Brothers, welcome to the start of the Finance Forge series. Brutal truth: The godly principles surrounding money are incredibly simple. The only difficulty is with our submitting to those principles and lining up our lives with God’s purposes. Let’s dive in.
Principle No. 1: God owns everything.
Notice I started with God, because He is the source and foundation of everything. The reason the initial content on this website covered Bible reading is because when you become familiar with Scripture, this concept is everywhere. It starts with Genesis 1: God creates everything, therefore He owns everything. Why do you think the world consistently attacks the Creation Narrative? Because if God didn’t create everything then His ownership is off the table. I tend to think of this more in terms of principle than in individual verses, but for your reference:
“Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it.” (Deuteronomy 10:14)
“Who has first given to me, that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine.” (Job 41:11)
“The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.” (Psalm 24:1–2)
Simple to understand. When this truth sinks in, generosity becomes natural, anxiety about money drops, and you’re actually free to do whatever God asks.
Principle No. 2: Your finances are not yours—they’re God’s.
What you think is your money, your ability to earn money, everything you buy with money, everything you think you own—none of it is yours. It’s all on loan from God. This mindset shift is the key to managing money well.
Why would we be stingy with what isn’t ours? God owns it and gave it to you to use in service for Him.
Principle No. 3: Your attitude toward money reveals much about your relationship with God.
Money is where the rubber meets the road on a number of issues. You say you trust God? Be generous, even when it doesn’t make “sense.” You say you follow Jesus? Does your wallet accompany you on that journey? The way we live our lives testifies how real God’s work in our lives is. For that testimony to be valid, it must be the natural outgrowth of a life transformed by Christ—His Word, His work. Get that right through Scripture immersion, prayer and meditation then follow His lead.
Principle No. 4: Steward your money within God’s system.
This principle is nuanced, so stay with me. Check out Luke 16:1–9:
He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.” (Luke 16:1–9)
This is a difficult parable, no doubt. It has puzzled scholars for centuries. I want to point out a particular aspect of the parable that holds a key to understanding it. Look at verse 8: The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. “For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.”
The parable is centered around managing someone else’s wealth. The master commended the manager for his shrewdness, and then Jesus adds that the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation. The world operates on certain principles—ungodly principles, but principles nonetheless. The manager was shrewd in operating within that system.
We serve a different Master with different principles: Kingdom principles. Grace, generosity, contentment, provision by faith. Understand God’s system—then manage His resources shrewdly inside it. Not the world’s rules. His.
I can (and will) give you some techniques to get a handle on finances, how to put yourself in control so that your money doesn’t manage you, but you manage your money. I will present some obstacles you are likely to face, and strategies to overcome them.
This isn’t about guilt or checklists. It’s about alignment.
If your money doesn’t reflect dependence on God, your discipleship is out of alignment.
Managing your money as God would have you manage it represents God well, it puts you in a position to do whatever God asks you to do with His money, allows you to help others, and deepens your trust and relationship with God in Christ.
Own it. Audit it. Steward it.
God’s watching. And He’s not asking for your money—He’s asking how you’re spending His.
Pete is Out.