Your balance sheet tells some of your story. Are you trying to provide for a family? Earn as much as you can? Save as much as you can? Give as much as you can? Be financially “free?”

Here’s what I consider the most important:  Are your finances ‘balanced?’

Regardless of your goals, where do you get direction for how you make all of your financial decisions? What is the one objective that guides your overall personal finances? Do you have a focus that can steer all your financial decisions?

I meet people all the time who say that money is the source of most of their stress. They lack balance for themselves and their balance sheet shows it.

In the Bible, Jesus tells us the number one obstacle to a relationship with God is our money. Luke reminds us that no one can serve two masters. “Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and
money.” (Luke 16:13)

You cannot be stressed over your money and be in harmony with God. Simply put, you should not call yourself a committed Christian if your finances are not in balance. The Bible just says too much about this subject for us not to take this seriously. It is clear on this issue so we can focus on the more important issue of our relationship with God.

I have read hundreds of books on personal finance (I will be giving you more titles and topics in the blogs to come) and have never heard anyone give me as good an understanding of what the one thing that guides our overall personal finance as the Bible. It’s very clear on what this one objective should be in all areas of our lives, not just our finances.

“Everything comes from You [God], and we have given You only what comes from Your hand.” (1 Chronicles 29:14b)

David, the author of this passage, saw himself as a steward. A steward is someone who manages someone else’s resources. When we begin to think of ourselves as stewards we will manage the assets God has entrusted us with differently. We begin to see them as resources through which we can honor God.

Simply, everything we have belongs to God, comes from God and is distributed by God, so then our objective should be to honour God with everything we manage while on this earth. What should our objective be at school? Honour God. Our objective at work? Honor God. Our objective at home? Honor God. Honoring God isn’t about just giving. It includes giving and living. We need to honor God in all aspects of our finances. In all areas of our lives.

It’s the whole thing. Get this right and watch your life become more balanced. Start today!

Attitude:

Honor God with everything. Recognize it all belongs to God, comes from God and is distributed by God.

Ask “God, show me how to honor you with everything I have.”

Action:

Resource Recommended

Stanley, Andy. (2010). Balanced. Atlanta: North Point Community Church.