Mastering Money

Over the last few years we have been learning to honor God with our finances.  The Bible has a lot to say about money and it goes deeper than the “giving” message we always heard in church.  I want to share what we’ve learned and the plan we’ve developed to make sure we’re working for God rather than money.

No one can serve two masters. 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 both God and Money.  Matthew 6:24

The Bible describes four areas where we can allocate our personal resources – which includes our time, our talents (or abilities) and our treasure (money):

1. surviving
2. saving
3. sharing
4. celebrating

An old pastor used to say that you can always tell your priorities by how you spend your time and money.   I resolved to make sure that my money, at least, reflected my faith by putting God first.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33

Righteousness is something internal, but kingdom relates to our impact on the world and what we do with the blessings God sends our way.

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Luke 6:38

Our family resolved to allocate a set percentage of any money that came through our door to each of the four areas described above.  We also read what the Bible says about debt and gave ourselves guidelines about when we would and wouldn’t borrow money.

It’s been a challenging exercise and we still have a lot to learn, but already the changes have been very noticeable.  We’ve had less guilt when we do spend money on family treats because we can see them as a celebration of God’s goodness toward us.   The things we invest in when we save money have changed, and we’re living the wonderful Proverb below:

The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it. Proverbs 10:22

And most importantly, we have become more generous.  It is liberating to realize that raising children, for example, is a kingdom activity.  Having kids is a ministry in its own right, which requires a generous investment of time and money.  It’s just as important to raise Godly children in our own homes as going overseas and reach other people’s children.

We’re putting everything we’ve learned together into an EBook.  The topics covered are going to include:

- Not worrying about the future
- Principles about money in the Bible
- The four types of spending
- How to adopt a Biblical approach to finance in your life
- Is debt okay and how to deal with it
- What the Bible says to investment in
- Business versus personal income

It will cost around $10 when it’s done.  At the moment I’m still writing it so if you’d like a free draft version please register on the link below.  I would value your feedback and won’t share your details .

Register for the free draft EBook

Thanks

Pete