Biblical Perspective

“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
1 Timothy 6:6-10

There are many reasons individuals find themselves in the midst of financial difficulties. Some of these reasons are unavoidable such as medical expenses from an illness or a job loss. However, oftentimes financial difficulties are the result of some poor choices made along the way.

At the root of these poor choices, discontentment is often found. After all, the desire to have a nicer car, bigger house, more advanced degree, nicer or longer vacations, better clothes or to live in a nicer area very often stem from discontentment with a current life station. Discontentment can very easily lead to the accumulation of excess debt, and eventually financial hardship.

Several years ago, a study stated that Americans who made $25,000 yearly felt they needed at least $54,000 to attain their American dream while individuals who made $100,000 felt it would take at least $192,000. The interesting point about these numbers is that each group of individuals felt it would take almost twice as much money as they were currently receiving in order for them to reach their financial goals. In other words, no matter how much money a person made, they felt they needed more to be content. While this story is a few years old, the message is still valid today.

Here are a few actionable suggestions on how to become financially content:

Lower your expectations

Unrealistic expectations set yourself up for disappointment and failure. Be reasonable with your goals and work hard to achieve them.

Image credit cnn.com

Help Others

Few things are more meaningful than helping someone in a time of need. Whether it be something as simple as lending an ear or something much more, getting outside of ourselves and our circumstances will almost always lead to renewed gratitude. This is one we can learn from the Pope.

Trust God

“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 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. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”- Philippians 4:11-13

This verse shows what God desires we understand about contentment. He teaches in His word that we should strive to be content with our situation in life. Does this mean we cannot strive to better our circumstances and work to move up in the world, or should never own anything nice? No, this simply means that God wants us to only acquire what we can afford and to be pleased with what gifts we have been given.

If you are finding that you are overwhelmed with obligations from your past discontentment, you may want to seek help through the FaithWorks Financial Christian debt management programs. Once you have gotten out of debt, you can then strive toward living a financially content life.

It may seem unusual to bring the term “abundance” into a conversation about Christian budgeting and implementing responsible Christian financial planning, especially if you are struggling to make ends meet.

As Christians, we sometimes fail to understand the true meaning of living under abundance. Our culture tends to equate that term with the dictionary version that describes abundance as “an excessive amount of something”. Abundance is better viewed as a sufficient amount for immediate needs, plus a surplus. The amount of food in a well-stocked cupboard, for example, may likely be an abundance as it meets our needs and will not be depleted by our immediate needs. We would not be likely to consider that excessive, though.

An Old Adage Lends Itself to Christian Financial Planning

The old “a penny saved is a penny earned” mindset can be much too easy to forget!

When we find ourselves in a situation where we have unexpected money (we’ve yet to meet such a thing as “extra money”), the perspective from which the blessing is viewed has a tremendous impact on how it is managed. To view the funds as being extra or excess makes it much easier to simply spend on a luxury item. We’ve all probably said it at one time or another- “I only spent $100 at the grocery store instead of $140, let’s eat out tomorrow night!”. Viewing that instead as abundance may allow us to put that money to better use.

A Bible Perspective on Finances

In the book of Matthew, we read the account where Jesus feeds five thousand men with five loaves and two fish, and are amazed at the multiplication factor. This story has a surprise relation to Christian financial planning.

And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. Matthew 14:19-21(NIV)

Something that is often overlooked is the fact that the remnants were gathered. There were no unnecessary leftovers.

The twelve baskets of broken pieces remaining after everyone had eaten are not random happenstance. Perhaps the remnants were a blessing for the twelve disciples based on their work feeding the crowd. This signifies that Christ not only provides for immediate needs, but He is an immense provider on a continual basis.

Too often we think of the money that is left after we pay the bills as “extra”, whereas that abundant portion should be used wisely for immediate needs, and future needs that will follow. To put this into practice, when we find that we are under-budget and have unbudgeted monies available, those funds should be put to good use. Whether it be tithed, added to your Christian Debt Relief Program, or fund some other good measure, the important thing is that it be put to good use.

The disciples realized that the people needed to eat. They also knew they could not meet those immediate needs, and they turned to Jesus for relief, asking Him to send them a way to feed themselves. Instead, Jesus provided a way for the people to eat and the disciples to receive a blessing from the abundance. We learn that with Christ, there is abundance, not excess.

If you find that you have an abundance of funds remaining in your Christian budget, consider that to be God’s money. Help build His Kingdom and keep Christian financial planning at the center of your financial strategy.

If your financial challenges seem as impossible as feeding five thousand with a handful of fishes and loaves of bread, allow a Christian debt relief counselor to help you explore a Christian debt relief program with you today.

As Christians, the Bible is our “life guide” – offering advice and instruction on everything from how we treat others to how we should try to live our lives.

But did you know that the Bible contains over 2,000 scriptures that expressly cover how we should deal with and manage money?

Today I’d like to take a look at a specific verse – Romans 13:8 which says; “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.”

I find the first part of that scripture – “Owe nothing to anyone.” – particularly important.

Why? Because when we accumulate excessive debt, our focus tends to turn away from God and toward money and ourselves.

We start to think less about God and less about how we can become the men and women he desires us to be and more about how we can acquire more money.

If not careful, we can become obsessed with money to the point where it interferes with our personal relationships, our work performance and even our level of happiness.

Our lives may become filled with stress and a general sense of failure. We may lose sight of God and begin to feel all alone in the world.

That’s why it’s important to strive to “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.”

So if you have accumulated excessive debt, perhaps it’s time to get out from under its heavy weight and begin to regain your life and your focus on God.

Take the first step. Speak with a Christian Debt Advisor and learn about the debt relief options that are available to you.

Remember…you can be debt free. You can have a happier and more relaxed life.