There are always people in need, whether it’s a homeless person or someone looking to become a long-term missionary in a place of need. Our prayer, first and foremost, is that each of you, no matter your financial situation, will help others that are less fortunate. Not so you can feel good about yourselves, but so you can give glory to God.
We have been very fortunate in our finances and through careful planning, lots of time, discussing with others, I hope that we have left you in a fortunate position as well.
We consider ourselves frugal, we don’t spend money aimlessly but we also know that God gave us enjoyment in things and that it’s ok to spend money on things that bring us joy, within reason. The Bible speaks about finances a lot. There are many verses that discuss being prepared for the future as well as some verses about giving all your money away to the poor.
So from a Biblical perspective, what we want you to know about finances is that you should always approach it with prayer. Finances can cause stress and problems in marriage and in your personal lives. If you feel you don’t have enough money, you may work harder to try to get more and lose sight of generosity. If you feel you make a good amount of money, you might struggle with where to put that money and the need for budgeting.
When we were in our 30’s, we sold a house that had appreciated in value quite a bit. Instead of reinvesting that money into a nicer house, we put it in a bank with the intention of either giving it to each of you to put towards a car, a wedding, education, a house, or whatever else may come along, or to donate it to a church. My personal prayer was that you wouldn’t need that money and we could use it to give away and help fund churches in unreached locations but I also prayed that God would grow that money into an astonishing amount. But it all started with prayer.
There are many things in life that will peel away from the amount of money that you earn:
- Tithing
- Rent/Mortgage
- Car
- Retirement
- College Savings
- Taxes
- Groceries
- Entertainment
- Phones
- Gifts
So what should be your focus? If you could only do one of those, which should you choose? One of my favorite parables in the Bible is the Mark 12:41-44, The Poor Widow’s Offering.
41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. 43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
So our suggestion, is to focus on generosity and trust that God will provide.
Read more about our thoughts on finances here.