Even if better money management wasn’t one of your New Year’s Resolutions, it is never a bad idea to remind ourselves of what the Bible has to say about money and our proper use of it as believers. In this blog I will first list out 12 verses (from both the Old and New Testaments) that deal with our wealth and money management. I will then close out by recapping and summarizing in a few paragraphs what all those verses mean for us today.
A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man. Proverbs 6: 10 – 11 [ESV]
Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds, for riches do not last forever; and does a crown endure to all generations? Proverbs 27: 23 – 24 [ESV]
Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man's dwelling, but a foolish man devours it. Proverbs 21: 20 [ESV]
Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. Proverbs 13: 11 [ESV]
Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways. Proverbs 28: 6 [ESV]
There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind. Ecclesiastes 2: 24 – 26 [ESV]
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. 1st Timothy 6: 10 [ESV]
Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf. Proverbs 11: 28 [ESV]
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 [ESV]
The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender. Proverbs 22: 7 [ESV]
Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine. Proverbs 3: 9 – 10 [ESV]
One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. Proverbs 11: 24 – 25 [ESV]
These verses can be re written as:
A Christian should not be lazy but should always be willing to work hard to take care of themselves and their families. Along this same line, we need to understand and take responsibility for our financial condition, a huge part of which is saving some of our money as we make it. No matter our current financial condition, however, we should never entertain ‘get rich quick schemes’ or any kind of cheating or dishonest gain (including cheating on our taxes).
It is fine to work hard and smart and to enjoy the fruits of our labor, as long as God is the main focus of our lives. Work is valuable and money is useful but if it means too much to us, it will cause all kinds of trouble in the end. Because of that, we should not put too much trust in our wealth but should instead keep money and the things it can buy in its proper place and worry more about building up treasurers in heaven.
We need to avoid taking on too much debt (which is usually caused by wanting too many material things we can’t really afford because we have assigned too much importance to them or because we have not saved enough in the past). We should willingly give back a portion of our income to God through His church and help out with other charitable activities as well. It is always worth it when we do those things.
God’s blessings to you and your financial situation in 2020!
Andy’s book, Clear Vision: How The Bible Teaches Us To View The World, can be purchased here.
