For a fee, many advisers will teach you how to manage wealth, but God freely shows us the best way to create financial security.
This may seem a far stretch from what I usually write about, but people of every age and financial situation read and follow this blog. Many feel the uncertainty of post-Covid times. Whatever security they once held appears more of a mirage than a reality. Stocks crash, employment opportunities dwindle, and health fades.
Jesus focused His teachings mostly on the Kingdom of God. But He didn’t avoid the subject of wealth and finances either. So here are a a few rock-solid principles I find in Scripture.
#1 God First
Okay! This sounds obvious. But how do we implement it financially?
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Matthew 6:33
“Everything you need” includes the broad concerns most of us tend to worry about — health, food to eat, clothes to wear, and a roof over our heads. Jesus instructed His listeners to put God above even these basic needs.
One way to incorporate this principle to put God first is to consider God the CEO (Chief Executive Office) of your business and finances. As such, consider holding business meetings with God on a regular basis. I designate time each week for a business meeting with God, taking time to worship Him for who He is, thank Him for achievements, and commit all future endeavors to Him in prayer.
Sudden turns of events surprise me, but they never surprise God. When we establish God at the center of our goals (short and long term), it brings stability and financial security. This one practice has significantly changed how I do business, helping me face difficult decisions with confident hope.
#2 Spread Out
My dad often said, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” He warned about the risks of investing all my resources and energies in one spot, where they might all be simultaneously destroyed.
Solomon gave similar advice.
“Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight …”
Ecclesiates 11:2
Maintaining multiple streams helps to create financial security. In the overall finances of our family, we attempt to hold diverse income streams. But even within the context of my small business, I work toward the seven/eight principle for a continuous stream of finances throughout the year.
When one venture dwindles, the others potentially carry you through. Over the course of a year or the duration of the business, multiple streams help to ensure financial security for the whole.
Initially, you may have only one stream. In your business meetings with God, ask Him to show you where, when, and how to diversify.
#3 Work Hard
Solomon adds this instruction:
“Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.”
Ecclesiastes 11:6
I am thankful for parents who instilled a strong work ethic in their family. I must admit, however, I carried the principle to extremes far too often. Balancing work with periods of rest and recreation helps to refresh our minds and prepare us for heavy work seasons ahead. We might forget we are made from dust, but God knows how much we need a Sabbath rest.
In the healthy balance of work and rest, God also provides financial stability.
“Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!”
Psalm 90:17
God often establishes His blessing and favor through the work of our hands.
#4 Contentment
Millions of people live from one paycheck to another and carry huge burdens of debt. Never knowing where their next meal will come from, they live on the precipice of ruin. We don’t minimize the desperation many people feel. Their circumstances have often been imposed upon them.
Paul counsels,
“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” Philippians 4:12
So much striving and self-effort comes from a lack of contentment. Comparing ourselves to others and being deluded by the empty promises of get rich quick schemes may lead people to spend more than they make and accumulate more than they need.
Paul says, “I have learned!” Contentment is a learned skill. Those who never learn the secret of contentment find themselves on an exhausting cycle to accumulate more and more and more. We find within contentment one of the main keys to financial security.
Let’s bravely ask God to reveal areas where contentment should grow.
#5 Generosity
Generosity brings us full circle. We started with God as the focus and center. We end with Him securely at that central point.
The Kingdom of God functions on entirely different principles than we naturally understand. In giving, we receive. By opening our hands to the poor, we gain more. In sharing, we become rich.
The principle of sowing and reaping ebbs and flows throughout God’s Word. A farmer always reaps the same type of seed He has sown. The same principle applies to finances and wealth.
“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Luke 6:38
As we remember God and share with others, whether out of our need or abundance, He gives us the added bonus of joy in the journey. We can never outgive God!
#6 Thanksgiving
No matter where we find ourselves today, whether in abundance or lack, thankfulness shifts our vision, goals, and purposes back to God.
“Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.”
Deuteronomy 8:18
We take no credit for any financial security. God gives the ability and power to be successful in every area of our lives. Time and chance happen to us all. We experience areas of both need and plenty. But as we turn ourselves to heartfelt gratitude, we remain anchored, not in our own ability, but in God’s great grace over us.
When we find ourselves in the place of little, be thankful for the little. When we find ourselves in the place of abundance, be thankful for the abundance.
Financial security comes through God and Him alone. As a matter of fact, I have discovered more excitement and peace in the places of trusting God for even the basic things of life, than when I lacked nothing.
Blessings my friends! May you learn the joy of handling finances God’s way.
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