It is so easy to become consumed with constantly wanting the next thing. Advertising and social media certainly do not help with this. We are bombarded daily with seeing things that are better than ours, bigger than ours, and fancier than ours. Regardless of how little — or how much — money or possessions the Lord has given us to manage, we must learn to be content, knowing that it is enough.
As Christians, we know that our worth and identity come only from the Lord, not our money or possessions. Though it is a battle to believe at times, when we keep this knowledge front and center, we can remain content. Philippians 13 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Proverbs Honor the Lord with your wealth,with the firstfruits of all your crops;. Malachi Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.
Luke 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.
We must pray about what God is calling us to give above and beyond our tithe. He may call us to give to organizations or charities monthly, or it may be a one-time thing as He leads. This is something that we may not be called to do on a large scale, as we first begin to steward our money well. This is especially true if we are currently in debt. Go to the ant, you sluggard;consider its ways and be wise!
As Christians, we must save wisely. All throughout our lives, we have seasons just like the ants where our savings will come into play.
In short, he is the true owner of all our possessions. All that we have has been entrusted to our care by God. Acknowledging this fact and correctly managing the little that he has given us will open new doors for more.
How little faith you have! Your father in heaven knows that you need all these things. Instead, be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what he requires of you, and he will provide you with all these things. Worry not about your finances but trust in God who never fails. Why spend your wages and still be hungry. Spending all that you earn or spending more than what you earn is the doorway into credit card debts.
The painful part is that even when they are deeply soaked in credit card debts, most do little to nothing in order to pay off the debts. It is high time, that Christians start cultivating the habit of spending wisely. Avoid spending more than what you earn or even spending all that you earn. Some have been so eager to have it that they have wandered away from the faith and have broken their hearts with many sorrows. Note that money in itself is not evil for such is not written anywhere in the scriptures.
The problem with money comes in when a person puts it before God. Borrowed money from a friend or a family member creates a barrier that leads to a debt-lender unhealthy relationship. If you are in debt, do your best to pay off the debts. Also, take precautions to avoid being in the position to borrow in times to come.
Check the following related articles to better understand what the Bible has to say about debts:. Saving goes hand-in-hand with investing. Even the scriptures clearly point out to the fact that only stupid people spend all that they earn. A wise man desiring to achieve wealth and benefit from financial freedom understands the power of saving money.
Avoid investing in immoral activities or businesses. Indeed, you will receive a full measure, a generous helping, poured into your hands — all that you can hold.
The measure that you use for others is the measure that God will use for you. God has given you money, possessions and material goods.
God wants you to keep good records of the money He has entrusted you with. Often they would trade livestock for whatever they needed. Their money was in the form of flocks and herds.
God tells us to know the condition of our money and to give careful attention to our finances. We are being told to know whether our money is healthy or sick, if we are doing well with it or poorly with it. God wants us to have a plan for the money He has entrusted with us. Having a plan for your money is called a budget. A budget is telling your money where you want it to go rather than wondering where it went.
Every believer needs to develop a God driven plan for the money they have. The New Testament does not get rid of the tithe, it just explains the attitude that should be behind it. Tithing is a demonstration that God is number one in your life. He can arrive early, on time or late. I used to aim at arriving right on time, and I consistently arrived five minutes late. That's because I allowed no margin.
Those precious minutes add up. Think of the cumulative effort, on health alone, of continually spending 15 minutes hurrying to be five minutes late. I swim three times a week at the YMCA to stay in shape, and I try to eat right and keep my weight down, since I want to serve the Lord and therefore don't want to die of a heart attack. But 15 minutes of hurrying three times each day for 15 years adds up to nearly six months of hour days when I'm under unnecessary tension, just hurrying to be late.
And tension is a leading cause of heart attacks. How ridiculous! But the Lord led me to operate on a time margin-planning to arrive early rather than hurrying to be late.
Bible Backs Saving. The fourth financial principle concerns saving money-setting something aside for a rainy day. Proverbs says, "There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up. If at the end of 15 years of saving faithfully, a son or daughter is ready for college or the family needs to move into a bigger house or wants to serve the Lord on a full-time basis, the couple can start to withdraw their savings.
Isn't this making your money work for you? God has a reason for the principle of saving money. Keep Out of Debt. The fifth principle is to keep out of unnecessary debt and thus avoid the debt trap. Borrowing for a house or car is one thing but taking on financial obligations one can't keep-buying beyond the ability to pay-is another.
Psalm says "the wicked borroweth, and payeth not again. As Proverbs says, "The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. Too many people think you can buy now and pay later. That isn't true. I've found that easy credit now makes people uneasy later. Usually a person pays more for the use of borrowed money than he gets in interest for saving it. Secret of Contentment. The sixth principle is being content with what one has.
Hebrews puts it succinctly: "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. One area where people often first become discontent involves the old automobile. Too many persons trade or sell their cars before they are used up. There's a big difference between fixing up the old junk heap to drive three more years and buying a new car.
Many salesmen make the slick remark, "You just make that easy monthly payment. It seems to get harder to make all the time.
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