The Essentials of Biblical Finance: Contentment

Contentment

1. Contentment is not: a loss of ambition, a war against success/gain, a disconnection from reality or slavery to the status quo. It is worthwhile to take a few moments to dispel the myths of this elusive term.

2. Contentment is: a conviction that Christ’s power, purpose and provision is sufficient for “any and all” circumstances.

3. Contentment is a conviction. The Bible calls us to allow our convictions, not our circumstances, to govern our sense of contentment. We must learn to walk through all circumstances still believing that God: is in control, is good, is enough, desires our good, accomplishes His will, walks with us, gives us peace and promises deliverance. We must choose to rest on God’s good promises despite what may be going on in our lives.

4. Contentment is choosing self-control over self-indulgence. Self-denial is not the goal of contentment. Instead, self-discipline allows us to enjoy good things without being overcome by them. If we do not show self-discipline in our approach to money then we passively make the statement that we have decided to spend everything we make no matter how much we make.

5. Contentment is choosing to be thankful. When we are content we have an attitude of thanksgiving, and when we are discontent we complain. Our words, good or bad, speak volumes of our internal conditions. We can learn a lot about our contentment by judging what we say around the water cooler and kitchen table.

Part 1: Intro, Part 2: Stewardship, Part 3: Generosity, Part 4: Contentment 

The Essentials of Biblical Finance: Generosity

Generosity

1. Generosity must be first. When we give first, we show the Lord, ourselves and others that God is first on our budget and first in our hearts. Giving first is a concrete value statement.

2. Generosity must be from the heart. God loves a cheerful giver and we must learn to cultivate joy in generosity. We must give with pure motives and pure hearts. We are wasting our money and embittering our hearts when we give out of guilt or obligation.

3. Generosity must be proportional. As we possess greater income and assets, we are called to give in greater proportion. We deceive ourselves in giving a constant percentage (say 10%), and thinking we are giving more when our income rises. True, the dollar value has increased, but scripture calls us to increase the percentage of our giving as our resources increase.

4. Generosity is a lifestyle. The call to generosity is hardly limited to the offering plate. We are called to be generous people. We must choose to be generous with our money, time, energy, talents, gifts, and on, and on. Generosity, when understood Biblically, is a way of life.

5. Generosity is a life spring. The Bible teaches that it is better to give than to receive. We are told that when we are generous we “take hold of that which is life indeed”. When we give we live as Christ calls. When we withhold we follow the world’s idolization of consumption.

Part 1: Intro, Part 2: Stewardship, Part 3: Generosity, Part 4: Contentment 

Stewardship

1. Stewardship respects. When we properly understand God’s ownership of all of His creation, we will view ourselves as managers of the resources with which God has entrusted us. Like the parable of the talents, we will seek to utilize our resources according to our master’s desire.

2. Stewardship matters. The volume of scripture regarding money and possessions is profound. When we consider how often the Law, the prophets, Christ and the apostles spoke of such things, we can no longer view the way we handle our money as insignificant.

3. Stewardship reveals. The way we handle and acquire money reveals a lot about our character and priorities. Are we generous, honest, selfish, content, humble, or greedy? How we obtain our money and where it ends up reveals a lot about what we value. “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

4. Stewardship frees. Giving proper thought, study and prayer to create a God-glorifying budget will free us to spend money wisely, effectively and without guilt. We liberate ourselves to make the best possible decisions with our money and free our conscience from guilty spending.

5. Stewardship rewards. We will give an account for how we have managed and invested such a powerful asset. Are we investing in the kingdom or ourselves? The Bible clearly relates that heavenly reward awaits those who choose to invest in the kingdom of God. We must recognize money has huge amounts of “potential energy” and we will be accountable for how we utilized and where we invested what God has entrusted to us.

Part 1: Intro, Part 2: Stewardship, Part 3: Generosity, Part 4: Contentment 

The Essentials of Biblical Finance: Intro (Stewardship, Generosity and Contentment)

“We give thanks to God always for all of you…constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thes. 1:2-3)

The faith of the Thessalonians is inspiring. When speaking of them, Paul explained that the “gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.” (5) Paul’s letter explains that their faith toward God had gone forth to every place and the power of the gospel in their lives was evident to all. A Biblical approach to finance will testify to the world of power of the gospel to change lives.

The church at Thessalonica was commended for their work of faith, labor of love and steadfastness of hope. Faith, love, and hope: These are the workings of the mature Christian life (1 Cor. 13:13). From this point, we launch our series on the essentials of Biblical finance. Faith, love and hope have a home in the Christian budget as stewardship, generosity and contentment. Stewardship is a work of faith as we seek to live by the principles of God’s economy as instructed from His word and exchange our worldly aspirations for heavenly ones. Generosity is a labor of love when we joyfully sacrifice in the name of Christ for the benefit of others. Contentment is a steadfastness of hope in Christ alone as we learn to find contentment in our convictions not our circumstances. From this point, our finances become a testimony of our devotion to the Lord not a distraction from Him. We must seek stewardship, generosity and contentment understanding that they are not ends in themselves, but fruits of a much deeper walk with Christ. We must allow our hearts to be transformed by the power and conviction of the Holy Spirit, and our wallets will follow suit.

Part 1: Intro, Part 2: Stewardship, Part 3: Generosity, Part 4: Contentment 

“Finances are an integral part of daily living today and can affect us either positively or negatively. Through His Word, God gave us specific guidelines to direct our lives so that we can enjoy the blessings He promises us. There are more than sixteen hundred verses in the Bible that deal directly with financial situations. Only love is discussed more often than money in the New Testament, which says something about the importance of finances.” – Larry Burkett (Using Your Money Wisely)