1. It all boils down to how much you spend. The number one determiner of your financial situation is not how much you make. It is how much you spend. You will always be able to spend more than you make. Instead of lamenting your lack of income, get a hold on your spending. There are people who make less than $30,000 per year that are in better financial shape than other who make over $100,000 per year.
2. Your spending habits are a great indicator of the condition of your heart. This doesn't mean your physical condition- this means the spiritual condition of your heart. Where you devote your two most precious resources- your time and your money- reveal what is most important to you. Many Christian people would be astounded to find out that they are actually idolaters, because the trail of money and their spending habits would lead to something other than God as their number one priority.
3. Whoever you owe owns you. The Bible tells us that the borrower is slave to the lender. Never before in human history have we seen such voluntary slavery, with credit card and student loan debt skyrocketing. Until you are debt-free, you are a slave to whoever you owe money to. You will go to work for 40 hours a week just to hand over the fruits of your labor to someone else. You don't get to enjoy what you have earned. The person or bank who holds your debt gets to enjoy what you have worked for. Sounds like slavery to me.
4. It's not your money- it never has been. Nothing in this world belongs to us. We use it for a short time, then we die, and someone else uses it for a while, then they die, and someone else uses it, and so on and so forth. We don't own anything. The question isn't, "What will I do with my money?" The question is, "What will I do with God's money?"
The major financial question facing the Christian isn't, "How much of my money do I give to God?" It is "How much of God's money do I get to keep for myself?" When you make this mindset shift, you begin to understand how far we have drifted from what God wants us to do with the resources He's given us.
5. What you need and what you want are two completely different things. My grandmother had a framed picture with the motto from the 20's- "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without." That was the statement of what has been called the Greatest Generation. I doubt very seriously that motto would be very popular today. The concept of "doing without" is so reprehensible in this culture, because we have confused "wants" with "needs." We can scarcely differentiate between the two. The wise person realizes that wants and needs are different. He or she prioritizes needs, takes care of them, and only then takes care of the "wants." The fool only sees what he wants, and then expects someone else to take care of his needs.
2. Your spending habits are a great indicator of the condition of your heart. This doesn't mean your physical condition- this means the spiritual condition of your heart. Where you devote your two most precious resources- your time and your money- reveal what is most important to you. Many Christian people would be astounded to find out that they are actually idolaters, because the trail of money and their spending habits would lead to something other than God as their number one priority.
3. Whoever you owe owns you. The Bible tells us that the borrower is slave to the lender. Never before in human history have we seen such voluntary slavery, with credit card and student loan debt skyrocketing. Until you are debt-free, you are a slave to whoever you owe money to. You will go to work for 40 hours a week just to hand over the fruits of your labor to someone else. You don't get to enjoy what you have earned. The person or bank who holds your debt gets to enjoy what you have worked for. Sounds like slavery to me.
4. It's not your money- it never has been. Nothing in this world belongs to us. We use it for a short time, then we die, and someone else uses it for a while, then they die, and someone else uses it, and so on and so forth. We don't own anything. The question isn't, "What will I do with my money?" The question is, "What will I do with God's money?"
The major financial question facing the Christian isn't, "How much of my money do I give to God?" It is "How much of God's money do I get to keep for myself?" When you make this mindset shift, you begin to understand how far we have drifted from what God wants us to do with the resources He's given us.
5. What you need and what you want are two completely different things. My grandmother had a framed picture with the motto from the 20's- "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without." That was the statement of what has been called the Greatest Generation. I doubt very seriously that motto would be very popular today. The concept of "doing without" is so reprehensible in this culture, because we have confused "wants" with "needs." We can scarcely differentiate between the two. The wise person realizes that wants and needs are different. He or she prioritizes needs, takes care of them, and only then takes care of the "wants." The fool only sees what he wants, and then expects someone else to take care of his needs.
I've always said that greed is the main reason for the state of our country today. From the CEOs who want more to the blue collar who want to keep up with the Joneses. Until we get past that mind set our country will never move forward.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it interesting that greed, although responsible for far more wars, pain, financial ruin, destruction of relationships, etc, is rarely preached about or discussed in Christian circles?
ReplyDeleteMaybe to many pastors are afraid of preaching to themselves?
ReplyDeleteAwesome Kibs,
ReplyDeleteAs I have grown in faith, I have wondered aloud if part of the goal of tithing was to teach me how to live on less.