In my last post, I presented the principle that disciples of Jesus Christ should steward their money within God’s system. I referenced Luke 16:1–9 as my basis.
Now, I want to give you one of the foundations of the “within God’s system” concept. Conveniently, it’s the very next passage in Luke:
“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Luke 16:10–13)
As is my MO, I want to highlight a couple of things in this passage, not do a full examination. For a deeper dive on the entire Luke 16:1–13 passage, check out the “Resources for Spiritual Maturity” tab here.
I’m going to work backwards here. In verse 13, wealth (ESV “money”) is presented as being able to be a master. “You cannot serve God and money.” What we choose to serve becomes our master. Money’s probably at the top of that list, for sure.
What I also notice is that faithfulness and dishonesty are character issues, not something borne out of external stimuli.
Faithfulness in little — Faithfulness in much
Dishonest in little — Dishonest in much
We see this with lottery winners. Now ignore the “70% of lottery winners declare bankruptcy” stat, that’s fiction. And a good lesson on learning to do your own research—own the process.
But the stats are still striking. Truth is about 33% of lottery winners declare bankruptcy within 7 years of winning. Compare that with 10% of average Americans who declare bankruptcy over their lifetime. Lottery winners are 3x as likely to declare bankruptcy as an average American.
So take my 2 observations from above.
- Money has the ability to become a master (and you its slave) if you let it.
- Faithfulness/Dishonesty are character issues—more money doesn’t make you more faithful.
Simple hard hitting conclusion: We don’t need more money. We need more character.
You develop character by doing the hard things that Scripture tells us line up with the Spirit of God who indwells us.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:22–24)
This has been a bit of a winding journey to get here, but here’s my point:
The money God gives you to manage is to be stewarded in light of His character and nature—self-control and patience. That self-control and patience are mostly spending issues. And as we saw, more money doesn’t mean more faithfulness.
But less spending? Borne out of a desire to steward well, and to let the Spirit start bearing fruit in your life? That’s character, and a foundation of financial mastery.
Action Steps
Just one for now.
Track every dollar you spend for a month. Ruthlessly. Relentlessly. No exceptions. Write it down. Don’t do any eval on it. Yet. That day will come.
Simply putting eyeballs on your spending will almost automatically pay dividends. Many people find that it’s not their bills or monthly expenses that’s the problem. It’s the discretionary spending that destroys budgets. Keep track of every dollar and you’ll think about what you buy/spend. It’s human nature. But like Bible reading, prayer, meditation, eating healthy, and getting fit—it’s a process. Play the Long Game. And it starts with gaining familiarity. What situation am I really in?
Very important—don’t evaluate any of this yet. Step 1 is just the accumulation of data.
Last thing: You (and perhaps your family/significant other) are going to push back on this—you’ll feel this is too limiting, too repressive. You want to be in control. Think about that. If keeping track of your money makes you feel like you have less control, then who/what is really in control.
Who is going to step up and take the first step in managing their finances in accordance with God’s system?
Drop a comment, or better yet, hit “Subscribe” on the “Contact Us” page.
Pete is Out.