If we truly desire to build sound financial health, we must begin by building a foundation that is firmly grounded in God's perspective on wealth and finances. We must earnestly search for what God has to say about wealth and money. Checking God's perspective comes by looking to God's Word. Yet beforewe can respond appropriately to God's perspective on financial matters, we must be sure that we have a right understanding of who God is. We must know God's character in order to trust God; only that trust enables us to put God's principles into practice. because financial freedom is based in trusting God's character and intentions toward us.
Check God's Character
Many of us struggle when it comes to the subject of God and finances because we do not understand who God truly is. We have a picture of God as a moralistic judge-creator. Yet Jesus taught us to pray, "Our Father . . ." (Matthew 6:9). This opening address of the Lord's Prayer is a reminder that God is a powerful parent who actively seeks the well-being of God's children. As a matter of fact, again and again Jesus reminded us of the fatherly kindness of God. In Matthew 7 we read, "Everyone who asks [God] receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. . . . If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!" (verses 8, 11).
When my son, Jonathan, went to college, I had a black 1960 Corvette with silver coves and a white convertible top. It had Financial freedom begins with knowing who God is.been completely redone, and I loved having and driving this car. But then I sold it. Why? Because my son's well-being— specifically, his education—was more important than that Corvette. Now he is a third-year medical school student!
One day Carolyn and I were watching the news. They were reporting that many college loans will be cancelled because the banks that are receiving government bail-out money are using it for bonuses and buyouts of other banks. As a result, a lot of students will not be able to get loans. Carolyn looked at me and said, "What happens if Jonathan's loan for medical school is cancelled?'' I said, "Carolyn, our house is mostly paid for, so even if we took a major hit on selling our house, we would get enough money out of it to pay for the rest of his medical school. We can live in an apartment."
The heart of a loving parent does whatever is required for the sake of the child.
Jesus was saying that if we have this kind of love for our children, how much more will our Father in heaven—whose love for us is infinitely greater and purer—give good things to those who ask. The New Testament is filled with similar promises. In Philippians we read: "My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus" (4:19, NIV). Isn't that an amazing Father! Likewise, in Romans 8:32 we find this promise: "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" (NIV).
This reality of God as our loving Father is powerful, which is why I pray the Lord's Prayer aloud in my study each day.
The next words in the prayer are equally powerful: "Our Father in heaven" (Matthew 6:9). "Our Father" reminds us who God is. "In heaven" reminds us what God has. To put it another way, God owns the universe. God created the cosmos. All things in heaven and on earth are owned by God. In other words, not only do we have the love of our eternal parent, God has the resources to back all of God's promises. Financial freedom begins right here, and it is based in trust. When we trust God's promises, we are able to practice God's directives.
I do not believe in prosperity theology—the idea that you follow Jesus to get rich. That is self-centered and self-focused. But I do believe that God desires our success. Every good parent desires the success and well-being of his or her children. If my kids could make $40,000 a year or $100,000 a year, what would I choose? I would choose $100,000 if they could earn it by serving God's purpose and serving humanity. I desire the best for my children. Our infinite God cares even more about our well-being and is deeply invested in bringing about God's best will for our lives. Nothing is beyond God's provision for us.
Check God's Perspective
When you have debt of any kind in your life, you are working today to pay for the past, instead of creating the future.
The Bible not only tells us who God is; it also gives us the promises and principles of God. It teaches us God's perspective on everything from morality, salvation, and eternal life to practical matters such as finances. In fact, there are hundreds of financial directives in the Bible. For example, we are told that debt is not our friend. The Bible says the debtor is always slave to the lender (Proverbs 22:7). Here is the problem with debt: When you have debt of any kind in your life, you are working today to pay for the past, instead of creating the future. That is why debt is not our friend. The Bible also says that we should never co-sign a loan for another person (Proverbs 11:15; 17:18; 22:26-27). But the basis of all financial wisdom and health begins with this essential principle: We are to practice planned giving to God. We will discuss this principle at length in the next chapter. For now, we will generalize by saying that we must put God first when it comes to our finances.
When we put God first and serve God with our money, money serves us. That is exactly what this verse means: "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33, NKJV). "All these things" refers to the physical provision of God on our behalf. We don't have to worry about multiplying wealth because God has promised that to us. But if we serve money instead of God, we will always be slaves to the past, because we will be working for our possessions instead of working for our Creator. God has promised to supply all we need if we will put God first in our lives.
I am not worried or afraid in the midst of this financial crisis because I know that my only job is to serve God's purpose. God has promised to provide all my needs if I follow God and seek to live according to God's principles. So, I continue to invest in my 401(k) every two weeks because I know that God will provide all my needs. This kind of perspective is possible only because of the power of the Word of God. We must continually come back to the Word and check God's perspective.
Check Your Motives
In addition to checking God's perspective, we must check our own motives. James 4:3 says, "You ask and do not receive." Sometimes we simply fail to ask. Other times we do ask God, but nothing happens. Perhaps the reason we do not receive is because we ask with wrong motives so that we may spend what we get on our own pleasures. Our motives are the compelling force or energy behind all our actions. Our motives drive our actions.
Our motives are the compelling force or energy behind all our actions.
Note the word at the end of James 4:3: pleasures. The word in Greek is hedonism. Hedonism is an ancient Greek philosophy that was articulated in the fifth and fourth centuries B.C. by a disciple of Socrates named Aristippus. Aristippus taught that the pursuit of pleasure is the ultimate objective in life. He said that pursuing pleasure is why we work hard. Today, we work overtime so that Our motives are the compelling force or energy behind all our actions.we can buy boats and go to the lake and have a lot of toys. Aristippus said that minimizing pain and maximizing pleasure is what life is all about. This philosophy is in stark contrast to the worldview of Jesus Christ, which the apostle Paul expressed this way: "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings" (Philippians 3:10).
We are never going to know the power of the resurrection in any dimension in our lives—in our marriages, our relationships, our work, or our finances—until we are willing to go through the pain, to experience the discipline. We can sum it up this way: No pain, no gain. This hedonistic philosophy has created a Christian hedonism that has infiltrated the church. People have come up to me after worship and said, "Mike, I don't know what is going on with me. I used to really enjoy worship.It was such an incredible experience. It was like tingles went through my body. Now I am not experiencing anything."They were seeking a pleasurable experience instead of seeking God.
So