Managing Your Money God's Way (Part 3)

Managing Your Money God's Way

Good morning, everyone. Before I begin, I want to welcome a special guest from St. Louis, John Hooker, who's part of the leadership team there. John is here to watch the Super Bowl with us—and yes, he's a huge Patriots fan. Let's give him a warm welcome.

This is part three of our series on finances and money. If you weren't here for parts one and two, I want you to know that we're not talking about money every week. But this subject matters—it's mentioned over 2,000 times in Scripture, and Jesus spoke about it frequently. This is a discipleship conversation where God's Word searches our hearts.

The Three Foundation Truths

Let me remind you of the foundation we laid in the first two sessions:

1. Everything we have comes from God. Whether you have a lot or a little, it all belongs to Him.
2. Everything we have belongs to God. We don't own anything—we're stewards of His resources.
3. Everything we have provides an opportunity to worship God. How we handle our finances is an act of worship.

Remember: the Bible doesn't divide people into rich and poor, but into the greedy and the generous.

The Warnings Jesus and Paul Gave

In parts one and two, we looked at the warnings Jesus and Paul gave us. Jesus said in Matthew 6:24: "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

That's pretty black and white. There are traps that come with money when it's not God-centered. Paul wrote to Timothy: "Command those in your church who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant, nor to put their hope in wealth." Arrogance in wealth leads you down a path where you believe you're amazing at everything—and that's dangerous.

Two Solutions: Radical Generosity and Radical Contentment

I ended the last session with two solutions for us as followers of Jesus:

• Radical generosity: asking the Lord, "Who is it that You want me to bless? What can I give that will actually cost me?"
• Radical contentment: saying "Jesus is enough."

Radical contentment isn't about denying desires—it's about learning to say no to things you want in the natural because you have Jesus. It's about receiving the gifts He's already given us: joy, peace, hope, love, kindness.

Finding Contentment Through Scripture

Let me show you something from Ecclesiastes 5:10: "Whoever loves money never has enough. Whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless."

The writer goes on to explain that the more you want, the more you receive, but the faster it disappears. Verses 10-11 say: "As goods increase so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owners except to feast their eyes on them?"

But listen to verses 18-20:

This, behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him. For this is his lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil. This is the gift of God for he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy.

There's another way to experience joy in your work: through stewardship of God's resources.

Now look at one of the most quoted scriptures of all time: Psalm 23:1 — "The Lord is my shepherd. I have all that I need."

When you go to Jesus first and then apply that to your finances—remembering that everything you have came from God and everything belongs to Him—you realize: Jesus, do I put You first when I think about what I want next?

Nine Biblical Principles for Managing Your Finances

Let me share nine principles that some of us have walked out personally, and some we're stepping into. These aren't rules—they're invitations. Take one and say, "This week, I'm going to ask Jesus about this."

A quick note: Rof and I lead this church, but that doesn't make us financial advisors! Jake Wright and Will Moore are here today, and they're offering free pro bono financial advice to anyone who speaks to them after the service. Also, Mark and Rooda Lloyd Bottom have faithfully taught on finances for years and help people and businesses worldwide. We're blessed to have them here.

1. Work Hard and Earn to Provide

We read in Ecclesiastes that there's enjoyment in your toil. If you're out of work, we'd love to pray with you. If you despise your job, here's the truth: Scripture focuses on your effort and attitude, not your level of enjoyment.

Work for God, not man. Let your hard work be unto the Lord.

I've seen story after story where God placed people in roles they weren't qualified for, and it became the very path to their calling. The issue isn't your job—it's your attitude. However, there's a flip side: be careful not to worship your job. If your identity is found in what you do, you've made it an idol.

Proverbs 28:19 says: "Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty." If you work hard, you will reap the benefit.

2. Submit Your Spending to the Holy Spirit

Everything that goes out—does it go through your obedience to the Holy Spirit? Look at your bank statement from the last month and ask: "Lord, were You behind that transaction?"

Proverbs 12:9 says: "Better to be lowly and have a servant than to play the great man and lack bread." It's better to live within what the Lord has given you than to appear to be more than you are.

Stop comparing yourself to others. If you see another business thriving, turn your jealousy into prayers of blessing. Be happy with what you have.

3. Save and Plan with Wisdom

Proverbs 21:20 says: "The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but the fools gulp theirs down."

Save and plan. Build up margin through careful planning. This isn't about hoarding wealth—it's about setting money aside and saying, "Lord, I'm putting this aside for when You need me to use it for Your will."

When Rof and I were engaged and both working, we used what's called the DINKY principle (Double Income, No Kids). Here's what we did:

• 10% tithe: The first 10% goes to the Lord. He gets the first, without question.
• 10% savings: We saved 10%.
• 10% investment: We invested 10%.
• 70% to live on: We tried to live everything within that margin.

Now, this was our situation then. Yours might be different—maybe it's 10-5-5, or something else. The principle is: the wise save and plan. If something goes wrong, you've already built margin. When a need comes up in your community, you already have something to give because you've been wise.

4. Give Generously and Faithfully

Everyone in the kingdom is called to give generously. There are no exceptions. It's not about the amount—it's about the heart.

2 Corinthians 9:6-7 says:

Whoever sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver.

This morning, you had the opportunity to give your tithes and offerings. That decision was made in your heart. No one is asking for money, but we faithfully teach Scripture that calls you to ask God what you should give—not out of law or obligation, but from your heart.

One question I often hear is: "Why do we still tithe if we're not under the Old Testament law?" But if you understand the heart—that everything belongs to God, everything came from Him—you're looking at it the wrong way. The real question shouldn't be, "How little can I give?" It should be, "How much can I give?"

5. Use Debt Sparingly and Wisely

Our economy functions on consumer debt, and there are wise ways to use it. But listen to Proverbs 22:7: "The rich rules over the poor and the borrower is the slave of the lender."

That's slave and master language tied to money. When you owe something, you must work it off. We're living in a time when anyone over 18 can take out an obscene amount of debt on their phone this afternoon and no one will stop them. But living in radical contentment means saying, "I'm actually good now."

If you're in debt and struggling with shame or guilt around it, please speak to someone. You're only as sick as your secrets. When you bring it into the light, that's when God starts to move.

6. Think Multigenerational

Proverbs 13:22 says: "A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, but the sinner's wealth is laid up for the righteous."

Don't just think about yourself. We know that life is short and we can't take our wealth with us. What benefit are you providing for the future of God's people? What can you do to bring flourishing and prosperity to those around you?

Remember: this church building was purchased 30 or 40 years ago by people who thought multigenerational. They sacrificially gave so that you could sit here this morning and we could gather in the center of the city. You'll never meet those people, but they did it before the Lord. We have the same opportunity.

7. Invest Redemptively

There are many ways to invest your money. But what if, instead of just maximizing profit, you invested in ways that eradicate poverty at the same time? There are businesses that do this—fair trade coffee and chocolate, housing initiatives for the homeless, and so much more.

Jake and Will can tell you where to send your money to invest with redemptive purpose.

8. Focus on the Poor

Proverbs 19:17 says: "Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done."

Instead of focusing on macro policies and nation against nation, what if we as God's people focused on the poor in our street, our city, and our nation? Here's a question: Do you know the needs of your neighbor? Do you know who your neighbors are?

1 John 3:16-18 says:

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need yet closes his clothes against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk, but in deed and in truth.

9. Remember Who Is With You

Hebrews 13:5 says: "Keep your life free from the love of money and be content with what you have. For he has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you."

Everything we have is because of Him.

One Powerful Statement

Let me leave you with this: You manage your money God's way, or your money will manage you.

What you can do with what God has given you is so powerful. But it takes learning His principles and understanding how God talks about this area. We cannot ignore it. We must talk about it, because this is so important for what God is doing across the earth.

Closing Prayer

Father, I thank You that You have so much for us. Personally, I need Your help in this area. We need the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us. Where we want to be used by You and we want our hands to be open to You—because all of this is Yours—Lord, would You give us radical generosity and radical contentment?

Would You show us this morning where You might be asking us to look at just one thing to add as we walk with You, Jesus? And Father, where there has been shame and guilt, where there is hiddenness around debt—Lord, I pray You want to set people free. And I know this to be true: if there's a need inside this house, the answer is inside this house, too.

Father, I bless this house. I pray You would increase our faith. Help us become wise, open-hearted, and open-handed with our finances. Give us Your heart for this world and how we can be generous to You, to Your people, and to the world. Amen.