A few weeks ago, I spoke to our men’s group at church about my testimony in the area of stewardship. I talked about how I was raised in a family that taught Biblical principles of handling money—and how I saw stewardship as an end rather than a means for many years.
I spoke the next week on the top 10 things we can do to treasure Jesus more fullywhen it comes to handling money. There were 12 items on the list. Here’s the summary:
1. Study the Bible for ourselves to see what God has to say about money.
2. Make the connection between the gospel and our use of money (see 2 Cor 8:9, Phil 2:7-11).
3. Make a budget…to the glory of God.
4. Never make an emotional financial decision (see Luke 14:28-30).
5. Limit, or eliminate, our exposure to debt (see Deut 28:1, 12-13, 15, 44, Prov 22:7, Rom 13:8),
6. Learn, with Paul, to be content (see Phil 4:11-13).
7. Work to the glory of God, and understand it is the Lord who prospers (see 1 Cor 10:31, Col 3:23-24, Gen 13:1-12).
8. Teach our children to be good stewards (Prov 22:6).
9. Give generously.
10. Give wisely (see 2 Thess 3:10, Mt 5:42, 1 Tim 5:8, 1 John 3:17-18, 1 Tim 5:17-18, Lev 19:9-10).
11. Be courageous when you encounter God’s teaching (see Ezra 7:10, 8:21-23).
12. Use your money to make God look glorious (see 1 John 2:16, Mt 6:28-30, 33).
For the details, you can listen here.
Question: With a new year approaching, what can you do with regards to money to treasure Jesus more fully?
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Comments
Nice list. My question is this: do you expect that taking this list seriously would radically upturn most of our lives (or even the life of the average self-described devout evangelical)?
Most of us have a fair amount of discretionary, after-tithe, income. We tend to use this money on things like eating out, fancy gifts for friends and family, Friday nights at the movie theater, moderately fashionable clothing, cloth-bound books, etc. It is plausible, however, that the same money we spend on such things could be used instead to rescue another human being from extremely miserable or life-threatening conditions. So, given the choice--which we always seem to face--between (a) blowing $50 on a fashionable wardrobe upgrade (or for dinner and a movie, or etc.), and (b) giving the same $50 to a rescue a child from miserable, life-threatening conditions (in Haiti, perhaps), how is taking the former option ever going to be compatible with taking your list seriously?
Tough, but good, question. I've vacillated on the answer to this kind of question for years. From my study of Scripture, learnings from experience, and consideration of others' counsel, I think there's a balance between...
...understanding that God doesn't need our money to accomplish His will and that God does often use our money to accomplish his will.
...knowing that God commands the allegiance of the fullness of our hearts, souls, and minds and knowing that our treasure resides where our heart is.
...knowing that God delights in cheerful giving and knowing that most, if not all, of us should be more generous than we are.
Can there be an occasion where spending is better than giving? I think so, yes. Is it always better to spend, save, or give under the direction of God's Spirit than a desire for our own comfort? I think so, yes.
Your thoughts?
While I appreciate the considerations you mention, I don't see how any of them will ease the demandingness suggested by your list and the scenario I mentioned.
If a small child is about to drown in shallow water right in front of me, I understand that God doesn't need my assistance to accomplish his will. But this understanding doesn't in any way even begin to excuse me from the responsibility of helping the drowning child. Moreover, while I know that God would want me to cheerfully offer my help to the drowning child, it is better for me to help the drowning child cheerlessly than not at all (in other words, a foul mood doesn't excuse me from the responsibility of helping the child). Finally, I know a Christian should do everything under the direction of the Holy Spirit. However, I also know that the Holy Spirit will never direct us against loving another person (at least as much as we love ourselves). So, if we apply the principle to love others as much as we love ourselves to the situation I have presented, I don't see the Holy Spirit's direction relieving us of the responsibility to give. And, if I'm inclined to think otherwise, I have good reason to doubt that it's by the leading of God's Spirit.