The Power of a Partnership and Consistency
I hope for the chance to expose your child to sound Biblical Character Training
over a long period of time. And Lord willing, the longer the term of exposure to this curriculum the
BIGGER the impact will be on your child and what he or she can achieve in life…
keeping in mind that life is all about the glory of God.
And your child will be exposed to this character building curriculum everyday you visit our school!
Enjoy the Parent preview below:
Please join us in prayer before and during every class your child attends for God to open his or her eyes, ears, and heart to understand and apply His truth that we will be sharing that day. Also, please pray for us that we would be good stewards of the time you have given us with your child and we would be faithful witnesses of our Lord and His word. Every class, every time, please join with us in prayer.
THRIFTINESS vs. EXTRAVAGANCE Parent Preview
Definition:
- THRIFTINESS is allowing myself and others to spend only what is necessary.
Definition we will use in tiny tigers class:
- THRIFTINESS is saving more and spending less.
Other definitions:
- THRIFTINESS is multiplying my resources through wise investments so I have more to give back to God
- “God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply.” J. Hudson Taylor
- Thriftiness is the personal discipline of those who are striving for greatest rewards.
- Thriftiness is a way of life for those who enjoy the rewards of giving.
o “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” (Acts 20:35)
- A dollar saved is more than a dollar earned, because of the appreciating value of what we earn.
- “A fool may make money, but it needs a wise man to spend it.” - Charles Spurgeon
Application for Home and Life Skills Development:
WHY TEACH THRIFTINESS? Learning thriftiness at a young age is good training for the times when children have greater resources to manage.
1. I will save more and spend less
2. I will make good use of what I already have.
3. I will look for the best value.
4. I will budget my money, time, and energy
5. I will not confuse what I need with what I want.
Scripture Memory for class:
“If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? (Luke 16:11 ESV).
• Biblical Commentaries on THRIFTINESS at bottom of this letter
Thrifty, Not Stingy
John Wesley said, “Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can.”
In contrast, stinginess “makes all it can,” “saves all it can,” and “keeps all it can.”
Thriftiness seeks to make every dollar count, while stinginess counts every dollar.
Thriftiness:
- Diligent labor to serve others
- Disciplined saving to meet needs
- Generous giving to add purpose to life
Stinginess:
- Diligent labor to gain wealth
- Disciplined saving to hoard money
- Miserly stockpiling for self interest
The Concept of THRIFTINESS
THRIFTINESS prompts people to think before they spend. It starts by asking two questions: “Do I really need this?” and “Is there a better way to buy it?”
The first question tries to distinguish between needs and wants. Everyone needs food, but what kinds of food are “needs” and what kinds are merely “wants”? People need sleep, but how much sleep is healthy and how much is slothful? People need clothes, but what styles are practical and what styles are wasteful?
The second task is to determine the best way to meet a need. Is this the best price? Is it the best value? Is now the right time? How much can I save in interest charges if I wait until I can pay cash?
In the end, thriftiness protects people from the traps of impulsive shopping and overspending. The secret is to think more, save more, wait longer, and spend less.
THRIFTINESS to Praise.
Thriftiness doesn’t mean being stingy. Real treasures are always worthy of liberal investment, especially when it comes to praising children.
Benefits of Praising Character instead of Belongings:
- Wealth and possessions and physical good looks and athletic abilities in sports can disappear overnight, but your child’s character lasts a lifetime.
- In the end, what makes your life significant or not
-
will not be ‘who’ you are, but ‘whose’ you are. If you are a Christian then you are a servant of Christ because he bought you by dying for you, and therefore he owns you.
o “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. ” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
-
It is not what you have, or who you are but ‘whose’ you are. Do you belong to Jesus Christ? If so then you are a child of God. Instead of trying to be accepted and win friends by boasting of their belongings, and being concerned about other people’s opinions, or how they dress or what kind of car their parents drive, Christian children can boast in Christ, they are part of God’s family.
o “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Ga 6:14).
PRAISE CHILDREN FOR THE FOLLOWING:
• Eating all of their portion of food
• Saving leftovers for later
• Shutting doors behind them
• Turning off lights when not in use
• Not wasting water at the drink fountain
• Using scrap pieces of paper
Illustrations Used in KK4C Class
Along with teaching and expanding on the above definition, the ‘I Wills’, and scripture,
THRIFTINESS will be illustrated using:
• The Character Card of the Month – THRIFTINESS in nature with the KOALA. Commonly mistaken as bears, koalas are actually marsupials, meaning that they carry their young in a pouch. Because their diet provides little nutrition, koalas must conserve their energy to get by on less.
• Hero’s of Character with MARY BETHUNE – All she had was $1.50 in her pocket, but Mary Bethune could make a little money go a long way. We will learn what Mary did with her money that eventually brought her to the Oval Office of the President of the United States.
Character Card Tips
Character is useless unless it is a part of everyday life. Use the character cards and join with us in teaching your child the ‘I wills” by saying, “Here are ways you can practice THRIFTINESS.” Then read the “I wills” on the back of the card.
Then elaborate on each one from your own life sharing personal illustrations of when you did what was right or did something that was wrong. Be sure to emphasize that there were benefits to right choices and consequences to wrong choices.
Personal Evaluation – How THRIFTY are you?
1. Do you keep detailed records of your resources so you know how they are being spent?
2. Do you plan out your day so you can make the wisest use of every hour?
3. Do you save all you can so you have available funds to give?
4. Are you using your energies and resources primarily for yourself or for the needs of others?
5. When God judges your investments of time, energy, and money, will He see thriftiness or extravagance?
THRIFTINESS in the Home Includes:
• Budgeting the income and formulating family guidelines by which to evaluate each expenditure
• Avoiding the temptation of sales and excessive shopping
• A parent showing the children how to budget money and schedule priorities and goals
• Investing personal money and time wisely in order to prepare for future goals
Rewards of THRIFTINESS:
• PROVISION – By avoiding unnecessary expenditures, a family will have enough money to make essential major purchases that everyone can enjoy.
• ACHIEVEMENT –Prioritizing one’s activities will enable a person to avoid spending time and energy on projects that are not important. As a result, one will accomplish the big things, and the little things will usually take care of themselves.
Biblical Commentaries on THRIFTINESS
The Parable of the Dishonest Manager
16
He
also
said
to
the
disciples,
“There
was
a
rich
man
who
had
ja
manager,
and
charges
were
brought
to
him
that
this
man
was
wasting
his
possessions.
2
And
he
called
him
and
said
to
him,
‘What
is
this
that
I
hear
about
you?
Turn
in
the
account
of
your
kmanagement,
for
you
can
no
longer
be
manager.’
3
And
the
manager
said
to
himself,
‘What
shall
I
do,
since
my
master
is
taking
the
management
away
from
me?
I am
not
strong
enough
to
dig,
and
I am
ashamed
to
beg.
4
I
have
decided
what
to
do,
so
that
when
I am
removed
from
management,
people
may
receive
me
into
their
houses.’
5
So,
summoning
his
master’s
debtors
one
by
one,
he
said
to
the
first,
‘How
much
do
you
owe
my
master?’
6
He
said,
‘A
hundred
measures1
of
oil.’
He
said
to
him,
‘Take
your
bill,
and
sit
down
quickly
and
write
fifty.’
7
Then
he
said
to
another,
‘And
how
much
do
you
owe?’
He
said,
‘A
hundred
measures2
of
wheat.’
He
said
to
him,
‘Take
your
bill,
and
write
eighty.’
8
The
master
commended
the
dishonest
manager
for
his
lshrewdness.
For
mthe
sons
of
this
world3
are
lmore
shrewd
in
dealing
with
their
own
generation
than
nthe
sons
of
light.
9
And
I
tell
you,
omake
friends
for
yourselves
by
means
of
punrighteous
wealth,4
so
that
when
it
fails
they
may
receive
you
into
the
eternal
dwellings.
10
q“One
who
is
rfaithful
in a
very
little
is
also
faithful
in
much,
and
one
who
is
dishonest
in a
very
little
is
also
dishonest
in
much.
11
If
then
you
have
not
been
faithful
in
the
unrighteous
wealth,
who
will
entrust
to
you
the
true
riches?
12
And
if
you
have
not
been
faithful
in
sthat
which
is
another’s,
who
will
give
you
that
which
is
your
own?
13
pNo
servant
can
serve
two
masters,
for
either
he
will
hate
the
one
and
love
the
other,
or
he
will
be
devoted
to
the
one
and
despise
the
other.
You
cannot
serve
God
and
money.”
[1]
(Luke
16:1-12
ESV).
The
parable
of
the
unjust
steward
(16:1-12)
This
is a
difficult
passage.
There
are
knots
in
it
which
perhaps
will
never
be
untied
until
the
Lord
comes
again.
We
might
reasonably
expect
that
because
the
Bible
was
written
through
inspiration,
it
would
have
some
things
in
it
that
are
hard
to
understand.
The
fault
is
not
in
the
book
but
in
our
own
feeble
understanding.
If
we
learn
nothing
else
from
the
passage
before
us,
let
us
learn
humility.
1.
Do
not
draw
lessons
which
are
not
taught
Let
us
beware,
first,
not
to
draw
lessons
from
this
passage
which
it
was
never
meant
to
teach.
The
manager
whom
our
Lord
describes
is
not
a
pattern
of
morality.
He
is
called
a
“dishonest
manager”
(verse
8).
The
Lord
Jesus
never
meant
to
sanction
dishonesty.
The
manager
cheated
his
master
and
broke
the
eighth
commandment.
His
master
commended
him
for
acting
shrewdly
(verse
8),
but
there
is
no
evidence
that
his
master
was
pleased
with
his
behavior.
Above
all,
there
is
not
a
word
to
show
that
the
man
was
praised
by
Christ.
In
short,
in
his
treatment
of
his
master
the
manager
is a
beacon
to
be
avoided
and
not
a
pattern
to
be
followed.
2.
The
wisdom
of
providing
against
a
future
evil
Let
us
observe,
second,
that
one
principal
lesson
in
this
parable
is
the
wisdom
of
providing
against
a
future
evil.
2 Between 1,000 and 1,200 bushels
m ch. 20:34; See ch. 10:6
n John 12:36; 1 Thess. 5:5; [Eph. 5:8]
o [ch. 12:33; Matt. 6:20; 19:21; 1 Tim. 6:10, 17–19]
p ver. 11, 13; Matt. 6:24
4 Greek mammon, a Semitic word for money or possessions; also verse 11; rendered money in verse 13
[1]The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (Lk 16:1-13). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
The
dishonest
manager
acted
in a
skillful
way
when
he
knew
he
had
to
leave.
Dishonest
as
he
was
in
reducing
his
master’s
bills,
he
succeeded
in
making
friends
among
his
master’s
debtors.
Wicked
as
he
was,
he
had
an
eye
to
the
future.
He
plotted
and
planned,
with
the
result
that
when
he
lost
one
home
he
gained
another.
At
this
point,
the
parable
is
deeply
instructive.
The
diligence
of
worldly
men
over
earthly
matters
should
put
to
shame
the
coldness
of
professing
Christians
and
their
lack
of
concern
over
the
things
of
eternity.
The
enthusiasm
of
business
people
traveling
across
the
seas
in
their
work
reproves
the
indolent
believer
who
is
so
slack
about
heavenly
treasures.
Our
Lord’s
words
are
solemn
and
worth
weighing:
“the
people
of
this
world
are
more
shrewd
in
dealing
with
their
own
kind
than
are
the
people
of
the
light”
(verse
8).
3.
The
remarkable
words
our
Lord
says
about
little
things
Let
us
notice,
third,
in
this
passage
the
remarkable
words
which
our
Lord
uses
about
little
things.
He
said,
“Whoever
can
be
trusted
with
very
little
can
also
be
trusted
with
much,
and
whoever
is
dishonest
with
very
little
will
also
be
dishonest
with
much”
(verse
10).
Our
Lord
is
teaching
here
the
great
importance
of
faithfulness
in
“very
little.”
He
warns
us
not
to
think
that
the
dishonest
manager’s
use
of
money
is a
trifling
thing.
He
says
that
little
things
are
a
true
test
of
character
and
that
unfaithfulness
in
little
things
is a
symptom
of a
bad
heart.
He
did
not
mean,
of
course,
that
honesty
over
money
can
justify
our
souls
or
remove
sin.
But
he
did
mean
that
dishonesty
about
money
is a
sure
sign
that
a
heart
is
not
right
in
God’s
sight.
The
person
who
is
not
honest
over
gold
and
silver
in
this
world
cannot
be
one
who
will
have
true
riches
in
heaven.
“If
you
have
not
been
trustworthy
with
someone
else’s
property,
who
will
give
you
property
of
your
own?”
(verse
12).
Let
us
never
forget
for
a
moment
that
genuine
faith
will
always
be
known
by
its
fruits.
We
may
be
sure
that
where
there
is
no
honesty,
there
is
no
grace.
Notes
on
16:1-12
1.
Told
his
disciples.
In
interpreting
this
parable,
we
should
carefully
observe
to
whom
it
was
addressed.
It
was
not
spoken
to
the
teachers
of
the
law
and
Pharisees,
like
the
previous
three
parables,
but
to
his
disciples.
They
had
heard
a
lesson
for
the
proud
and
self-righteous;
now
they
hear
a
lesson
for
themselves.
The
rich
man
and
the
manager
and
the
master’s
debtors
do
not
appear
to
me
to
be
allegorical
people.
I
view
them
as
actors
in
the
story
which
our
Lord
is
telling.
I do
not
think
that
they
were
intended
to
represent
any
particular
people.
8.
“The
people
of
this
world.”
This
means
worldly
people,
the
opposite
of
people
of
light,
who
are
godly
people.
These
latter
are
the
people
who
follow
the
light
and
walk
in
the
light
(see
John
12:36;
Ephesians
5:8).
9.
“Friends.”
“Use
your
money
with
an
eye
to
the
future,
as
the
manager
did
his.
Spend
your
money
in
such
a
way
that
your
expenditure
will
be a
friend
to
you,
and
not
a
witness
against
you
in
another
world.”
I
leave
this
verse
with
two
words
of
caution.
First,
we
must
not
suppose
that
through
using
money
we
can
purchase
God’s
favor
and
pardon
for
our
sins.
Heaven
is
not
to
be
bought.
Second,
we
must
not
close
our
eyes
against
the
teaching
of
this
verse.
The
verse
plainly
teaches
that
a
right
use
of
our
money
in
the
world,
from
the
right
motives,
will
be
for
our
benefit
in
the
world
to
come.
It
will
not
justify
us;
it
will
not
save
us
from
God’s
judgment,
any
more
than
good
deeds
can
do
this.
But
it
does
provide
evidence
about
grace
which
will
befriend
our
souls.
There
is
such
a
thing
as
laying
up
treasure
in
heaven
(Matthew
6:20)
and
laying
up
treasure
for
ourselves
as
“a
firm
foundation
for
the
coming
age”
(1
Timothy
6:19).[2]
Character
First!
Education
Series
4,
Booklet
4,
Oak
Brook,
IL;
International
Association
of
Character
Cities.
(2000).
Achieving
True
Success.
Institute
of
Basic
Life
Principles.
(2001).
The
Power
of
True
Success
Adam
Schainblatt’s
Karate
Kids
For
Christ
-
10940
Raven
Ridge
Rd.,
Ste
118;
Raleigh,
NC
27614
(919)
870-0525
www.Karate-Kids.org
