5 Money Truths I'm Preaching to Myself - A Beautiful Inheritance

Money and religion consist of two thirds of subject matters we’ve been taught not to discuss. Biblically, however, the two cannot be divorced. In Matthew 6:21, Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” For Christians, money is a matter of the heart. There are many popular ideals Christians believe when it comes to finances and as I’ve managed ours, I’ve wondered about how they hold up biblically. I’ve also considered some money lies I’ve fought by dwelling on the truth of the gospel. I’ve slowly been learning that there is so much freedom in Christ when it comes to finances and the Lord has been working to align my heart with His in this area. Here are 5 money truths I’m preaching to myself. I hope they minister to you as they have to me.

1. My Money is Not My Identity

At times I’ve felt shame and embarrassment because we’ve been invited to participate in activities that had a cost and we had to decline. We’ve also been asked to donate money to many worthy causes and at times, couldn’t. My heart felt burdened and sad and sometimes, even guilty. I felt like I was failing as a Christian when I was unable to help with these worthy causes and had to forsake fellowship due to finances.

An idea that’s helped me work through this is from one of the most helpful Christian finance books I’ve read. In it, the author essentially said, “The goal of the Christian life isn’t to be debt free—it’s to glorify God with our finances.” I think of this often. It is such a sweet reminder of the gospel. When I was indebted to God, He made a way for my debts to be paid by the perfect life, death, and resurrection of His only Son.

He’s richly robed me in Jesus’ righteousness (Isaiah 61:10) and gifted me with His Holy Spirit (John 14:16). He’s removed my spiritual debt and accredited to me the perfect life of Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21)! The amount in my bank account is simply a number and out of love and worship, I aim to be the wisest steward of it that I can. My heart doesn’t need to panic or despair when that number changes because it’s not indicative of my identity and it doesn’t change the way God looks at me one bit. A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions as those possessions have no eternal value (Luke 12:15). What we own is not who we are. My righteousness does not rest in my riches but is secure because of His.

2. My Provision Isn’t Tied to A Paycheck

Credit for this point goes to one of my pastors, Lee Lewis. I once heard him say this and it has since been deeply rooted in my soul. In our first seven years of marriage, my husband lost his job three times. The most recent job loss occurred nearly a year ago, sandwiched between his first day back at work after paternity leave and the holidays.

My husband was offered severance pay with many strings attached one being that we wouldn’t see it until 60 days after his departure. I wondered if we would be able to purchase Christmas gifts for our kids and if we would go months without a steady income. It felt so defeating that just days before Christmas, when other minor trials hit, I found myself crying on my kitchen floor.

I knew eternity with Christ was sure but our earthly future seemed quite bleak. Although I didn’t know how God would show Himself faithful, I knew that he would show Himself faithful. When our bank account seemed questionable, I banked on God’s unquestionable faithfulness to His people. I recalled Deuteronomy 8:3 which details an in between season for the Israelites. They had fled Pharaoh and the Egyptians but they hadn’t yet arrived in the promised land.

God’s provision for them was exactly what they needed for each day, no more and no less (Exodus 16:17-19). Why? In this verse His people were told, “And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” Their sustenance, like ours, was in the One who perfectly sustains (Colossians 1:17).

3. Having Debt Isn’t A Sin

There is a popular teaching that seems to indicate being debt free is the ultimate financial aim for Christians. This seems to come from a misunderstanding of Proverbs 22:7 which says, “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.” This verse is often misused to make it seem as if debt is a sin. When you read the verse both literarily and literally however, it becomes clear that it’s simply a statement of observation. Proverbs contains principles that are generally true and help its applicants live wisely.

A similar example is the verse prior, Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when is old he will not depart from it.” While many cling to this as a guarantee for growing godly children, it too is an observation that generally speaking, children raised by wise parents will become wise adults.

Elevating being debt free to a Christian virtue is unhelpful because it lacks consideration for the circumstances and motives that led to the debt which is ultimately what God cares about. It also places an incredibly heavy and unnecessary burden on those who have been the wisest stewards they could with what they’ve been given.

Consider the difference between parents putting groceries on a credit card one week because things are tight and they want to feed their children and someone maxing out credit cards to fit in by wearing the latest trends. Both situations lead to debt but the circumstances in each situation are different.

When we have debt, it is helpful to examine why and regardless, we ought always to seek growth in being wise stewards. Remembering that God won’t be one bit more pleased with us if/when we are debt free compels us to grow as an act of worship.

4. My Hope Isn’t In Being Debt Free

Being debt free, like many good things, can become an idol that promises more than it can deliver. Recklessly accumulating debt is foolish as is pursuing freedom from it with the expectation that life will be easier. As I’ve wrestled with this I’ve learned that my security isn’t in my bank account and no amount I accumulate can spare me from the realities of life in a broken world.

With my husband’s job losses, I’ve always hoped that we would have a certain amount in our savings account so I wouldn’t feel anxious should costly problems arise. We finally had that amount before a recent trip and it didn’t resolve any of my heart issues. I wondered what we would do if something happened that would require us to use our savings. When we’d achieved prior savings goals, life seemed to get in the way and it almost always came with a cost.

God is teaching me that He really owns and controls it all and I can always trust Him to provide for me. Money can’t fix the matters of the heart. I was reminded of this on the same trip when my oldest daughter accidentally broke her arm. I anxiously awaited for her ER visit to end and dreaded the day the medical bills would arrive.

I was reminded of Proverbs 23:4-5 which warns, “Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven.”

Although it’s been painful at times, I’ve learned to praise the Lord in seasons of abundance and seasons of want because He allows and controls both. Glorifying God in our finances is a wisdom issue. The Bible gives us principles for being wise stewards and there is so much freedom in how we apply them. Money is a morally neutral tool given to us by God for His glory. How we use it reveals what our hearts believe about God and the gospel.

While we work toward eliminating debt, I’ve had to ask myself if I’m doing so out of penance or praise. Do I believe that God will be more pleased with me when I’ve eliminated my financial debt or do I live like He already is because He’s eliminated my spiritual debt and given me everything in Jesus (Philippians 4:19)? Do I truly believe that I have a rich life in Jesus or do I buy the lie that once we are debt free, we will have “arrived”?

5. I Should Center My Living Around My Giving

Another popular Christian finance ideal is that we should live like no one else now, so we can give like no one else later. Pursuing freedom from debt and joyful generosity are not mutually exclusive and the Bible makes a compelling case for giving even for those with debt.

A friend of ours experienced job loss during the COVID-19 pandemic and God used one of his friends to provide groceries for him when he was uncertain of how he would feed his family. His friend’s work was deemed essential and his company provided extra compensation to him for risking his life as he worked. His friend had debt and could’ve used that extra money toward it but he chose to freely give it to our friend who was in desperate need. This reminded me of Proverbs 3:27-28, “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it’—when you have it with you.”

The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it (Psalm 24:1, Psalm 50:10) which enables us to freely give what has never been ours. When we understand the costliness of the cross, it moves us from giving out of duty to giving out of delight (Acts 20:35, 2 Corinthians 8:9, 2 Corinthians 9:7, Hebrews 13:16). Jesus’ life was ordered so He could give His best freely and first. He gave before He gained and this compels me to center my giving around my living rather than it being the other way around.

It can feel scary to be in need and not know when God is going to provide but from the Bible’s beginning, His record of faithful provision is perfect. There is great comfort in knowing that God’s already taken care of our biggest need by His generous provision of Jesus. Since He freely gave up what was most dear to Him we can trust that He is abundantly capable of providing for our lesser needs too. He gives us all things and He does so graciously (Romans 8:32). Wherever we find ourselves financially, in Christ, we are rich beyond belief with a Treasure of surpassing worth (Philippians 3:8). May this help our hearts trust Him and live freely in His lavish love.