Some people, even in this land of plenty, seem to stay in financial trouble. Financial troubles often are an indicator of our need to reset our priorities. Often, foolish spending brings troubles.
Many people bring financial problems from their old life when they become Christian. Trying to find satisfaction in worldly things, as lost people seem to always do, normally leads to tremendous debt. God has a unique plan for each of these individuals to gain financial freedom. Prayer and counsel from godly people will usually reveal steps in the right direction. These steps will often include patience, self-denial, and hard work. These are traits Christians should practice anyway.
I think it is good advice for Christians to seldom purchase anything on time payments. Buying on time payments without knowing God’s will, is like the presumptuous man spoken of in James 4:13-16. Avoiding time payments is a giant step in the right direction.
Often, another giant step is to modify your life-style. Let your life-style imitate the life-style taught in the scriptures. After all, we are disciples of Jesus.
Christians are not bound by any law, except the law of love – love for God and love for others. The scriptures do not teach Christians a law for giving. Love will control their giving, and their giving will reflect their love. God’s reason for Christians giving is not that His kingdom is suffering financially, but that they might be shown to be righteous.
Consider the following scriptures. I believe if you will let them be guidelines for your financial activities you will always have your needs met and have an offering to give to every good work.
Proverbs 3:9-10 Honor the Lord with you possessions, and with the first fruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.
Matt. 6:31-33 Do not worry saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?”…But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Mark 12:41-44 …And many who were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites……He called His disciples to Himself and said to them…this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given…they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.
Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.
Luke 12:15-21 And He said to them, take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of things he possesses. Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, “What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?” So he said, “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” But God said to him, “Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?” “So is he who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich towards God.”
Luke 9:23; “..If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me…For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?”
2 Corinthians 8:13-15 For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened; but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance may supply your lack — that there may be equality. As it is written, “He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack.”
2 Corinthians 9:6-8 But this I say; He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully, will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. As it is written: “He has dispersed abroad, he has given to the poor, His righteousness endures forever.”
My prayer – “Lord help me to live this truth!”