For my second installment on living a godly life (something I am trying to figure out how to do) I want to talk about financial wisdom.
God wants us to be wise in the way we use the money HE blesses us with, be it millions of dollars or just enough to squeak by each month. Most of us have enough to survive, and generally more than that. Even in this down turn in the economy, God is giving us enough to live, and most of us are not doing that living in cardboard boxes.
We may not have all that we want, but if we do this money thing the way the Lord tells us to, we will have the security to know that God will take care of us. The first thing to learn is to always tithe--that is to give back to God what HE deserves. It is really all His anyway.
When you are living on a month to month, trying to buy enough groceries and figure out how to keep the landlord's and bill collectors happy type budget it is hard to imagine giving 10% of that $ to the Lord. TEN percent!!! That is a lot of food money you may think. But it is amazing to see how much farther your budget can stretch if you are in the habit of tithing. The Lord blesses those that do things His way.
So, we know that tithing is a good idea. But that isn't all there is to financial wisdom, I should know. Learning to live in a financially godly way is something that at 27 I am still endeavoring to learn, and probably will be learning my whole life.
Some of the things I have learned that I TRY to implement (and I'm writing this as an imperfect person that is preaching to myself...because who actually reads this blog???) is to set up a realistic budget and stick to it. No matter how much $$$ you have, be it access to the Trump's vault, or a welfare check, if you set up a realistic budget and stick to it, you are learning wise $ management. The point here is to STICK to the budget. It is a waste of time to make one if you are going to ignore it.
Another thing I have learned is to be creative. Yeah, going to Disney World sounds exciting, visiting friends that live across the country would be great, but is it worth going into debt? Come up with creative ways to have fun. America is a vast place, and there are people from all over our country that travel to YOUR area to vacation. Most locals don't vacation where they live. So why not see the sights--it is quite cheap and could be enlightening. Or, if you want to do dinner with friends have a potluck. It is just as fun as going out to eat, you could even make it a dressy affair, and it is budget friendly. Think outside the box for activities. Being creative takes more thinking, but it is generally more fun too!
A third part of financial wisdom is preparing for a rainy day. No matter how little we make we should be putting a little bit in savings (be it in a bank account or under the mattress), because only God knows the future. Even if it is only $5/month, it is something and God will bless the foresight and sacrifice.
A fourth part is to settle for the simple life. The simple life is not a bad life. Think about it, who seems most fulfilled really? The hoi ploi that are trying to better each other and have the biggest and the best, or the less financially endowed, but those that know that money isn't everything? Money is necessary and having it may simplify some things, but it complicates other things. Like everything else in life, money is two sided.
Money is needed to survive in our culture, but with money comes responsibility and stress. Responsibility to live within your means and stress when you are blessed with a larger budget. I've read articles and talked to people that have been quite blessed financially and one thing they seem to have in common-they wonder who their real friends are. Lots of people will try to get into "your circle" when you have money, because they want to benefit from your blessing. So, with money comes a need to figure out who are the true friends and who are the sponges. Right now, I know who my true friends are, I know who I can count on, and that is worth far more than having unlimited cash.
Yes, I'd love to have a budget that is a bit more elastic and less rigid. If I'm being honest, I'd like to experience what it is like to be rich. But being money rich is not necessary. Yes, I hope to make a decent amount from my book (and hopefully more than one book), but I don't want it so that I can dive in my money vault like Scrooge McDuck.
And that is the final secret to financial wisdom. God is a master at looking at our hearts. If we are tithing, living within our budgets, being creative that is all good, but God also looks at the heart. Are we doing all this in the hopes that God will see our actions and deem us blessing worthy, or do we truly have a steward's heart? Deep down why are trying to be financially wise? If we are doing it because we honestly believe it is God's way, that is what matters. Our convictions and our heart followed by displaying those through deeds is what God looks for-that is the crux of living Godly.
The human part of me wants money because it buys stuff--and God knows that is a struggle for most people, and I'm totally included in that group. I like stuff, especially movies and books. I'm a bookaholic. I read just about an anything and everything and I am most comfortable when surrounded by books. But, God also knows why I want to make a bit more money, and here is the truth, here is Jessie being honest.
1. I'm deeply indebted to my parents. Not only for their immense generosity, but for their love and because I love them back. I want to be able to give back and support them in a lavish way, because my love language is gift giving. Having money would be how I can show them in a material way that love them.
2. God has taken me on an incredible journey and I have learned so much about Him. I want to be able to share HIS story with others, and hopefully help others to avoid the pain and the trials I have endured, and to help people that are in the midst of blinding trials to see the Light of Hope and to endure the trials and be Christ matured by them. It takes money to do this, to get from my home to where I want to speak.
3. I want to be able to travel. Traveling to visit friends that I love, and to see other parts of the world. Traveling is one way that I grow closer to God. Seeing all that God has created and learning just a smidgen of how imaginative our Savior is, just blows my mind and draws me even closer to Him and I yearn to have an even deeper relationship with my Lord.
4. It is the way the Lord wants me to live. Being financially wise is godly. It is mature and it is a better witness to others. We dim our reflection of Christ when we act in financially foolish ways. Our mission is to spread Christ's message and gift to others, and if that means living financially wise, than that is what I yearn to do. I want to do it simply because it is the right thing to do.
-JLK-
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