In January my church, Northcrest Baptist Church, advertised a new financial class that was going to be offered called “God Owns It All.” My instinctive thought in response to this announcement was, “I don’t need that.” Even though my husband Heath and I were married just this past June, I wasn’t concerned about how we manage our money. I felt confident in our current financial state. Many people who know me personally know that I grew up watching my parents learn about budgeting through Dave Ramsey’s classes, and I even wrote an article about my thoughts on money management as a single woman in 2017 called “Money Smarts” (https://www.sharelife.me/money-smarts/). While Heath and I were dating, I shared what I had learned over the years and showed him how I budgeted. We also read Dave Ramsey’s book titled The Total Money Makeover during our weeks of marriage counseling. When I heard about this new class, I truly felt we already knew everything we needed to know. We budgeted, we saved, and we tithed, so it would be a waste of time.
However, when I heard the announcement again about the new financial class, I felt God speaking to my heart. That Sunday I couldn’t get the class out of my mind. I started thinking about what Pastor Dan says each week: “We have not arrived.”- meaning none of us are where we should be as Christians according to the Bible. I knew I was wrong in thinking I knew everything. We Christians know that we are not perfect and should always be looking for ways to grow toward Christ. I also knew that if I were honest with myself, I desperately needed to be fed spiritually. I currently serve on the media team at my church, which I love! But at the time, we were short on people, so I was in the media room for every single service. It had been a while since I had been able to attend the worship service or my Life Group. Considering all of this, I decided to sign Heath and me up for the class. I figured that we might not learn anything new, but it might help confirm that what we were doing was the right way to manage our finances.
For six to eight weeks, before the evening worship service, we attended the class. Each session was such a blessing and confirmed for me that I had made the right decision for us in attending. By the end of the class, Heath and I felt even more confident in the steps we have been taking financially for our future. However, during each class God made me realize that my reasoning for budgeting, saving, and tithing was all wrong. I did all of those things for several years because it was the right thing to do. Why was it the right thing? Because Daddy told me to. Now, there is nothing wrong with that logic, of course! I obviously have huge respect for my dad; I’ve always followed his advice and completed the steps as he instructed. I know my dad is a Godly man, and I trust and love him very much.
If I compared myself to other young adults (once again, wrong thinking as a Christian), I could see that I was ahead of the game and was going to be better off in the end, but I never stopped to think about what God says about money. In most situations I am thinking about how things will benefit me, reflect on me, or work in my favor. If I’m honest, when making decisions, I tend to do what I think is best for me rather than what would glorify God. That being said, I was amazed to find out that every concept or money managing principle was backed up by God’s word, and I bookmarked each and every verse mentioned in the study so as not to forget what I had learned. There is nothing we can do to earn the grace and salvation from God because it is a gift (Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV). And this amazing, wonderful, undeserved gift should motivate us to be more and more like Him! Everything that we say and do, including managing our money, should be to glorify our God, not for our own selfish gain (Philippians 2:3 ESV).
So, what’s my point here? Well, of course I want to encourage everyone to attend this class or any financial class that your local church offers. I would also encourage you to do your own personal study of what God’s word says about managing money God’s way. We need to understand that everything that we have on this earth comes from the Lord. That includes our possessions, money, monetary resources, and our abilities (1 Chronicles 29:14, Psalm 24:1, Psalm 50:9-12, and Deuteronomy 8:10-20 ESV). Finally, my ultimate goal here is to help you understand that if you ever feel comfortable about where you are mentally or spiritually, please be careful. Like I mentioned earlier, we have not arrived. There is no such thing as a perfect Christian, and if you think you’re pretty close, buddy, I’m here to tell you that the Lord is going to use something in your life to knock you down a peg (Matthew 23:12 ESV). He has done it to me plenty of times in my life. The minute I start thinking that I’m doing pretty good or I’m doing much better than others, God reminds me really quickly that I’m not so much the hot shot that I think I am – or act like I am sometimes.
Paul made his feelings about this clear in Philippians 3: 12-21 (ESV). Paul explains that he doesn’t have confidence in himself but full confidence in the truth. We are not supposed to be satisfied with where we are. We should be pursuing the future, for personal spiritual growth never ends! I believe that if you are not growing, you are regressing. I remind my fifth graders almost every day that there is always room to grow, always more to learn. I often get frustrated with the students that think, “Well, I have an A, and I’m above grade level, so I’m fine. Why do I have to read more? Why do I need to study? Why is she giving me extra work?”
Now I see that I sometimes have similar thoughts about myself, and if you’re honest, you do, too. I’m saved, I go to church Sunday morning, I pray and read my Bible sometimes. I’m doing really well in life. Why do I need to read the Bible every day? Why do I have to go to church Sunday morning and evening? Why do I need to go to church on Wednesday? And every time those thoughts come into my head, God is in my ear telling me that I’m not done. My goal is my eternal reward, and I’m not there yet. So, before you think you have it pretty much all together, remember to humble yourself before God. God gives grace to those who seek humility (James 4:10 and 1 Peter 5:5 ESV). God will give you the power to resist the devil if you will humbly submit yourself to Him. Don’t step into the devil’s pride trap. Sin is birthed out of pride. Virtue, holiness, and glory to God are birthed out of humility.
For further study:
- 1 Timothy 3:6-7
- James 4:6-7
- Proverbs 6:16-19