I’ve spent a fair amount of time in churches that only reference money in relation to the subject of giving. There’s certainly nothing wrong with talking about giving in the Church: God certainly cares about your giving. But He also cares about everything else you do with your money!
One thing is certain: regardless of what a church or preacher does, God’s way of managing your money is always better than your way of managing your money. God has a plan for how you manage all of your money: not just the giving part. Here are a few important principles to help you manage your money God’s way.
Step one: Recognize your money belongs to God! Everything you have belongs to God, including your money. Understanding that one fact will change everything you do with your money. The money you have belongs to God and it is only on loan to you. If you owned your money, you could manage it any way you wanted. The fact that it belongs to God means you must figure out how to manage it God’s way. If you settle the ownership issues, the management issue become much easier.
Step two: Realize why God gave you money! Once you recognize who your money belongs to, you can better understand why He gave it to you. God’s Word tells us there are three basic things we can do with the money God entrusts to us:
1. You can spend it.
2. You can save it.
3. You can give it.
The problem we have with managing our money is that the world wants us to live above our means. When you try to live above your means, you will have trouble with your spending, saving, and giving. Paul Harvey once summed our problem up like this: “When your output exceeds your income, then your upkeep will be your downfall.”
Step three: Remember why He gave it to you! When you forget why God gave you the money that you have, you will be more likely to manage it the wrong way. God gave you the money you have to be a tool. Like your time and body, your money is to be a tool to be used to bring God glory. If your money becomes more than a tool, then you will manage it the wrong way.
Being a disciple has always meant being a better manager. At Impact Ministries, we have some great resources to help grow as a manager. Go to impactdisciples.com to ask for more information about being a manager of your money, or check out some of our resources below on that exact topic!
