Financial Discipleship - the Bible on SavingsНамуна

How to Start Saving Money

“Put something aside for a rainy day.”

It’s an idiom that means we should reserve an amount of money for when we might unexpectedly need it. We call this saving.

Proverbs 21:20 says, “The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets.”

The Bible encourages us to save and is loaded with great practical advice.

Joseph, as second-in-command to Pharaoh, was able to store seven years of produce during Egypt’s time of abundance. So when seven years of famine came, there was enough food for everyone. We call this the “Joseph Principle.”

Even the ants know this principle (Proverbs 30:24-25), and the Bible commends them as being extremely wise!

Generally, we are not very good at saving money consistently. So, it can be helpful to automate our savings plan as much as possible.

Proverbs 3:9-10 says, “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.”

One simple way of saving from our firstfruits is to set up an automatic deduction that transfers a portion of our income into a separate savings account. The Bible does not specify an amount, but Compass generally recommends working toward 10% of your income.

An emergency can present at any time. It is then that those “rainy day” funds will come in handy.

Creating a budget helps us set aside now to meet future needs, such as repairing and replacing items, medical bills and tuition fees. It is also prudent to set aside an amount for long-term saving goals, such as retirement.

Saving gives us greater opportunities to be generous even in times like this, where we are seeing increasing inflation among other challenges. 2 Corinthians 9:10-11 says God will provide and increase your resources, then a harvest of generosity in you, that you can always be generous.

Saving also helps cultivate the fruit of the Spirit in our life as we seek God daily for His provision.

Remember, “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.” (Proverbs 21:5)

Be like the ant. Be wise. Save now and prepare for tomorrow.

Yours in His Service,

Gwenda Jayawardhana

(excerpt taken from Compass Blog, How to Start Saving Money, Gwenda Jayawardhana, May 2022)