The Man You Were Made to BeSýnishorn

Finances

For too many years, I excelled as a self-taught financial fool. I immediately spent any income I got… and quickly got into debt. It wasn’t until I got married that someone far more sensible than me said she was going to do some plastic surgery: cut up the credit cards. And trust me, it’s a lot easier to get into debt than out of it. The world makes it easy for us to live beyond our means, financially unbalanced. We blame our financial indiscretions on the economy, or we just keep hoping things will improve for us financially – but hope isn’t a strategy.

How we feel about money is important because our financial decisions are often feelings-based. Maybe you’re hesitant to take an honest look at your finances because you feel trapped, alone, and afraid. Just when you start to make ends meet, somebody moves the ends. Maybe you think you don’t need to consider your finances because you feel pretty comfortable. If that’s you, please keep reading. You too could actually be (less obviously) off balance. God may want to stretch you beyond your comfort zone, so your trust really has to be in Him.

Start by figuring out what you’re aiming for. Some people just aim to make as much money as possible (and no matter how much they make, it’s never enough). Some aim to provide for their loved ones (even though our kids want our presence more than our presents). Some aim to save as much money as possible (even though eventually we’ll leave behind all our investments). And some aim simply to spend, spend, spend.

A far better aim is financial freedom, which doesn’t mean being able to do whatever you want. Financial freedom means not worrying about money, because you have enough to do whatever God wants. Jesus lived like this on earth, and He said we can live like this too. It might seem like a crazy thought to you, but what would it take to have enough in your bank account today to do God’s will?

According to Jesus, you’re not supposed to have just a two-way relationship between you and your money, because then money will be your master. Jesus introduced a three-way relationship between you, your money, and God (Matthew 6:25–34). Whether thinking about saving, spending, or giving, the Bible says consistently: if you want true financial balance, your aim should be to put God and what He wants first.

The same principle that governs your health applies to your wealth. God gives you 100% of everything you have. He expects you to look after it well and give some of it back as a grateful response to His generosity. If you long to be joyful and worry-free, put God in charge of your money, and remember that contentment begins when you count your blessings, living to give not to get. And giving is a win-win: you never met an unhappy generous person.