This is a series that appears on a regular basis here at JosephSangl.com – “Biblical Financial Lessons”
28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’
There are several key financial lessons we can learn from this parable that Jesus told.
- It is important to plan when preparing for a large task In this parable, an attempt to build a tower is referenced. Your great task will be different, but it will still require appropriate planning. You might want to build a business, an office building, or a home, but to attempt it without a plan will lead to disaster.
- Money is an important part of the planning process “Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?” It can’t be any clearer than that! It is essential and necessary to have a financial plan to support the major work you are setting out to accomplish!
- It is clear to others when we attempt to accomplish something large without planning first Have you ever seen a building project that was stopped in its tracks because the money ran out? I have seen literally thousands of these examples across the United States when the economy came to a screeching halt in 2008 and banks pulled their financing and individuals ran out of cash.
Most people wrestle with this issue. We want to move right away and start accomplishing the goal! The idea of stopping to prepare a plan seems to be too cumbersome and time-consuming. After all, we can make these decisions “on the fly.” Planning ahead seems too abstract, and it seems to hurt the brain too much to consider all of the potential issues and plan for them ahead of time.
But it is the planning process that differentiates good from great, bland from phenomenal, and uninspiring to life-changing. It is a cornerstone of financial freedom – “There must be a plan!”
- Have you ever attempted something great without a plan? If so, what was the result? What lessons did you learn that you would be willing to share with everyone?
- How should you go about preparing a plan for a future project?