The idea of establishing goals, is encouraged in both our culture and the Bible:

“If you don’t know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else.”
– Lawrence J. Peter

“The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score.”
– Bill Copeland

“The great danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.”
– Michelangelo

“If you aim at nothing you will hit it every time.”
– Zig Ziglar

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”
– Proverbs 16:3

“The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.”
– Proverbs 21:5

The three primary elements of our financial plan are going to be expenses related to:

THOUGHT EXPERIMENT

Imagine you have 2 big rocks the size of an iPhone, and 5 smaller rocks the size of a golf ball. The big rocks represent your very important life goals, such as abiding in Christ and physical health. The small rocks represent other good goals but mean less to you, such as good grades, a nice car, and living by the beach.
Your goal is to fit as much as you can into a glass jar. If you put the 5 smaller rocks into the jar first, you will not have room for the 2 big rocks. If you put the 2 big rocks in first, then you will then be able to fit many of the 5 smaller rocks in.
Prioritizing the big rocks first allows the greatest number of rocks to fit in the glass jar.

When it comes to the choice between spending on giving, lifestyle, or saving, what is your big rock, making the other two elements your smaller rocks?

Make sure and put the big rock in first, and then figure out how the other two rocks will fit around your highest priority.

The Bible would argue that your big rock should be giving since we are already rich in it and it unleashes God’s glory and is an avenue for us experiencing the grace of Jesus Christ

Inter-Personal Plan

In this lesson, you will be creating your own Sea of Galilee financial plan. This financial plan will be “inter-personal” instead of “personal” since there is nothing personal about our money lives.

“We will never not need God and one another. Our telos is community, not self-sufficiency. It’s a feast, a life together.”
– Tish Harrison Warren.

Use PDF worksheet to fill-in plan below.

In 10 years from now, how would you want your plan to look different? How would be ideal percentages for a couple who are passionate followers of Jesus Christ?

What are the steps that you need to take in order to go from your first plan to your ideal plan 10 years from now?

1. ________________________________
2. ________________________________
3. ________________________________
4. ________________________________
5. ________________________________

As you list your steps, make sure they are SMART.

Given your Sea of Galilee plan, please fill out the following 6 questions (1-2 minutes to complete). Your responses are completely anonymous and will be used for academic research purposes. Thank you so much!

• Biola Personal Financial Planning Programs (obtain education requirements for CFP for all three programs):
  • Undergraduate minor in Personal Financial Planning
  • Undergraduate business concentration in Personal Financial Planning
  • Adult certificate in Personal Financial Planning
• Financial Planning Association (FPA) of Biola
• MoneyWise
• Real Money, Real Experts Podcast
• Ron Blue Institute
• Financial Peace University