This may surprise you, but money is the primary competitor with God for our affection. Jesus tells us we will serve–and love–one or the other…
When the Crusades were fought during the twelfth century, the Crusaders purchased the services of mercenaries to fight for them. Because it was a religious war, the Crusaders insisted that the mercenaries be baptized before fighting.
As they were being baptized, the soldiers would take theri swords and hold them up out of the water to symbolized that Jesus Christ was not in control of their swords, that they retained the freedom to use their weapons in any way they wished.
Many people today do a similar thing. They hold their wallet or purse out of the water, an attitude that says, ‘God, I yield control of my entire life to you except in the area of money—I am perfectly capable of handling that myself.’ And without realizing it, this attitude hinders their relationship with God and harms their finances. (Howard Dayton, Your Money Map)
I thought this quote from this Christian author was amazing and thought I’d pass it on to everyone who wants to learn to spend money the way the Lord would have us do. People of all faiths and all countries struggle with putting money before God whether we’re rich or poor.
What can one do in order to put the Lord before our money? I won’t claim to be an expert, but I’ll share some things that have helped me.
- Acknowledge all things are Gods and I am a Steward When you really think about it, everything we have comes from God. The air we breathe, our families, our life, and of course our money. We are merely stewards. As I pray to realize and recognize this, I find that I am more careful with being frivolous with spending and have greater respect for the money God blesses me with.
- Be Grateful for Blessings and Tell the Lord I’ve found that when I express gratitude to the Lord for any blessing He gives me, that my heart grows less hardened and more apt to use the blessing as He would have me do. Regarding money, when I think about how grateful I am for the money he blesses me with and pray to use it how He would have me use it, I find myself become less attached to the money.
- Pay Tithing I’ve seen miracles by paying my tithing. I feel the first two steps mentioned are the “mental” action steps and paying tithing is the first “physical” action step on how to spend money the way the Lord would have us do. No matter what, pay your tithing and you’ll be blessed. I’ve been blessed by paying my tithing because when I do, I become less attached to the money and more drawn to the Lord as I pray that the money will be spent how He would have it spent. I also have seen physical blessings come as a result of paying tithing.
- Give to the Needy King Benjamin in the Book of Mormon talks about how we should always give to those in need. We all see people on the streets asking for money (especially in the Seattle area where I live). I’ve found that when I see this person if I ask him what he will do with the money I trust him if he says he’ll use it for food. Who am I to judge? However, some of them are honest enough to tell me they’ll spend it on drugs and beer and then I don’t give them the money. In addition, our church (the LDS or Mormon church) has an option to pay additional funds for humanitarian causes and I pay towards that as well. I’ve found that by doing this, I become even less attached to the money and grateful that the Lord has blessed me so abundantly and I pray the people that receive the money will feel the same way and be blessed.
- Pay Yourself The next thing I do each month is pay myself in two ways. 1. Retirement funds 2. Emergency Savings
- Make Extra Payments Any debts I have such as student loans and car payments we pay extra money towards them. This reduces the amount of time to be in debt as the Lord has commanded us to stay out of debt and pay our debtors.
- Do Not get into Credit Card Debt I heard on the radio today the average American has $15,000 worth of credit card debt.If you have a credit card, pay it off every month. If that is too hard, don’t use a credit card.
- Avoid “Get Rich Quick” schemes I’ve been scammed a few times and it hurts. If it sounds too good to be true it usually is.
- Live within Your Means My wife and I were talking yesterday about how our grandparents lived in small homes and raised big families. Today we live in big homes and raise small families. We need to be very honest with ourselves and really pray to see what our needs vs. wants are. If we can afford to pay tithing, give to the needy, save money, and pay the other bills and still get a house, then get a house that is within your means. Pay cash for purchases such as cars, furniture, etc. If you don’t have the money, save up for it.
- Be Honest in Dealings ALWAYS be honest in business dealings, on our taxes, etc. It’s the right thing to do and keeps the Holy Spirit with us in our decisions.
- Pray for Strength against Pride As we give to the needy and express gratitude to the Lord, we’ll be blessed with more abundance (at least that’s what I’ve found). When the additional blessings come, pray that you’ll stay humble and that you won’t be prideful.
These are steps that have helped me, but I’m sure there are many more and I feel like I’m learning every day about how to be a better steward. Are there any scriptures or any other things you do to help you be a better steward over the Lord’s money?
10 comments
Comments feed for this article
July 30, 2008 at 7:21 pm
sunlize
Since I’ve just signed away thousands of dollars of my future money in the form of student loans, I found this post to be very timely and relevant.
I think it is hard to put the Lord before money and consumerism. There always seems to be enough money or the desire to save enough money for me too buy something I don’t really need. But I don’t think I’ve ever purposely saved money to donate to a certain cause. Would God prefer for me to use my money to buy a nice dinner or to donate it toward a worthy cause? It’s hard to draw the line between enjoying the money/gifts that I have and giving that money to a great cause. Where’s the balance?
LikeLike
July 30, 2008 at 10:15 pm
ama49
#1 Sunlize,
It is hard to find the balance. LDS prophets have said avoid debt at all costs. It may be necessary for schooling or for a home, but be prudent, so it’s o.k. that you are in debt for schooling. Just do all you can to pay it off as soon as possible and try to find scholarships and maybe work while you are in school to pay it off.
Now, regarding using your money, first, the Lord expects us to pay Him first. Pay your tithing. Next, pray and see what you feel is necessary. If you feel that you have the means to give then do it, if not, then pray to the Lord that you want to help them, but can’t and pray for their well-being.
A good scripture on this is found in the Book of Mormon in Alma chapter 34:
27 Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your ahearts be bfull, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your cwelfare, and also for the welfare of dthose who are around you.
28 And now behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you, do not suppose that this is all; for after ye have done all these things, if ye turn away the needy, and the naked, and visit not the sick and afflicted, and impart of your substance, if ye have, to those who stand in need—I say unto you, if ye do not any of these things, behold, your prayer is vain, and availeth you nothing, and ye are as hypocrites who do deny the faith.
Notice it says in verse 28 impart of your substance “if ye have..”
As long as we’re being honest with ourselves and with God we’re in the right place.
LikeLike
July 31, 2008 at 3:42 am
Eric Zacharias
Good practical article, Ama.
We would be remiss, of course, if we left off without citing Jesus.
Jesus reminded people that giving is to be done without recognition. Yes, there is a warm fuzzy for giving, esp if we are recognized for our generosity. Jesus noted that such people have their reward–but not with God. Rather, Jesus said, your giving should be done in secret, with “your left hand not knowing what your right hand is doing.” (It’s funny, but we often used that phrase as a deprecation!)
And God, who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
We can never out-give God, can we? No. Nor can we pay for our salvation. But God did. “Not with gold or silver,” Martin Luther wrote, “but with his holy precious blood, his innocent suffering and death; that I may be his own and live under him in his kingdom and serve him with everlasting righteousness, innocent and blessedness.”
Our life begins with Jesus Christ. As we grow in God’s grace, the Holy Spirit will cause us to live a life more in keeping with the faith; in other words, God will move us ‘to walk the walk.”
God forgives us for our selfishness; but he wants us to move beyond trusting in wealth to trusting his ability to provide. Riches and greed sneak up and entrap us. That is why Jesus told us that we cannot really serve God and money. We either use money as a tool or we treat it as god. How is your life with God? Do you use him as a tool or keep him the focus of your life? If so, your focus will be on Christ Jesus–the one who died to free you from your sins and whose blood makes us free to be the people of God. Those who do not honor Jesus as Lord does not honor the Father; for they, of course, are one Lord.
Blessings in Christ,
Eric Zacharias
LikeLike
July 31, 2008 at 6:46 pm
BDO
Good Post. My verse is Hebrews 12:1, which calls us to throw off those things that hinder us from running the Lord’s race.
Well, debt is a big hindrance. Most times debt shows our selfishness in our spending. Debt causes stress. And debt does not allow us to fund the Lord’s work when He calls, because our money is already designated to go to past purchases.
LikeLike
August 1, 2008 at 2:25 pm
11 Steps to Putting Lord before Money and Getting out of Debt - LDS Mormon Forums
[…] 11 Steps to Putting Lord before Money and Getting out of Debt 11 Steps to Putting the Lord before Your Money and Getting out of Debt Grace for Grace […]
LikeLike
August 1, 2008 at 4:45 pm
Inthedoghouse
What an awesome post. You have given us a great list of ideas to help us put the Lord before our money.
I find it interesting that in our Temple worship we are cautioned about only one thing in this world… and it is money.
Many people are so blind to the fact that we are under covenant to live the Law of Consecration, which includes the submission of our will, as well as any other blessings we have been given.
When I taught Seminary I did a little experiment as we were learning about the Law of Consecration in the Doctrine and Covenants. I had my students see if they could ask around to find out if we were required to live the Law of Consecration today… interesting feedback, I can assure you.
I find it amazing how the Lord, through His Church, has allowed us to personally make that choice as an individual. When we fill out our tithing donation slip we certainly have other options as far as the amount we are willing to give as well…consecration possibility???
Great insights.
LikeLike
August 2, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Heidi A.
I loved and agreed with your truthful comments. Perhaps it is one of the greatest challenges of our day to put our trust in God and in nothing else.
One of the things that has really helped me is being a single-parent on a very limited income. I have come to rely on the Lord for nearly everything and my faith has been tested and strengthened.
When we recognize that ALL we have is from God, it puts us in our place. We could lose every’thing’ at anytime but we will always have the things that matter most; our faith and our relationship to Deity. Nothing else matters.
A favorite quote says: If we have not chosen the Kingdom of God first, it will, in the end, not matter what we have chosen instead.
Thanks.
http://simplifyheartandhome.blogspot.com
http://singleparentinglds.blogspot.com
LikeLike
September 10, 2008 at 10:09 am
Jessica
These are all really great points. I couldn’t agree with you more. I say this in the humblest way as I am terrible when it comes to finances but my husband and I have recently made some changes to put the Lord first in our finances and we know deep inside our hearts that this will definitely make all the difference in the long run. Say NO to Credit Cards if you cannot control spending. That would be my word of advice!
LikeLike
September 11, 2008 at 5:14 am
ama49
#8 Jessica,
If you want to read a great book by a Christian author about getting finances squared away, check out “Debt-Proof Your Marriage” by Mary Hunt. I heard her on a Christian radio station and it’s an awesome book.
LikeLike
September 13, 2008 at 7:54 am
Jessica
ama49- Thanks so much for the recommendation! Will do!
LikeLike