Before we start, let us pray:
“Heavenly Father, we thank you that you are the Creator and Author of life, and you are the master of all. You have planned how things are to operate in this world for your people. We ask that you would give us a Biblical knowledge of your financial principles, and that you would increase our knowledge, and give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to comprehend what you tell us in your Word. We thank you for it, in Jesus’ name.”
Although there is too much to share in one article, I will give you 5 principles of Money Management that you will need in order to be successful with the resources God has entrusted you with. These are simple and basic truths, but they must be followed with all diligence, if you are to benefit.
- Spend Less Than You Make
Make a list of all the forms of income you make in a month. Make another list of where that money will need to go in the same given 30-day time frame. If the numbers don’t match, you have three options: Cut Expenses, Do Without, or Earn More. Do whatever combination will work until the numbers balance out so that your outgo is less than what’s coming in. Proverbs 22:7 says “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.”
- Pay Your Tithe
This is not an option. God’s Word is clear that 10 percent of our income needs to go to our local church so that the work of the Lord’s house can continue. Malachi 3:10 teaches us that if we follow this practice, God promises to bless us, and rebuke the devourer on our behalf. And it also teaches that a curse will follow us if we steal the money that belongs to God. After all, it’s God’s hand of goodness that allows us to find a job, keep a job, and succeed at our job. God also says to “try” him and “test” him on this, and see if He will not open the windows of heaven to us and pour out a blessing on us, and our descendants, that we cannot contain. Do you need a blessing for you or your children? Follow this principle with a willing heart and see what blessings follow.
- Give to the Needy
Scripture is clear that if we shut up our hearts from those in need, then God will shut His heart up in our times of need. Be generous. The Word of God says to give and it will be given back to you (Luke 6:38). You’ll be surprised the ways in which God will give it back to you, in many beautiful ways! Remember, the scriptures say in 2 Corinthians 9:7, that God loves a cheerful giver. Deuteronomy 15: 7-11 promised that God will bless us if we do not withhold help to others. 1 John 3:17 says that the love of God is not in us, if we see our brother in need and close our heart against him. We should work hard so that in this way, we have enough to share (Acts 20:35). We are not to neglect to do good and to share what we have, for these sacrifices are pleasing to God, (Hebrews 13:16). “Whoever is generous to the poor, lends to the Lord, and He himself will repay,” Proverbs 19:17.
- Do Not Charge Things
It’s a Biblical principle that we should not be in debt to the lender. 1 Corinthians 7:23 says, “You were bought with a price, do not become slaves of human beings.” When there are unreasonable interest rates for title loans, credit cards and the like, God’s people become enslaved. Romans 6:16, (NLT), “Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.”
- Invest in the Future
It’s easy to understand the concept that if we use up all our resources now, we won’t have anything for the future. The Bible shows the diligence of a women, described in Proverbs 31, who considered a field and purchased it, and with the profits, planted a vineyard, which yielded an ongoing profit. Her hand was also generous to those in need. She made sashes and supplied them to the merchants, and she looked carefully after the ways of herself, her husband, her workers, and her entire household. When we ask the Lord, the Bible says that He will teach us to profit.
John 17:17 (ESV) says, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your Word is truth.”
Psalm 32:8 (ESV) says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”
May the Lord fill you the knowledge of His will, and Spirit of His might!
