Introduction
The following financial story is told to encourage and demonstrate that God is faithful. The intent is also to challenge the reader to trust God and follow His teaching for your own financial life.
My Giving Story
Early on in my Christian life, I had little money and didn’t give any away. I gave my time to help folks, but I was a college student and had no income. Even when I left school and started working and had some money, giving was not a priority.
A few years later I got married and started having children. My wife came into our marriage being very free with her money, loving to give gifts to people, especially gifts given in secret. I know she missed being able to continue that activity, but our budget was always stressed. We thought that giving money away was a good thing, but were not very good at handling our money.
Eventually, after reading and hearing such folks as Larry Burkett, Ron Blue, and Dave Ramsey, we applied the principles these men taught from the Bible. We got our finances under control, developed a spending plan, and eventually had money to share.
Giving a Priority
For about the last 20 years, we have been able to increase our giving every year. During the early part of that time, our income was increasing and it much easier to increase our giving.
The last few years has been different because I retired and our income may not increase in a given year. Now, in order to increase giving, we have to find something in our budget to cut such as cable TV, or, we may decide to eat out less. Now, giving is a priority to us.
Several Lessons
During these 40 years or so, there are several lessons that I learned as part of the financial journey. Four of these are described below.
Financial House in Order
It was critical to get my own financial house in order. We made many mistakes along the way, but learned from them and improved. Over the years I have read many financial books and stories. The best resource I found was Dave Ramsey’s, Financial Peace. In his book, he lays out practical steps for changing your own financial life by following Biblical principles and wisdom.
When the Financial Peace University class was presented at the church we were attending, I did not want to spend any money on it. So, I found a used workbook online for under $10 and worked through it by myself. I dragged my wife along for the ride, reluctantly at first, but she soon saw the benefits and joined in the effort.
One verse that summarizes this time in my life is Proverbs 13:20-
“He who walks with wise men will be wise,
But the companion of fools will suffer harm.”
Through Dave Ramsey’s book, I was walking with a financially wise man and learned from him. Thank you, Dave! (I have written about some of the financial principles I have learned in the article titled: Six Biblical Principles for Handling Money and Possessions.)
Work to Provide
Hard work to provide for our own family and for the needs of others is the normal course of life for the Christian. At different times in my life, I have worked evenings and weekends, after working full time, in order to meet financial goals. The apostle Paul, speaking to the Ephesian elders, reminds them of the importance of hard work and giving. In Acts 20:33-35, he said,
33 “I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes. 34 You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me. 35 In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
More Blessed to Give
In addition to hard work mentioned in the verse above, Paul concludes with the well known phrase, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” In thinking about this statement, I thought of several blessings in giving:
- We have peace knowing we have obeyed
- We exercise faith in God
- The giver shares in the life of the receiver
- We participate in God’s kingdom
What a Man Has
Once I understood the importance of giving, I was ready to do my part. I think this is what Paul was talking about in 2 Corinthians 8. He is speaking about taking up a collection and explains how to participate. In verse 12, he says, “For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a man has, not according to what he does not have.”
The principle laid out here, is that once a person is willing to follow God’s direction in a given area, they do so as God enables them. I was willing to give, and started out giving a small amount because that is what I had available.
Conclusion
I hope that by sharing briefly my financial story you will be challenged and encouraged to trust the One who created us. He is faithful, and His word is full of wisdom that we can apply to our lives.