Tag Archives: money

The Cheerful Giver

Bible General, ,

“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

(2 Corinthians 9:7)

                Giving is a part of the Christian life. It is the subject of many jokes and internet memes, but it is expected of the faithful Christian.  The Bible abounds with teaching and examples of the giver. What can we learn?

Giving Is Without Force.

                The righteous man gives because he loves. He gives because there is a need that he can help to meet. This is his chance to improve another’s life. He is filled with joy as he offers his resources to the Lord.

Our passage above is clear: Giving must be free, without compulsion, and with joy. Compelled giving is little different from compelled taxation. That is, we may give, but we do not want to. It is not from the heart. It does not arise from love.  We have all heard horror stories of the collector who travels among church members to make sure they give as they should. Others may browbeat members into giving more or manipulate them into generosity. It may support the preacher, but it does little to support God’s intentions.

Giving is Intentional

                The Bible teaches us to decide in our hearts what we will give (2 Corinthians 9:7). When God called upon the former slaves of Egypt to give for the establishment of the Tabernacle, he told them to give as a man’s “heart moves him” (Exodus 25:2).

                Each of us determines what he will give. His deliberations are personal and private. No one knows what he can give better than himself. Let us give thought and plan our giving.

Giving is Cheerful

                “God loves a cheerful giver.” The one who gives must do so gladly, cheerfully, or graciously. This perfectly contrasts with the idea of avoiding reluctance or compulsion. As the Hebrews gave for the building of the Tabernacle, they rejoiced that they were privileged to be involved.

Inasmuch as the Christian is to be a servant, he joys in his role as a giver, for that is another way to serve. If as Christian groans as he gives, he ought put his money back in his pocket.

Let us be people who are free and generous with our gifts, for God has been free and generous with us!

 

Money and the Bible

1 Timothy, Culture, Daily living,

Money and the Bible go together. The Christian, like others, is concerned about money and how the Bible instructs us to use money. Jesus used money as did all of his disciples. It’s not surprising that the Lord left us with sound instructions on the use of money. We have written recently on the subject of making good choices and we noted that choices concerning money were important to a godly life. This article expands on those thoughts.

While there are many Bible texts we could study on the subject of money, none is quite as plain as Paul’s instructions to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:6-10.

“Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.  But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.  But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.  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.

There are three key lessons for our consideration.

Money and the Bible: Contentment

There are many definitions for contentment. But one seems to fit especially well here. Contentment means to have peace of mind and to be satisfied. You might look at other uses of the word in the Bible such as Philippians 4:11 where Paul declared his ability to be content;  Hebrews 13:5 where we are again remind to be content and not trust in money; or 2 Corinthians 12:10 where Paul announced his willingness to suffer (be content) with hardship for the sake of Christ. The example of Scripture is contentment. To trust in God and be satisfied in Him alone. The pursuit of materials things brings the specter of unwise choices such as mounting debt which assures future troubles.

We should add that contentment is satisfaction but not stagnation. The Christian is constantly pressing ahead (Philippians 3:12-14). However in matters of money and material things we are satisfied because the goal is not the money but the ultimate reward of Heaven.

When one finds satisfaction in his financial life he will find that many of the pressures of life lift away. To learn contentment is a great goal indeed!

Before we leave the subject of contentment let me leave you with a passage from Solomon:

“Sweet is the sleep of a laborer whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep” (Ecclesiastes 5:12)

Solomon’s point? Work hard, be content whether in abundance or famine, be at peace.

Money and the Bible: You Can’t Take It With You

Temporary. That’s what your money is. It’s temporary and will not make the trip beyond the grave. Paul is clear, you brought nothing into the world and you will take nothing out. An infant born into a wealthy family still arrives with nothing. If that infant grows old and becomes incredibly wealthy not one penny will follow him beyond the grave. It’s all left behind.

Here’s Solomon on work and money:

“I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing I must leave it to the man that will come after me…” (Ecclesiastes 2:18 – emphasis mine, jbe)

When we come to appreciate that piles of money are only short lived and do nothing for us beyond the grave we will find a much more appealing and stress free life. Paul’s call is to work to have what you need not what you want. It’s a simple plan but so hard to achieve!

Money and the Bible: Loving Money is Trouble

In the text Paul is quite clear. “the love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). Money alone is neutral. It is an object and neither good nor bad. It is how we view money that is the problem. When you love something you give things up for it. You sacrifice for the object of your affection. Such is foolish according to the apostles. Such a view of money brings temptation to which we may surrender. Have you noticed the number of highly paid film stars and athletes who so quickly get into trouble? The deceitful allure of alcohol, drugs, gambling and all sorts of vice quickly draws them into a destructive life cycle.

Even those of us without such wealth may find ourselves tempted to cheat, steal or be dishonest to save one more dollar or earn one more sale. Loving money is never good and is always bad.

Sometimes the result of loving money is subtle. For example,  the foolish farmer of Luke 12:13-21 was condemned not because of his success but because he trusted in himself and not in God. And like Solomon before, he was left to ponder the question of who would then possess his riches.

Once more from the wisdom of Solomon we note the avoidance of material affections and the fixing of our gaze upon God’s service.

“Fear God and keep his commandments for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

We can restate Paul’s argument this way: Because the love and pursuit of money brings trouble; because money is temporary; let us seek the permanence of God’s service instead of material wealth. Let us pray that we live in the middle, neither rich nor poor, only content.

Your thoughts?

Lord Keep Me From the Extremes

Church Bulletin, Culture, Daily living, Proverbs, , ,

Would you rather be rich or poor? Does it matter? The wisest man ever, who happened to have great wealth, said it like this:

“Remove far from me falsehood and lying;

give me neither poverty or riches;

feed me with the food that is needful for me,

lest I be full and deny you

and say,” Who is the Lord?”

or lest I be poor and steal

and profane the name of my God.” (Proverbs 30:8-9)

Solomon desired neither wealth nor poverty for both bring their own sets of problems and challenges which the King wanted to avoid.

Some have advocated poverty for those who seek the Lord. They have renounced earthly wealth and have chosen to live impoverished lives thinking that the life of the pauper is spiritually superior. And we are well acquainted with preachers of the “prosperity gospel” who call the faithful to great wealth every Sunday through television and radio. Continue reading Lord Keep Me From the Extremes →

Wednesday Blog Roundup

Personal finances, Web sites, , ,

The blog roundup for this week focuses on money. Yes, that all to scarce yet ubiquitous item that makes itself so important to most people. There is certainly no lack of information on the web about controlling your cash but not all of it is good. We’ll try to offer a selection of the best sites and blogs for your consideration.

I’ll begin with personal finance expert Dave Ramsey. His radio program and speaking engagements have turned Ramsey into something of a cult favorite. I think his advice and encouragement is very good although I am well aware that not everyone agrees with him. Here’s a link to Dave’s 7 Baby Steps to get out of debt. It’s a good place to start and you can explore the site further from that link.

Here’s a bit of a contrarian view about paying off debt from Liz Weston at MSN Money. She argues that we should be selective in which debt we pay off first. Her view is different from Ramsey and certainly worth considering. You can find her article at When paying off debt is a bad idea.”

Here’s a blog that focuses on managing money from a Christian perspective. I know almost nothing about the site or the person but he has a 7 step plan of his own which could prove helpful.

How about a list of 1001 ways to save money? Moolanomy has a list of list to consider.

Frugal Dad (how’s that for a blog name?) suggests using an envelope system to manage your budget. Actually that is also a favorite of Dave Ramsey too. This is a very simple way to take control of your spending.

Here’s a final article, again from Weston at MSN. Her readers shared their dumbest money blunders. Any of you like to chime in?

Please remember, The rich rules over the poor and the borrower is slave of the lender (Proverbs 22:7).

Also Paul’s advice to Timothy “now there is great gain in Godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world and we cannot take anything out of the world.” (1 Timothy 6:6, 7)

Your thoughts, comments and suggestions are always welcomed.

Mastering Money

Culture, Daily living, Personal finances,

Financial CrisisTimes are tough. It’s the end of the month and the bills are piling up. By next week you’ll have a whole new set of bills to pay. It may seem that there is only catastrophe waiting. Of course, like everyone else you are worried that your money is revolting against you and quickly trying to master you.

Just remember, you are the master of your money!  The very good news is that you can win and can pass through these difficult times with just a few slight changes in your thinking. If you will adopt these practices two things will happen. First, you will make better decisions about money and avoid some of the problems you now deal with. Second, you entire perspective on material goods will shift. I can’t make you rich but I can help you change your point of view!

One of my favorite passages on money comes from Paul in 1 Timothy 6:6-10. Here is how the ESV puts it:

“Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the 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.”

Let’s note a few lessons from this Scripture.

Learn to be Content – Not Satisfied

The word “content” and “contentment” stand out here. It was a state of life for Paul who declared in Philippians 4:11 that he had learned to be content in whatever situation he found himself. For Paul there was a very real difference in being content and being satisfied. Remember, he asked God on three occasions to remove that mysterious “thorn in the flesh” but God would not. Paul certainly wanted something better but he could accept his present condition with peace knowing that something better was still ahead.

Contentment is the art of finding happiness without paying for it. My cellphone is beginning to act up. AT&T says I am eligible for an upgrade to an iPhone! But why? It will cost more but will not make me happy. Can I learn to be content without one? Sure!

Contentment is also the art of acceptance. Take and use what life gives you now and be willing to wait for greater things later.

Count Your Blessings – Think of Where You Started

People need to remember where they came from – it helps to remind us of just how far we have come. Paul reminds us where we came from when he says “you brought nothing into this world and we cannot take anything out of this world” (vs. 7). When we begin to count our blessings we start to appreciate what we actually have – not bemoan what we do not have.

When Bobbi and I married, we lived in a townhouse. We had little and could barely afford the rent. Later when the company I worked with closed, I found myself working the night shift at a convenience store. Part of my job was mopping up after the drunks who came in to use the bathroom. It was a tough time. But when I think back on those days I see just how far God has brought us. He carried us through the darkness and into the blessings of his love.

Take sheet of paper and begin writing every blessing you can think of – leave nothing out. I can assure you that you will tire of writing long before you reach the end of the list!

Money Is Your Best Friend Until It Becomes Your Worst Enemy

If we chased after people like we do money we would be arrested for stalking. Many will do more for George and Abe than for their own family. They’ll work harder and longer and put up with more aggravation to make a dollar than they would ever accept from  their own family. We seem to think that money equals happiness. It does not. In fact, money can become your worst enemy.

Ask Bernard Madoff just what he thinks about his $50 billion in fraudulent wealth. He was so consumed by wealth that for years he juggled accounts trying to keep suspicious people away. His money sure isn’t doing him a lot of good is it? Those who pursued enormous financial gains through Madoff are now angry with him and with themselves for their greed which has cost them so much.

Paul’s comment in verse 9 that the pursuit of wealth “plunge people into ruin and destruction” seems to come straight from the headlines. Money is not a friend and it is not to be chased after. It is a tool only.

Wealth Just Isn’t All It’s Cracked Up To Be

A man I know of is very wealthy. He was born into money and is part of well known family. Yet this man is afraid to ride around in fancy cars and he often wears used work clothes just so people will not suspect he is so rich. He’s afraid he will be kidnapped!

Wealth, for all its supposed comfort and security often drives men away from God. I guess the acquisition of wealth causes one to trust in himself and not God. Man becomes too independent and no longer sees the need for a redemptive relationship with Christ.

Simon thought he was wealthy enough to buy the Holy Spirit. He could not (Acts 8:20). Money just ins’t powerful enough to accomplish the one thing we need the most and that is salvation from our sins. Ironically, that salvation is free (Romans 5:15, 16, 18).

We must have the proper view of money and wealth if we are to be happy in this life.

So Why Are We Here?

Only you can answer that question. But if your view of money is skewed toward the world you may have fallen into one of the traps Paul mentioned to Timothy (vs. 9). Maybe we’ve tried to impress people with our possessions. Someone said it well when they wrote that Americans “buy things they do not need with money they do not have so  that they can impress people they do not really like.”

Let’s be brutally honest. You may be in this position because you put yourself here. There may be some exceptions but I think most of us really did ourselves a disservice by our own view of money.

The good news is that there is help and there is deliverance. We will be posting more in coming days so be sure a check back. But for now, starting changing your perspective. Soon you will be far happier!

Greed Hurts

Culture, Daily living, Proverbs, ,

Greed will likely be the byword of 2009. Just think about it. Thousands of people bought homes they should have known they could not afford. Businessmen handed out loans to customers who could not repay and a slick salesman named Bernard Madoff took the wealthiest among us for billions in a scheme to get rich quick.

We see such schemes all the time. They come into our email inboxes and arrive via US mail constantly. Signs along the highway and ads in the paper all proclaim the end to our financial worries if we will just buy someones secret money making program.

Hogwash.

Here’s some more wise advice from Solomon:

A faithful man will abound with blessings,
But he who makes haste to be rich will not go unpunished.
(Proverbs 28:20)

As his custom in this section of the Proverbs, Solomon offers a positive followed by a negative. Let’s reverse it. The warning of haste in making riches is another way of warning against greed. Earlier Solomon has warned that the treacherous man will caught by his own greed (Proverbs 11:6).

When we seek to gain wealth quickly we often take shortcuts and liberties that we ought not. Often our vision becomes more and more focused upon our selves and less upon others. While we truly hurt for those who lost everything in the Madoff scandal and the other economic downturns we must be honest and observe that many are suffering because of their own greed.

The real source of wealth is often found in a different direction. Wealth is found in obedience to Jesus Christ and full submission to his will. Remember the Solomon searched for happiness but finally came to the conclusion that true happiness and contentment is found in serving God.

There is an abundance of blessings awaiting the faithful if we will just cling to the Lord.

Your thoughts?

Treasures on Earth?

Church Bulletin, , ,

American financial markets have struggled this week. The government seizure of key mortgage and insurance businesses and the bankruptcy of another cause great fear and trembling within that industry. Pictures of business executives wringing their hands and shaking their heads have been commonplace. One picture that stands out to me was taken in front of the Lehman Brothers offices in Manhattan. There formerly high paid employees were seen leaving and taking all of their belongings out in a single box. How sad!

The disruptions in the American markets however, emphasize something Jesus said Continue reading Treasures on Earth? →