Unless one was born into wealth, having enough resources may be a concern to navigate through. Problems are part of life and we know we must learn how to work through them with the proper methods and wisdom. Job would say, “Man who is born of woman Is of few days and full of trouble.” (Job 14.1). However, the Bible has much to say about finances and resources to help us in life. Unfortunately, many believe money is evil. The love of money, though, is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Tim. 6.10). Let us strive to use wisdom in the usage of money and be good stewards over the mammon the Lord has blessed us with (Pro. 17.16).

Money or some type of commodity is a necessary tool in our world and there is no way around it. Understanding the times we are in is important to govern ourselves accordingly. However, many in our land and the church have money problems for different reasons. Will a man rob God? These are the piercing words of Malachi and they are relevant today (Mal. 3.8). Will a Christian steal from God through withholding their offering and spending it on themselves? The answer is absolutely. Seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness is vitally important to being and remaining true to how we see our finances (Matt. 6.33). Do not rob from God.

Why are there so many problems when it comes to money and resources with us at times? Maybe because of a misplaced loyalty to it. No one, especially the Christian, should elevate resources higher than what they ought. Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matt. 6.19-20). Jesus also stated these words which are needed for us today and may contribute to financial woes: “You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matt. 6.24). We would do well to be generous and not practice selfishness as the rich fool did in Luke 12:13-21. But on the contrary, we should be like the widow who gave from her poverty and was recognized by Jesus as doing something great (Mark 12.41-44).

God has called us to budget as Christians. Paul instructed the church at Corinth to “lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper…” demonstrating the need to budget for the first day of the week offering (1 Cor. 16.2). Many have no idea how to budget and unfortunately this results in the kingdom of God not being supported by them and others not being repaid for services rendered (Deut. 8.18). God is the One who gives power to get wealth and therefore we have an obligation to owe no one anything except to love one another… (Rom. 13.8). Now, we must keep in mind the idea of owing no one anything. This idea is about not being behind in your debts, which means your debts are paid on time as a good stewart.

Many in the church do not know how to save money for a rainy day and therefore find themselves in trouble when difficult times arise. Solomon stated some powerful words in Proverbs 6.6, when he said, “Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise”.  It is very difficult to help the needy if we are not managing our money correctly. Solomon stated these fine words that are worthy of our attention: “He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD, And He will pay back what he has given” (Pro. 19.17). The poor will always be with us and for this reason, we should learn to live below our means to help (Matt. 26.11). When we save, again we are able to share and lay up treasure for ourselves as a firm foundation for the coming age (1 Tim. 6.17-19).

When covetousness is a problem with us, it can cause us to be like Ananias and Sapphira in Acts chapter five. See, the Bible tells us to keep our lives free from covetousness and be content with the things we have, because God has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb. 13.5; Deut. 31.6, 8; Josh 1.5). Ananias and Sapphira had the power to do what they wanted with the proceeds from the land they sold. Yet, through deception, they attempted to trick the brethren and God called them out on their foolishness. This should be a lesson for us and how dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow (Pro. 13.11). So, let us not love money and let us learn contentment. As John the Baptist told the soldiers, “be content with your wages” (Luke 3.14).

In closing, let us work hard and make good financial decisions. If we are in the infant stages of wage earning or on a fixed income, let us seek to keep God in the forefront and glorify Him in all things. If we are still in the wage earning stages of life, let us do our part to be good stewards and help those in need. In other words, “it is more blessed to give than receive.” (Acts 20.35). May the Lord bless us to love God, support the church and help the world in the best way possible. God is TRUE!