*MARRIAGE: PRINCIPLE ON HOW TO MANAGE MONEY IN A HOME*(Series 1). *Scripture Reading:* Matthew 25:14-30 There is absolutely no way we can separate money from Marriage. The truth is, money is part of marriage, infact without money in a marriage, that marriage can not work and that's the truth some hate to hear. And that's why one of the factors to be considered before journey into marriage is, ARE YOU FINANCIALLY FIT? Hear this: *IF YOU CAN NOT SUCCESSFULLY FEED YOURSELF AND EXTRA TWO PEOPLE IN A DAY, DON'T EVEN TRY TO GO INTO MARRIAGE.* The reason for these series is to open our eyes to the important of money in our marriages and to guide on how well to manage money and also ways/secret of coming out of dept due to the mismanagement of money in our marriages. This is one of the great secret to handle our money: *To manage your money properly, you don't ask where it went; you tell it where to go.* If we abide with this, we will be in charge and control our finances. A principle regarding money which is emphasized in the Bible is this:*If we are wise in handling small amounts of money, God will entrust us with more.* (Matthew 25:14-30.) Let us consider some practical ways of handling money wisely: *1) Have a budget:* Many people are careless with their money. They spend it and say, *"Where did it all go?"* You received a sum of #50,000 as your January salary and before the end of the first month in February, you are already complaining that you are broke and that you can't even explain how you spent January salary. *This is a serious problem and that's why they're issues in our marriages and the only way to avoid this is to have a budget and keep a record of all expenses.* *2) Set aside money for emergencies:* In every family there are always those times when things go wrong and emergencies occur. Perhaps it is an unexpected car expense or medical bill. By regularly putting something aside for emergencies, these unexpected bills can be met without wrecking your budget. NOTE: *There is no way you can avoid some emergencies as far as you are married, set aside some money for it and this is different from your personal savings.* To be continue tomorrow morning by God's Grace. Good morning and do have a great day, peace. *Prayer points:* Holy Spirit, help me to be a good home manager, I will not be a failure in Jesus Christ name. Amen! T.S. AFOLAYAN