"Financial Stewardship"
Spending
The final area of
financial stewardship that we’ll take a look at is spending. God is a God of balance. While He expects us to give of our resources
responsibly and manage the money He has provided us with by saving adequately,
He has also given us a right to responsibly enjoy the money that He has blessed
us with. God has absolutely no problem
with us enjoying what He has given to us.
Even though He did not give it to us to enjoy ONLY, He does permit us to
enjoy ourselves. Although we have the
freedom to spend money, we should ask for wisdom to spend it wisely.
Our nation has taught
us to spend excessively without being responsible. We are encouraged to obtain everything on
credit without any concern for how our situation could possibly change six months,
one year, or five years in the future. While
we may be presently financially stable, sickness, unexpected unemployment, or a
number of other unforeseen circumstances can cause our financial status to change. Different methods work for different people,
but one method that I believe can work for anyone is the practice of not
purchasing low price items on credit unless you have the money for the item in
your bank account. If you don’t have the
money for the item, you can’t afford it.
When it comes to large ticket items such as a car, if you cannot pay it
off in 3 years, it is out of your price range.
Many times our spending
habits can cause us to become financial slaves and we end up being the tail instead
of being the head (Deuteronomy 28:13). We read in Proverbs
22:7 that, “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the
lender.” In some situations, we believe
that the devil has attacked our finances but, in actuality, those were the
times when we failed to use wisdom in our spending. One of the jobs of the Holy Spirit is to give
us the ability to exercise self-control but we have to use it.
People tend to
believe that walking in faith is purchasing an item that is more costly than their
ability to pay for and expecting God to miraculously help them to meet the payments. But walking in faith still requires
responsibility and accountability on our part.
When we decide to make a purchase, we need to sit down and consider
whether we can afford the item on our own without the assistance of others, a
second job, or even without having to work overtime. If we assess that we can afford the item
after evaluating our financial capabilities, we use our faith to trust that God
will continue to secure us just as He previously has.
When we seek God for
His counsel in managing our finances and follow His instructions completely, we
will generally benefit, profit, and prosper.
When we have managed our finances properly, we will be qualified to receive
from God what He wants to give us. God
does not reward our irresponsibility by benefiting us. We must first learn to be responsible.
