Financial Wisdom for Kids, Adults, and Politicians!
As a father of three boys, I think wisdom about Christian finances is one of the most crucial things I'm teaching my children. Among the many things I want to teach them is the importance of having the proper attitudes and actions about money.
And, considering the state of the global financial crisis, I think these principles are critical information for adults and politicians as well!
Here are 3 truths about money and Christian finances that I'd like to address in this article:
We're the "coaches" of our money?? Say what? What does coaching have to do with money and Christian finances??
Allow me to explain - perhaps you've heard of a sport called -- football.
And maybe you've heard of a team called the Pittsburgh Steelers - which happens to be my favorite football team! [Please don't hold that against me if that's not yours also - I'll concede that you're allowed to be wrong!]
If you've heard of the Steelers, you've probably heard of their head coach -- Mike Tomlin.
And maybe you've heard of the owners of the Steelers -- the Rooney family.
But do you really know the difference between the two job descriptions??
The coach's job is to:
oversee practices
supervise the coaches
review films
manage player line-ups
and, most of all, to win games!
While Mike Tomlin has a great deal of authority and responsibility for the team, he is not the owner....
The owners' job is to:
hire and fire key personnel -- including the coach
determine revenue streams
arrange schedules
and negotiate team salaries!
So who has the final authority in decisions for the Pittsburgh Steelers?
The owners - the Rooneys - do!
You're starting to get the picture, aren't you? But I know some of you are asking,
"How does that apply to our Christian finances??"
Just like Mike Tomlin is the coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and not the owner, we are the coaches of our money, and not the owners of it!
OK, let's look at some of the foundations of this concept....
Scriptures Concerning Christian Finances
In 1 Timothy 6:6-10 (NIV), the Scripture says:
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 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.
Let me reiterate -- Just as Mike Tomlin is the coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and not their owner, in the area of Christian finances, we are the coaches of our money and not its owner!
If you truly understand and practice this #1 principle, you will totally change the way you view money and all your material possessions!
Jesus told many stories about money and possessions, but there are many passages from the Old Testament as well. Here are two:
He said, "I came naked from my mother's womb, and I will be stripped of everything when I die. The Lord gave me everything I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!" Job 1:21
People who live only for wealth come to the end of their lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day they were born. Ecclesiastes 5:15
So the first thing I would tell my kids, other adults, and politicians about gaining wisdom regarding Christian finances is that we must understand that God is the owner of our money and that we are merely the coaches of it!
Let's move on to Principle #2, "Pay Now, Play Later"....
This principle of Christian finances is clearly stated this way:
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 (NIV)
OK, whether you subscribe to the concept of Christan finances or not, you know what the Scriptures are talking about. Yes, some people call it "karma" or "what goes around, comes around" -- or we "reap what we sow" in terms of biblical finances...
...and we are to "sow" or give - not with a begrudging attitude or miserly mindset - but generously and cheerfully!
Wow! That seems like too much to ask doesn't it??
But wait, in the philosophy of Christian finances, there's MORE:
"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." Matthew 6:1-4 (NIV)
Why give secretly??
So our gift is seen by our father God, and not others!
It tests our motives - Are we giving for a pat on the back or some form of notoriety, or are we giving out of genuine concern for the cause at hand?
Handling our money according to the guidance of Christian finances may seem strict and harsh to some. But here is a promise that God gives:
"Bring the whole tithe [a.k.a. the first 10% of what you earn] into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."
That's a pretty cool blessing! It's worth trying a new way....
I believe with all my heart that if you apply these 3 simple principles of Christian finances to your money, they will breathe new life into your overwhelmed, stressed-out soul!
Conventional wisdom says:
If you want it, you deserve it, go get it, no matter what the cost in the long-term!
If you find yourself in a hole, try to dig yourself out - with a bigger shovel!
You only go around once, so play now and don't worry about paying until "later"!
But the wisdom of Christian finances says:
We are the coaches/managers of our money, not the owners of it!
When you do those things, God will pour out more blessings on you than you can imagine!
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"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." Matthew 6:1-4 (NIV)
