Biblical Wisdom for Money in Marriageনমুনা

Think about how great your marriage would be if you were together on the same page in every area. For most of us that may never happen. We all have our differences. You and your spouse won’t see things from exactly the same point of view, but embracing and working through your differences is a big part of growing in marriage.

I see this as a natural progression: once you have the same money mindset and you see money as a gift from God, you can decide how you two will work together when it comes to money. I am a long, long way from being a financial genius. I have made a ton of mistakes. I still make them. But I take seriously the call in 1 Corinthians 4, that “it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.” I want to be a trustworthy steward and do well with what God entrusts to me.

I have learned that Nancy and I handle money much better when we have a map. We see this principle in Luke 14:28, which says, “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?” Our map is our budget. We sit down together to “count the cost” by making our money plan before we spend it. It helps us know what we have to spend and where we are spending it. It makes financial adjustments easier. We know if we will need more or we have some left at the end of the month.

Whichever way it goes, we have the information we need to make decisions, and to go to God in prayer. We ask for His wisdom and “Commit {our} work” to Him (Proverbs 16:3). We decide where to cut expenses or how to save or spend the extra we have.

Praying about our finances as a couple is like everything else we pray about. It unites us and God shows up. We don’t fight about money because we have a plan and that plan unites us. What can the two of you do to begin to work together with your money?

Today’s Challenge:

Agree to start a budget together.

Going Deeper:

Since money is often a delicate subject, pray together for God to grow you in this area every day and as you begin to do money His way.