Treasures New and Old

Christian Convictions: Finances – God’s Purpose for Money

“As a disciple, I want to master the Bible so that the Master of the Bible can become my Master”

-Author unknown

I have selected seven basic principles about money from God’s Word that we all need to know. Some teachers teach four basic principles, another nine, and another twelve. I see seven, so that is what I’ll share. Here are those seven:

1. God directs us using money – that He controls

2. God demonstrates His power through money

3. Money provides for our needs

4. Money is a tool – manage it wisely

5. You can meet the needs of others with money

6. Money lets us worship God via tithes and offerings

7. Debt and discontentment is bondage

People have used numerous systems to exchange with each other over the millennia for the goods and services that they need. Bartering and money are two of the most prominent. For our purposes, we will concentrate on money, and since there are over two thousand verses in the Bible about money or mammon, I guess it is a good subject to deal with.

Money is a medium of exchange. It’s an agreed upon medium of accepted value you can use to trade, purchase, or pay debts. Money is easier to get what you need instead of swapping labor for food, fuel, etc., and can assist in letting you and others determine the value of the things that you need or want. Money is amoral and is neither good nor bad. Money is not the root of all evil. But the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10).

1. God directs us using money – which He controls

There are several verses like this, but I’ll use just this one section: God owns everything!

“I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy folds. For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beast of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fullness thereof” (Psalm 50:9-12).

God will use money, or the lack of it, to provide direction for decisions you make. If you don’t have the funds to do something, He may be saying, “No”. We often run ahead of Him, don’t pray for guidance, and put it on a credit card, or borrow for things that we think we need. If God is guiding you, He will provide the funds. Pray and seek God’s guidance before you spend or give what you don’t have. In this way, God may be encouraging several things in your life:

To build your faith and vision
To encourage God to be Lord of your life
To keep you from dangerous and harmful things – even if they appear innocent (online games?)
To cure the temptation of greed – wanting more -never enough
To teach us patience as we trust Him to provide and learn to trust His timing for things
To learn the value of eternal-true riches
To open or close doors for us

Consider:

“Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17).

“. . . [T]hey that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition” (1 Timothy 6:9).

“For with God nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:37).

“But of thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! No man 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. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:23-24).

“Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (James 1:3-4).

“And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulations worketh patience;” (Romans 5:3).

“But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ” (Philippians 3:7-8).

2. God demonstrates His power through money

God is a supernatural God and delights in using His power to aid and bless His people. One means by which He has chosen to do this is through the miraculous provision of resources, including money. The supernatural power of God is gloriously manifested when a particular financial need arises and an unexpected and unsolicited gift is provided, especially if by one who was completely unaware of the need. God does this for several reason:

To expose the false gods of our generation
To help purify your life and motives
To increase our dependency on Him
To show Himself strong on our behalf
To give us testimonies that allow us to share the gospel more effectively
To increase our faith
To help us more truly glorify God

Consider:

“. . . [P]rove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing . . .” (Malachi 3:10).

“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment” (Mark 12:30).

“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:” (Psalm 66:18).

“And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me” (Psalm 50:15).

3. Money provides for our needs

Food, clothing, and shelter are necessary to maintain life. God demonstrates He love by providing these resources.

Jesus said:

“Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are you not much better than they? . . . And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not. neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. . . . shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?” (Matthew 6:26-30)

As we learn to focus on our basic needs, we learn several things that add to our character as well as increase our relationship with God:

To establish daily dependence on God
To deepen your love for the Lord
To develop a spirit of contentment and gratitude
To learn to live within your means
To strengthen your ability to say no to the many requests to buy “wants”
To lower your desire for worldly things
To keep you ready to “run the race”

Consider:

Jesus taught us to pray, “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed by thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:9-11), not “Give us this month our monthly paycheck”, or “Give us riches for our future needs.”

“God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;” (Acts 17:24-25).

“For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:” (Colossians 2:9-10).

“Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:3-5).

“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” (Hebrews 13:5).

“Godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6).

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15).

4. Money is a tool – manage it wisely

Money is a tool God uses to help us live in this world. Regardless of how much – or how little – money you have, God is at work in your life and uses your financial circumstances to provide guidance and direction. Are you struggling financially or have financial abundance? Regardless of your situation, instead of asking “why” or just saying “thanks”, be sure to ask God what you can learn since there is a connection between your faith and money.

Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a single set of Bible verses about money management that would direct us in good money management? You know, Proverbs 32: “Twelve steps to financial freedom and money management.” There are over two thousand verses that when studied, we can glean some semblance of what we should consider. But money management must be individualized for each one of us following God’s principles.

To manage your money, there are steps you need to take:

1. Make a plan

What’s your total income?
How much do you need to tithe?
How much money do you need to save and invest?
What are your monthly expenses and debt repayments?
What funds are left over (if any) for giving to others?
What is left for “wants” and are they really needed or have eternal value?

2. Work your plan

What costs can you reduce?
What are your fixed expenses you must pay?
What can I eliminate that I really don’t need?
How much more money can you pay toward eliminating any debts?
Can you give more money to your church or a nonprofit organization?
How can you save more money?

Good money management has the following effects:

To lead you to a deeper trust in Him
To reduce your love of money
To enable you to pay your bills
To help fight the temptation of accumulation more debt
To seek sound counselors to assist you in making a sound financial plan
To find forgiveness for poor financial choices made in the past and purpose not to repeat them
To eventually gain true financial freedom

Consider:

“Not that I speak in respect of want, for I have learned in whatever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need” (Philippians 4:11-12).

“No man 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” (Matthew 6:24).

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:34).

“If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?” (Luke 16:11-12).

“If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shall not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother:” (Deuteronomy 15:7).

“For wisdom is a defense, and money is a defense: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it” (Ecclesiastes 7:12).

“Honor the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thing increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine” (Proverbs 3:9-10).

“He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich” (Proverbs 10:4).

“The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: but the folly of fools is deceit: (Proverbs 14:8).

“For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish” (Luke 14:28-30).

“Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth, and thy want as an armed man” (Proverbs 6:6-11).

5. You can meet the needs of others with money

I recall in the early years of my marriage and Christian walk that God miraculously supplied our fledgling family with funds just exactly when we needed them. Offers from church friends, a forgotten check way over a year old, monies lost and found at the bank, and other stories God built into our testimonies. One such story was when we first moved to Alabama, and I took a pay cut to do so. We tightened our belts and were very careful. One Wednesday night after being in Alabama three months, my wife told me that we were “leaking” five dollars a week out of savings (which wasn’t that big after the move). We prayed about our need and trusted God to meet it. Friday morning my new boss called me in and handed me a “pink” slip. Wow, moved to Alabama, bought a house, leaking savings, and now I’m fired! No – all pay related actions were on pink slips. I read it, and it was a $4.95 raise per week! God met the need just when we needed it. (What a witness it was to my boss!)

Since then, God has not just met our needs but did so abundantly, and now we are in the position to meet the needs of others around us. God delights using His children to meet the needs of other of His children. Some of the outcomes in this area are:

To unite Christians through their needs
To teach us to become zealous for good works
To teach us to praise God with thanksgiving
To multiply the potential for giving in our lives
To be on the lookout for the needs of others, not just ourselves
To increase our awareness of how God cares for His children
To increase in us the understanding of the joy of serving others

Consider:

“. . . At this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want . . .” (2 Corinthians 8:14).

“[He] . . . gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:14).

“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8).

“Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God” (2 Corinthians 9:11).

“. . . He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9:6).

6. Money lets us worship God via tithes and offerings

There are good reasons why the church talks about money. The church talks about money because God talks about money.

When it comes to money, we will either worship wealth or worship with our wealth. Here are some outcomes of using money in our worship process:

To fight the lure of money lust
To remind us that God supplied us with our money in the first place – it is really His
To become good stewards of “His” money
To remind us that we can worship God with all that we have, our time, talents, and money
To put God first in our lives, not money
To teach us to let go of something very temporal for treasures here on earth don’t last long
To teach us to focus on investing on the eternal

Consider:

“The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up” (1 Samuel 2:7).

“No man can serve two master: 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” (Matthew 6:24).

“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (Malachi 3:10).

“Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah” (Psalm 20:3).

“I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows,” (Psalm 66:13).

“Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD, and teach me thy judgments” (Psalm 119:108).

“Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings” (Malachi 3:8).

“And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices” (Mark 12:33).

“For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: But she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had” (Luke 21:4).

“Now after many years I came to bring alms to my nations, and offerings” (Acts 24:17).

7. Debt and discontentment is bondage

God wants us to learn to be content – but it’s difficult to be content. The world coerces us to be dissatisfied with who we are and what we have with constant blitzes of messages and images that entice us to pursue something “better.” A new car, a bigger house, a higher promotion or pay raise, new gadgets, etc. Discontentment is sin, and at its core, rejects God as our provider. Discontentment can tempt you to take on unnecessary debt or make unwise decisions in your finances. Debt simply put is – bondage! Do you have financial debt? Not the regular utilities, food, gas, and other “fixed” expenses, but those loans, mortgage, and credit card debt so many people have. According to information stated in “Household Debt and Credit Reports”, total household debt in the United States was “14.56 trillion in the fourth quarter of 2020” (Q4 2020, para. 1). Debt is so common in the United States that it is the leading cause of financial stress and divorce. It seems almost impossible to avoid all debt (like a mortgage), especially as a young couple, but try very hard to only go into debt for the things that appreciate over time and not depreciate. Most homes go up in value significantly and, therefore, are like an investment.

Regarding contentment of debt, we may learn these seven things:

To see debt as bondage to another
To see the danger of discontentment that often leads to debt bondage
To learn to be content in the Lord and how He has provided for you
To avoid the entrapment of unnecessary debt
To understand that discontentment can damage your relationship with Christ
To purpose to get out of debt and towards financial freedom
To gain a thankful heart

Consider:

“Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:7-8).

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).

“The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow” (Deuteronomy 28:12).

“When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed” (Ecclesiastes 5:4).

“My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend. Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids. Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler” (Proverbs 6:1-5).

“Take his garment that is surety for a stranger: and take a pledge of him for a strange woman” (Proverbs 20:16).

“The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7).

“Be not thou one of them that strike hands, or of them that are sureties for debts” (Proverbs 22:26).

“The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous showeth mercy, and giveth” (Psalm 37:21).

“Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away” (Matthew 5:42).

“But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil” (Luke 6:35).

“For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?” (Luke 14:28).

“Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. Own no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:7-8).

“If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures” (Job 36:11).

“The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil” (Proverbs 19:23).

“A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholdeth the righteous” (Psalm 37:16-17).

“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:11-13).

“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

– 1 Timothy 6:6-12

Maranatha!

May God bless you all!

Bro. Joe

References

“Household Debt and Credits Report (Q4 2020)”. Center for Microeconomic Data. © [2021] Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Content from the New York Fed subject to the Terms of Use at reworked. Retrieved Apirl 4, 2021. Retrieved from https://www.newyorkfed.org/microeconomics/hhdc.html

Kress, J. (2021). On Being a Disciple – Seven Principles.

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