The Bible has much to say about money and our family finances. Our Father inspired writers to include hundreds of verses in the Bible about how to handle money and possessions. Jesus spoke more about money than He did about any other topic. ? In fact, 15% of all the recorded words of Jesus are on the subject of money—more than His teachings on heaven and hell combined. Why did money matter so much to Jesus? To Jesus, our attitude towards money is of utmost importance, because it is a reflection of our attitude towards God.
Money is a neutral commodity, neither inherently good nor evil. Whether money is a good or bad thing depends on our approach to it. Jesus Christ wasn’t opposed to wealth or a high standard of living. On the other hand, love of money has corrupted and twisted the lives of many men and women and is a root cause of much evil (1 Timothy 6:10). Control over money has less to do with how much we make, and a lot more to do with how we manage what we have. We need to recognize that managing money is a spiritual issue.
I. Following are a few guiding principles:
* One of the first statements in the book of Proverbs shows us that we should honour God, who owns everything. Everything we have comes from God. He owns it, and He entrusts it to us to use for His purposes. God is the owner of everything and we are stewards is the Biblical truth. Only when we understand this truth the money in our hand becomes blessing. Stewardship means, it is not that we will give the tithe to God and will spend the balance money as we wish. Even the balance money also we will have to spend as per the will of God which is not only essential but also wise.
* Jesus tells us to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). We must not allow physical possessions to become so important that pursuing them dominates our lives. Wealth can become intoxicating and enslaving. “Do not wear yourself out to get rich; be wise enough to desist” (Proverbs 23:4, NRSV).
* The apostle Paul spoke of learning to be content with and enjoy the things that we presently have. “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition” (1 Timothy 6:7-9). It is good to know those things which will make a person discontent. Generally, THREE things will make one person discontent:
1. Advertisements in T.V and other medias
2. Comparing ourselves to others (Exodus 20:17 – You shall not covet) and
3. A desire to live a luxury luxurious life.
* It’s important to control our wants. “Death and destruction are never satisfied, and neither are the eyes of man” (Proverbs 27:20, NIV). There will always be something to want. Once one desire is fulfilled, the eyes will turn to something else. Don’t let material pursuits cause you to live a life of deceit and pretence. It is hard for young people, in particular, to be patient. They immediately want and expect the financial security and material possessions their parents may have taken years to accumulate. Proverbs 28:20 cautions against such an approach: “A faithful man will abound with blessings, but he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.”
II. We should earn our living honestly. When we give our employer an honest day’s work, we are earning more than the day’s wages. “Servants, in all things do the orders of your natural masters; not only when their eyes are on you, as pleasers of men, but with all your heart, fearing the Lord: whatever you do, do it readily, as to the Lord and not to men…” (Colossians 3:22-23, Bible in Basic English). God expects us to work for our employers as though we were working for Him. We are told that one key to advancement is to develop our skills and then do the best we can at what we have been given to do. “Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before unknown men” (Proverbs 22:29).Too often people want to get something for nothing. The surest way to financial security is through hard work. “He who tills his land will be satisfied with bread, but he who follows frivolity [chases fantasies] is devoid of understanding” (Proverbs 12:11).
* It is always good to have a spending plan. “Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, and attend to your herds; for riches are not forever…” (Proverbs 27:23-24). Some people seem to perpetually have holes in their pockets. Their money goes out as fast as it comes in. They just can’t seem to hang on to what they earn. Jesus said before building a tower, count the cost and calculate whether you can finish it. (Luke 14:28-30). A good family budget helps to show what is happening to what we earn and can help us to see whether we need to make any adjustments in our spending.
* Giving and saving are like two wings to fly higher. Scripture encourages us to save to meet our future needs. In the Old Testament, Joseph said to pharaoh to save grains for the future to be used at the time of famine and Proverbs 21:20 says that, the wise will store the things. Save consistently (Proverbs 6:6-8). Golden principles in money handling:
a. “Spending less than you Income will help you to save
b. Spending more than your Income will lead to debt.”
“Little drops make a mighty ocean. Now the question comes, how much should we save? Be balanced. “Don’t save too much by being a miser or don’t avoid savings also.”
* Avoid Debt trap. If we spend money according to God’s will and on the basis of Bible it will bring blessings to us. If we spend as we wish it may become a curse for us. Today many children of God and believers suffer because they do not know this basic truth and are living in debt and grievances and it affects their families also. Be cautious about buying on credit.
III. Here are a few ways to improve your financial intimacy in marriage:
Finances can be a dividing factor in marriage, but they can also bring you together in a new and deeper way, as you trust God together and follow His plan.
1. Pray individually and together for guidance and wisdom from God: Few couples invite God into their financial lives. God has some amazing things He can do with our finances if we allow him to enter into the process. Marriage is always a joint relationship between husband, wife, and God. Pray that God would allow us to put the marriage above any individual concerns. Let us ask God to guide us in how He wants the funds earned, used, and distributed. We need a double portion of grace to submit in humility so we can be prepared to accept God’s guidance, pleading with God to give us the necessary strength to release control of our money and give God control.
2. Be partners. The married couple no longer uses “my”, but “our”. This includes finances. Every rupee brought into the home is a rupee that belongs to the home. Every rupee that goes out the door is a rupee that the household spent. Let us erase all notions of individual finances and also forget about who brought what. When we try to selectively limit our oneness to certain areas of our marriage, we inevitably damage unity and intimacy in other areas. It’s all connected and inter related. Always discuss finances as a couple. One spouse likely has more financial skills than the other and will naturally take the lead, but this is no excuse for the other spouse not to be involved in the family financial situation. You both need to understand the issues that you are facing, and make decisions as a team. Both partners have an equal responsibility and an equal opportunity.
3. Set right priorities: Jesus never spoke against wealth, but He emphasised priorities. You find this in His Sermon on the Mount. He said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). By this He meant that earthly treasure can be lost to moths, rust and thieves. His answer? Store your treasures in heaven. His is a heaven-first policy. He also said, “You cannot serve both God and money” (verse 24). His big point was this: seek the kingdom of God above all else (Matthew 6:33). If money gets in the way, you have wrong priorities. As Clive Hamilton and Richard Denniss, authors of the book Affluenza, point out, “It is not money and material possessions that are the root of the problem: it is our attachment to them and the way they condition our thinking, give us our self-definition and rule our lives.”
4. Where control, fear thrive, love does not. . We know that the Bible says that fear and love are antithetical to one another (perfect love casts out fear – 1 John 4:18). Because money is so important to our daily lives, it is easy to slip into control mode. Fear and doubt over money can easily drive us to try to control our spouse in the financial arena. Sometimes we can try to hide spending; hide accounts; hide desires; hide fears etc. Secrets in marriage damages the intimacy in our relationship and money is no exception.
5. We are to put the needs of our spouse above our own. Often our financial discussions are a sign of our immaturity and our carnal self. We hunger and lust for things. We desire those things even above the welfare of our marriage. We are to give up the insignificant things of life so that we can gain the greater reward of a godly, contented marriage. Money is a spiritual tool. Jesus set the priority: “Seek the kingdom of God above all else,” which puts money in its proper place.
6. Be honest before God and before man by paying tax. Jesus and Paul make it clear that we are to pay taxes because we are to respect the governing authorities. As Christians, we also have a higher calling than the law to be ethical and completely honest about everything. The basic distinction to be made is between “tax avoidance” and “tax evasion.” It’s OK to minimize taxes by taking advantage of legal provisions of the tax law, or even taking a sensible position on a vague question of law. But we cross the line into tax evasion, which is a criminal activity, when there’s no sincere claim of truth.
True financial success comes not from accumulating a large surplus in our bank account, but from following God’s plan for our finances. As we do this, He will provide for all of our needs. There is no real lasting security in wealth. We need to keep in mind another modern-day proverb: “It is good to have money and the things that money will buy, but it is also good to make sure we haven’t lost the things that money can’t buy.” The only real lasting security is a right relationship with our Maker. “Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death” (Proverbs 11:4).
