Before I met my wife, Jenny, I used to wonder where my money went after I cashed my paychecks. Nowadays, I know exactly where my money goes–she takes it! Just kidding! But I really did come to a point in my life, years ago, where I would regularly become frustrated with my lack of financial management. I would work hard, bring home a decent paycheck, yet I never seemed to have enough to pay all my bills or save up for the things I really wanted.
I decided to start my own budget after realizing that I was spending over $500 a month on fast food. As a young, single college boy working full time, I ate out every week, but I had no idea how much of my hard-earned money was going to fast food until I sat down and took a good look at my bank records. I decided something had to change. My money was running away from me, and I did not feel like I was being a good steward of my financial resources.
So I started with a simple spreadsheet and tracked my expenses. I was able to fine-tune my spending, with no increase in income, to the point that, by the time I met Jenny and asked her to marry me, I was able to save up and buy a relatively expensive wedding ring for her in cash–on an income that was just over minimum wage!
Budgeting is essential! Managing your finances is (as we saw in the first Faith and Finance podcast) the starting point for being a faithful steward of the more important things of the Kingdom of God. We actually build our faith by increasing in this area of stewarding our finances!
Look at what Jesus says about the importance of being faithful with the money you have been entrusted to manage:
He who is faithful in a very little [thing] is faithful also in much, and he who is dishonest and unjust in a very little [thing] is dishonest and unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the [case of] unrighteous mammon (deceitful riches, money, possessions), who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not proved faithful in that which belongs to another [whether God or man], who will give you that which is your own [that is, the true riches]?
Luke 16:10-12, AMPC
The art of cultivating and building a strong faith–a faith that receives the promises of God–is woven tightly into the concepts we learn from handling and managing our finances. God is watching us to see how we handle “the little things,” so that He can know with confidence that we can be trusted with “the true riches.”
I hope you enjoy the podcast as much as we enjoyed recording it.
