So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’… But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 6:31-33
Jesus said, ‘Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness…’
How we, as Christians, manage our finances will either lead us closer to, or further away from that goal. This is what God has been teaching me this year.
While discussing this over the weekend, with my wife, I shared one of the areas in which God had challenged me in relation to this verse. There are 84 daylight hours in a week. How many of those are spent seeking the kingdom of God? How many are spent seeking a paycheck? Do the math…
Sadly, I have to admit that I have been tried and tested… and found wanting. However, my wife asked me, ‘What about the scripture that says…’
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters .
Colossians 3:23
‘Does that not mean that we should consider the jobs we do, as working for the Lord?’ she asked.
Of course, I could lead with the fact that this scripture was addressed to New Testament slaves who were believers but whose duty was to their owners (read Colossians 3:22). As such, they had no choice in the matter. However, as I pondered the question, God led my thinking in a different direction.
‘OK, let’s consider it this way,’ I replied. ‘Say I have a business/investment opportunity to earn $1M a year. I will need to wake up early and devote 10-12 hours each day to my task, five or six days a week. It will be exhausting and will leave me with little time or energy for anything else. In fact, it may mean I miss dinner with the family on a regular basis.
‘Yes, I will probably miss the kids’ sporting events and a concert or two. However, if I can prove myself, I could earn even more! By the end of five years, I will earn $3M/year — and by the end of ten years, I will earn $10M/year.
‘The price is time; I will have less time, than I might otherwise have had, to attend church meetings, get involved in ministry or share the gospel with others. However, I intend to approach this undertaking as working for the Lord. So that should make it OK, right?’
My wife frowned, pondering this for a moment. ‘Well — no. Umm’ I could almost hear her Built-in Christian Love-of-Money Alarm Bell ringing.
‘Why not?’ I concluded. ‘The only thing I’ve changed in that line of reasoning is the number.’
Seek First the Kingdom
Of course, my wife’s conclusion was correct. Jesus told us to seek first the kingdom of God. It follows that it is not OK to sacrifice that calling for $10M/year. However, if that is true, then it is equally wrong to sacrifice the calling for a more moderate salary like, say, $40K/year. Or $20K/year. While the numbers may be smaller, the heart attitude is the same. And we don’t get to justify our choices by asserting that the work we do is as working for the Lord.
This is a hard truth but I believe in the tough love. Jesus set the bar extremely high and I know I fall way short of that standard. I suspect there are many other believers in the same boat. It is why we need his grace. It is OK to admit that we fall short of God’s perfect standard, as long as we acknowledge our weakness and seek his forgiveness. Beyond that, we need to ask God to strengthen us by his Holy Spirit and give us wisdom to make the right choices; choices that aim to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.
There are 84 daylight hours in a week. How many of those are spent seeking the kingdom of God? How many are spent seeking a paycheck? Do the math…
Rich Abba, Holy Abba
I would submit that those choices should include financial decisions that will create the freedom in our lives to seek first the kingdom of God.
When we save money and eradicate debt by learning to be content with what we already have, we become less beholden to demanding jobs that drain all of our time and energy.
When we begin to invest our savings by learning to overcome the fear of losing what we already have, we create additional income streams that supplement our existing income and reduce our dependence on job security.
When we grow in wisdom and begin making sound financial decisions by learning to overcome greed, we begin to grow our asset base and create the freedom to seek the kingdom.
We do all of this in our eternal quest to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. This means focusing on how we can seek first the kingdom in our lives right now — and making decisions that will create the freedom to spend even more time and energy seeking his kingdom in the future.
Obviously it is impossible to address all of these issues in a single post. If you are interested to know more, check out the link below. There, you can download a free copy of The Wise Man & the Fool. This short story takes the reader on a journey through scripture as it follows the lives of two men trying to make their way in the world. The wise man heeds the word of the Lord and the wisdom of Solomon; the foolish man does not.
Are you seeking more wisdom from God’s word in respect of managing finances? .
— Happy Reading