Money Management: God's Way

Billy Graham once said, "If a person gets his attitude toward money straight, it will help straighten out almost every other area in his life."  He was spot-on with this one.  Around money lies generosity; from that same commodity lies greed.  From that same commodity lies selfishness.  From that commodity lies love, hatred, honesty, and dishonesty.  While money is not the root of all evil, our attitude towards it has the potential to write a different story.  1 Timothy 6:10 says, "The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil."  So, what does God actually want us to do with our money?  How do we manage money God's Way?  Does He want us to do anything fun with it?  Biblically, is it okay to be rich?  I have listed five key principles to managing money God's Way and have answered some of the most popular questions of our time in the list below.

1. Have a written budget.  In Habakkuk 2:2, God instructed the prophet Habakkuk to write down every vision that God had given him and make it plain and understandable.  This applies to your money management skills, too.  Jesus said in Luke 14:28, "For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t sit down first and compute the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?"  Keeping a budget is both prophetic and Christlike in the eyes of God.  Do not miss that.

2. Give.  Deuteronomy 15:14 reads, "You must supply them generously from your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress—as the Lord your God has blessed you, you must give to them."  Giving should be at the top of your list of things to do in your Bible-based cash flow plan.  Giving keeps your heart posture, spiritual posture, and faith level in check.  The act itself rebukes all types of demonic spirits: Fear, greed, selfishness, self-worship, and materialism.  Many times, we do not give out of fear - fear that God will not continue to supply us every need.  In actuality, we block more of what God has for us when chose not to give.  Keep in mind that we are all God's vessels.  This means that God's grace in this world is shown through us.  When God sees that we are givers, He gives us more so that we can bless others more.  Giving is not an expense; it is opportunity to bless others and allow God to bless you.

3. Save.  Ecclesiastes 11:1 says, "Give portions to seven, yes, to eight for you do not know what disasters may come upon the land."  Problems will come.  It is not me being negative; it is me being realistic.  Nobody has lived problem-free since Eve and the man decided to make fruit pies, so you may as well get yourself ready.  As a father and a leader, I have seen my emergency fund get me out of some serious binds, praise be to God.  I want the same for you.

4. Pay off debt.  Renowned radio host, husband, father, grandfather, evangelical Christian, real estate investor, and financial advisor Dave Ramsey has ranted for over two decades about the importance or getting out of debt, staying out of debt, and using God's principles to do so.  I couldn't agree with him more.  We serve a God Who wants us to enjoy money, not be enslaved to everyone else because of it.  Proverbs 22:7 says, "The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender."  Psalm 37:21 goes as far as to say, "The wicked borrows but does not pay back".  Paul said in Romans 13:7, "Pay everyone what is owed".  Do not allow you future to be handcuffed by your present - there is no gift in that (you will get that later).

5. Invest.  Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 reads, "Send your grain overseas, for after many days you will get a return.  Divide your merchandise among seven or even eight investments, for you do not know what calamity may happen on earth."  The Latin origin of the word invest, investire, means "to clothe, cover, or surround in".  Investing is the act of covering your future with assets.  Investing does not always mean investing in stocks, mutual funds, ETFs, or real estate; it simply means watering the seed that God has given you. For some people, that may mean paying a publishing fee to get that book published, buying that farmland that your wife keeps talking to you about, saving to buy that business that has been tugging at your spirit, or buying that exercise equipment to start that training business.  It also does not mean pouring an entire lump sum into this investment; a little bit over time goes a long way.  Slow and steady wins the race.  One thing is for sure: Borrowing is not an investment.  This is called debt.  In the world of accounting, debts are listed in an area called Accounts Payable while investments are listed in an area called Assets.  this means that they are not even in the same category.  They are cut from a different cloth, not even managed by the same employees in a company.  God instructed the man and Eve in Genesis to "be fruitful and multiply and subdue the earth."  This applies to your financial grounds as well as your marital grounds.  God wants to see your money multiply and work for you.

Everything in God's Word is for our gain, and money is included in that.  But, God wants us to learn how to manage our gain so that it becomes a blessing and not a curse.  Where in your cash flow plan can you start managing money God's Way?

By: Minister Micah