There are so many Christians and people in this world suffering financially, even though the world has promised us that those who obtain higher educations will make higher incomes and be well taken care of in life. While data shows much higher incomes for those with education beyond high school, it is the lack of good stewardship in individual lives that is bringing people into debt and lifestyle bondage and the accompanying pressures and stresses, regardless of diplomas and degrees they hold.
Often we are told the solution for getting out of financial problems is greater faith displayed by greater levels of giving and more spontaneous giving when you hear the call for various types of donations by influential people with a platform. Give your way out of your problems because after all you cannot out give God. While the bible attests to the fact that people curse themselves by failing to honor God in tithing and free-will giving, it does not divorce giving from other aspects of good stewardship that have to do with being obedient to Him including:
• Continually working toward more gainful employment from which you can fulfill God’s purpose for your life and appropriately care for yourself and family.
• Intricately knowing your income and expenses so you can employ financial management that ensures it lasts throughout future generations.
• Having a lifestyle that is well within your current means to ensure that reasonable savings are left over for emergencies, eliminating debts, investments, and greater future giving.
• Making sure you never let the purchase of things desired put you in a position where you cannot in the present or future provide for the needs of your household.
• Refusing to co-sign.
• Being wise in planning projects (home purchases, car buying, diplomas and degrees, etc.) by ensuring you have enough to complete them without being in debt bondage.
• Becoming reasonably diversified in your investments as you accumulate more into the future.
If the limited financial message being given is all that is need then all we would need do is give each of our whole paychecks to our local Church each time we receive one and then wait for a little while to see our mortgages, car notes, school bills, and other expenses paid off by God or other people as soon as they are due. Of course, no one follows this model. Biblical instructions let us know there are other reasonable steps (those mentioned above) we must be aware of and employ in order to find ourselves on the positive side of the financial arena. People will not continually pay your monthly bills while you go making irresponsible financial decisions, no matter how much you believe you give.
Faith through grace instructs our inner man that this is a pattern that pleases God and helps increase our long-term fruitfulness in carrying out our part of the Great Commission. When you have confession of faith in and allegiance to Jesus Christ you are saved by grace and will reach Heaven when you die, yet failure to be spiritually and naturally moved to follow biblically-based good stewardship practices very often leads people, even Christians, to the portion of the financial arena that is Hell on earth.
You choose this day and going forward life and blessing or death and curses and remember by His grace you are chosen in Christ Jesus to do good works. Now this is a message that needs to be preached during Sunday morning services at least once per year for several weeks including practical steps and tools to employ good stewardship so we can get out of the malaise of financial bondage we continually find ourselves in which hampers many individuals and the Church.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May the LORD bless you richly as you follow His plan!
Proverbs 21:20, 22:7, 27:23-27, Luke 12:42-46, 14:28-30, 16:1-15
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