Imagine that you are 18 years old, and have just graduated from high school. You are part of a loving family, and have great respect for your parents.<\/p>\n
You father comes to you and says, \u201cYour mother and I have decided we\u2019re going to change our plans for the next four years. As you know, we planned to spend $30,000 per year on college to prepare you for the future. But we\u2019ve decided instead to give you a grant of that amount: $120,000. This grant is for you to use over the next four years or longer to set yourself up for the future. You may choose to attend the college we planned on. But if you think there is a better way to prepare yourself, choose it. With this money, you can travel. You can start a business. You can pay your expenses while you work as an intern in a business. You\u2019re welcome to seek my counsel along the way if you wish, but I won\u2019t require that. I only ask that whenever you pay more than a hundred dollars for something, you let me know what you spent it one. But the money is completely under your control. Indeed, I\u2019ve already transferred it to your account. If you like, you can spend it all today on a (used) Ferrari. I can\u2019t stop you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Put aside whether or not the father would be acting wisely. Just ask yourself: If you were in that position, if your father said that to you, how would you make decisions? What would spend the money on? Would you buy the Ferrari?<\/p>\n
What God has done for us is somewhat similar to what the father in the story did for his child. All we have is a grant from Him to be used for a purpose. But the purpose in this case is to glorify His Name. He created us for His glory. And we are most satisfied when we fulfill that purpose.<\/p>\n
Like the child in the story, we now have a grant, given to us for a purpose.\u00a0 So we\u2019re faced with a question: How do we decide how to spend it? What does Scripture tell us?<\/p>\n
The Biblical Motivation for Spending<\/b><\/p>\n
Let\u2019s look first at possible motivations for spending \u2013 both unbiblical and biblical. We\u2019ll see that the key concepts we\u2019ve focused on throughout this series \u2013 identity, security, and joy \u2013 should motivate and guide our spending.<\/p>\n
a) Don\u2019t spend in order to establish your identity<\/i><\/p>\n
That is: Don\u2019t spend:<\/p>\n
Why not? Because if you are in Christ, you have an identity. You are adopted in to God\u2019s family, you are His child, His heir. And you need do nothing to establish your identity. It is already granted to you.<\/p>\n
b) So: Spend in a way that is consistent with that identity<\/i><\/p>\n
Spend as a beloved child of God, as joint heir with Christ, in ways that show who God is and what He is to you.<\/p>\n
c) Don\u2019t spend in order to establish your security<\/i><\/p>\n
That is:<\/p>\n
Why not? Because if you are in Christ, you are secure already. <\/i>God will never leave you nor forsake you. Nothing will separate you from the love of God that is yours in Christ Jesus.<\/p>\n
d) Instead: Use the money God puts in your care wisely and prudently<\/i><\/p>\n
Guard it and protect it not to establish financial security but because it belongs to someone else. <\/i>It is His.<\/p>\n
e) Don\u2019t think you must spend money on _______ in order to have joy.<\/i><\/p>\n
Don\u2019t ever think, \u201cIf only I could buy a car or a house or the latest fashions or a college education or some piece of sports equipment I would be happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Why not? \u201cIn His presence is fullness of joy, at his right hand are pleasures forevermore\u201d (Psalm 16:11). If you are in Christ, already have the greatest joy possible.<\/p>\n
f) Instead, cultivate joy in the privilege of being a conduit of God\u2019s blessings<\/i>, in spending in such as way as to deepen your joy in God, others\u2019 joy in God, joy in one another, joy in your family.<\/p>\n
Thus, we spend out of contentment <\/i>rather than in order to gain contentment. <\/i>As we saw several weeks ago, the Apostle Paul writes:<\/p>\n
I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.\u00a0 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:11-13)<\/p>\n
Satisfied with God now, confident in God\u2019s continued watchcare over us tomorrow, having all our needs met in Him, we can spend for His glory out of sincere concern for our families and for those around us.<\/p>\n
Four Key Ideas That Govern Biblical Spending<\/b><\/p>\n
With those biblical motivations, we will spend to God\u2019s glory. Four key ideas help to channel that spending rightly. The first is an idea we\u2019ve already mentioned:<\/p>\n
a) All you have is a grant from God<\/i><\/p>\n
This truth colors every spending decision. The money in my possession is not mine to use any way I choose. As in the opening story, God has put in my control for a specific purpose. And that purpose is the glory of His Name.\u00a0 That does not necessarily mean we should give away all that we have \u2013 though it might mean that for specific individuals. But having our identity, security, and joy in God, knowing what we have is a grant from Him, we hold loosely what God has given us. Furthermore, knowing that it all belongs to Him, we guard it carefully. We protect it. We don\u2019t waste it, we don\u2019t squander it, we protect it from thieves.<\/p>\n
b) Opportunity Cost<\/i><\/p>\n
While this term comes from economics, the underlying Idea is simple. Think back to the opening example. If the child in the story buys the Ferrari, how much will he have left to spend on anything else? Nothing. So the cost of the Ferrari is not just the sticker price. The cost is also the joy, the education, the experience he gives up by not spending those dollars on something else.<\/p>\n
So if I give $100 to missions, I give up the opportunity to spend that money on food. The opportunity cost is (at a minimum) the joy and satisfaction of eating $100 worth of food. If I spend $100 on clothes, \u00a0I give up the opportunity to give that $100 to a friend in need. The opportunity cost is (at a minimum) the joy I would receive from giving, and the joy my friend would get from receiving the gift and filling his needs.<\/p>\n
Every expenditure has an opportunity cost, because money is limited. If every time I snapped my fingers a $100 bill would appear in my hand, my expenditures would have no opportunity cost. I could replace whatever I spend immediately by creating more cash. But as long as our income and assets are limited, every expenditure has an opportunity cost.<\/p>\n
c) Budgeting & Monitoring Spending<\/i><\/p>\n
Because there is an opportunity cost of every expenditure, we have an allocation problem. God has given us a grant to be used for His glory. How much should we give away? How much should we spend on housing? How much should we spend on food? Presumably more than zero!<\/p>\n
If every time you make a purchase, you have to ask yourself, \u201cIs this best way to glorify God?\u201d you\u2019ll drive yourself crazy. How then can me make these tradeoffs between categories of spending so that we glorify God with our grant?<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the role of a budget. A budget is a tool to help you glorify God with your money without driving yourself crazy. Once you have decided on those major tradeoffs between categories, you have freedom to spend up to your budgeted limit, without having to ask questions about every five dollar purchase.<\/p>\n
How do you set up a budget to glorify God with your grant?<\/p>\n
The first step of budgeting is to keep track of what you are spending now. The budget does you no good unless you monitor what you spend, and abide by your budget limits. Decide on a set of major categories of spending, and track your spending in those categories.<\/p>\n
The next step is to pray. Ask God for wisdom concerning how best to use His grant for His glory.<\/p>\n
Then plan ahead for the next six months to a year. In light of the opportunity costs of spending in different categories, decide how much you will spend in each, so that you glorify God through what you spend on food, on clothing, through what you give away.<\/p>\n
After keeping track of your spending and living within your budget for a while, reassess it. How can you adjust it so that you use this grant for God\u2019s glory even more effectively?<\/p>\n
Now, we can\u2019t say there is a biblical mandate to have budget and live within it. But personally I can\u2019t see how I could use the grant God has given Beth and me for His glory without one.<\/p>\n
In the weeks ahead, we will discuss helpful tools to use in this regard, and will post some of those on the blog.<\/p>\n
d) Diversity <\/i><\/p>\n
In deciding how to spend money, we all share some similarities:<\/p>\n
But in other ways, we are quite different. God calls some to give away all they have. Others follow Him wholeheartedly and give away much less.<\/p>\n
For example, in Mark 10 and parallel passages, a man runs up to Jesus and asks, \u201cWhat must I do to inherit eternal life?\u201d Jesus eventually tells him, \u201cGo, sell all you have, give it to the poor (you will have treasures in Heaven) and come, follow me.\u201d Note that Jesus tells not only to give away all his income; <\/i>He also tells him to give away all his assets. <\/i><\/p>\n
But in Luke 19 Zaccheus comes to faith, and immediately gives away half of his assets. Jesus then says, \u201cSalvation has come to this house\u201d even though Zaccheus has not done what Jesus asked the rich man in Mark 10 to do.<\/p>\n
And then the Apostle Paul, in 1 Timothy 6:17-19, speaking to the rich, tells them not to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, to be generous and ready to share \u2013 but he does not tell them that they must give away all or half of their assets; he doesn\u2019t even tell them to give away a certain percentage of their income.<\/p>\n
Personally, I have known people who regularly gave away more than 80% of their income. I\u2019ve never done that myself \u2013 I\u2019ve never come close to that.<\/p>\n
The point is this: We are different. God calls us in different ways. Our love for Him and His glory will be manifested in different ways.<\/p>\n
So be careful here. Don\u2019t be proud if God calls you to some extraordinary step of giving, and you obey. Don\u2019t look down your nose at those who haven\u2019t done something similar. Don\u2019t assume that simply because someone else is spending much more than you, that he is immature, or not a genuine believer.<\/p>\n
In light, then, of the biblical motivation for spending and these four key ideas, let\u2019s consider four areas of spending:<\/p>\n
How Much If Any Should I Spend On: <\/b><\/p>\n
a) Giving<\/span><\/i>\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n We will consider giving in more detail in the weeks ahead. But from what we have said so far, it is clear that, if we are to glorify God with the grant He has given us, we will give away a considerable proportion of our income, and perhaps a considerable proportion of our assets too.<\/p>\n Giving cannot be an afterthought. It cannot be the result of having a little left over this month, and then giving that excess away. We must decide upfront the minimum from our income that we will give away, and budget that amount before we spend on anything else.<\/p>\n b) Enjoyment<\/i><\/p>\n As we have seen, we are to find joy in God, to be satisfied with Him. We are not to think, \u201cIf only I could buy that iphone I could be happy!\u201d So it might seem as if we are not to consider our joy when making spending decisions.<\/p>\n However, Paul says that God \u201crichly provides us with everything to enjoy\u201d (1 Timothy 6:17). One way I glory God is by enjoying the good gifts He has given me. That\u2019s a true, biblical statement. Yet it\u2019s also quite a dangerous statement, that can be, and has been, misused. So we will examine this issue also in more detail later. But for now, simply note: A normal Christian\u2019s budget will include spending on enjoyment.<\/p>\n c) Insurance<\/i><\/p>\n Some have argued: If my security is in God, why should I buy insurance?<\/p>\n Insurance as we know it did not exist in biblical times, so there is no explicit command in this regard. But there is in Scripture the general command to be careful with the assets you have, to be prudent in guarding them and managing them.<\/p>\n Consider in this regard Proverbs 22:3. Though this verse doesn\u2019t refer directly to money, it is in the middle of a longer passage that predominantly discusses money and finances.<\/p>\n A sensible person sees danger and takes cover, but the inexperienced keep going and are punished. (HCSB)<\/p>\n Insurance is one way to live that out. We see the possible danger to God\u2019s grant from calamity, disease, or death, and sensibly guard against the possibility of loss through paying a relatively small premium for insurance.<\/p>\n Now, we certainly can have wrong motivations in purchasing insurance (as we can have in purchasing any other good or service). Our security must not be in our insurance. Our hope must not be in our ability to guard against loss. But it can be wise, prudent, and sensible for us to insure God\u2019s grant against loss \u2013 even while other believers, in the diversity of God\u2019s church, may decide they will not spend on insurance, but are called to trust God even for such protection.<\/p>\n d) Saving and Investments <\/i><\/p>\n We said every expenditure on one item has an opportunity cost of not spending on another item. That same idea holds across time. Every dollar I spend today is a dollar I won\u2019t be able to spend tomorrow. Indeed, the cost is more than a dollar, since I can invest the dollar or put it in an interest bearing account, and have more than a dollar to spend in the future.<\/p>\n So in the opening story, you, the child, have the option of buying a used Ferrari today for $120,000. You also have the option of spending $30,000 on your education and living expenses this year, and then next year having more than <\/i>$90,000 to spend, if you properly and safely invest the $90,000.<\/p>\n Furthermore, the education itself can work in a similar way: If that education makes me a more valuable and productive worker, or a more effective entrepreneur, I will be able to make more income in the future than I would have had I spent that money on the Ferrari.<\/p>\n Just so with the grant God has given me. I can give it away and spend all of it now, or I can invest it and get more to use for His glory tomorrow.<\/p>\n As with insurance, in biblical times there were no banks as we know them today; there was no stock market. However, people did save and make investments. Consider the owner of a vineyard who gets income through selling grapes and wine. He can spend and give away all of that income now, or he can take some of that income, and use it to plan grapevines on more of his land. Then he can do what the man did in Jesus\u2019 parable recorded in Mark 12: “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower.\u201d That looks a lot different than buying a mutual fund, but the underlying idea is the same: It\u2019s an investment, taking money that could be spent today, and instead using it in such a way that it will generate a greater amount in income in the future.<\/p>\n Throughout history, including in biblical times, people have saved and invested. Such saving and investment is part of biblical stories; it is normal human activity.<\/p>\n The decision of how much, if any, to save or invest is similar to all other budgeting decisions. The question is one of opportunity cost: Is there a compelling use for God\u2019s glory now <\/i>for all of the grant God has given me, or should I save and invest part of that grant so that there will be more money available in the future to be used for God\u2019s glory.<\/p>\n Once again, we need to remind ourselves of the key ideas that govern our spending. We are diverse. God will call some to invest much. Others, equally with God\u2019s glory in mind, will invest none. So don\u2019t assume that those who make different decisions than you are unwise an imprudent, or are failing to trust God and are finding security in their investments.<\/p>\n And, once again, we must check our own motivations: Are we saying that we are investing so that we might have more to spend for God\u2019s glory in the future \u2013 but in reality we do find security in those investments?<\/p>\n Conclusion<\/b><\/p>\n God has given you a grant to be used for His glory among the nations.<\/p>\n We by nature are objects of His wrath, having rejected Him. But if we are in Christ, we are \u201ca chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession\u201d (1 Peter 2:9).<\/p>\n This is our security, our joy, our identity. And God gives us this identity for a purpose: \u201cthat you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light\u201d<\/p>\n We are God\u2019s people, God\u2019s family. We were in darkness. But by His grace He forgives us through the sacrifice of His Son on the cross. He call us to Himself and gives us this grant of time, of life, of money, so that we might proclaim and display His excellencies, so that we might glorify the One who called us out of darkness.<\/p>\n How will you do that \u2013 with money? It\u2019s all under your control. The grant is in your hand. And it\u2019s all given to you for a purpose.<\/p>\n How will you fulfill that purpose?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Imagine that you are 18 years old, and have just graduated from high school. You are part of a loving family, and have great respect for your parents. 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