or material areas of our lives. As we saw right at the beginning of this series – God is passionately concerned for our shalom - our total wellbeing. We are integrated beings and our resources / finances affects us.
更重要的是，如果我们回到福祉的圣经基础，也就是希伯来语的 "Shalom "概念，福祉=Shalom
，它包括我们生活的财务或物质领域。正如我们在这个系列的开头所看到的，上帝热切地关注我们的平安 - 我们的整体福祉。我们是完整的人，我们的资源/财务会影响我们。
We need to understand anew that God is vitally interested in our material needs and has the best
plan for our financial wellbeing. He knows that if we want to experience a flourishing life, we actually have to get a handle on what God has to say about the way we manage our finances.
我们需要重新理解，上帝对我们的物质需求非常感兴趣，并为我们的财务状况制定了最佳计划。祂知道，如果我们想体验一个丰盛的生活，我们必须掌握上帝对我们管理财务方式的看法。
Perhaps you here today and you wouldn’t see yourself as a Christian. Perhaps your friend promised you a free lunch if you came – who knows. If that's you - first, it’s great that you’re here. Second, I want you to know that you don't have to be a Christian to benefit from what we’re talking about today.
也许你今天在这里，你不会把自己看作是一个基督徒。也许你的朋友答应你，如果你来，就给你一顿免费的午餐，谁知道呢。如果你是这样的人，首先，你能来这里真是太好了。第二，我想让你知道，你不一定非得是基督徒才能从我们今天所谈的内容中受益。
For those of you who would consider yourself Christians here – you’ve got to pay extra attention
because Jesus says there is a direct correlation between following Him and listening to what he says about money. There is a direct connection between a flourishing life and how we spend money.
对于那些认为自己是基督徒的人来说，你要特别注意，因为耶稣说，跟随祂和听从祂关于金钱的说法之间有直接的关系。丰盛的生活和我们如何花钱之间有直接的联系。
Before we open Scripture, I’m working on the assumption of three things about you. I realise we’re still getting to know each other. But here are three things I’m pretty sure are true about you – whether you are a Jesus’ follower or not:
在我们打开经文之前，我提出三个假设。我们仍然在了解对方。但这里有三件事我非常确定是关于你的，无论你是不是基督徒：
1. You are living on a percentage of your income.
你是靠收入的一定比例生活
Dah! Of course, that’s true!
But, the problem is that most of you don’t know what that percentage is.
Perhaps you have done a budget at some point but it likely made little difference to the reality of what you spend.
If you don’t know what that number is, it leads to a bigger problem. If you don’t choose a percentage number of how much of your income you need to live, culture will pick a number for you. A shopping mall will chose it for you. A real estate agent will choose it, a car dealer will do it.
这是事实!
但是，问题是大多数人不知道这个百分比是多少。
也许你在某个时候做过预算，但它很可能对你的现实支出没有什么影响。
如果你不知道这个数字是什么，就会导致一个更大的问题。如果你不选择一个百分比数字，文化将为你选择一个数字，购物中心会替你选择这个数字，房地产经纪人会帮你选择，汽车经销商也会这样做。
I bet many of you have never chosen a number.
我猜你们中的许多人从来没有选择过一个数字。
As such, you let your income drive you to the limit, and even beyond the limit. So, you spend 100% of what you earn, or even beyond 100%. If you get a pay-rise, you simply allow your standard of living to increase with your income.
因此，你让你的收入驱使你达到极限，甚至超过极限。因此，你花掉了你所挣的100%，甚至超过100%。如果你得到加薪，你只是让你的生活水平随着你的收入而增加。
The second thing assumption about you is that you believe that …
第二个假设是，你相信 。
2. If you have just a little bit more, you would be fine
如果你有多一点，就会好起来
I know that because studies show that 80% of all people say they would be happier if they earned more money.
因为研究表明，80%的人都说如果他们赚更多的钱，他们会更快乐。
How many times have you felt that?
你有多少次有这种感觉？
Perhaps things are so tight right now that you believe if you had just a little bit more, then things would be okay.
The problem is that there are all these external pressures on us and we are getting more squeezed.
It’s unlikely that we are going to get less squeezed over the next 12 months. In other words, we can’t wait on external changes around us to dictate our financial wellbeing. We have to take charge of what is happening to us financially.
现在的情况是如此紧张，以至于你相信如果你有多一点，那么事情就会好起来。
问题是，所有这些外部压力在我们身上，我们越来越被压榨。在接下来的12个月里，我们不太可能得到更少的压榨。换句话说，我们不能等待我们周围的外部变化来决定我们的财务状况。我们必须对发生在我们身上的财务状况负责。
Here is the third assumption:
第三个假设：
3. You felt the same way when you made a lot less.
当你赚得少的时候，你也有同样的感觉。
If you could go back 10 years ago, and someone told you what you would be earning today AND that you would still be feeling financial pressure, you would have likely laughed.
如果回到10年前，有人告诉你今天的收入是多少，而且你仍然会感到经济压力，你很可能会大笑。
You would have said something like, ‘man, if I could move from an hourly wage to a salary, and if I could earn another $10k or $15k I would never feel a financial pinch.’ But, here you are: 10 years later, many of you earn more than you did 10 years back but you have feel the same financial pressure.
你会说，“伙计，如果我能从小时工资转为年薪，如果我能再赚1万或1万5，我就不会感到经济压力了。10年后，许多人的收入比10年前更多，但人们却感到同样的经济压力。
The reason this happens is because of how we tend to live in relation to money.
发生这种情况的原因是我们的生活方式。
Let me graph the obvious for us:
让我为我们画出一个明显的图表:
Over the course of your life, your income will look something like this…
● There are no figures on the left because the point is not the amount. The point is that it typically increases as years go by.
● It might be increase by hundreds, or thousands, or tens of thousands of dollars per year but
will likely go up..
在你的一生中，你的收入会是这样的
● 左边没有数字，因为重点不在于金额。重点是它通常随着时间的推移而增加。
● 它可能每年增加数百、数千或数万，趋势是增加的。
If that’s our income, guess what tends to happen with our spending. Yep –it follows the same trajectory. [graphic on slide]
如果这就是我们的收入，猜猜我们的支出会发生什么。是的，它遵循同样的轨迹。
So, we allow our income to drive our spending.
It doesn’t matter how much you earn – you spend it. If we earn $45 a year as a child, we spend $45.
If we earn $45k – we spend $45k.
If we earn $145k – we spend $145k
因此，我们让我们的收入来驱动我们的支出。你赚多少并不重要，你总要花掉它。
如果我们小时候每年赚45元，我们就花45元。如果我们赚4.5万元，我们就花4.5万元。
如果我们赚到14.5万元，我们会花掉14.5万元
That’s why I can meet people who earn $45k or $145k and both feel financial pressure. In other words, it is never about the amount.
这就是为什么，收入为4.5万元或14.5万元的人，他们都会感到经济压力。换句话说，这绝不是收入多少的问题。
A problem happens when someone gets that $250k+ job and they allow their spending to keep up with it. Suddenly, they lose that job. Or something happens to their health and they have to resign. Suddenly, their spending is OVER their income.
当有人获得25万元以上的工作，并且允许他们的支出跟进时，问题就会发生。突然间，他们失去了这份工作，或者他们的健康出了问题，他们不得不辞职。突然间，他们的支出超过了他们的收入。
When the lines are different like this, there is a real temptation to borrow to preserve our standard of living we have got used to.
当曲线像这样不同时，就会有一种真正的诱惑，即借钱来维持我们已经习惯了的生活标准。
That's what lead to the downward spiral where we get into relationship tensions… Emotional pressure… We feel a knot in our stomach. We can’t sleep at night. We’re anxious.
这就是导致我们陷入关系紧张、情绪压力的原因，我们感到胃里有一个结。我们晚上睡不着觉。我们很焦虑。
Financial wellbeing - what we’re talking about today - is built on the idea that we need to create some margin between our income and our spending.
财务健康 - 我们今天所谈论的 - 是建立在我们需要在我们的收入和支出之间创造一些剩余的基础上。
So, imagine a scenario where you have money remaining at the end of the month.
And you have peace and joy even around the topic of money. And you go to bed peaceful, not stressed. That’s what happens in financial wellbeing.
因此，想象一下这样的情景：你在月底有剩余的钱。
在金钱的问题上，你也有平安和喜悦。而且你睡觉时很平静，没有压力。这就是财务健康的情况。
I want to provide a biblical framework to help us experience peace /shalom around this topic of finances.
我想提供一个圣经框架，帮助我们在财务这个话题上体验平安与喜乐。
So, let me share the advice that we read from a book in the Bible called 1 Timothy 6.
因此，让我分享提摩太前书第六章的一些经文。
The guy who wrote this is by the name of Paul. If you’re from a church background, you will know that Paul is often the writer of meaty theological truths – books like Romans. The interesting thing is that Paul also gives practical advice about money. The reason he does this is because he knows we need to hear it. This is part of what healthy discipleship looks like.
写这本书的人名叫保罗。如果你有教会背景，你会知道保罗常常是写作神学真理，像罗马书这样的书。有趣的是，保罗也给出了关于金钱的实用建议。他这样做的原因是他知道我们需要听到这些。这也是健康的门徒训练的一部分。
What Paul shares about money is what he had learned from his own experience from having little and from having a lot. He learned to make adjustments as needed.
保罗所分享的关于金钱的内容是他从自己的经验中学到的，从拥有很少的钱到拥有很多的钱。他学会了根据需要做出调整。
So, this is how he begins his financial advice:
他这样开始他的财务建议的：
True godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. / 1 Timothy 6:6
敬虔而又知足，就是得大利的途径。（提前6:6）
This a big claim, isn’t it? Do you catch the irony? (repeat verse)
这是个很大的说法，不是吗？ 你明白其中的讽刺意味吗？
True godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. / 1 Timothy 6:6
敬虔而又知足，就是得大利的途径。（提前6:6）
We could rephrase it this way:
The richest person is not the one who has the most, it is the one who is the most content with what they have.
我们可以这样理解：
最富有的人不是拥有最多的人，而是对自己拥有的东西最满意的人。
Earlier in this letter, Paul explains that godliness is all about knowing Jesus. So, being in relationship with Jesus gives someone the ability to be content. Jesus himself spoke about it being it being like a person who finds the best diamond. You sell everything you have to get it because it matters to you more than anything and everything else. Jesus is that jewel. For Christians, he is to be the most
important and valuable thing/person in our lives.
在这封信的前面，保罗解释说，敬虔是关于认识耶稣。因此，与耶稣建立关系使人有能力满 足。耶稣自己谈到，这就像一个人找到了最好的钻石。你卖掉你所有的东西来得到它，因为它
对你来说比任何东西和其他东西更重要。耶稣就是那颗宝石。对于基督徒来说，祂应该是我们生命中最重要、最有价值的事物 /人。
When you know Jesus, you can be content because you realise you are the richest person around. Paul says, it’s that contentment that is itself great wealth.
当你认识耶稣时，你就可以满足，因为你意识到你是周围最富有的人。保罗说，这种满足感本身就是巨大的财富。
Paul goes on to explain three reasons why true contentment is found in Jesus.
保罗继续解释为什么真正的满足是在耶稣身上找到的三个原因。
He says that:
保罗说：
#1 Contentment comes from realising that we can’t take our stuff with us #1 满足感来自于意识到我们无法带走我们的东西
After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. / 1 Timothy 6:7
因为我们没有带什么到世上来，也不能带什么去。（提前6:7）
When you put it so crassly like this – it makes sense that we should value Jesus more than our stuff. We should value the things that money can’t buy more than what money can buy.
我们应该重视耶稣，而不是我们所拥有的事物。我们应该重视钱买不到的东西，而不是钱能买到的东西。
#2 Contentment comes from realising that we probably have enough already #2 满足来自于意识到我们已经拥有足够的东西
So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content/ / 1 Timothy 6:8
只要有衣有食，就应当知足。（提前6:8）
Food and clothing – and let’s add in shelter – let us be content.
食物和衣服，再加上住所，足以让我们满足。
At one point we were able to survive without much of what we have now. Do we need the extra room that increases the debt?
Do we need to upgrade?
Do we need that new shirt?
We actually survived without it.
It’s this realization that most of us have enough already.
在某一时期，我们没有现在的大部分东西，但也能生存。我们需要额外房间而增加债务吗？
我们需要升级吗？
我们需要那件新衬衫吗？
我们在没有它们的情况下也能生存。
基于这种认识，我们大多数人已经拥有足够的东西。
#3 Contentment comes from realising that the pursuit of money leads to destruction
#3 满足感来自于意识到对金钱的追求会导致毁灭
But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmfuldesires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows./ 1 Timothy 6:9-10
但那些想要发财的人就陷在诱惑、罗网和许多无知有害的欲望中，使人沉沦，以致败坏和灭亡。 贪财是万恶之根。有人因贪恋钱财而背离信仰，用许多愁苦把自己刺透了。刺透了。（提前6:9-10）
Notice that Paul says “it not money that is the root of all kinds of evil.” Rather, it is the love of money. In other words, money isn’t bad in and of itself. It’s the love of money that causes misery. This is true of people who a high income or low income.
请注意，保罗不是说“金钱是万恶之源”，而是“贪财是万恶之根”。换句话说，金钱本身并不是坏东西。导致痛苦的是对金钱的贪恋。无论是高收入还是低收入的人都是如此。
The solution to this love of money is this:
Be content with the present quality of your life
rather than discontent with the standard of your living.
解决这种爱钱的方法是这样： 满足于你目前的生活质量
而不是对你的生活标准感到不满。
What do I mean by this?
我这样说是什么意思？
There is a big difference between standard of living and quality of life.
生活标准和生活质量之间有很大区别。
Marketing is built on these things being the same. Marketing will say to me that …
If I raise my standard of living, I will have a better quality of life. If I get something shinier, newer, … then I will enjoy life more. 营销是建立在这两者是相同的基础上的。
营销会对我说......
如果我提高我的生活标准，我将有一个更好的生活质量。如果我得到更闪亮、更新的东西 那么我将更享受生活。
The nice people in the retail store will even tell you – you can raise your standard of living from DEBT.
Just sign this form or use that little plastic card, or defer payments AND you can have it now. The
problem with that, is while it will increase your standard of living it will not give you a better quality of life.
零售店里的好心人甚至会告诉你，你可以从债务中提高你的生活标准。只要在这张表格上签字
，或使用那张小塑料卡片，或推迟付款，你就可以现在拥有它。问题是，虽然它能提高你的生活标准，但不会给你带来更好的生活质量。
That’s why many of us now live in larger homes than we did when we were studying – but we’re not any happier now.
这就是为什么我们中的许多人现在住在比我们读书时更大的房子里，但并没有感到更快乐。
Many of us have a nicer car than we had at first – but we don’t appreciate it any more than that first car we had.
许多人拥有一辆比当初更好的汽车，但我们并不比对待当初的那辆汽车更珍惜它。
Our desire to increase our standard of living means we work harder to get more income, or we
borrow. A lot of our debt simply comes from a discontent with God’s current provision for our life.
我们想要提高生活水平，意味着我们更努力地工作以获得更多的收入，或者我们借钱。我们的很多债务只是来自于对上帝目前对我们生活的供应的不满。
But the standard of living is not the same as the quality of your life. In fact, financial wellbeing says that you might need to lower your standard of living so that it will improve your quality of life.
但是，生活标准与你的生活质量是不一样的。事实上，财务健康说的是，你可能需要降低你的生活标准，这样才能提高你的生活质量。
True wealth is found in contentment and happiness in what you already have.
真正的财富是在你已经拥有的东西中找到满足和幸福。
No wonder Actor Jim Carey once said:
难怪演员金·凯瑞曾经说过：
“I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it's not the answer."/ Jim Carey
“我认为每个人都应该发财致富，做他们梦想中的一切，这样他们就能看到，这些都不是答案。”（金·凯瑞）
If we begin to understand that by lowering my standard of living, I can experience quality of life with joy and peace – I might actually make some lifestyle choices.
● Downsizing and simplifying.
● Buying clothing that doesn’t have to have some expensive label
● Delaying the phone upgrade
● Cancelling some subscription that we can’t afford.
● Getting an additional person to live with you and pay some rent.
如果我们开始理解，通过降低我的生活标准，我可以体验到快乐和平安的生活质量，我可能真的会做出一些生活方式的选择：
● 缩小规模和简单化
● 购买不一定要有什么昂贵标签的衣服
● 推迟手机的升级
● 取消一些我们负担不起的订阅
● 多找一个人和你一起住，平坦一些租金
The question we have to ask is: Do we possess money, or are we possessed by money?
我们要问的问题是：我们是拥有金钱，还是被金钱所占有？
This is why Jesus talks so often about it. He realises the hold that money can have on us. The way it can move us away from experiencing a flourishing life.
这就是为什么耶稣经常谈及这个问题。祂意识到金钱对我们的控制，金钱可以使我们远离丰盛的生活。
The solution is:
Be content with the present quality of your life
rather than discontent with the standard of your living.
解决办法是。
满足于你目前的生活质量
而不是对你的生活标准感到不满
So, practically, how does this work?
How do we handle money well while not letting it possess us?
How do we develop the art of being content with the present quality of our lives rather than discontent with the standard of our living?
那么，这要如何做到的？
我们如何处理好金钱，同时不让它占有我们？
我们如何发展一种艺术，满足于目前的生活质量，而不是对我们的生活标准感到不满？
Many financial advisors talk about three particular containers to think about how we spend our money.
许多财务顾问谈到了三个特别的容器，来思考我们如何花钱。
Now, I realise you are smart people. I don’t want to insult your intelligence. But I do want to provide a practical framework that many have found helpful in experiencing financial wellbeing.
大家都是聪明人，我不想侮辱你们的智慧。但我确实想提供一个实用的框架，许多人发现这个框架对经历财务健康很有帮助。
Think of these ping pong balls as representing our income/ the money that comes in each week.
我们把这些乒乓球看作是代表我们每周的收入。
I want us to think about setting a % aside in three containers.
我希望我们考虑在三个容器中留出一定比例。
GIVE/SAVE/SPEND
给予/储蓄/支出
Some advisers call this the 80-10-10 rule. That might be a good start. The amount isn’t as important as a framework of life.
一些顾问称这为80-10-10规则。这可能是一个好的开始。其中的数字并不像生活框架那样重要。
The first container is GIVE Bucket #1 – give
第一个容器是“给予”
After talking about contentment, Paul talks about generosity. He says to Timothy to tell people …
在谈到知足常乐之后，保罗谈到了慷慨，他对提摩太说要告诉人们......
Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life./ 1 Timothy 6:18-19
又要嘱咐他们行善，在善事上富足，慷慨好施。这样，就为自己在来世积聚财富，作美好的基础，好叫他们能够得着那真正的生命。（提前6:18-19）
Paul connects generosity with experiencing a flourishing life!
保罗将慷慨与经历丰盛生活联系在一起！
Research backs that up. It shows us that being generous helps contribute to our sense of wellbeing. There is something about being altruistic that activates a part in our brain that makes us feel happier, less depressed and healthier. And this is something that the Bible has long taught. Didn’t Jesus say “it is more blessed to give than to receive” / Acts 20:35
研究支持了这一点。它告诉我们，慷慨大方有助于促进我们的幸福感。有一些关于利他主义的东西激活了我们大脑中的一个部分，使我们感到更快乐，更少抑郁和更健康。而这也是圣经长期以来的教导。“施比受更为有福。”（徒20:35）
My experience is that becoming a generous person doesn’t happen spontaneously. It we want to be a generous person – as I think everybody does – we need to follow the advice of the Bible where giving is:
● prioritised (so we take it out of our account before we spend it)
● planned– we decide in advance how much we will give away because we all know that if we don’t do it in advance, we will spend it.
● and it’s proportional (it’s a percentage of our income. Generosity is not about the amount so
much as proportionate to what we earn. One person’s generosity might look very different to another.
我的经验是，成为一个慷慨的人并不是自发的。如果我们想成为一个慷慨的人，我想每个人都应如此，我们需要遵循圣经的建议，给予是：
● 优先的事（我们在花钱之前就从账户中取出给予的部分）。
● 有计划的。我们提前决定要奉献多少钱，因为我们都知道，如果我们不提前做，我们就会花掉它。
● 给予的比例（它是我们收入的一个百分比。慷慨不是指金额，而是与我们的收入成正
比。一个人的慷慨在另一个人看来可能非常不同。）
If give is our first container… SAVE is the second.
Bucket #2 – save
第二个容器是“储蓄”
Paul doesn’t talk about saving but it is a theme elsewhere in Scripture.
保罗没有提及储蓄，但这是圣经中其他地方的一个主题。
Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! Though they
have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, they labour hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. / Proverbs 6:6-8 NLT
懒惰人哪！你去看看蚂蚁，察看它们所行的，就可得着智慧。蚂蚁没有元帅，没有官长，也没有统治者，尚且在夏天预备食物，在收割的时候积聚粮食。（箴6:6-8）
Ants prepare today for the challenges of tomorrow. In the summer Ants prepare for the winter that lies ahead.
蚂蚁今天做的是为明天的挑战做准备。在夏天，蚂蚁为未来的冬天做准备。
While you’re sitting back enjoying a picnic, the ants are scurrying around. While you’re sipping a can of L&P, they’re carrying away crumbs from your pack of TimTams. After they’ve got that, they’ll start on the French and Onion potato chips. They instinctively know they need to use the summer to
prepare for the hard winter season coming.
当你坐着享受野餐的时候，蚂蚁们正在四处乱窜。当你在喝一罐饮料的时候，它们正在带走你那包饼干的碎屑。在它们得到这些之后，它们会开始搬运薯片。它们本能地知道他们需要利用夏天来为即将到来的艰难的冬天做准备。
Like ants, we are meant to prepare today for the challenges of tomorrow. In others words – we save.
像蚂蚁一样，我们要在今天为明天的挑战做准备。换句话说，我们要储蓄。
A few years back, Robyn and I found ourselves very stressed around our finances. At the time, we had just moved into our new home in Ellerslie. Rate bills were higher than we expected. We had a mix of big birthdays in our family, presents at Christmas, and then school supplies all happening over a three month period. Our expenditure was well over our income. Typically, we had got into the habit of
paying everything on credit cards because it got us extra bonus points. We had always been able to pay off the credit card – so it had worked well for us. That is – until that particular February.
几年前，罗宾和我发现我们的财务状况非常紧张。当时，我们刚刚搬进位于Ellerslie的新家。地税账单比我们预期的要高。在三个月的时间里，我们家里有很多人过生日，圣诞节有很多礼物要送，还有很多学校用品要买。我们的支出远远超过我们的收入。通常情况下，我们已经养成了用信用卡支付一切的习惯，因为这能给我们带来额外的积分。我们一直都能偿还信用卡，所以这对我们来说很有效。直到那个特殊的二月。
Suddenly, we couldn’t pay the credit card. At that point, we made some big changes.
突然间，我们无法支付信用卡。在当时，我们做了一些大的改变。
So, we had to take stock.
我们开始评估。
So, what did we do?
我们做了什么？
We thought about these containers.
我们想到了这些容器。
We had already developed a regular habit of giving (GIVE). We didn’t want to stop that. In fact, we actually wanted to develop a greater percentage towards generosity.
我们已经养成了定期奉献的习惯。我们并不想停止。事实上，我们还想培养一个更大的慷慨比例。
But, at the time, we needed to better develop the art of SAVE.
但是，在当时，我们需要更好地发展储蓄的艺术。
Here we have one container. In our case, we set aside five saving containers. We set aside much more than 10%.
这里我们有一个容器。在我们的实例中，我们留出了五个储蓄容器。我们留出的比例远远超过了10%。
Like many banks, our bank allows us to set up multiple accounts. We’ve found this a really helpful way to save for particular areas. In our case, we have:
像许多银行一样，我们的银行允许我们设立多个账户。我们发现这是一个非常有用的方法，可以为特定领域储蓄。在我们的实例中，我们有：
SAVE: Ongoing Expenses account. Each year, we calculate the cost of all the invoices we have received for the year – like insurance, rates, car WOF, water rates. We total them up and we set aside money from our income to go into an account to pay for these ongoing expected expenses over the course of the year. So, when our water bill comes up, we have money already in that account from which to
pay. In other words, we don’t have to stress whether we can pay that invoice or not.
储蓄：日常生活开支账户。每年，我们都会计算一年中收到的所有发票的费用，比如保险、地税、汽车检修、水费等。我们把它们合计起来，然后从我们的收入中留出钱来，进入一个账户，用于支付一年中这些持续的预期费用。因此，当我们的水费账单出现时，我们在该账户中已经有了可以支付的钱。换句话说，我们不必强调我们是否能支付那张发票。
SAVE: Emergencies. We call it a buffer account. Like ants, we are preparing today for the challenges of tomorrow. We expect that a winter period is coming when an appliance is going to break down or
needs to be replaced. So, we set aside money in advance, ready for when that happens. And when that account builds up, we don’t spend it on a holiday. Because we know that at some point something will break down. If something major doesn’t break this year, it probably will next year –
along with 2-3 other appliances all at the same time, right? But, we don’t need to stress, because we have now built up some margin in our buffer account.
储蓄：应对紧急情况。我们称它为缓冲账户。像蚂蚁一样，我们今天正在为明天的挑战做准 备。我们预计，冬季来临，电器会出现故障或需要更换。因此，我们提前预留资金，准备好迎接这种情况的发生。而当这个账户积累起来时，我们不会把它花在假期上。因为我们知道，在某些时候会有东西坏掉。如果主要的东西今年不坏，明年可能会坏，可能会连同其他2-3件电器同时坏，对吗？当这些情况发生时，我们不会感到压力，因为我们现在已经在我们的缓冲账户中建立了一些储蓄。
SAVE: School fees and celebrations: A certain amount goes from our income every fortnight towards schools fees/supplies, birthday presents, and the like.
储蓄：学费和庆祝活动。每两周从我们的收入中拿出一定数额，用于支付学校费用/学习用品、生日礼物等。
SAVE: Long-term future: kiwi saver/ retirement. Like ants, we are preparing for the winter season of retirement.
储蓄：长期的，如养老金计划。像蚂蚁一样，我们正在为退休后可能会遇到的寒冬做准备。
SAVE…Wants/ Holidays: There is nothing wrong with spending money on things you want, providing you can pay for them without borrowing and placing yourself under stress.
储蓄：欲望/假期。在你想要的东西上花钱没有错，只要你能在不借钱和不给自己造成压力的情况下支付这些钱。
In the last few weeks, we’ve had to take stock again. We’re feeling the pinch as cost of living goes up.
So, we’ve had to rejig things around. Right now, we have just $10 a fortnight going into our holiday
account –that’s okay. So, we are going to have get creative on what we do when it’s holiday time. But, we know that we enjoy a quality of life rather than keep some standard of living with some luxury
vacation.
在过去的几周里，我们不得不再次进行评估。随着生活成本的上升，我们感到压力很大。因此
，我们不得不重新安排事情。现在，我们每两周只放10元进入我们的假期账户。因此，我们将不得不在假期时侯想出一些有趣的活动。但是，我们知道，我们享受的是高质量的生活，而不是用一些奢侈的假期来保持一些生活标准。
Of course, all this takes time to build. We didn't build that margin in a few days, or weeks. It has taken many months of hard decisions.
当然，所有这些都需要时间来建立。我们不是在几天，或几周内产生收入与支出间的剩余。它花了好个月、甚至更长的时间。
But, the only way to get there is by learning from the ant. Beginng now to prepare for winter times to come.
但是，达到这一目标的唯一途径是向蚂蚁学习。现在就开始为即将到来的冬天做准备。
Bucket #3 –spend
第三个容器：支出
Paul continues by encouraging us “to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our ” / 1 Timothy 6:17
保罗继续说：“要仰望那厚赐百物给我们 的 神。”（提前6:17）
What do you expect Paul to say here
你期望保罗在这里说什么
We might expect Paul to say, ‘everything that we need.’ Full stop.
我们可能期望保罗说，“我们所需要的一切。”
Instead, he says,
“to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our ENJOYMENT.” / 1 Timothy 6:17
保罗继续说：“要仰望那厚赐百物给我们 享用 的 神。”（提前6:17）
God wants you to enjoy what you have.
● Enjoy the plants you bought for your garden.
● Enjoy your car.
● Enjoy that new shirt.
● Just don’t let money consume you.
上帝希望你能享受你所拥有的一切。
● 享受你为你的花园买的植物
● 享受你的汽车
● 享受那件新衬衫
● 只是不要让金钱吞噬你
If you are developing margin in your finances, it takes the pressure of you and you know what you have to spend without guilt, and without anxiety.
如果你在你的财务中有剩余，它就会减轻你的压力，你就会知道你要花多少钱，而不会有负罪感，也不会有焦虑感。
So, how much do you put into each bucket?
那么，你在每个桶里放多少钱？
As I said earlier, some say 10-10-80.
正如我先前所说，有人说是10-10-80。
I want to say ‘that’s up to you to decide.’
我想说“这要由你来决定。”
The Bible doesn’t give any figures for these.
圣经并没有给出这些数字。
Robyn and myself developed higher percentages HERE (giving) and HERE (spending). It helps us
become the people we want to be. And has taken pressure off. We’re still feeling things right now – but we know we have time to amend things as needed to ensure we have some margin.
罗宾和我自己在“给予”和“支出”开发了更高的百分比。它帮助我们成为我们想成为的人。而且还减轻了压力。我们现在仍然在感受这样做，但我们知道我们还要根据需要修正某些金额，以确保我们有一些剩余。
Ultimately, you have to make a decision to say ‘I am not going to blame the economy, my boss, the government, or whoever. Rather, I am going to take charge of this area and ensure I begin to have margin so that I can grow towards financial wellbeing.’
归根结底，你必须做出决定，说“我不会责怪经济、我的老板、政府或任何其他人。相反，我将负责这一领域，并确保我开始有剩余，以便我能够朝着财务健康的方向发展。”
Homework this week is to find out what percentage of your income you are spending. Then, ask what percentage you should set aside to give and save.
本周的功课是找出你的收入中，你的支出占多少百分比。然后，询问你应该留出多少百分比用于奉献和储蓄。
If this is an areas you need help, we are here to help.
如果你需要帮助，我们在这里可以提供帮助。
Gracecity has a CAP debt centre with a full-time person dedicated to working with households who are in debt and feeling overwhelmed.
恩典教会有一个CAP债务中心，有一个全职人员专门为那些负债并感到不堪重负的家庭工作。
For many of them, the debt has got so large that they are unable to pay it off without intervention. So, we work with them to get them to a point where they can find a new hopeful way forward.
Currently, we are working with 50 households helping them manage their debt.
对他们中的许多人来说，债务已经变得如此之大，以至于他们在没有干预的情况下无法还清债务。因此，我们与他们一起工作，使他们能够找到一个新的有希望的发展方向。目前，我们正在与50个家庭合作，帮助他们管理债务。
I want to play you a story of one of our CAP clients who faced financial difficulties and then found financial freedom.
我想给大家播放一个我们的CAP客户的故事，他面临财务困难，然后找到财务自由。
DEBT STORY of Gemma.
Jesus came to set the captives free - Financially and Spiritually. We have had hundreds and hundreds of people freed from financial debt. Currently we are working with 50 clients in debt. The past few years, through CAP, we have had 128 people have come to know Jesus. 128! Get your head around
that number.
耶稣来是为了让被掳的人获得自由，在经济上和灵性上。我们已经有成百上千的人从经济债务中解脱出来。目前，我们正在与50名负债的家庭合作。在过去的几年里，通过CAP，我们有128 人认识了耶稣。128! 请你想想这个数字。
If you need help, call one of the pastors here in the office and we can connect you with people who can help.
如果你需要帮助，请打电话给牧师，我们可以为你联系可以帮助的人。
Remember, Jesus wants us to enjoy life to the full. Our financial wellbeing is part of his desire for our lives.
请记住，耶稣希望我们能充分享受生活。我们的财务状况是祂对我们生活愿望的一部分。
He knows that the way to disrupt our lives and cause incredible pain is through discontentment and financial bondage.
祂知道扰乱我们的生活、并造成难以置信的痛苦的方式是通过不满足和财务捆绑。
It’s why he wants to be the Lord/leader of your life and teach you how to manage your money well.
这就是为什么祂想成为你生活的 主/领导，教你如何很好地管理你的金钱。
And He invites us to:
耶稣邀请我们：
Be content with the present quality of your liferather than discontent with the standard of your living.
满足于你目前的生活质量而不是对你的生活标准感到不满。
PRAYER:
prayer for people in others parts of the world / communities who are struggling.
Prayer for people within our church and community
祷告：
为世界其他地区/社区中正在挣扎的人们祈祷。为我们教会和社区内的人祷告
