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What Does God Have To Do With Money?
How the principles of wise stewardship lead to financial peace of mind
by Beau Henderson
"The greatest lesson of life is that you are responsible for your life." – Oprah
I love it when listeners send in questions to our radio show. Often they are very specific, such as, “What can I contribute to my IRA this year?” or, “What are the rules for rolling money out of my 401k?” But a question that came in a couple of weeks ago took us all by surprise. It was a big question, as big as they come… and we are still discussing it – on the radio show, on Facebook and Twitter, through email and comments on the blog!! My cohost Joy Allgood was 110% correct when she said the question was GINORMOUS!!…
What role does God play in our money?
Antonina posted on Facebook– This was the first email I read this morning! This is a very powerful message! Loved it and thank you for sharing it today!Larry wrote in – This is one of the best business emails I have ever read !! Thank you for being so brave!!
Jennifer posted on Facebook – What a great blog post Beau! Loved the fact that you reminded all of us that God owns everything! When we realize this, our "things" and buying decisions take on a different role. Thanks for sharing!
What Does God Have To Do With Money?
This question looks at the macro view of money. It’s a BIG PICTURE question, one that requires you to take a step back and look at everything. And what better time to do that than now, at the start of a brand new year?
If you want 2012 to be more profitable than 2011, ask yourself,
“How do I view the money I already have?”
Click on the link below to listen to the first 15 minutes of this past Saturday's show !!
There are over 250 quotes in the Bible that talk about money. The following are 5 key points to keep in mind when thinking about or making decisions with regards to your money.
Point # 1: You own nothing.
It’s so easy to get caught up in our stuff. But here’s the secret – none of it is ours to keep! As Psalm 24:1 reminds us, “The earth is the Lord’s and all it contains.” When we get to the place where we can acknowledge God’s ownership, we go from asking, “What do I want to do with my money?” to asking, “How can I honor God with the money I have been blessed with?” That one change in mindset alone can have a HUGE impact on creating favorable conditions.
Point # 2: God is in control.
Every day brings us new challenges, and for most people, many of those challenges are financial. If you view Life as a School, those bad things that happen will deliver valuable feedback and lessons. Psalm 135:6 says, “Whatever the Lord pleases, he does in heaven and earth.” Sometimes God uses bad situations for the ultimate good. Sometimes, we’ve just got to trust Him. The only way you can fail here is if you don’t learn from the lessons, and you get stuck in the cycles. Ask yourself, “What is the lesson here?” It’s how you respond to things that will bring about a different outcome.
Point # 3: God provides.
We can’t predict how God will provide for our needs, but he has promised that he will do so. Learn to trust in this promise. The how mightcome as surprise, or it might not meet your picture of how you think life should be. Trust that God will give you exactly what you need, and remember that this might be different from what you want! Remind yourself, “I know I’m going to be okay. I don’t exactly know how, but I will get what I need.” There is peace in knowing that.
Point# 4: We are all called to be good stewards.
A steward manages, or cares for, everything entrusted to them, big or small. This includes our home, our relationships, and yes, our money. Everybody has been blessed with something. How do you care for what you have already been given? A lot of people think, “I’m a good steward because I tithe 10%.” And that’s great. But the point here to ask yourself is, “What am I doing with the other 90%?” Because that’s just as important!
If you are not taking care of what you already have,
why would you be given more?
If you want to know if someone will take care of a big client, notice how they take care of a small client. If you want to know if your son will take care of a new car, notice how they take care of their bike. If you want to expand your profits for 2012, take care of what was given to you in 2011!
And finally, Point # 5: Good Stewardship Gives Peace of Mind.
Are you feeling stressed about your home, your finances, your job? Is this how you define yourself? Are you obsessed with things working out? There is only one thing you can control. How you respond. What happens after that is out of your hands. At the end of the day, ask yourself, “Did I show good stewardship? Did I take care of what has been entrusted to me? Remember, in the end, none of it is yours to keep. When you do what you can do, and take care of what you already have, you can let go of the rest.
This will bring about the greatest gift of all – peace of mind.
So, to recap: what does God have to do with money?
Everything!
Lisa wrote in – God is in control of my finances and is my Source. I have complete freedom and I'm debt-free with the exception of my mortgage.Marie wrote in – I'm a great believer that God has everything to do with our money. He is, after all, the source of everything good in our lives and will provide if we will only pay attention. I am a firm believer that He wants us all to succeed and be wise with what we are given.
The next BIG question that we are tackling this month in the Practicing Wise Stewardship Series is ..
What Does God Have To Say About Debt?
In 2010 there were 1,536,799 bankruptcies. And we know that there were even more than that in 2011 – the numbers just haven't been compiled yet. Additionally, FINANCIAL STRESS is cited as one of the major factors in the ever escalating number of divorces.
So, if all of this is happening because of DEBT,
why do we allow ourselves to get into debt in the first place?
The rich rule over the poor
and the borrower is a slave to the lender ~ Proverbs 22:7
We are going to be taking a look at the answers to that question in next article in the Practicing Wise Stewardship series and I would love to hear what you have to say about it. I also want to hear from if you are currently working your way toward becoming totally debt-free. Share with me the things that you did to get started and give me an update on your progress! Let me know if you have been able get totally out of debt and what kind of an impact that has had on your life! You can bless alot of other people by sharing your story and experiences. You will never know who will be inspired to take action for themselves when they hear what you are doing right now to become debt-free!! Let's dig deep into this topic together and really examine how this modern version of bondage and slavery gets started in the first place, what can be done to prevent it and what you can do to break free!
What BIG money question has been on your mind? Send it to me HERE at RichLife Advisors, and we’ll do our best to tackle it.
For more advice and actionable challenges on how you can apply the principal of wise stewardship to your everyday life, get a copy of Beau’s book, The RichLife, 10 Investments for True Wealth at www.richlifeadvisors.com
Great points for all of us to remember… Thank you! Your recap basically says it all & answers the question "What does God have to do with money?" plain & simply… Everything!
I love this article Beau! Wonderful insights backed up by great information and documentation from the Bible. We are only here for a short time to enjoy and protect all that God provides…even money! Thanks for sharing!
Wise words from a man who knows how to make writing about money very accessible. Thank you!
Love this article Beau! It is so simple and to the point! HE does provide everything we need…even money! Thanks for sharing. God bless you!
Love this article and it is so true.. we are to take care of what we have been blessed with as well as help other if we expect to be blessed with more. Nice Reminder.. guilty of not taking enough care.. 🙁
Great thoughts- thank you for sharing them!
I love this! God is the great provider. I turned all my money worries over to Him and He's provided for us each and every month. You are right, we own nothing! Everything we have is a gift from Him above.
Good advice, God is my provider. Thanks for the reminder.
Bridgette
Great post! Love the concept of seeing how businesses take care of small clients to see if they can be trusted with big ones! AND seeing how your son takes care of his bike… will remember that one for a few years' time.
Thanks for all your insights and sharing your wisdom.
God is in control! Enough said!
Thanks so much for sharing your words of wisdom with us! Love the example of watching your child take care of their bike before purchasing a car for them. Love it!! Thanks again:)
God is in control, love how Antonina said and I totally agree! Thank you Beau for teaching people the right attitude towards money, it is so vital! 🙂
Great article Beau and yes God has EVERYthing to do with my money as it is HIS money in reality.
Great post Beau. This is all true. I think sometimes we get caught up in it all, and we fail to reminder these things. Reading this this morning was just what I needed to get my morning started off right.
Great reminder to me. Thank you!
EVERYTHING! I love this post, Beau. We tend to leave God out of the financial equation, I have myself too many times…never works! Thank you for the reminder to keep God in the forefront!