Stewardship and the Gospel
Stewardship and the Gospel
Writing continuously about personal finance can become boring after a while, much like stewardship itself. We experience a diminishing return of excitement after the initial eye opening experience. So, I feel like I am writing the same things over and over. Anyone who has been keeping up on their stewardship probably feels like they have been doing the same thing over and over again. There just isn’t much new and exciting.
That is simply the truth of the matter. There aren’t a lot of new and sexy things in personal finance and stewardship. It is a long slow voyage with the occasional exotic port of call like “paid off credit card island” or “St. No More Student Debt” or even “God called me to give a large more bay”, but the reality is you will be doing the same thing for a long time to take care of God’s money properly.
The same could be said for the Gospel. Even though many people try to make the gospel more than it is. We need to be constantly reminded of the simple message of the Gospel. Jesus Christ died on the cross in your place for your sins. That simple message affects every areas of our lives. Our churches should be preaching this message even when it feels like we are saying the same thing over and over again. We all need to hear it.
Stewardship starts with a simple message: spend less than you make because your money is not your own, it belongs to God and he allows you steward his money and desires that you do so responsibly. There are a million ways to save money and live a more conservative lifestyle but the message is still the same. Treat your resources like they do not belong to you. Remember to make your decisions in light of that fact. Your time, your money and your talent are all God’s.
As long as people will continue to read, I will continue to write. God’s money is to be stewarded well and I will remind us all (myself included) of that.
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Giving Questions
Recently someone from our church asked me a set of giving questions to be used in a lesson series we are doing. I thought they would make a good mini post.
“ I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts luxuries, amusements etc is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own we are probably giving away too little. If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we would like to do but can not because our charities exclude them.” CS Lewis, Mere Christianity.
Looking for a new house
So, my wife and I have been looking into buying a new house. We have been living in our “starter home” for over 10 years now. We didn’t intend to be in it this long and with two growing girls we feel like we need to move on and get something a little larger. What are our considerations?
Are you creating an idol in our new house?
We think there is a distinct possibility that we may be looking for a house to provide peace that only God can provide. Although we do want to show more hospitality it is very easy for a new home to consume more of your life than it frees up. I have recently had a conversation with a friend who asked me if it was possible his house had become an idol of sorts. The question is why do we want a new home. We need some more space for our family including more in the ways of storage. We would like some more land in a more rural area partly so we can enjoy some peace and partly to enjoy activities that require more space, like archery and four-wheelers.
How much can we afford?
This is another big question. According to several calculators on the subject we can afford anywhere between 180 and 350k. Which is crazy! I couldn’t imagine making that kind of mortgage payment. We have a budget in place now that allows us to be fairly generous with out money while putting some away. Moving will mean we need to adjust out budget accordingly and we need to understand those changes. So the question is not “What can we afford?” but “How do we want to spend God’s money?”
Should we even move?
This is the question I really don’t want to ask myself. We have some great neighbors and our church has just planted a new congregation in our neighborhood. (after 5 years of driving 25 minutes to church). We could stay in our home and pay it off faster while keeping a lower mortgage payment and keeping more freedom in our budget.
Space is subjective I suppose, we feel cramped, but according to this article living space per person has doubled since 1973. Maybe our culture is just telling us that we need more space.
These are some of the questions that I will be reviewing over the next few months or until we make a decision…
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Balance Giving vs Investing
When I get to the Q&A portion of my classes there is a question I always get. “How do you balance giving and saving/investing?”
I wish I had a straight answer for the question of giving vs investing, but any short answer does a disservice to the question itself. As believers we are called to give sacrificially and generously to those in need. And it is a part of our culture and even sensible to save money for things like retirement. If you are looking to build a retirement nest egg and give sacrificially it can be a struggle to find any balance between them.
Obviously this isn’t an easy question to answer but here are a few things to consider.
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Are you living sacrificially?
Take a look at your budget and your spending and ask “Is my giving impacting my lifestyle?”
CS Lewis put it this way:
I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts luxuries, amusments etc is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own we are probably giving away too little. If our chartities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we would like to do but can not because our charities exclude them (Mere Christianity)
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Retirement isn’t biblical
This is a concept most people don’t realize. Retirement isn’t something the bible even addresses. Retirement is a twentieth century invention and it was created to force older workers out of the system so they would stop slowing down production. The only way to do it was to pay them not to work. Now it is just assumed that we will get to stop working one day even if we can’t afford it.
We may need to save for the loss of income as we reach retirement age, but shouldn’t assume that there will come a time where we are not working.
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Giving in light of God
As Christians we should think about our giving in light of God as the great giver. God planned to show his goodness to us before the foundation of the world in giving his son to save us. Jesus models for us what type of sacrifice we are supposed to display.
Philippians says “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Phil 2:5-8
If Jesus was willing to set aside equality with God we can be willing to set aside equality with our neighbors’ standard of living.
My kids come first?
This stems from a discussion I recently had on Facebook. It isn’t in my traditional category of personal finance, but it is about stewardship of a different kind. Something very important that we steward is our children. Our kids are in our complete care for temporarily before they come into adult hood. For some time and in some ways their relationship with the Lord is mediated through their parents until they are old enough to build one on their own. However before the throne of God we will all be equals, there will not be the hierarchy of family like we have here on earth.
Therefore, we are stewards of our children in as much as they are a gift from God given to us to raise for a short period of time. This is something very important to remember when considering how we raise our children.
I pointed out on Facebook that there is something more important than our relationship with our children, and that is the relationship we have with our spouses. Someone posted the picture above and I pointed out that my wife comes before my kids. A lot of people think that kids come first and should but I have to disagree. I have caught a little flack for this stance but based on my biblical understanding I can’t see it any other way.
Genesis 2:24 says “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.” Children will leave their family and join in a special union with their spouses. They become one in a way that I am not one with my children. Many marriages start to focus so hard on their children when they come along that they allow their marriages to fall apart. It is why you see many divorces after the kids leave the house, the marriage has taken a back seat to the children and is an anemic version of itself.
Your relationship with your children is immensely important, but understand your marriage is more important, it is the foundation of the family to which your children belong. It is structure where they will learn about the Lord, and about love and covenant, before they ever read scripture for themselves.
How to help kids manage money
How do you help your kids manage money? This is an article where I don’t think I have the one right answer. My girls are still young and have trouble understanding the value of money. We have tried a few things to help them get the concept, but I think these ideas are all part of the whole and not magic cures in and of themselves.
We are open about money with our kids.
My wife and I have been fairly open about how money works and the value of it. (Although because kids talk I still haven’t told them how much I make.) We explain that everything costs money and how much. I explain that God has blessed me with a job to be able to pay for our home and our food. We tell them how we give to the church regularly and the other ministries we sponsor. My wife takes them shopping and they understand the cost of items. When they ask why things cost money I explain how capitalism should work and how it should be a win-win for everyone. They have a few business ideas I need to encourage because of these conversations and a few episodes of Shark Tank.
We give them their own money
Well they work for it. They earn tickets for doing their chores which can be traded in for money or screen time. Their money is divided into a three part bank for giving, spending and saving. Any money is spending is theirs to do with that they please. (Although it is really hard when they want to buy crap.) Saving money must be targeted to a larger purchase they are working towards. Their giving must be directed outside of our home to church or to something else like the girls we sponsor through compassion international.
This is hopefully setting a pattern in their life. They are able to save money and delay gratification. They love to give money to good causes and have even thought of a few creative causes on their own. This is great because it gets them thinking about someone besides themselves.
We show them the water
You remember the saying, you can lead a horse to water? We show our kids the wise choices and explain them to them as best we can but we still let them make bad choices. “You can buy ice cream from the truck or you can buy a whole box from the store at the same price.” It seems to be working more and more as our older daughter is talking to us about her thought process and the smarter choices. I am sure they won’t always make the right choices but who does? We have let them suffer the consequences of their bad habits so they will hopefully learn a lesson down the road.
Did you parents do anything to help you understand money? What worked what didn’t work? What will you do with your kids? I really want to know because I don’t have the answers on this one.
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Satisfied In The Lord, Not A Paycheck
It was a while ago that I wrote “Please Give me my Idol“, an article where I talked about my personal idolatry in seeking a new job. Well, I had been seeking a new position for almost a year when God dropped two offers in my lap almost at the same time. It made me stress more than I have in my life, as I tried to use my own wisdom to make the decision instead of trusting in the Lord, because that is how I roll.
I essentially got the raise and promotion I had wanted, which is a blessing, but I have been wrestling with my own sinfulness in the process. How much do I rely on myself and my abilities instead of relying on God. How much of my career ambitions are sinful in nature as opposed to simply wanting to work hard and represent the Lord well. I understand that well paid or not I should be satisfied in the Lord; it is just really hard to do.
When I first started to talk about my job search, almost a year or more ago, I was discussing it at community group. Talking through why I wanted a new job and more money. I said when it comes to my career I really only wanted to go one more step. I feel that if I pursue my career further it will be too difficult to maintain a work/life balance that is important to my families well being. An uncomfortable conversation followed that statement. I am not positive who it was with, but I remember the conversation well:
Me: I really only want one more promotion, then I will be in good shape.
Someone: Until you get that promotion.
Me: No, I think I will be good
Someone: Until you get that job.
I got what they were saying, but thought they were wrong. Until I just found myself planning my next career move after just receiving that promotion that I was so sure would be good enough. It is possible that my heart may be pure in this matter and I am in a different place in my career now. That being said, it is best to examine my heart and pray asking God to reveal any sinfulness in this area. I know that I am not satisfied in the Lord nearly as much as I should be. I know I rely on my self far to much.
That being said, sitting down with some friends of our who are missionaries really opened my eyes to the reality that my money is to be used to further spread the gospel. The reason God would bless me is not simply to hoard the money, but to use it for his glory.
Being satisfied in the Lord is something we give lip service to but it is difficult in a culture where you are constantly being told what you need in the form of commercials. If we could only have the life they promise us. The fact is all those trinket will pass away and be trash at some point. Only the things that are eternal should be pursued to the degree we chase a better lifestyle. I want to be satisfied in the Lord but I don’t want to have to go through losing everything in order to learn that lesson.
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5 Most Influential Finance Books -In My Life
Over the years I have read a good number of personal finance books. I have read some good ones and some not so good ones. Here are the most influential finance books in my life.
- The Richest Man in Babylon
this classic book is written is a wonderful parable form which, in like many books on personal finance makes it both informative and entertaining. It teaches you how important it is for your money to produce money (interest). Although it was written before income tax was instituted in the US so the formulas are a bit out dated the concepts are wonderful.
- Sex and Money: Pleasures That Leave You Empty – Paul Tripps book addresses the hearts issues behind the two major idols in our culture. It will dig deep into the crevasses of your heart and tear sins up from the root. Sounds painful but it is great. That is why it is on my list of most influential finance book.
- Money – God or Gift – This little book by Jamie Munson is a great little starter book from RE:lit. It covers the basics of biblical stewardship and money principles.
- Your Money or Your Life
– It walks you through some steps of thought that help you think differently about money. If you actually do all the ”homework” the authors recommend it will open your eyes to your finances. How much of your life are you giving up just to make money to maintain your current lifestyle. This thought process makes it one of the most influential finance books in my life.
- The Treasure Principle – In this first book in the new LifeChange series, bestselling author Randy Alcorn introduces readers to a revolution in material freedom and radical generosity that will change lives around the world.
I hope to include my book in this list some day. If you want to be kept in the loop sign up for the mailing list and I will update you on my progress.
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This Personal Finance Writer Confesses A Secret; You Won’t Believe What It Is.
The head line a small attempt at satire, but I am going to let you in on a secret. I screw up my with my money all the time.
This leads to my impostor syndrome, feeling that I am a fraud and just fooling people in to thinking I know what I am talking about on this site and in my classes. But the reality is I am human. We make mistakes all the time in our finances. Experts in every field make mistakes, Microsoft had the Zune, Steve Jobs had the Newton and my wife and bought our house at the worst time in history, when prices were at their peak.
I was once teaching a marriage money class and one of the guests pointed out something that should be quite obvious. “There is grace for that.” She was talking about dealing with mistakes made about money between a couple, however it applies to all of us with our money. We are all going to be selfish, or buy stupid stuff, or make a less than optimal decision when it comes to how we handle our money. There is grace for that just like there is grace for all of our mistakes and sins.
It is OK to make mistakes. If we all had perfect foresight we wouldn’t have to worry about it but that isn’t the case. We don’t know what is coming so the best we can do is cover our bases and prepare. In the end our financial decisions matter to the degree they glorify God and promote the spread of the Gospel. Making 4% instead of 5% isn’t a big deal when you examine things in light of eternity.
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The Church as our Emergency Fund
Warning: The following may be the ramblings of an idealist who has been researching too much for his upcoming book. (Sign up to say informed)
Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have. 13 Of course, I don’t mean your giving should make life easy for others and hard for yourselves. I only mean that there should be some equality. 14 Right now you have plenty and can help those who are in need. Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it. In this way, things will be equal. 15 As the Scriptures say,
“Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over,
and those who gathered only a little had enough.” (NLT)
What would our financial planning and our giving look like if the local church could and would act as our emergency fund? If we weren’t so secretive about our giving? So we knew that the church was willing and able to take care of us in an emergency of some kind.
What if the all the members of a local body knew how everyone gave and we provoked one another to good works in this area in such that we knew when we fell on hard times we would be taken care of? Because that is “What we do” Craig Blomberg in his book Neither Poverty nor Riches puts it this way “And When believers realize that others will care for them if they unexpectedly find themselves impoverished they can be freed to give more money in times of plenty.”
What would that look like? Could we live freer if we knew this? I think it would be amazing. We could give more regularly stretching ourselves to more sacrificial giving without fear because we would recognize that God is revealing his grace to care for us through the local body of believers.
This is what Paul called the Corinthian church to do, they were not lacking and could give to the churches in Judea and if a time came when Judea was not lacking and the Corinthians were in need they would return the favor so that there could be some form of equality between them. I know this idea of economic equality has some baggage today but it should not be so in the family of God. We should not allow ourselves to be so selfish with our money that we allow others to be in dire straights.
Remember Paul was calling the Corinthians to this level of generosity “not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine.” v.8 How generous we are to those in need is in direct proportion to how we much we love God and his people.
What does my generosity say about my love for others? I don’t know if I want to know the answer to that.
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