For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
1 Timothy 6:10-12
LEARN
I have to be transparent here, after all, I am a Christian so I have to be honest with you, right? This biblical concept of money has taken me some time, sisters!!
My first real wake up call with money was 30 years ago when at 29 years old the man of my dreams asked me to marry him. This was all blissfully wonderful until just a few days later he added the pretense that all my credit card debts had to be paid off before we said “I do.” Perhaps he had missed a few details about me. The mall was my close friend and Macy’s, Fashion Bug, JC Penney’s and I were closely knit from head to toe. Literally! All the way from the banana clip for my big hair down to my leg warmers, it cost money to look as good as I did! But in the name of true love, I paid off my debts so I could begin my happily ever after. Through time and maturity, I have become the bookkeeper in my marriage- I refer to myself as the CFO of the family. He brings home the bacon and I spend it and stir it up in a pan. My knowledge of dealing with finances and aiming to please my Lord and Savior has grown immensely as I confide my weaknesses and need for Him.
I honor God’s word as all knowing and I try diligently to obey His instruction and warnings about the authority and stewardship of HIS money. I have learned so much about personal finance and God’s faithfulness through the years. I only need to seek Him first and, as He has promised, all these things shall be added unto thee (Matthew 6:33).
So is money really evil? Notice that in 1 Timothy the apostle Paul refers to “the LOVE of money” as being the root of all sorts of evil. It is important for us to realize that money can be for good but we must keep God at the forefront. God says to seek Him first in Matthew 6:33. The truth of the matter is that my pocketbook tells the truth of where my heart really is. Money can easily become idolatry. Things and greed can give way to being the idols of our hearts. The Bible also tells us that we can not serve two masters. Matthew 6: 24 reminds us that we will be devoted to one and despise the other. We can not serve both God and wealth. So the question becomes, am I rich in good works? Are we using the money that God has so richly blessed us with to bless others? Can we be trusted with the money that the the Good Father has entrusted us with? The Bible says that it is God who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. (I Timothy 6:17)
KNOW
Whatever situation you may be in with your finances, let God teach you and allow Him to mature you. In our house, we use the expression “Fall Forward”. Meaning, if you’re going to fall, fall forward, learn from your past mistakes and don’t give up. God is good. If you ask Him, He will show you and teach you. (Psalm 32:8) Keep records, start a journal of your bills and your financial goals, write it down! Don’t let those credit cards own you! God never wanted us to be slaves to money! Galatians 5:1 teaches us that God wants us set free! He tells us to stand firm, and do not let ourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery!
Be Thankful. God will take care of everything when you learn to trust him. Trust him with your first fruits. Begin to tithe if you don’t already. See what miraculous things God will do with your 10%. Invest in God’s kingdom. After all, it all belongs to Him.
DO
Stay positive and hopeful! There is nothing you can do that will ever make God love you less or love you more. Our God is so good. As Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:10 do not long for money. Oh sisters, long for HIM! Long for our Savior, Jesus Christ, the one who died and rose again to set us free and allow Him to demonstrate His power and His everlasting love for you.
