The Holy Buyble
The Holy Buyble
So I've been wanting to write a blog about biblical finances for some time now. By no means are we financial gurus or do we claim to know it all, but we do see what has worked for us over our past 4 and a half years of marriage. Being 25, I've not had the life experience to know how to provide specific financial insight to a 45-year-old couple with 4 children, a mortgage and a 401K. However, I think there is biblical wisdom to be found not necessarily in life experiences, but from what God's word clearly teaches us about money. How can we be responsible and blameless in our financial habits? How can we best honor the Lord Jesus when we walk into a store?
Finances boil down to really two things: love Jesus and be good at math. I will also say, if you are not a Christian, I hope you can glean some insight from this post. Understand though that ultimately you will never really be able to have a truly healthy relationship with money. That's because money is an issue of the heart. Most Christians do not struggle with money simply because we desire Jesus and not stuff. That is my prayer for you reading this, that Christ would be your ultimate treasure.
It's not uncommon for people as soon as their early twenties to already be drowning in debt. From student loans, to credit cards, to car loans, they're already tens of thousands of dollars in the negative. Jobs are scarce, and good jobs are almost non-existent. Even still, our desire to spend, spend, spend still creeps its way in. We still want to appear to have it all, even if we don't. We're driving cars we can't afford and buying clothes we don't need. How many young girls do you see at the grocery store using food stamps, yet they have iphones and manicures? There's very little self-control, very poor prioritizing and very little evaluation. Individual choices eventually affect everyone, for the worse or for the better. We swipe the credit card, walk out of the store and hope that time will erase the numbers.
I'm about to get really candid with you here. I will share actual numbers with you so that we're clear what we're actually talking about.
I buy whatever I want, whenever I want.
Yep, you read that right.
If I want a new shirt, I buy it. If I want a $4 mocha latte with whipped cream, I get it. If we want Olive Garden, we go.
It would be understandable then for you to now assume that we are either 1) rich or 2) in debt. Actually we are neither. My husband and I are both 25 and have been married for 4 and a half years. Never once have we grossed over $27000 a year or been in even a dime of debt. We owe nothing on credit cards (I didn't even get my first credit card until July), have zero student loans, and own both of our vehicles. We do not live off mom and dad or the government.
Contrary to popular belief, it is possible to comfortably make ends meet without making six figures. Sometimes the answer is not that we need more money, but that we need to be wiser with the money we have been given. God has been so gracious to provide every need for us. Even though in our early years of marriage we were lucky to gross $1000 a month, we had a biblical understanding of finances and also we had wonderful examples of financial integrity in the lives of our Christian family and friends. There were times where we penny-inched and worked as much as we could, yet still had very little money. But God always graciously provided; we have many stories we could tell you of God's faithfulness and provision.
So what does the Bible say about money? The Bible has lots to say, but I'll sum it up in four main points.
1. Work Hard. Seriously, we are such a lazy society. From the first book of the Bible, God sets up a pattern for us. Work and rest. Adam was told to "work and keep" the garden. Work is a good thing, and God uses it to provide for us. It's not an option, but a must: "But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever"1 Timothy 5:8. I have no problem with someone making six figures a year if they've worked hard and invested wisely. It took Blake much longer to finish his undergraduate than what we had expected, but we wanted to afford our way through school and avoid student loans. We want to be ready to go to the mission field at any time, and we don't want debt stopping us. We had to work harder and graduate later, but it's paid off.
2. Money is not inherently evil. Many Christians have made the mistake of thinking that the Bible teaches it is sinful to be rich or that somehow money carries with it a demonic spirit. It does not. The love of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10; Hebrews 13:5). Money is God's way of providing us with food, clothing, shelter, and other daily needs. The Bible does warn us of the temptation that rich people have, so we are to approach money--especially when we make lots of it--carefully and prayerfully, with open hands and not clenched fists.
3. Debt should be a last resort. "Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law." Romans 13:7-8. We are so quick to swipe the credit card and make an impulsive buy. Going into debt should not be an option when buying ourselves a new lampshade. Don't have the money? Don't buy it. When unexpected expenses do happen (car repairs, medical bills), that may be the time to consider using a credit card. Until then, put it away.
4. Don't hoard your wealth. "Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you" (Matthew 6:31-33). "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21. It's natural for us to want to pile and pile away money, but this is not healthy when taken too far. There is a degree to which it is good to save but it can cross the unhealthy line from being frugal to stingy. Don't be selfish with your money.
Given those three points, here are 10 practical points. Here's what Blake and I do, and it has seemed to work for us.
1. Do It Yourself. I've cut my own hair since I got married. If you can avoid paying someone else, do it yourself.
2. Invest in yourself. One of the things I've learned since working in insurance is the benefit of having wonderful insurance plans. Insurance is for catastrophic events; if your house catches on fire, or your car is stolen or causes harm to others, or if you become disabled. The point of insurance is to restore your life back to the way it was before your loss. Having good insurance actually keeps you out of debt. We have good renter's insurance because if our stuff is stolen or we accidentally burn this rental house down while cooking supper one night, the money comes out of State Farm's pocket, not mine. I pay the premiums so that they pay the losses. Blake and I also just began a life insurance plan so that if anything happens to us, Isaiah is well taken care of and our family doesn't have to go into debt to bury us. It's $33 a month. All three premiums-our auto, life and renter's--is less than $150 a month.
3. Know your budget. One reason I can buy whatever I want and not go into debt is because I know my budget and that causes me to only desire what I can afford. As strange as that may sound, I don't shop in places where I know I can't afford the stuff, and it helps me not want the stuff! I don't shop at Saks Fifth Avenue. I shop at Goodwill, Wal Mart, JCPenney, Belk and Maurices. Even then do I rarely buy something not on sale. There is no point going somewhere where I know I can't make the purchase unless I go in debt. And let's face it. Do I really need a $100 pair of pants from Saks Fifth Avenue? No. I don't. Though, I don't buy those cheap $20 pairs of pants either. They fall apart after 3 washes and then I'm off to the store again for more. I buy the $40 pair that I know will last. If I do see something expensive I really want, I put it on my birthday wish list or my Christmas list. We have made a budget of about $200 a month for "miscellaneous expenses" such as Starbucks, clothes, etc. I've pretty much programmed my brain at this point o keep a track of our expenses and if we have the room for it, and I want it, then I buy it.
4. Tell yourself (and others)"no". Part of being a Christian is being disciplined. There is much more satisfaction in being debt free and having less stuff, than having all the toys in the world but having no money to pay for them. Trust me on this one. We have had almost bare cabinets and very little gas in the tank, but we got through it. Also, you parents that have been paying your 25-year-old's bills all her life....please quit. Let's just be real. Don't be praying for God to "provide" for you when the money he has given you you are giving to your lazy adult child. If you can't be trusted with little, you will not be trusted with much.
5. Do your research. Before you pay $500 for a car repair, get estimates and advice from friends/family who are mechanics. It may be something you can do yourself or pay a family member to do. We have paid our family members plenty of times to fix our vehicles for us. Sometimes a shop can do it but sometimes your friend can right in his backyard.
6. Shop at Goodwill. Self-explanatory.
7. Use Available Resources. There is nothing wrong with medicaid or food stamps. Isaiah is on medicaid and we have used food stamps in the past. However, it was because we absolutely needed them. It is great to have such resources when you truly are in need. There is no shame in that. It is sinful to mooch unnecessarily off the government. That's stealing. Just stop.
8. Buy Now, Pay
9. Give to Others. God blesses and honors our obedience to him. Giving to ministries, charities and individuals who are in need is something Blake and I can't help but to do. We have the Holy Spirit of God living inside of us and he makes us love people and love to give. We are beautifully reckless when it comes to giving to others. Bless others with your money.
10. Trust God. There are times when no matter what, the income is not enough to pay the bills. Find a good church that you can express your needs to. God works through his people. He may not rain down manna from heaven, but he does dwell inside his people and uses their resources to help you.
God wants us to be wise and blameless in our financial dealings, as with every area of life. Even still, our treasure is in Him. He wants us to be satisfied in him, not in things and not in our bank accounts. He gave his one and only son so that we can be transformed from sinful to sinless, dirty to blameless, and guilty to righteous. Trust in Christ today.
