Faith & Finance Fridays

Reflect  •  Commit  •  Equip  •  Apply

Genesis 41:33-56

Equip and Apply: Making a Plan for Plenty and Sticking to It

Earlier in August, we reflected on the opportunities we miss when we enjoy plenty to the detriment of our preparation for the future and talked about the need to commit ourselves to see God’s provisions for what they are: not resources to be spent to depletion or simply to be enjoyed, but as resources to prepare us for life’s droughts. Our delay in posting means that this week, we tackle together both how to equip ourselves and apply the lessons we’ve learned from Genesis 41.

When Plenty Runs Out

Is there a time in our lives when we thought we had it all, only to have everything collapse under us? In what’s now a well-known story, Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway experienced just that.

They entered the 2008 financial crisis with an unusually large cash reserve, accumulated billions in cash during its prosperous years. That preparation gave the company room to weather the turmoil without being forced into desperate decisions.

Berkshire didn’t create its cash reserves because it knew the 2008 crisis was coming; that’s not possible. It prepared for the eventuality that something would happen, enabling it to withstand the downturn and have the freedom to act when others had fewer options.

Equipping Ourselves for What’s Ahead

“…Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt. During the seven years of plenty the land produced abundantly. So he collected all the food of these seven years which occurred in the land of Egypt and put the food in the cities; he put in every city the food from its own surrounding fields. Joseph stored up grain in great abundance like the sand of the sea, until he stopped measuring it, for it was beyond measure.” – Genesis 41:46-49

Let’s now look back at how Joseph laid out his plan and what lessons we can take to equip ourselves. He proposed to Pharaoh to:

• Appoint an overseer: As overseer, Joseph monitored Egypt’s resources. While less dramatic, we do the same thing when we take the responsibility of managing our own budgets. Reviewing them regularly gives us a chance to see whether our resources are still aligned with what we’re preparing for.
• Set aside 1/5 of the harvest each year: Retirement is the one certain drought that comes for us all. What would it look like if we were to put aside ‘a fifth of the produce’ in our household? Increasing retirement contributions now or adding to long-term investments can turn some of today’s margin into resources that will support us later.
• Collect all the food of these good years: During our years of plenty, instead of giving into the temptation of lifestyle inflation, we can collect surplus funds and put them towards emergency savings to help cover essential expenses for sudden, unexpected droughts. We can also build purpose-driven savings for big future expenses that we know are coming to keep those expenses from consuming money needed for everyday living when a financial drought arrives.
• Appoint people under Pharaoh’s authority to guard the stores: An overseer and a guard sound pretty similar, but these are two distinct roles. The guard provides accountability; essentially, the guard is there to protect us from ourselves. Some of us can serve both roles, but others need a little help. Bringing in a financial manager can give us someone outside our own decision-making process who can regularly review our financial plan with us.

The Hard Part of Plenty

"During the seven years of plenty the land produced abundantly. So he collected all the food of these seven years which occurred in the land of Egypt and put the food in the cities; he put in every city the food from its own surrounding fields. Joseph stored up grain in great abundance like the sand of the sea, until he stopped measuring it, for it was beyond measure." Genesis 41:47-49

Joseph made his decision once, but applying it meant following through year after year. The first year or two of plenty probably made Joseph's plan look brilliant. By the sixth or seventh year though, Egypt might have lost sight of why it was rationing.

That's the part the story we gloss over. How do you keep preparing when nothing appears to be wrong? A plan is easy to follow right after we've made it, while the reason behind it is still fresh. It gets a lot harder as the years pass and the thing we’re preparing for hasn't arrived.

What decisions have we made about our finances that need to survive changing circumstances?

The Storehouses Were Meant to Be Opened

"When the seven years of plenty which had taken place in the land of Egypt came to an end, and the seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said, then there was famine in all the lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. So when all the land of Egypt suffered famine, the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread; and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, 'Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, you shall do.' When the famine was spread over the entire face of the earth, then Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians; and the famine was severe in the land of Egypt." Genesis 41:53-56

Joseph opened the storehouses because that was the point of building them. They weren’t meant to sit sealed indefinitely, which is a mistake we can make with our own resources.

It’s an easy mistake to miss because it looks like the opposite of a mistake. While refusing to touch what we've saved feels responsible, at some point we have to actually spend those savings. Otherwise, they serve no purpose.

What Does Our Plenty Need From Us?

So, what does our own plenty need from us? It needs us to recognize its purpose. Some of what we have is for today, and some of it is meant to carry us into whatever comes next. That means making decisions while we still have the choice, then following through on them. It also means staying willing to use what we've prepared when the time comes.

A month ago, plenty was just something we were living in without much thought. Through reflecting on Genesis 41:33-56 we learned to look at the opportunities it affords us. When we commit to using our plenty for more than immediate pleasure, we can apply the tools with which we’ve equipped ourselves to steward God’s resources wisely.

Ultimately, this is what stewardship asks of us. God has entrusted us with resources we won't have forever, and plenty gives us the chance to decide what those resources can accomplish.

Reflection Question

As we look back on our exploration of Genesis 41:33-56, what have we said matters enough to prepare for, and does the way we're using our resources today reflect that decision?

Coming Up Next

Join us in the coming weeks as we begin our journey through the Parable of the Talents, Matthew 25:14-30.