Pastor Greg Neal

Philippians 4:19 – But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

When we hold up a dollar bill, whose image do we see? The image is that of George Washington. Every Christian should also see a mental image of God on that dollar bill because every Christian needs to have a vision of God when it comes to his finances. Sadly, most Christians do not and are in danger of perishing. Most people fall into one of two categories if they do not have a vision of God’s Word for their finances. Either their finances are a mess, or their finances are their gods.

Without a good perspective of God’s Word in regard to our finances, we risk either of these two outcomes. When a Christian thinks of money, he should think of what the Bible says about money. Here are some various ways we need to see God in our finances.

 

WE NEED TO SEE A GREATER VISION OF GOD AS OUR PROVIDER.

Philippians 4:19; Proverbs 8:20-21; II Corinthians 9:8

God provides for His children. That does not mean we do not earn our money, but God gives us the strength to do so and allows us to have the job we need in order to earn an income. We must always see God as the Source of our financial increase. We should give to God because He has enabled us to earn.

 

WE MUST HAVE A GREATER VISION OF GOD IN OUR HANDLING OF FINANCES.

Many Christians make terrible financial mistakes because they do not follow God’s law when it comes to financial decisions. Here are some examples of how we must have a vision of God in how we handle our finances.

Avoid unnecessary debt.

Psalm 37:21; Proverbs 22:7

The purpose of debt is to allow us to purchase something, such as a home, which we know we can afford. Debt should be a temporary position, not one we carry with us for a lifetime. Most debt is created when we borrow money for what we want rather than what we need. The home is a need; however, a bigger home is often more of a want. Using good principles is important when it comes to the matter of debt.

Save money.

Proverbs 21:20; Proverbs 22:3

A Christian with a good vision of God in his finances understands the importance of saving money. It is not to hoard our money but to prepare ourselves for the future. Saving money is actually investing in order to be able to do more for God in the future.

Establish a budget.

Proverbs 22:23; Proverbs 24:3-4

We all understand that it would be foolish for a business to operate without keeping good records or having a budget. We expect our church to be operated by a budget. However, there are many Christians who have failed to budget their finances, and it leads to disaster. Let us have a budget for our finances.

 

WE NEED TO HAVE A GREATER VISION OF GOD IN GIVING.

Luke 6:38

Giving is an integral part of increasing our vision of God in our finances. Christians who lose sight of the Biblical reasons for giving often lose focus on the importance of their giving. Losing sight of God’s Word in giving means it could begin to deteriorate. People do not give less intentionally but rather inadvertently. Increasing our vision for giving will increase the blessings and happiness that we experience as Christians. Here are a few principles we should consider as we give.

Give because the Lord expects it.

Matthew 6:2

This passage does not say if but when we give. God assumes that His people will give because that is what love does. (John 3:16) Just as God gave because of His love for us, He expects us to give out of love for Him.

Give as God has prospered us.

I Corinthians 16:1-2

A person who tithes is obedient. However, we are to give as God has prospered us. That should lead us to increase the percentage of our giving. As we make more money, we increase the percentage of the income we are giving to God.

Give to direct our hearts.

Matthew 6:21

If we want to keep our hearts where they should be, then we should make certain our finances are where they should be. Our hearts will follow our giving.

Give out of an abundance of gratitude for what God has done for us.

II Corinthians 8:9-15

The more grateful we are for what God has done, the more we will give to Him. Where there is no vision of God’s abundance to us, our giving will perish.

Give more cheerfully.

II Corinthians 9:6-7

We give cheerfully when we consider why we are giving. The cheerful giver knows he is honoring God with his giving, while the one who gives grudgingly is only obeying the law. Cheerfulness in our giving is Biblically important.

 

WE MUST SEEK GODLY COUNSEL AS AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR VISION FOR OUR FINANCES.

Proverbs 15:22; Psalm 1:1

Many Christians do not realize that the world is constantly influencing our spending. Advertising influences us in how to spend our money by telling us what we need. That is why it is important to have counselors when it comes to financial decisions. If we are getting ready to make a major purchase, we would be wise to seek the counsel of a committed Christian who has proven himself wise when it comes to finances. Remember, this world is seeking to take our money away from us in order to minimize our spiritual effectiveness and our giving to God.

 

WE NEED TO LEARN TO BE CONTENT.

I Timothy 6:6

As we look ahead at our finances, we need to decide to be more content with what we have. Far too much of our spending is based upon the lack of contentment with what we already have. We want more because we are not satisfied. (Hebrews 13:5) One area in which many people become discontent is in the area of buying new cars. There is nothing wrong with driving a nice car. However, we should make a calculated decision on such a major purchase, not one that is based upon our lack of contentment with the car we have. Many people buy a new car, not because they need a new car, but because they cannot live without the latest model. We must be content so that we can make wise decisions.

Do we see God in our finances? Is He the focus of every financial decision? Do we have a Biblical financial mission statement? It is imperative for each of us to have a greater vision financially in order that we please God with the substance and increase that He has allowed us to enjoy. Throughout the year, we must seek to have a greater vision of God when it comes to our finances.

The above blog post is an abridged version of the chapter, “A Time to Build Our Financial Vision,” taken from the book by Pastor Greg Neal, A Time to Build. This title and many more are available from Berean Publications.