Jesus said, ‘Seek first the kingdom of God…’ How Christians manage their finances will take them closer to, or further away from that goal.
Rich Abba, Holy Abba
This week, I was struck, yet again, by both the depth of fear — and the breadth of ignorance — regarding the subject of money in a Biblical context.
‘The root of all evil — that’s what you are talking about!’ came the stock reprimand when I dared to mention the words Bible and money in the same sentence.
This type of reaction saddens me for one simple reason; how are we, as Christians, ever going to learn how to put God first in our lives if we never seek to understand what the Bible says about how we should manage our money?
The Root of All Evil
God’s word abounds with scriptures that address this eternal struggle for our hearts:
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
… is about putting God first, money second.
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth…But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven… No one can serve two masters…. You cannot serve both God and money… Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.
Matthew 6:19-25
… (same passage) is about serving God, not money.
Still others, like seed thrown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.
Mark 4:18-19
… deals with money worries versus kingdom concerns.
Command those who are rich in this present world… [not] to put their hope in wealth… but to put their hope in God… Command them… to be rich in good deeds… generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
1 Timothy 6:17-19
… deals with how we should use earthly wealth to produce eternal riches (i.e. souls in heaven).
I could go on…
Lest we assume that all these verses refer purely to choosing the kingdom over chasing after riches and amassing great wealth (a standard assumption in Christian circles), grab your Bible and read Matthew 6:19-33 again. Then refer to this post that studies that passage. You may notice that wealth and riches are not mentioned once in the entire passage.
Jesus was not talking to the rich when he said, ‘… do not worry about… what you will eat or drink; or… what you will wear.’ Rather, he was talking to every-day citizens. In fact, his focus is more on those who are in pursuit of their paycheck than in pursuit of great wealth.
The fact is, God’s word contains a myriad of passages that deal with every aspect of money in our lives. It goes way beyond ‘the root of all evil’ or even camels passing through the eye of a needle. The Bible includes verses and teachings about every aspect of money as a subject, including how we should:
- View it
- Earn it
- Spend it
- Use it
- Save it
- Invest it
- Share it
- Donate it
- Increase it
- Bequeath it and
- Inherit it
In every one of these areas, there is a Godly way and a Sinful way to manage our money.
Unfortunately, for many sincere believers, the mere mention of money triggers their deepest fears and their Built-in Christian-Love-of-Money Alarms start to sound. This brings the shutters down and elicits knee-jerk responses, like
- Love of money is the root of all evil
- It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
- Life isn’t all about money
- You cannot serve God and money
- You should seek first the kingdom of God
… without ever seeking to understand the true meaning in these verses.
When we do this, we rob ourselves of the opportunity to grow in God. We rob ourselves of the opportunity to let God’s word speak to us and challenge us, bringing us into a closer walk with him. Instead, we reduce all scripture on the subject of money to a ‘Poor good, Rich bad’ mentality. This is not only naive; it isn’t even true.
We need to open our hearts to God’s word and allow him to show us those areas where we need to grow. In this context, nothing cuts closer to the bone than the area of finances. But, if we would open our hearts just for a moment, we might just realize how far short we have fallen and how desperate our spiritual condition has become. The answers are all contained in God’s word.
And, if we let him…
God is able to deliver us from evil.
15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” 16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ 18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”‘ 20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
Luke 12:15-21
The Parable of the Rich Fool
The parable of the Rich Fool is a key scripture when exploring what the Bible says about money. As with so many scriptures on the subject, it first focuses our attention on what is truly important. It reminds us that we are eternal beings and that the things in this life, like money and possessions, are transient.
So where did the rich fool go wrong in this story? I believe he did so in two respects.
First, the passage tells us that this man acquired these possessions for himself. We see this in verse 20 when God says, ‘This very night your life will be demanded of you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?‘ There was no greater purpose in his intent, no eternal focus. He could have used his abundance to give to the poor, or he could have used it to advance God’s kingdom. In other words, he could have used his earthly wealth to save souls and, so, store up treasure in heaven. The rich fool did none of these thing. Rather, he focused only on himself and his own desires.
This man’s attitude towards his possessions illustrates the fundamental difference between the love of money and stewardship very clearly. The love of money manages resources for Self while Stewardship manages those resources for God and his kingdom.
The second issue goes to the planned use of those resources. It is clear from the man’s thoughts that his intention was to store up his resources in order to take life easy (verse 19). His plan was to eat, drink and be merry. In other words, his goal was a life of leisure. Once again, his focus was on the transient when it should have been on the eternal. As God says to the man, ‘This very night your life will be demanded from you.‘
Stewardship is not about building a life of leisure but, rather, building a life of meaning.
Rich Abba, Holy Abba
In a nutshell, this man’s critical error was in how he chose to use the resources with which God had blessed him. He chose to use his abundance to live a life of leisure when he could have used them to live a life of meaning.
Modern Application
Here’s a scary thought; the parable of the Rich Fool sounds an awful lot like the traditional retirement plan that I, along with many other hard-working, first-world citizens, have been conditioned to prepare for and aspire to in the modern economy.
I guess each one of us needs to ask ourselves the question. Am I building toward a life of leisure or a life of meaning?
Something to ponder.
Acquisition of wealth and Pursuit of Riches are not the same thing; every time we cash a paycheck, we acquire wealth.
Rich Abba, Holy Abba
Many believers in the modern world experience financial suffering on a daily basis. Setting aside rampant poverty and the millions of people living on, or below, the bread-line, many middle-class Christians in the first world live hand-to-mouth or paycheck to paycheck each month. In fact, statistics show that even the majority of pastors have zero savings, believe they are grossly underpaid and have experienced financial struggle in their families.
So what’s the secret? How can believers break free from financial suffering in their lives once and for all?
Like so many things in life, the truth is beautiful in its simplicity but extremely difficult to live out in practise.
A Christian Overcoming Financial Stress
The truth is this; the only way to break free from the bonds of financial struggle is to:
- Consume less than we earn
- Eradicate debt
- Invest savings for future harvest and
- Do this consistently over time
There are many different ways to say this but they all boil down to the steps above. Some call this building wealth. Others call it common sense. Some see this as a means to acquire riches but most would be more than satisfied if they could just break free from the constant cycle of debt and the financial worry they experience on a daily basis.
I will say it again; in truth, the only way to break free from the bonds of financial struggle is to:
- Consume less than we earn
- Eradicate debt
- Invest savings for future harvest and
- Do this consistently over time
Here are some corollary truths:
- Building wealth this way takes time
- Building wealth this way is boring
Actually, boring is a good thing in this context. When things get exciting, you will generally find that the Love of Money has entered the equation… and that is when things start to go awry. First, and foremost, our spiritual compass goes off-course and we lose our way spiritually. As a result, our relationship with God begins to suffer.
Second, we usually end up losing money. Bear in mind, the Love of Money is sin — and Satan always tempts us with a poisoned chalice. That is his modus operandi. First, he lures us away from the truth with the promise of a short-term gain; in this case, riches. Then, once we have fallen prey to the temptation and our relationship with God is damaged, he takes away the very thing he tempted us with in the first place. The result is a broken believer who has turned their face from God and also lost the very thing that diverted their attention in the first place. Still, there Satan lurks with the next temptation…
As believers, we need to break this cycle. In the context of financial struggle, the way to do this is to repent from the love of money that landed us in our current financial predicament. Then we need to turn our face back to God and his word. After that, we can begin to seek a way out of our financial bondage by seeking God and his word.
Consume Less Than You Earn
The first step out of financial suffering is to ensure that we spend less than we earn. We do this by learning to be content.
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.
1 Timothy 6:6-8
When we learn to be content with what we have, we can finally learn to spend less than we earn, and so begin our journey on the road to recovery. The promise at that destination is…
Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling, but a foolish man devours it.
Proverbs 21:20
Eradicate Debt
Debt is a snare that entangles and chokes its victims. As the proverb says;
Do not be one who shakes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts; if you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you.
Proverbs 22:26-27
Of course, this is a warning against succumbing to debt in the first place. This does not necessarily help believers who already find themselves drowning in consumer debt.
However, if you have achieved the first step, above, and are now consuming less than you earn, you are in a position to eradicate debt once and for all. Simply use those extra funds to reduce your debt until you have none left. There are great resources available to assist with this, like Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover.
Invest Savings for Future Harvest
The book of Proverbs is full of great advice for managing money in our day-to-day lives. And so is Ecclesiastes. Surprisingly, this book in the Bible includes several verses related to investment and managing money. For instance;
Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight; you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.
Ecclesiastes 11:2
There is much to glean from this verse but, in the context of this article, our main take-away should be this; invest!
It is not a sin to plant your savings as seed in order to reap a future harvest. Nor is it the love of money to plan for the future. In fact, over the long term, it is the one sure way to protect ourselves from financial struggle. Remember, the goal here is not to chase after riches but, rather, to break free from the bonds of financial suffering.
Do This Consistently Over Time
This is the toughest pill to swallow. Unfortunately, just as there are no get-rich-quick solutions, so there are no quick fixes to escape financial struggle. It takes discipline and time. But God’s word is there to guide us through the process.
Dishonest money dwindles away but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow
Proverbs 13:11
None of the first three steps will result in financial freedom on their own. Rather, the diligent and consistent application of those principles and Bible verses is what will bring the breakthrough.
The lazy do not roast any game, but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt.
Proverbs 12:27
As the proverb says so clearly, diligence brings the breakthrough. This is why I said earlier that building wealth this way takes time and is boring. There is nothing exciting about doing the same thing over and over. There is nothing exhilarating about making small sacrifices day after day for what appear to be insignificant short-term gains.
It is boring. On the plus side, it is also the surefire way to eschew the love of money. You simply cannot walk this path to financial freedom if you love money. It’s just too slow — and the love of money always seeks instant gratification.
But for those who have the courage to believe God’s word and the strength of character to dig deep when it matters. For those who are prepared to press on and walk this journey…
There lies the promise in God’s word; the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt!
When Christians have no financial plan, Mammon will write one for them!
Rich Abba, Holy Abba
A budget is telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went.
John Maxwell
Seeking a paycheck instead of seeking first the Kingdom of God…
As believers, it is important to understand that Pursuit of Wealth and Acquisition of Wealth are two very different things. This is an important distinction because one does not necessarily follow the other. Nor does one necessarily require the other.
A person’s Love-of-Money profile is defined as the combination of two measures:
- Fear and
- Greed
By way of example, let’s consider two people in similar financial circumstances — we’ll call them James and Peter. The only difference between these individuals is their Love-of-Money profile. Both James and Peter earn $2,000/month and both of them have a disposable income of about $200 after expenses.
Both are Godly believers who give their tithes and offerings as the first-fruits of their labor each month. In other words, they have given to God and the kingdom, paid their rent and expenses and have ensured that they also put something into their savings each month as well — in their case, this is $200.
As such, they have each managed to save $2,400 over the past year.
Pursuit of Wealth Mindset
Peter ranks higher on the Love-of-Money profile scale. As such, he has an inherent fear of losing what he has already acquired. At the same time, his greed forever drives him in pursuit of acquiring more wealth. This creates an interesting spending pattern.
Peter’s Fear-Tolerance for loss is low. As such, he is inclined to only risk small amounts of his disposable income or savings. In fact, Peter’s greatest fear is that he will lose his entire year’s savings in a venture that he doesn’t understand, or one that goes bad. This makes him reluctant to invest his whole nest egg. He prefers to invest only small amounts.
At the same time, Peter’s high Greed-Factor means that he forever seeks ways to pursue riches and the acquisition of large gains. It is not that he is averse to investing; he just doesn’t want to lose all his money. In order to satisfy his high Greed-Factor, Peter is inclined to seek high-yield investments rather than low-yield ones.
Thus, when a work colleague presents Peter with an opportunity to invest in a new Forex Trading scheme that uses Bitcoin to process transactions and promises a 1% growth per day, this arrests Peter’s attention.
Peter grabs a calculator and works out that, for a mere $200 investment today, he can grow that investment to a little over $7,500 in one year, assuming an average 1% growth per day. Peter understands the risks. It is obvious that this kind of growth is highly unlikely and probably not sustainable. He recognizes that this opportunity sounds too good to be true.
However, the opportunity appeals to Peter’s Love-of-Money profile.
Fear Tolerance: Low — The investment only requires a tiny portion of his savings; if he loses the $200, he can make that back by the time he receives his next paycheck. He is okay with losing $200. Check!
Greed Factor: High — The investment promises massive returns. In fact a $7,500 return in one year means that he could increase his total savings to nearly $10,000 in a year’s time, even if he doesn’t save another dime over the next year. Check!
For Peter, the decision is already made; this opportunity is a 100% match for his Love-of-Money profile. In return for a relatively small investment, he is able to exercise his goal; the pursuit of wealth.
Unfortunately, Peter’s gut instinct is correct. This type of investment is foolish. The reason the scheme processes its transactions in Bitcoin is because those transactions are largely untraceable. This is important to those running the scheme as their offer is unregulated. They know full well that this scheme will fail and have no intention of ever paying their investors any money.
In short, Peter has just lost $200. His pursuit of wealth did not result in the acquisition of wealth. In fact, quite the opposite; it resulted in a loss.
Acquisition of Wealth Mindset
James ranks fairly low on the Love-of-Money profile scale — but he understands that he should do something sensible with his money and ensure that it continues to grow. This will allow him to create a sustainable revenue stream for future giving opportunities.
As a result, his Fear Tolerance is fairly high. James is quite happy to invest his entire savings in a venture as long as it looks viable. Even the loss of his entire nest-egg does not terrify him. ‘After all, money is just not that important!’ James reasons.
Conversely, James is not interested in massive, or unrealistic gains, as his Greed-Factor is actually quite low. A nice, sustainable 8%-12% growth is just fine for him. Pursuit of wealth is not his primary driver.
For this reason, James is able to trust his gut when the same Forex/Bitcoin opportunity presents. Because his choices are not limited by his Fear Tolerance and, because he is not driven by his Greed-Factor, James is able to see the con for what it is and he wants no part of it.
Instead, James opts for an Index-Linked fund on the stock market which spreads his risk and offers anticipated gains of 10%-12% per annum. And, because he is not particularly afraid of losing his money, he invests his full $2,400.
Fear Tolerance: High — To make any meaningful gains this investment will require at least $2,000. He is okay with losing $2000. Check!
Greed Factor: Low — The investment promises small, but realistic, returns. In fact a $2,000 investment will an anticipated yield of somewhere between $160-$240. This is more than enough for James. Check!
Over the next year, the market gains 10%. As a result, James has now acquired wealth to the tune of $240.
The true irony of the above example is that James acquired wealth without pursuing it, while Peter pursued wealth without acquiring it. This is the difference between the love of money and the acquisition of wealth.
Many years ago, I read a book about some missionaries in Papua, New Guinea. One of those missionaries had already established a home, that he built himself, in the area. He had been ministering to the local tribes from this base for some time. The house was dry and functional but was uncomfortably hot. No matter; this is the sacrifice that many missionaries have to make in the field.
When he went on sabbatical, his replacement, who lived on another part of the island, moved into the home temporarily with his own family. As an astute DIY guy, this new missionary came up with a plan. By cutting away a few inches from the top of all the internal walls, he created natural vents throughout the house. The resulting air-flow cooled the house and made living conditions a lot more bearable.
The original home-owner returned from his sabbatical to a more comfortable home than the one he had left. The vents were barely noticeable to the eye and the house was much cooler than before. However, he found this less than ideal.
Before embarking on his missionary journey, this man had understood that sacrifice and suffering for the sake of Christ were part and parcel of the deal. In his mind, his new comfort not only alleviated but actually undermined that self imposed suffering and he wanted no part of it.
He quickly boarded up the vents, restoring the home to its former, stifling interior temperature.
Let me say at the outset, I don’t mean to belittle this man’s life or work. This is a godly man who was, ultimately, martyred for his faith. He was a trail-blazer who forged the path that others followed to bring the gospel to a people steeped in animistic religions. Many of those people are Christians today because of the work done by this man an others like him.
That said, the stifling heat he chose to endure in his home was little more than self imposed suffering that God neither required nor asked for. His temporary replacement, also a trail-blazer, was no less godly for using his skills and knowledge to create a more comfortable living environment in the mission-field.
One missionary’s self imposed desire to endure this discomfort was based on nothing more than a preconceived belief about suffering for the sake of Christ. This informed his interpretation of scripture and led to decisions that might seem odd to other believers with a different perspective.
The first man’s preconceived beliefs made him no more or less godly than the other missionary but they certainly made him a lot less comfortable.
Self Imposed Suffering
So it is with many Christians when it comes to money; there is a preconceived belief that avoidance (or lack) of money is the opposite of the love of money. As such, we think we have won the battle against the love of money as long as we feel poor; this is simply not the case.
This is merely a different form of self imposed suffering.
Neither poverty nor financial lack immunize us from the love of money. The love of money is a state of heart; not a bank balance.
How do we know this? Ask yourself a simple question (and dare to answer it honestly); are you satisfied with your current income? As long as the answer to that question is no, then it is possible the love of money remains an issue in your life, according to the following scripture.
He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.
Ecclesiastes 5:10
This may be a hard message but it is what the Bible says.
Of course, our automatic human response is, ‘I don’t love money. All I want is to have enough to pay my bills and get by. If I had just a little more than I do right now, I would have all I need and then be satisfied.’
That is simply falling prey to the Deceitfulness of Riches. The love of money has not gone away. It has merely obscured itself behind the delusion that just a little more will bring contentment.
Many believers think the deceitfulness of riches is the foolish notion that wealth will bring fulfillment and happiness. This mindset focuses all our attention on some perceived danger around a distant bend in the path ahead while disregarding the snares underfoot that have already entrapped us, their victims.
Many people will spend their entire life reaching for ‘just a little more’ without ever understanding the truth of Ecclesiastes 5:10; the truth that they will never be satisfied.
Just a little more – then you will be satisfied. The deceitfulness of riches dangles ever before us like the proverbial carrot ahead of the donkey. Captivating, yet always out of reach. It keeps the donkey moving forward, so consumed by the carrot’s allure that it fails to see the big picture.
In order to overcome the love of money and the deceitfulness of riches, we must learn to be content with what we already have. This includes our current income.
This involves tough choices about what we can afford and what we can’t. It also requires the application of knowledge and wisdom to reduce our expenses and live beneath our means. All of this takes effort on our part. It takes courage and sacrifice. But, beyond all that pain, there lies the reward.
The Joy of Stewardship
When we overcome the love of money, we break its power in our lives. It finally puts us in a place where we can truthfully say I have more than enough. This gives us that much-needed breathing room in which we are finally able to make ends meet with what we have now. Our newfound wisdom allows us to begin paying down the consumer-debt we have incurred. God-willing, we may even be able to save a few dollars each month; the seed which we can plant for future harvest.
Does our new-found freedom from the love of money mean we reject that next salary increase or promotion at work? Of course not. However, having now broken Mammon’s power over our lives, all that extra cash suddenly offers us more opportunities for stewardship rather than merely the ability to catch up some long-outstanding bills – or to generate some new ones.
With our first sound investments underway, we can begin honing our skills to become wiser stewards of that with which God has already blessed us.
‘But this is just wealth building!’ I hear you say. ‘That’s simply the love of money in another form.’
I will say it again. The love of money is a state of heart; not a bank balance. Yes, we need to search our hearts diligently and root out the love of money wherever we find it. We all need to do this regularly, whether from a place of abundance or from a place of lack.
As we learn to manage our finances better, so we expand our freedom and choice. This creates opportunities for us to not only live the lives that God intends for us, but also to help others live the life that God intends for them. In this way, we use our earthly funds and income-producing assets to ‘store up treasure in heaven’.
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:20-21
As wise stewards of God’s resources, we understand that all we have and all we earn belongs to God. The investments and wealth we build should not be for ourselves but rather for God and his kingdom.