“What is the connection between a Christian’s sense of ‘calling’ for their life and their professional career?”

“I think it varies from person to person. I view a “calling” as more of a faith-based area that you feel God is pointing you towards. For some people (like pastors, church musicians, etc.), the calling turns into a career. For others, their career is separate from their calling and they find non-vocational ways to fulfill that calling (like volunteering for a non-profit, serving on a church committee, etc.).” – FreeMoneyFinance.com

“I think God teaches us a lot through our professional careers.  The skills we learn and experience is something we can often apply to God’s calling for our lives.  I also think that today’s job may not be God’s plan tomorrow.  We should be honorable in our work and seek to glorify God in it.  Doing so will help us to be ready for new opportunities.” – OneMoneyDesign.com

“Well, if this is intended to mean the calling to the Christian life, then I would say the connection is that every aspect of their life should be influenced by that calling – including their professional career.  Everything they say or do should be dedicated to the glory and service of God and shouldn’t be segregated based on where you are or what day it is.” – ProvidentPlan.com

“Trying to intersect our professional career, our unique talents and gifts, and God’s ‘calling’ for our life is an awesome endeavor, but I think  that Christians often approach this type of idea backwards.  We aim for some perfect integration of profession, personality, and piety, yet somehow the vision of this sanctified career always seems to elude us.  I believe that we must begin by doing the simple things that God calls all of His children to do:  love God, worship, pray, serve, love others, study the word, help those in need, put to death sin, etc.  When we begin to be faithful with the things that we already know are God’s calling for our life, we begin to have a lot more clarity regarding the areas of our life where we aren’t sure where God is calling us.” – DollarsandDoctrine.com

“Too often we separate life in categories and boxes.  However, everything we do – even eating and drinking – can be for God’s glory.  One must have a sense that their career is contributing value to the Kingdom.  If that is the case, then all they do in their profession is part of their calling.” – MoneyHelpForChristians.com

“I really believe that Christians get too confused about this issue when it should be simple.  You are where you are because God wants you to be there!  You can share the Gospel with anyone in every situation.  It’s not random chance that you work at a job you might not like.  You should follow your calling but within the lord’s will.” – FreeMoneyWisdom.com

“Our ultimate calling as Christians is to be an example of Christ to others in all that we do.  Paul didn’t let his career as a tentmaker stop him from ministering to others and sharing the Gospel of Christ.  He used it as a platform to support and propel his ministry journeys.  We should do the same.” – FaithandFinance.org

For more on the Christian Financial Alliance (or to join our team) click here.

We rent our local township hall for the day, and yesterday around 3:30pm, a group of five adults and two children began our work.  We had to arrange the tables including tearing down and moving all the extra ones.  Then we arranged the needed ones in our set up and began decorating the hall to make it festive and fancy.  We had a few more people continue arriving until we had about 10 adults working together.  We had the room totally set up, the welcome table ready, all the places set for dinner, and all the food ready to go in just over one and a half hours.  That was the shortest amount of time it had ever taken us in the preparation, and it was done by teamwork.

When we were finished later that evening, everyone pitched in to help put everything away, tables back the way we found them, and the hall cleaned up.  We were done in about an hour because we worked as a team.

Keeping this example in your mind, think of various areas that the importance of teamwork shows up.  It can be at work when your department is all working to get a project done on time for the deadline.  It can also be as “simple” as your family working to maintain a garden together.  No matter, the simpleness or complexity, working as a team makes any load much lighter.

Scripture confirms this fact very clearly in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

And what makes a good team?  The absolute best team is made up of like minded believers who trust each other, are seeking to glorify God, and all want each other’s best.  This group which is seeking no selfish gain will have the ability to be the most effective.

I think these two quotes can effectively sum up the heart of teamwork.  “Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.” (- Andrew Carnegie) and “It is amazing what can be accomplished when nobody cares about who gets the credit. (- Robert Yates).

And while a team does have natural leaders develop within it, that group must work as a team to fully accomplish their goals.   Are you willing to be a team player for our Messiah?  And what are some stories of the importance of teamwork you can share?

Psychologists at the University of California at Berkeley recently conducted experiments to test this.   Here’s what they found:

People who are socially and financially better-off are more likely to lie, cheat, and otherwise behave unethically compared to individuals who occupy lower rungs of the socioeconomic ladder.

Paul Piff, the lead author of the study, says the following:

Elevated wealth status seems to make you want even more, and that increased want leads you to bend the rules or break the rules to serve your self-interest.

The researchers’ findings were taken from seven separate experiments that included more than 1,000 people from a wide variety of professions.  Piff and his colleagues used various measures to gauge the participants’ socioeconomic status including education levels, annual income (which ranged from about $16,000 to $150,000), and the participants’ own perception of their social standing. No matter what measure was used, higher-status people tended to act in ways that served their own self-interest.  [Read more about the study]

I found this study to be pretty interesting.  I know money can make people do things they normally would not do but I personally feel that money makes us more of who we already are verses shaping us as the study suggests.  If someone is a greedy person, I feel that more money will make them less giving with his/her money. I have met very wealthy people (at least when it comes to his/her bank account) who are absolutely miserable and greedy.  These people complain about how much they are paying in taxes and all sorts of other things.  On the other hand, if one is a giving person, money will enable them to be more of a giver.  I look at people such as Oprah Winfrey and Bill Gates.  Yes, these two are pretty extreme examples and have made more money than I will probably ever dream of.  I am sure they have bought some pretty nice things but what are these two going to be remembered for most.  Well, in Oprah’s case I would say it is the school she runs in Africa and the positive effect she had on others because of her talk show.  For Bill Gates, it will be his foundation that has helped numerous causes and organizations.

I know there are some people who act dishonestly when they are given a certain level of power.  They abuse this power in an attempt to gain even more.  However, there are also people that are in a less powerful position that cheat and lie to better themselves.

As 1 Timothy 6:10 states, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” 

I feel this spreads across all income brackets, not just the wealthy!

What do you think – does money make you become more unethical or does it just showcase  what is already there a  a little more?

We learned about biblical financial stewardship years ago when we took the Crown Small Group Study.  This created a desire to manage our finances in a way that’s pleasing to God.  While our financial situation is far from perfect and sometimes probably not very pleasing, we’re doing our best to learn to manage our money wisely.  Here are a few things we are trying to do to grow as faithful financial stewards  and mange money God’s way -

True Financial Freedom – We want to be financially free to serve and give.  We believe God’s purpose for money is to use it as a resource to grow his ministry and help others follow Christ.  Therefore we want to make sure we’re always working to become debt free and that we don’t have too much debt or leverage in our lives.  As an example, we’re  trying to minimize car payments by driving used cars and trying to drive them for several years after they’ve been paid off.  In addition, we’re trying to make sure we don’t exceed a mortgage (including taxes and insurance) of 25% of take home pay.  This hasn’t always been the case and we found it challenging when our home exceeded 25%.  Doing these practical things have provided more freedom and we’ve found we have more money for  important priorities such as giving and saving.

Manage our Money as One – We manage our money together as husband and wife.  We definitely know we’re on this journey together and want to help each other grow as stewards and in our relationship with God.  Therefore, we have one checking and one savings account which all the money goes into and we manage them together.  We do allow for each other to have our own spending money, but this is tracked in the budget.  We believe we became one in marriage and our finances should be one too!

Communicate about Money -  We try to communicate about money regularly by budgeting together and setting our financial goals together.  We’ve found that we tend to overspend when we don’t take a few minutes to talk about our budget regularly.  We try to set aside time each week for a “money meeting”.  We talk about all of our upcoming expenses and how we’re going to manage them.  Additionally, having a money meeting helps us avoid talking about money at the dinner table or during date night!

Financial Goals – The money meeting also provides and opportunity to set  and review financial goals together.  We talk about our financial goals such as saving and when called to give more in certain situations.  We definitely want to make sure we have enough cash saved to help us avoid emergencies that often present themselves.  Dave Ramsey calls this “Murphy.”  What can go wrong, will go wrong!  We remind each other of these goals to make sure we’re not forgetting them and getting off track throughout the year.  This provides good accountability for both of us.

Giving – We make sure we’re giving our first fruits to the Lord each month out of faith and love for Him.  We choose to tithe on our gross income because we believe this is God’s money and we’re giving it back to Him for His purposes.  Tithing is no longer a question for us and is something we our pleased to do as stewards.  Money may be tight one month because of unforeseen expenses, but we give no matter what.  We believe God will provide for us and meet our needs if we honor him first.

As it relates to giving, I will tell you this wasn’t always an easy decision for us.  It wasn’t until I started my training as a volunteer Money Map Coach with Crown that I became completely convicted about giving.  I felt God was laying on my heart that we could do more and give at least 10% of our income each month.  We had reasoned we couldn’t afford it because of a new house and other expenses families often experience.  It didn’t make sense from a budgeting standpoint either.  I remember we would’ve had to cut a lot of Christmas savings to reach this amount of giving each month.  My wife is the one who pushed me in this area while I had the reservations.  We figured that Christmas was about Christ and that if it meant we didn’t spend as much that year all would be fine.  Honoring God with our first fruits was more important so we made the decision and haven’t looked back.  And we were able to have a great Christmas that year!

Avoid Chasing after the Joneses – We try not to compare ourselves to others. It’s not easy to avoid this one, but we are learning to be more content with what we have.  Keeping up with the Joneses is not easy and it’s never ending.  We know we’ll never catch them.  The problem with entering into this race is that we know  it’ may cause us to go into debt or experience discontentment.  We are learning more and more to be content in what God has blessed us with and focus on managing money in a way pleasing to Him.  We’ve found focusing on our finances is much easier to manage then trying to follow what everyone else is doing around us that sometimes may not be pleasing to the Lord for our family.  After all, God should be the source of our contentment.

Raising Stewards – Finally, with two young children we realize it’s extremely important for us to raise little stewards.  We desire our children to understand God’s purpose for money and teach them this perspective.  We’re trying to help them learn to give and why it’s important to save.  These are not always easy things for our children to understand because they see advertisements and sometimes desire what their friends have.  They naturally want what the Joneses have, but it’s our job to teach them to be faithful stewards and find contentment in the Lord.

As I mentioned at the beginning of the post, we’re still learning a lot and our finances are far from perfect.  However, I hope you’ve found some of this helpful and this post serves as an encouragement to manage money as a faithful financial steward.

What are some things you’re doing to manage money God’s way?  Let me know in the comments.

Many people learn about money when they first graduate school and have to start paying their own bills.  Debt, in addition to student loans, unexpectedly becomes a priority with new car payments, student loans and likely some credit card spending.  Savings is something less than desirable to think about at the time because we’d naturally rather have fun with our money than be responsible.

I think parents have the opportunity to help our children take a different approach to money management.  Doing so can help children avoid many of the same mistakes we’ve made.

In fact, sometimes it’s helpful to look at things we shouldn’t do to teach our kids about money to get the message across and keep ourselves honest.  Consider these ways not to teach your children about money -

Don’t Help Your Child Understand the Value of Earning – Want your child to expect that everything is handed to them on a silver platter?  No problem.  Buy them everything they want and don’t teach them how to work or earn money to purchase things.  At the same time, don’t teach them how to do quality work.  It’s our job as parents to make sure our children understand the importance of hard work and a job well done.

Don’t Set a Giving Example – If we don’t set a giving example in our household, I think it’s difficult to raise a child with a giving heart.  Make it known you’re writing a check to your church or that you’re donating clothes to the homeless.  In fact, let your children participate!

Don’t Let Your Child Participate in Family Money Management – If you want your child to learn by themselves, don’t let them help you manage the family budget.  At the right time, I think it makes great sense to let our children manage a portion of the family budget and even have visibility into monthly expenses so they can understand real money and work is required to meet the family needs.

Don’t Talk About What to Do with Money: Giving, Saving and Spending – A big mistake is not teaching our children the things you can do with money.  Too often money discussions are around spending.  But, there are more important priorities such as giving and saving.  After money is earned there is a great opportunity to teach children that giving and saving priorities should be in first place.

Don’t Practice What You Preach – I think we’re all smart enough to know that our children are likely to grow up and exhibit many of the same behaviors we’ve exhibited in front of them.  Lack of financial responsibility, poor spending decisions, or a general philosophy of money that is self – focused will likely help set up our children to experience much of the pain as the result of this behavior.  Sure, we all make mistakes, but let’s get those out in the open and use them as teaching moments.

Teaching our children about money is probably one of the most important responsibilities we have as parents.  Money is a huge part of life and our children will come to learn about it with or without our instruction.

What are your thoughts on teaching children about money?

 The Secret of Generosity [Chapter 9]

Giving can stir others to give: “For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action.” (9:2, NIV) Jesus’ command to give “in secret” was intended to prevent us from giving in order to be noticed by men.  I don’t believe this means that all contributions in all cases should be kept silent.  Clearly we see Paul making generosity public to stir others to give.  Again, the motive of publicity here is to stir others to action, not to impress them (thus, keeping in line with Jesus’ teaching).

Generous desires can dwindle: “So that the same would be ready as a bountiful gift and not affected by covetousness.” (9:5, NASB) How often have we promised (either to someone or ourselves) that we would give, yet when giving time came…our hearts had changed.  Paul is trying to encourage the Corinthians to avoid a gift “grudgingly given.” (9:5, NIV)  We ought to recognize that our hearts need prompting to continue to be generous over the long-haul, and we should take caution to fight against the things (like covetousness) that stifle the fire of God’s Spirit within us.

Stinginess and generosity return to us:  “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” (9:6, NIV).  In a few verses, Paul will explain why this principle exists, yet the Bible consistently teaches that stinginess and generosity are returned by God in kind.  This shows us that generosity is always in our best interest.  The most common reason for our stinginess (whether we will admit it or not) is that we think withholding increases the amount of resources we have available to us.  Yet, the Bible clearly teaches the opposite: sowing sparingly will lead to reaping sparingly (and reaping sparingly usually leads to sowing even more sparingly…and the cycle continues).  Sow generously.

Christian generosity is purposeful, from the heart, and cheerful: “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”(9:7, NIV)  Probably one of the most quoted verses in the New Testament regarding giving, I believe this has everything to do with transforming our hearts–giving us a glimpse of Christ in us.  We should give cheerfully from the heart.  If we think this verse is a license not to give, then we are ones who sow sparingly (and back to [8:8] where Paul calls our giving a test of our love).  Do verses like this challenge us to increase the eternal purposes and joy in our hearts to give?  Or, do we feel relieved to find a “loophole” in the awfully troublesome command to love others more than ourselves (does God love a cheerful miser)?  Certainly this verse should challenge Christian leaders to lead their flock towards heart-transformation, and away from compulsive, manipulative, arm-twisting tactics to increase contributions, but I believe the overall purpose of this verse (set in the context of the surrounding 39 verses) has everything to do with transforming us into purposeful, strategic, joyful, and generous givers.

God provides all sufficiency and abundance for our giving: “God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work…Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed…You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion.” (9:8-11, NIV)  Christian giving is supplied by nothing less than God Himself.  He will bless abundantly, in all things, in all times, in every way, so that we will have all we need and still be able to be generous on every occassion!  How inspiring is this!  Often our stinginess is attributed to the fact that we look to ourselves to provide what is needed to give.  If only we will look to God, we will find limitless resources to pour out.

Generosity’s return is for the good of others: “So that…you will abound in every good work..they have freely scattered their gifts to the poor…so that you can be generous on every occasion.” (9:8-11, NIV)  Often misunderstood by prosperity gospel thinkers, God’s word clearly attests that such generous resources are given from above so that we may give generously.  Generous heavenly provision is designed to flow through our hands and out into the world.  If our hearts only desire is to store up treasure for ourselves, we are operating outside of the principle being discussed here.

Generosity increases righteousness: “As it is written…their righteousness endures forever…will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.” (9:9-10, NIV)  This passage quotes Psalm 112, a Psalm dedicated to describing righteous living.  Giving needs to be an integral part of our desire to increase in righteousness.

Generosity results in thanksgiving and praise: “Your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.  This service that you perform is…also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God…others will praise God…for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.” (9:11-12, NIV)  Our giving will allow thankful praise to rise to our heavenly Father.  When we give in His name, we allow others to worship God in a deeper way.

Generosity can fully provide all needs: ”For the ministry of this service is…fully supplying the needs of the saints.” (9:12, NASB) By God’s design, the process of Christian generosity is capable of fully supplying the needs of the saints.  Let us engage such a noble honor.

Generosity is “proof” of obedience: “Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ” (9:13, NIV)  Paul claimed the Corinthians would prove their obedience to the gospel through their generous giving.  Not being legalistic, we need to challenge ourselves to look honestly at how much “proof” of obedience to God’s word we see in our life.  This will convict any honest Christian, and lead us to where Paul goes next…grace.

Ends with grace: “The surpassing grace God has given you.” (9:14, NIV)  Paul began and ended his challenge to the church at Corinth speaking of God’s grace.  There is a great lesson in this.  Our giving, must begin and end with God’s grace.

Ends with praise: “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” (9:15, NIV)  Proper Christian giving will always result in praise to God.  We can assure our hearts that we are following Him fully when He gets the praise and glory for our participation in His generosity.

For more of my thoughts on giving, pick up a copy of my most recent book, The Secret of Generosity.

 The Secret of Generosity [Chapter 8]

Generous giving starts with grace:  “We want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.” (8:1, NIV)  Paul’s in-depth discussion of biblical generosity begins and ends pointing towards God’s grace.

God’s power enables our giving:  “In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity…they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability.” (8:2-3, NIV) How does poverty overflow into rich generosity? This sounds contradictory…because it is.  Biblical giving extends beyond empathy and humanitarianism because it is a process empowered by God–not limited by our trials, poverty, or ability.

Sacrificial giving is willing: “Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service.” (8:3-4, NIV)  Christ transforms the selfish sinner to one who urgently pleads for the “privilege” of giving generously.  If such willingness isn’t present in our hearts, let us seek Christ in this place.

Generosity follows surrender:  “They gave themselves first of all to the Lord” (8:5, NIV) First we give ourselves to the Lord and His work, and then generosity follows.  Much like the previous point, if we find ourselves ungenerous, let us give ourselves “first of all to the Lord.”

Generosity is an act of grace: “This act of grace” (8:6, NIV).  Once again, we are reminded that grace is where generosity begins, continues, and ends.

Generosity is part of a mature walk: “Since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.” (8:7, NIV).  We fool ourselves if we think we are mature Christians, yet lack generosity.  Giving generously is a sign of maturity and “excellence” in the faith.

Generosity is a test of our love: “I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others.”  (8:8, NIV) Paul said that he wanted to compare the love of the Corinthians by comparing their willingness to be generous to others.  While that would definitely raise some hairs in modern churches, Paul had no problem using giving as a gauge for the sincerity of love.  We usually interpret the notion that it is not a “command” as liberty to not give…which, sadly, reveals the sincerity of our love.

Sacrificial giving was Christ’s example: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” (8:9, NIV)  Generous, sacrificial giving is nothing more (and nothing less) than following the example of Christ Himself.

There is a difference between wanting to give and actually giving: “Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it.” (8:10-11, NIV)  How often do we say we would, could, or should give, but it never amounts to anything?  The real test of our sincerity and maturity is found in what we actually give, not what we “desire” to give.

Biblical generosity is according to means: “According to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.” (8:11-12, NIV)  While we are called to sacrifice in order to give generously, it is not acceptable to give what we don’t have.

Equality, not self-denial, is the goal of generosity: “Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality.” (8:13-14, NIV) Equality, community, and relationship drive biblical generosity…not self-denial.  The point is not for us to suffer so that others can be at ease.  Rather, the church is to care for one another as loving members of God’s family. Following Christ means letting some of our “plenty” go out to those who are ”hard pressed”.

Christian giving is part of God’s provision: The verse, “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little,” (8:15, NIV) is a reference to manna the Israelites gathered in the wilderness.  This is a remarkable comparision.  This equates God’s provision, miraculously falling from heaven, with our gifts sent to other Christians.  Part of God’s plan to provide is through the generosity of His people one to another.  Our gifts can be “manna”.

Recipients of Christian generosity must have integrity: “We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man.” (8:20-21, NIV) Financial integrity and accountability are essential before God and man.  This includes caution, above and beyond efforts, and plurality (more than one person) to be without blame.

For more of my thoughts on giving, pick up a copy of my most recent book, The Secret of Generosity.

“Name one non-financial benefit of managing your money wisely.”

“Peace. If you have no debt, have a solid emergency fund, and have saved/prepered for life’s various monetary challenges, you have a lot of peace in your life. You know you’re prepared if/when challenges arise. It’s a great, great feeling that most people can only dream about.” – FreeMoneyFinance.com

“Managing your money wisely can improve relationships because of more financial peace in the household.  Poor money management, such as over leveraging oneself, can wreak havoc on a marriage.  It adds more stress to relationships and can sometimes lead to divorce in the most extreme situations.  Spouses can actually grow their relationship when they manage their money wisely together.  However, the most important relationship that will grow is our relationship with the Lord.  God wants us to be faithful stewards.  When we follow His financial principles we can experience more joy because we are walking closer to God.” - OneMoneyDesign.com

“The best benefit I can think of is the ability to more fully experience the joy of giving.  Giving can be quite joyful even if you’re not managing your money well.  But if you are managing your money well, then worry about your own finances can’t come in and ruin the experience of giving for you.” – ProvidentPlan.com

“Freedom from slavery to self.  Our natural tendency (which shows up so clearly in the way we handle our money) is to put ourselves first all the time, in every thing.  Taking control of our money teaches us about contentment, generosity, self-control, etc.  In a lot of ways, it de-thrones the “me-first” mentality that is so prevalent in our culture and replaces it with a sense of purpose and perspective beyond numero-uno.” – DollarsandDoctrine.com

“The greatest non-financial benefit of managing money wisely is joy.  It’s a blessing to be able to able to minister to others in their times of need.  God made us so that giving would bring us joy.” – MoneyHelpForChristians.com

“Peace of mind and less stress.  Not managing your money wisely increases the odds that you’re going to live a life with stress because you will most likely find yourself in a bad financial situation.  Manage your money wisely and save for your future, it’s much more appealing!” – FreeMoneyWisdom.com

“One non-financial benefit of managing your money wisely according to God’s word is that you’ll have a lot less stress in your life.  When you give, save, plan and honor God with your money it will mean that you’ll have less worries because you realize your money is actually God’s and you’re only a steward. When money doesn’t become the central focus or an idol in your life, you’ll be better able to use money as a tool to help others and to help the ones you love.  Plus, even if you were to lose it all – we know as Christians that God will supply all our needs.  Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” – BibleMoneyMatters.com

“Less stress! More often than not, having merely a vague understanding of your finances causes worry and uncertainty. Taking as little as 10 minutes a week to go over your spending plan can greatly reduce un-needed stress. Plan wisely and chill out!” – StewardshipWeekly.com

“Managing our money wisely takes discipline, and discipline, if we grow it, is a virtue that serves us well in almost every area of life. It helps us work harder, make good decisions, and do things in life based on wisdom, rather than on our feelings. I’ve found that laziness in one area of my life tends to bleed over to other areas as well, but the good news is that discipline bleeds over too. When I’m walking in discipline in my financial life, I find myself more disciplined to work hard, exercise, eat well, spend time with God and build my family relationships. Life is more than just finances, and an attitude of discipline will help you all the way around.” – GodMoneyMe.com

For more on the Christian Financial Alliance (or to join our team) click here.

Photo © by rkramer62

As I was reading some of Randy Alcorn’s work, I was challenged by some of his ideas and dug deeper into the scripture regarding the simple word “share”.  I have to confess, I have always considered the word “share” to be synonymous with the word “give”.  Essentially, sharing meant giving in any and all translations, and there are many verses that encourage believers to share what they have.  In several of them, I think we could simply walk away from the verses equating sharing with giving and more or less be correct (Luke 3:11, Eph. 4:28, Heb. 13:16, NIV, for example).

However, while it might sound like I am splitting hairs (I’ll get to why this all matters in just a moment), I think there are several verses that depict sharing as a separate and different act of generosity.  Consider the following:

“Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share.” (1 Tim. 6:18, NASB)

“The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him.” (Gal. 6:6, NASB)

“Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” (Rom. 12:13, NIV)

These verses present sharing as something different than giving.  Paul tells the rich to be generous AND ready to share.  In the passage from Galatians, if share means give, then we are called to give all good things we have to our teachers of the word.  This doesn’t seem quite right.  Hospitality implies inviting people into our lives…not giving them our home.

In all of this, I present a different layer of Christian Generosity:  Sharing.  The simple act of allowing our resources to be used by others (willingly) is a biblical strand of a believer’s call to give.  I think that sharing has at least four impacts on a Christian’s life.

1. It creates another layer by which to reach the world with our generosity.  In some ways it’s easier and certainly more affordable!  Maybe we can’t buy/give a car to a ministry that operates primarily on Saturdays, but we could “share” our vehicle.  Opening up our minds to sharing greatly expands our capacity for generosity, and in many ways, stretches us differently than giving does.

2. It frees us of being owned by our possessions.  The Bible speaks strongly on the subject of not holding tightly to the things of this world.  What Alcorn calls “possessiveness”, we tend to be tenaciously protective of possessions we have convinced ourselves we hold loosely.  Essentially, if we aren’t willing to share a possession, it has an unhealthy grip on our hearts.  Sharing keeps us from putting too much priority on a worldly possession.  Letting someone else use our stuff forces us to loosen our grip (or get ulcers!).

3. It testifies that God is the owner of all things.  If we honestly believe that God owns all of us and all we have (all the world for that matter), then sharing is rather easy.  If we believe we own what we have, sharing is very difficult.  Christian sharing can be a strong testimony to a world that craves ownership.

4. It shows that God’s kingdom is our first priority.  If we share all we have for God’s glory, it shows that our possessions are not our purpose.  When everything we own is out on the table to be used as God sees fit, we can be assured that His kingdom is first in our hearts. Sharing is the product of a mindset focused on God’s purposes for our lives, our house, our car, our lawn mower, our ladder…

I think room remains for us to be inspired by the earliest days of the church:  “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.” (Acts 4:32, NIV)  There is something liberating about extending our generosity beyond giving.  Sharing stretches us to consider that even ”our” possessions are not really our possessions–they are God’s, fully available to serve His purposes.  It requires a different type of generosity.  We can’t stay uninvolved when we share.  It requires communication, trust, and a perspective that puts God’s purposes above possessions, dings, dents, scratches, rips, tears, and maybe, even losing the item we are sharing.

When we tell children they must share, they often protest, “But this is mine!”  Will we respond in the same manner when God asks this of us?

“What is one thing a Christian should keep in mind while thinking about/planning for retirement?”

“That there’s no mention of retirement in the Bible — at least not the “quit work and enjoy the good life” sort of retirement. From a biblical standpoint, you simply move from one thing (work, a career) to another (serving for a non-profit, sharing your experience with those who can benefit from it). So “retirement” is not a vacation, simply a change of what you do during your “working” hours.”- FreeMoneyFinance.com

“I’m going to share a quote from a friend of mine who is a local financial advisor where I live and also in my men’s group at church:  “If retirement is like landing a plane, what is the best retirement plan?  Don’t land the plane (just let it run out of gas).” I love his quote.  Why?  There is no biblical reference in that we should stop working and live a life of leisure.  However, there is plenty on the subject of work.  So, invest for the future?  Yes.  But, do so with the intent of continuing to do some line of work.” - OneMoneyDesign.com

“Remember that God cares more for you than the birds and the grass of the field!  Don’t let worry and anxiety about retirement make you forget that God can and will provide for your needs as you live in His kingdom and seek His righteousness.  This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t think about or plan for retirement, but it does mean that we should remember Who is taking care of us.” – ProvidentPlan.com

“Many Christian resources will tell you that the Bible doesn’t talk about ‘retirement’ as we think of it (including some of my own books!), but I am beginning to think this isn’t exactly true.  We, as modern Americans, think of retirement as storing up enough to one day call it quits, kick back, take it easy, and enjoy life.  Jesus told a parable that sounded dangerously close to our modern concept of retirement.  In it, a man stored up many goods and said to himself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’ 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?’  This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:19-21)  Don’t get me wrong, it is certainly wise (and biblical) to store up for future NEED, but the modern obession with stockpiling our resources to one day wallow in forty year’s worth of self-absorbed fantasy, the Bible calls foolish.  We ought to live lives that matter for eternity today, tomorrow, and in retirement.” – DollarsandDoctrine.com

“Jesus said not to worry about tomorrow, and he was talking about retirement accounts too right?  It’s foolish to worry about things we can’t control, but it’s even more foolish to ignore what we can control.  It’s just wise to be diligent in saving for retirement, even if it doesn’t seem like a lot right now.  Make it a priority to set aside money for your future.” – FaithandFinance.org

“I think Christians should alway have the story of the Rich Fool in mind when planning retirement.  While so many of us fear not having enough, an equally great concern is hoarding and accumulating too much.” – MoneyHelpForChristians.com

“Christians should invest for retirement but not make it their life’s focus.  There needs to be a balance between our retirement investments and how we steward our money while we are on this Earth.  Also, we need not stress about the market fluctuations because God will provide.  He promises us this as Christians so in theory we should be living a life of passion knowing that we have nothing to worry about because our Savior has us under His wings!” – FreeMoneyWisdom.com

“To me, the questions isn’t what we should remember to plan for during retirement, it is ‘Is retirement a Biblical concept?’.  If we are going to truly walk in the calling that God has given us, that will never stop.  If we are in a J.O.B. that we are counting down the days to retirement from, then we are in the wrong place.  Our calling should radiate out of every part of us, it should be what drives us and ultimately, if we are living in our callings, I think it will provide for us financially.  If we are doing what we love and doing what God has called us to, why would we ever stop?” – DiscipleshipGuy.com

“One thing to think about while planning for retirement as a Christian is whether you’ll actually be retiring or not – at least in the traditional sense.  I think a lot of people think of retirement as a prolonged period of relaxation and enjoyment of activities you didn’t have time to pursue while you’re still working. 9:30am tee-time every day anyone? Most people assume they’ll also stop working as well.  As far as I can tell there aren’t many references to retirement in the bible, and in the few places it does talk about stopping work (like Numbers 8: 23-26) it still talks about how those who no longer work should help and assist others.  By the same token I think we should take up that idea of serving others in retirement.  Volunteer more at your church, get involved with your community, help those who are less fortunate, serve at a soup kitchen, go on missions trips.  In other words, continue working while serving and giving to others.  Of course if you’re no longer working a job in retirement it is important to think about what your priorities are, and think about downsizing and saving up enough to allow you to give and serve more once your full time working days are done.” – BibleMoneyMatters.com

“We should keep in mind that retirement is really a cultural idea.  I can’t think of any biblical examples of retirement as we know it.  Our whole lives are to be lives of service, contribution, and making a difference.  Of course, health issues may prevent us from working for pay in our later years.  So, it’s wise to save for our later years – not so wise to save out of a desire to spend the last part of our lives at the beach.” – MattAboutMoney.com

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I have had the privilege of not only learning about finances from a very young age (seven is some of my earliest financial memories), but I now also have the privilege of teaching finances from a Biblical perspective.  When you get me talking on finances, it can be hard to get to me to stop!  I would like to share with you over the next couple of weeks my own personal testimony and what impacted my life in the area of finances, built my personal convictions, and led to me teaching Biblical finances.

Money Wallet © by 401K

Growing up, one of my earliest memories was of running to the radio to turn it on at 3:30pm in order to hear Larry Burkett’s Money Matters.  We had a stereo which had the turntable, radio, tape player, and volume moderator as well as speakers.  It was my job to turn it on and make sure it was set to the right radio station and ready to go.  I always loved to hear Larry’s warm voice come on along with his side kick, Steve Moore.  I would later have a chance to meet Steve.  I can remember how Larry would advise people on how to get out of debt, how to make wise choices, and was very practical overall.

Listening to Larry on the radio was pretty much a daily occurrence during the week helped me to learn from an early age that finances were very important.  After the radio program went off, my mom and I would discuss the topic he had covered that day and how we could practically implement it.  We also talked about how I would handle it in the future.  These conversations continued to develop as I grew older and understood more aspects of the finances.

I can still remember vividly the vacation our family took in July of 2003.  We were heading to Maggie Valley, North Carolina and stopped at a gas station in Gainesville, Georgia to get gas.  As we were heading inside to pay and use the restroom, I came to an abrupt halt by the newspaper stand.  The headlines were about Larry Burkett passing away.  I remember saying to Momma “Larry passed away!”  I was shocked and could not believe it.  He was one of my favorite radio hosts and had made quite an impact by this time in my life.  (I would have been 16 years old at that time.)  Interestingly enough, some years later when I worked for Crown Financial Ministries which had been founded by Larry, I would be in Gainesville and go by that exact gas station and be able to identify which one it was!  That’s how much an impact that event had on my life.

Have their been any financial teachers that have impacted your life?  Let us know in the comments. 

We have so much personal debt in our nation that the average person has been described as someone driving on a bond-financed highway, in a bank-financed car, fueled by credit-card-financed gasoline going to purchase furniture on an installment plan to put in a mortgaged home”.

But over leveraging is just one financial trap.  Let’s consider a several financial traps that many of us can relate to or have experienced at one time or another.  Such traps impact our ability to save, give and experience true financial freedom.

Get Rich Quick Mentality

Photo © by nicubunu.photo

It’s easy to fall into the trap of wanting to get rich quick.  Many people take shortcuts in business or in their personal finances to try to get rich, thinking money will solve all their problems.  Consider many movie stars who have all the money you could imagine, but once wealthy, find themselves empty.  The problem with chasing after money is that it becomes your focus or idol and ruins relationships with loved ones and impacts your relationship with God. There is no short cut when it comes to earning money.  We need to always make sure we perform our work with integrity and if entrepreneurs, look for opportunities that ethical and certainly, legal.

Keeping Up with the Joneses

Everything on TV and in our culture will tell you need to have the nicest car, house, clothes, gadgets and more to feel good about yourself and “fit in” with society.  It’s easy to fall into this trap.  We find ourselves sometimes wanting things our friends have and we’ve even made purchases because of these wants in the past.   It’s important to not let what others have influence our spending decisions.  We have to learn to be content with what we have.  As with the pursuit of money to get rich quick, pursuing material items leaves you empty.  It can be an exhausting pursuit that never ends.

Worldly View of Retirement

I think a worldly view of retirement can be a financial trap too.  Such a view is the one you see on the cover of many retirement and investing books.  You know the picture…the happy couple sitting on a perfect beach in front of the beautiful ocean.  It leads you to believe that you should retire wealthy, happy and young to spend the rest of your life relaxing on the beach with your spouse.  This is not the biblical picture of our lives God has for us.  Retirement isn’t really talked about in the bible.  Rather, God speaks of work and fulfilling the purpose he has for our lives.  It doesn’t mean work won’t be different in the future, but in reality, I think God desires us to work as long as we are healthy and able to do so.

Too Much Debt

I already mentioned debt as a financial trap and provided you the quote that helps us gain perspective on debt in society today.  Debt is really one of those traps that can sneak up on us.  While debt isn’t a sin, it’s definitely something that can impact our ability to have financial peace.  I think debt most often creeps into families by way of car loans, too much house and definitely, credit card spending.  It’s very easy to obtain credit to buy something we can’t afford.  Such credit is often used for consumer electronics and furniture.  You can also become over leveraged when purchasing a new car every few years.  Car payments and credit card payments use money that could otherwise be used for saving for college, tithing and other important family financial matters.  Before you know it, you have too much to debt to manage each month and it absorbs a large portion of your monthly spending.

Budgets are for People with Money Problems

The last financial trap I’ll mention is to not have a plan for your money.  You wouldn’t ever want your home builder to build a house without a plan.  Or, we certainly wouldn’t want our school teachers to instruct our children without a plan to properly equip them for the next grade.  Nor should we manage our finances without a spending plan each month and a larger plan to save money, give and spend wisely.  But society will tell you that  a budget or spending plan is bad, or only for people with money problems.  It means you have a problem with your money.  Not true!  Without a plan we’re much to susceptible to all the things I’ve just mentioned.  A plan actually provides a great foundation to communicate about money and the ability to grow closer to your spouse as you plan your financial future.  We’ve found having a plan keeps my wife and I on the same page and it allows both of us to take part in managing our finances.

Most of these financial traps are obvious, but how easy it is to let them take hold in our lives.  I know my wife and I have fallen into these traps at one time or another and they certainly have impacted our financial peace and ability to be faithful stewards.  But, as we’ve learned to be more content and get on the same page with our money by using a monthly spending plan, we’ve been able to stay on track better with our finances.

What do you think about these financial issues or traps?  Have they impacted your financial peace before?