Do we ever stop to ask ourselves what we are going to do when we get there?  I know what you’re thinking:  “Of course I do!  I am going to sleep in, spend time with my kids, stare at the ocean, and do something really significant with my time–you know, give back.”  We all have an endless list of things to do when “financial independence” finally moves into the guest bedroom.  However, the point I am trying to make here is that most of us never REALLY stop and think about what would come after reaching this elusive utopian destination.

If I had to boil it down into its simplest terms, I find that we usually go in one of two directions:  luxury or philanthopy.  Regarding the first option, the Bible speaks rather clearly.  Jesus told a parable about a rich man who had reached what we would call “financial independence”.

“Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.  And he told them this parable: ‘The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’  Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain.  And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’  But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’  This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:15-21, NIV)

Plain and simple:  The Bible teaches that a life long pursuit of wealth in the name of personal comfort, luxury, and ease is greedy and foolish.  Though it may seem appealing on the surface, this approach to life is nothing more than a self-revolving, self-indulging, pursuit of short-term and superficial satisfaction.  And, sadly, this person’s deepest hopes are placed in temporal things with no guarantee they will actually get to enjoy what they have stored up.  There is nothing wrong with working hard to enjoy some of the fruit of your labor, but the life dedicated only to this purpose is ultimately meaningless, self-absorbed greed.

The rest of us place our bets on door number two (philanthropy).  Often Christians aware of the parable above defend their pursuit of financial independence in terms like:  “Once I get there, I will serve and give, etc.”  We have dreams of using our adundant resources to help others…once we get our stockpile high enough.  We tend to be quite stingy now as we strive towards our goal, and push our generosity off to the day our ship comes in.  Let’s stop and think about that.  Will we really dedicate our life to something we never have the time for now?  Are fooling ourselves? 

Jesus told another parable along these lines, the parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14-30).  “You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.” (23)  Would God be wise to bless our pursuit of financial independence if we don’t do what we are supposed to with the little amount we have?  I don’t think so.

In conclusion, I will leave us with two principles to consider:  First, supposed “financial independence” is not evil unless it is the only thing we are trying to define our life by (greed).  Second, we fool ourselves if we think we will be a different sort of person when our assets increase.  We should feel free to work towards this goal, but should never define our lives by it or convince ourselves we can wait until then to start acting like we ought.

I grew up a little different than your run of the mill American. When something broke in our house, we fixed it. Doesn’t matter what it was, we fixed it. I was probably the only kid in my third grade class that knew how to change out a flapper valve, understand the difference between regular and galvanized nails, and could swap out an oil filter! Seriously! At career day in elementary school, I had no idea what a plumber, mechanic, or electrian was–those people all went by the name “dad”. (Can I get an amen in the comment thread from everyone out there who grew up like I did!?!) Anyway, to understand today’s post you have to know a little bit about cutting boards…so I will do my best to make it sensical for everyone who didn’t grow up quite like I did.

When you are cutting a board with a circular saw, you have to do a couple things at the same time to get the result you are hoping for: a clean, straight cut. First, you draw the line. You make your marks on both sides of the cut, draw a clean line, then pick up your saw. Now, here is where it gets tricky. You have to do two things at the same time to get a straight cut.

1. You have to constantly watch the line out in front of the saw and…

2. You have to constantly watch the point where the blade is intersecting the board.

Both things must be done at the same time. If you stare out in front of the saw–looking only at your guideline, then your blade will get off. Your cut will look like the edge of a lasagna noodle. Crooked. At the same time, if you stare constantly at the blade and never look out in front of the line, then you will get the same result, a crooked line.

Right now, you might be wondering if you have accidentally stumbled upon a DIY site, but I promise: There is a huge lesson in leadership hiding behind this simple example. As leaders, we naturally we swing the pendulum to one side or the other. We either: constantly look towards the future (and neglect the day to day necessities), or we only look at the daily operations (and totally neglect our future vision).

VISIONARIES: These people stare at the line out in front of the saw. They are creative, innovative, and think outside of the box. They have great ideas, but struggle desperately to execute on a daily basis. Details are not their strength. While they might have great ideas, they struggle to get the saw from point A to point B. They only stare out in front.

PRAGMATISTS: These people stare at the saw intersecting the board. They are excellent details people. They are great planners and strategic. They can get from point A to point B–it’s what they do. The struggle with this population is that they are often driving to a point B that is totally irrelevent, out-dated, or illogical. They are great at day to day operations, but often lose sight of just where they are trying to get to in the first place.

Everyone leans one way or the other. To be a good leader you have to recognize which way you lean and strive for balance. If you are a visionary, strive for discipline and day to day balance with details–look down. If you are a pragmatist, strive to set appropriate and purposeful goals–look up. And, if you are looking for the icing on the cake, try to work closely with someone who compliments your leanings. Team up, and build upon each other’s strengths.

(I have to give credit to my pastor for using a variation of this analogy in a recent sermon. Thanks, Rick)

I heard a sermon the other day that got me thinking about discontent in a different light.  When researching for my second book: Christ-Centered Contentment, I stumbled across 100 different perspectives on subject.  But, not once did I come across the following thought:  Discontent can be a good thing.  What!?!  How!?!

When it comes down to it, discontent (which is spiritual in nature) is often an ill condition of the heart.  For this reason, it is spoken against so strongly in Bible and churches across the world.  When we have all that we need in Christ (2 Pet. 1:3), and we read verses like…

“Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, ‘I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,’ so that we confidently say, ‘THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID.  WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?’ (Heb. 13:5-6, NASB)

…it is hard to rationalize discontent in the life of a Christian (other than attributing it to sin and self).  God is for us and God is with us.  How could anything we lack compare with this?  A Christian can learn to be content in all circumstances. (Phil. 4:11)  These are some of the key points I discuss in my book on contentment, and I am not straying in anyway from those beliefs.  However, I have been challenged to add another layer to my definition of discontent.

Discontent is a motivator.  It can be a powerful force to bring about change.  There are plenty of examples of this in day-to-day life: 

• We might look in the mirror after stepping out of the shower or putting on those pants that used to fit last season, and find ourselves discontent with our health. 
• We might be up to our neck in bills and feeling more lost and behind with each passing month, and find ourselves discontent with our finances. 
• We might find ourselves struggling to connect and struggling to keep the romance alive with our spouse, and find ourselves discontent in our marriage. 
• We might admit that we distant from our Savior and are having our relationship with Christ growing cold and stagnant, and find ourselves discontent with our walk. 

In all of these places, discontent can be a springboard for positive change.  While I don’t think I am ready to move the word “discontent” on to a list of virtues, I am beginning to see that God often uses discontent to draw us to Himself.  Ultimately, we are discontent whenever we try to define ourselves, our life, or our satisfaction in anything other than Him.  In a matter of speaking, discontent—and most importantly, our reaction to it—can be a good thing.  Discontent has a power to drive us to change.  It has a power to drive us back to the only places our hearts and souls can find true contentment.  Discontent can drive us back to God. 

In conclusion, I still don’t believe discontent is a good thing in the life of a Christian.  It shows that we are defining ourselves by things other than Christ.  However, I recognize that it can be a powerful tool God uses to convince us to allow Him to enter into the places where we are discontent.

Putting “Me First” is the worst financial move a Christian can make.  Jesus clearly said, “The last shall be first, and the first last.” (Matt. 20:16, NASB)  The phrase itself is a little bit enigmatic at first (and definitely speaks far deeper than finances), but closer inspection reveals the wisdom of God.  We have a tendency to put ourselves first.  Big surprise I know, but we must begin to realize that our natural tendency is to make ourselves numero uno.  

Putting ourselves first —or perhaps I should say paying ourselves first—while it might sound a little arrogant, it seems like the path to finding the most enjoyment in our financial life.  Spending our money on ourselves seems like a logical way to get the most satisfaction from our finances.  The Bible says otherwise.  Observe this passage from Haggai:

“Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies desolate?’ Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘Consider your ways!  You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes.” (Hag. 1:4-6)

The people of God lived in luxury at the expense of the Lord’s house.  There is nothing inherently wrong with luxury or “paneled houses”, only when our pursuit of such things leaves the Lord’s work “desolate”.  The Lord’s response is something I think a lot of American Christians, if they are completely honest, can identify with.  He responds to their self-centered “Me-first-economy” by saying that their hard work reaps little harvest, their food and drink doesn’t satisfy, their clothes aren’t warm enough, and their financial life can be wrapped up in the phrase: easy come, easy go. 

This is a really challenging passage for the contemporary church to reflect on.  How much have we focused on “our house” before “the Lord’s house”?  I know that we don’t live in the old covenant with the Temple of the Lord, but how real is this principle today?  There are so many of us that have so much, yet reap so little—that consume so much to so little satisfaction.  How many of us might feel like we are putting money into a pocket with holes, finding ourselves at the end of the month scratching our head wondering where our paycheck went?

While there are a multitude of reasons for this effect, I think one of them is that God’s kingdom lies somewhere far down on the list of our financial priorities.  We do not give first.  We must consider our ways:

“Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘Consider your ways!  Go up to the mountains, bring wood and rebuild the temple, that I may be pleased with it and be glorified,’ says the LORD. ‘You look for much, but behold, it comes to little; when you bring it home, I blow it away. Why?’ declares the LORD of hosts, ‘Because of My house which lies desolate, while each of you runs to his own house.” (Hag. 1:7-11, NASB)

While it might seem self-contradicting, the following principle is true: when we put ourselves and our satisfaction at the top our list, we lose every time.  We “look for much, but behold, it comes to little.”  The first will be last.  We must begin putting God first, and by doing so, actually do what is best for ourselves.

Among the many instructions the Bible has for our giving, it calls for us to keep our giving “secret”. Jesus plainly told us to give in this manner:

“So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” Matt 6:2-4, NASB)

The call for secret giving is unavoidable. The reasoning behind such a command can be a little less obvious. I have tried to come up with what I believe are some sound rationales for a Christian to not let his left hand know what his right is doing.

GIVING SECRETLY…

 1. Keeps us from giving for the praise of others. This idea is plainly stated by Christ. Often, we are tempted to give because of how it will other people think of us. We want people to see us as generous, compassionate, and charitable. In this senario, we give not for the benefit of those receiving our contribution, but for our own benefit–selfish giving, if you will. It’s counter-productive. Giving in secret prevents this backwards motivation.

2. Allows giving to bring praise to God. In essence, this is the flip side of the previous point. When we choose to give secretly, our contributions bring praise and glory to God, not ourselves. He gets the credit when we give in a way that only He can be credited. We simply all ow the glory to fall where it ought when we give in secret.

3. Prevents self-righteousness. Not only do unsecretive contributions attempt to boost other people’s opinions of us, they also do a lot to inflate our own thoughts of self. This is why Jesus not only instructs us to keep our giving secret from others, but also to keep it a secret from ourselves. When we give generously, our flesh has a way of twisting our generosity in our own self-righteous favor. We no longer give because of how great God’s generosity has transformed and controlled our hearts, but because of how great we esteem ourselves. Not letting our left hand know what our right is doing, keeps this from happening.

4. Brings attention to the corporate not individual. I have already discussed the negative effects of giving for show, but giving secretly also brings glory to God corporately. When the world says that “John” or “Susan” is generous, John and Susan are honored. When the world says that “Christians” are generous, God is glorified. The church, as the body of Christ, brings glory to God.

5. Keeps the focus on others. When we give for our own acclaim, we care little for those to whom we are giving (after all, we are motivated by our own gain not theirs). This is hardly the call of biblical generosity. When we give in secret, our attention is focused on the benefit of the recipient. In this, we see true compassion in contribution.

Certainly there are more, but I think this post gets the ball rolling in the right direction. When we give secretly, we do what is best for ourselves and what is best for God’s kingdom. Jesus said that God is watching our contributions. Those who give in secret will be rewarded by God who sees in secret. Let us not miss out on the reward of the Father to gain the praise of men!

13 Things that will make you Poor

I had the idea the other day to read through the book of Proverbs and make note of all of the verses that relate a cause of poverty. I found thirteen. Their insight is challenging for anyone along the so-called “socio-economic” ladder, and have a lot to teach us all about living wisely.

Now, before we dig in I have to make one thing clear. The book of Proverbs also teaches that: those who oppress or mock the poor show contempt for their Maker (14:31, 17:5), those who treat them kindly honor God and will be rewarded (14:31, 19:17), those who shut their ear to the poor will cry out and not be answered (21:13), and those who are generous to the poor will be blessed (22:9). Therefore, in no way, shape, form, or fashion am I standing on my soapbox ranting against those who are in need. Instead, I am simply categorizing and summarizing a few patterns that the Bible says lead to poverty. I hope this list will help us all recognize the varying shades and shadows of these items in our own life and enable us to live a little more wisely. (Passages quoted from New International Version, ©2011)

SLEEP: “Do not love sleep or you will grow poor; stay awake and you will have food to spare.” (Prov. 20:13)

This will make you look at your snooze bar differently! I think at the heart of this matter is an unwillingness to do what needs to be done (get out of bed and get to work) for the temporary, immediate satisfaction of succumbing to “sheet fever”. I think this describes someone who cannot make himself do something he does not want to do.

TALKING: “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” (Prov. 14:23)

Talk is cheap says Solomon. Mere talk is no substitute for hard work. As long as we are content to only talk about our endeavors, goals, or plans, we will stay where we are.

DISREGARD OF DISCIPLINE: “Whoever disregards discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored.” (Prov. 13:18)

Those who disregard accountability, consequence, and correction will not gain the character (or knowledge) needed to live wisely. If we are unwilling to learn from our mistakes and the counsel of others, it makes sense that we will continue to wallow in the same circumstances our entire life—seemingly unable to improve our lot.

LAZINESS: “Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.” (Prov. 10:4)

It is obvious that laziness—an unwillingness to work—will lead to poverty. Though we may hear rumors of people getting rich quick or making “easy money”, these instances are the exception not the norm. Diligence, not laziness, leads to wealth.

WITHHOLDING WHAT IS DUE: “One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.” (Prov. 11:24)

Putting aside integrity in order to profit will lead to poverty. Perhaps in the short-run gain may be attainable, but over the long haul those who put aside right to gain riches will not prosper.

BEING STINGY: “The stingy are eager to get rich and are unaware that poverty awaits them.” (Prov. 28:22)

This is a tricky one. There are two ways to take this. First, it could mean that those who eagerly desire riches and are stingy will always be poor (no matter how much money they have) because their greed is never satisfied and their stinginess robs them of enjoying any of their money (so it is as if they are poor anyway). Or, the proverb could be interpreted in an eternal sense. The greedy and stingy will be like the rich fool Jesus spoke of who had nothing when his soul was required of him. (Luke 12)

HASTE: “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” (Prov. 21:5)

Planning, preparation, and preparedness lead to profit. It simply makes sense. In the same manner, it is logical to assume that disregarding these things will steer us in the other direction. Making financial decisions hastily and impulsively will never lead to success in the long-term.

OPRESSING POOR: “One who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth…come to poverty.” (Prov. 22:16)

Taking advantage of the poor for one’s own financial gain will not lead to prosperity. Similar to withholding what is due, the book of proverbs teaches that trading morality for money will not profit in the long-term (10:2). Money will indeed be made, but it will dwindle by the same immorality by which it was gained.

FLATTERING THE RICH: “One who gives gifts to the rich…come to poverty.” (Prov. 22:16)

There is a manner of living by which the rich (or those who want to be) spend their money trying to out-do and impress one another. In this elaborate charade of conspicuous consumption, all wealth is wasted in an attempt to beat the competition.

CHASING FANTASIES: “Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty.” (Prov. 28:19)

Wake up and go to work. This proverb doesn’t discount dreams or lofty long-term thinking. Instead, it challenges those who seem unable to accomplish much of anything because they are constantly chasing fantasies and unrealistic endeavors. Like a person in a desert turning this way and that going after every mirage, they refuse to point themselves in one direction and start walking.

LOVE PLEASURE: “Whoever loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich.” (Prov. 21:17)

Being obsessed with pleasure is self-defeating. Real fulfillment is the by-product of pursuing a greater good (like love, for example). The people described here do not understand this; therefore, they endlessly chase pleasure hoping the next thing, experience, or purchase will satisfy their souls.

GLUTTONY: “Do not join those who…gorge themselves on meat, for…gluttons become poor. And drowsiness clothes them in rags. (Prov. 23:20-21)

Over-consumption will deteriorate your resources. A lifestyle of gluttony and gorging will consume any amount of resources or income. “Give me all I can get and more” will bottom out the barrel eventually.

ALCOHOL: “Do not join those who drink too much wine…for drunkards…become poor. And drowsiness clothes them in rags. (Prov. 23:20-21)

The addiction to alcohol (or any other addiction for that matter) can and will destroy your financial life. All resources will be spent on drunkenness (and the lifestyle that goes with it) only to sober up and repeat the process.

First off, what does legalism mean?  The simplest explanation I can come up with this this:  Legalism is the belief that “Jesus + __fill in the blank__ = salvation.”  It is an attempt to allow works to creep their way into a person’s salvation.  It is bad theology.  It is completely unbiblical:

“A man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus…by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified.” (Gal. 2:16)

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works.” (Eph. 2:8)

I will state it plain and simple:  Christians are saved by grace alone through faith alone.  There is nothing whatsoever that we can do to save ourselves.  Nothing.  We are saved by the gracious gift of our generous God.  Amen.  Nothing I write will ever vere from this understanding.  If I ever do, call me on it.  There is nothing we can do to save ourselves.  Plain and simple–it is all the gift of God.  (For more scripture, the book of Galatians revolves around Paul arguing with early Christians that said you had to be circumcised to be a believer).

It would be “legalistic” to say that someone has to do a certain thing to be saved.  So, if I said something like “You have to be baptized to be a Christian”, then that would be legalistic because it makes our salvation contigent upon our works.  That being said, the majority of confusion around this term comes when we move from discussing salvation to sanctification.  We have to realize that when we are talking about how to become a Christian and how to live as a Christian, we are speaking into two different contexts.  Let’s continue the example of baptism.  I could, with scripture on my side and without being legalistic, tell a new Christian “You should be baptised.”  Why?  For starters, it is the first thing Jesus told new believers to do!  Baptism is a command spoken throughout the New Testament, and telling another believer that they should do x, y, or z because the Bible commands them to is not legalism.  It is simply confronting God’s people with God’s word.  (There is a huge difference between saying a Christian should do something and saying someone is not a Christian if they don’t.)

I think American Christians (myself included) are fiercely individualistic.  If we are completely honest, we just don’t like the thought of anyone telling us what to do, period.  We hate legalism (and should!) so much that we often label anyone telling us what to do as “legalism.”  I think at times we mistakenly confuse things such as discipline, truth, accountability, and discipleship with the idea of being legalistic.  Anytime someone tells us we “should” do something, we shrug it off without the slightest chance of conviction under the false accusation of legalism.  We use definitions of legalism like “man made law” to fill our minds with the unbiblical notion that man can never tell us what to do.  This is only half true.  If a man is making his personal convictions law to other believers, then we are not bound.  But, if he is simply speaking the truth of the Bible, then it is not a man made law–it is God’s law coming through the mouth of a willing vessel.  We must begin to pray for the humility to judge a man’s words against the truth of scripture instead of writing off every statement that challenges us as legalism.

What in the world does this have to do with Biblical finance?  Simple.  Let’s say I posted the following challenge on my blog:

Don’t make your life about accumulating as much as you can here on earth.  Instead, try to live for heaven as much as you can.  That is the only wise choice when you think about how temporary things are here.  Afterall, we always spend money on the things that we value in our heart.  So, if all your expenditures are earthly, I have to question whether or not you even care about heaven.  You can’t serve God and serve money at the same time.  So let’s be completely honest- If all are you are doing is accumulating for your own enjoyment in this life, I might wonder whether or not your heart even belongs to God at all because all of your actions seem to point more towards worshiping money than worshiping God.

Now, if I posted that paragraph on my blog I would have so much hatemail I would have to buy extra server space just for my email account!  And, the top of the list would be accusations that I am being legalisic.  But compare the paragraph above with the following words of Christ.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also…No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other You cannot serve God and wealth.” (Matt. 6:19-24)

There really isn’t that much difference between the two paragraphs.  Nowhere in the above paragraph did I say that you aren’t a Christian if you are only accumulating treasure on earth, I just challenged believers with the very challenging words of Christ.  But believe me, there would be an outrage if I posted my hypothetical post above. 

For sake of another example: Let’s say a pastor preaches on the New Testament’s call for radical generosity and tells his congregation:  “The Bible calls us to be radically generous.  To do so, you should give 50% or more of your income away.”  That wouldn’t so much be legalism as it is bad teaching (the pastor is not saying you aren’t a Christian if you don’t give 50% or more of your income).  He is just saying you should do something that he can’t back with scripture (the 50% number that is), so his congregation is “free” of such a demand.  But here is where the rubber meets the road.  If pastor says something like this, then we as Christians argue till we are blue in the face about the 50% number with such passion that we never give a second glace as to whether or not we are radically generous.  You see, even if a pastor make this statement, his congregants are free from the 50% contingency, BUT NOT free from the call to be radically generous.  We often take one blip here, one poorly worded statement there, and run hard and fast from the overall truth of a message.  So please, be patient and forgiving with us “teachers” who try to connect doctrine with daily living in a way that is meaningful for those we teach.  Always try to look at the heart of the message.  A much better way to say it would be: “The Bible calls us to be radically generous so you should be radically generous.  Spend time in prayer allowing the Spirit to define ”radical generosity” for you.  Personally, I came to the conclusion that radical generosity is giving more than half of your income away.”   Hold fast to scripture and give grace to those who carry the burden of trying to teach God’s word.

I know there are a lot legalistic teachings out there, and I am side by side with you fighting for the purity of the gospel message.  However, we must recognize our adversary (and sinful self) hate being confronted with the word of God.  So let’s try to be a little more honest with ourselves and a little less quick to pull the legalism card whenever someone says something that causes our conviction muscles to flex.  We must always judge the words of men againsts the truth of God’s word, and we are bound by nothing a man says without the authority of scripture.  However, a man speaking from the Bible to Christians has every right to say what we should or shouldn’t do.  After all, these men will be held to account for their teaching:  “Let not many of your become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we shall incur a stricter judgement.” (James 3:1)  I will be accountable to God for how I used Dollars and Doctrine to teach His word.  Please pray that I handle this responsibility well.