Finances

Good Morning,

One matter that affects all of us on almost a continual basis is finances. Maybe a young couple is trying to find a way to buy a house, put their children in a Christian school, and provide transportation to and from work. Money really does constantly affect us.  When medical bills are added to the load, a hole in our money bag seems to appear. In actuality, this is a biblical principle:

Haggai 1:6 “Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.”

Some aspects that affect our finances are within our control. Too often, we look at circumstances that are out of our control and allow them to cause us to be discouraged or not to even try. We should focus on the situations that are within our control regarding finances.  If we do what we can do, then we can go to God for the areas that are out of our control.  

Perhaps the most important principle is found in Proverbs 3:9 “Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:” 

We should do our best to honor God with all that we have. (Firstfruits will be mentioned again in a moment.)  

Much money is squandered on pleasures or material possessions that do not honor God, such as the glaring issues of gambling, drinking liquor, or subtly spending money on extravagant or worldly possessions.  What kind of things honor or dishonor God is between you and the Lord, but if we hope to have God’s blessing on our finances, we need to do our best to honor Him with the things that He gives us.

The book of Luke brings us two thoughts: firstly, we need to make money our friend; secondly, we should not allow money to rule us.  

Luke 16:9 “And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.”

vs. 13 “No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

We are to honor God with whatever He gives us.  Tithing (or the phrase mentioned earlier, firstfruits) is first mentioned in the life of Abraham long before the Mosaic law existed. Do not allow someone to tell you that tithing is a matter of the Law. Others would say tithing is an Old Testament issue, but in the book of Matthew, Jesus spoke of tithing being important. He said, “… these ought ye to have done..."  (Matthew 23:23).

If someone truly wishes to model the giving of the New Testament Christians, he should know that they gave far beyond tithing. The New Testament speaks of sacrificial giving, of giving our all, and of presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice. The casual, few-dollar offering in the offering plate is far from New-Testament Christianity.

Another principle we miss regarding finances is the second great commandment — living for others. Luke 6:38 says if we will give, it shall be given back to us.  This is a simple but clear principle that caring for the poor is vital when we consider what we are supposed to do with our time and our money.  When we care for the needy, God says He will show special attention toward us.  

Luke 6:38 “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”

The next matter that needs to be addressed if we hope to have God’s blessing on our finances is twofold: debt and unwise expenditures.

These two work hand-in-hand. We buy items we should not buy; consequently, our finances are limited. When important expenses arise, we find ourselves unable to afford necessities and are forced to finance these necessities, while throwing away countless dollars on interest.  It would do us all well to avoid debt except on the most important matters like a house or a car, and even then, we might think twice before tossing away thousands of dollars on interest.  

If we work on these little things, then we can turn to God seeking supernatural help with the situations beyond our control.

Pastor