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God, Money and You (Part 1)

This Path We Tread

I remember well the days of college. … Arranging your schedule so you can have Fridays off … Believing, however naively, that you're the next Einstein or Gandhi … And making every attempt to ignore that gnawing sense of impending doom that accompanies the arrival of your credit card bill each month.

Oh, how well I remember.

Not too long ago I was that sophomoric, strapped-for-cash college student who wasn't sure where all his money was going. So trust me, I can empathize. I certainly could have used a tip or two back then about managing what money I did have.

That's what this article series is all about — how to manage your money. Actually, I should clarify: that's what the latter half of the series is about. In this first article we're going to talk about two whys: We'll talk about why it matters in the first place that we handle money wisely. We're also going to plumb the depths of our souls to find out why we so often misuse our money (not to get all "emo" on you, but you'd be surprised at what's down there).

I'm really excited to discuss this topic with you. But before we do that, let me say that I'm no financial expert. My degree is in geography, people. But I can't not let you all in on the peace I have found from learning to manage my money well. Consider me a fellow trekker who's running back just a bit on the Trail of Life to give you some advice about the path ahead. Goodness knows it's a precarious one.

So, let's get to it!

The Whole Truth, and Nothing But

First, we have to start with the gospel. Not Matthew, Mark, Luke or John, but the gospel — the "good news" of Christ's death and resurrection. That gospel. I am convinced that for far too long we Christians have mistakenly believed the gospel is only relevant to that moment in time that we became Christ-followers. You know, we get "saved," and then we don't talk about the gospel until we're "sharing" it with someone out of some little booklet. But that's not the full story.

Part of the gospel is that, as Christians, we get to dwell with God in heaven for eternity — that's definitely one of its benefits. But the gospel is more than that. It's also the redemption of the mundane, corporeal, seemingly unspiritual parts of us — including how we use and think about money.

The essence of this broader gospel is, as J.P. Moreland points out, the ushering in of God's kingdom here on earth, right now. Here's Moreland's take on the issue, from his TrueU article, "WWJD: Jesus and the Gospel of the Kingdom of God":

Primarily, the kingdom of God is the range of God's effective will; that is, the range over and within which His perfect will has say. It is the realm in which the rule of God is effective. This includes the laws governing the natural world and the hearts/activities of those who are willingly submitted to His rule.

This is the true gospel, this confluence of eternal salvation and the redemption of our current, physical selves. The implication, then, is that God cares just as much about — and holds us just as responsible for — how we spend our paycheck as He does the fervency with which we pray or memorize Scripture. That's the gospel you signed up for.

The Earth Is the Lord's

Now that we have a fuller understanding of the gospel, we're all personal finance wizards, right? Unfortunately, wisely dealing with our money is no microwavable bag of popcorn. This is going to take a lot longer than two minutes. There's more to it than just knowing that God cares about how we handle our money.

For starters, we need to internalize wholeheartedly the fact that every penny we spend not only comes from God, but belongs to Him, too.

Psalm 24:1 says, "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it" (NIV). Christians often say, with regard to the environment, that we are to be stewards of God's creation. Such statements, whether we adhere to them or not, presuppose God's ownership of all natural resources. It's high time we apply this ethic to our use of the financial resources He's given us. We don't have a free pass on how we use His money. Sure, we may not immediately feel the divine repercussions of misusing the money God has entrusted to us, but if Jesus' parables on stewardship¹ are any indication, we will be held responsible for our financial dealings.

When we start thinking of the money we're bringing home from our part-time job as belonging wholly to God, our perspective changes dramatically. Suddenly, all those things we've been wanting to buy just don't seem so important. The next time you walk up to the cash register with that designer handbag or pair of basketball shoes you've just got to have, try something out. Remind yourself that the money you're using to make your purchase is really God's. And maybe (just maybe) He'd rather use it on something else. Something of greater eternal significance.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: College isn't just about earning a degree. It's also about establishing habits and character traits that will likely follow you for the rest of your life. Now is a great time for you to begin to understand that the money you have sitting in your bank account is truly God's, and He wants to use it for His kingdom purposes. Now is the time to show yourself faithful to God with what little you have. As Randy Alcorn puts it:

God pays a great deal of attention to the "little things." … What we do with a little time, a little talent, and a little money tells God a lot. The little things are a major factor as he considers whether to commend and promote us — or reprimand and demote us — in his kingdom corporation.²

This "kingdom corporation" isn't about dividends or balance sheets. It's about God's glory. Show yourself faithful with God's money now, and just maybe He'll entrust you with greater spiritual responsibilities — and greater eternal rewards — in the future.

Hedonism, Status, Giving and God

There are, of course, myriad other reasons we misuse money.

For starters, we humans, except maybe for the very monkish among us, have very hedonistic leanings. And not in the John Piper, "Christian hedonist" sort of way.³ No, I mean in the "I want whatever I think will make me feel good" sort of way. You can just imagine how living according to this sort of mantra can lead to grave financial blunderings — that sort of appetite is never quite sated. Even Bill Gates doesn't have enough cash to pay for everything he could possibly want. So, next time you go shopping for something you actually need, make sure to check your hedonistic tendencies at the door.

The desire for others to think better of us — that is, the desire for status — is perhaps the deepest of financial pitfalls. We humans waste so much money in vain attempts to make a good impression on anyone willing to look our way. If only we would realize that God's opinion of us matters infinitely more than the person we're trying to impress with our new set of wheels or that amazing apartment just across from campus. And don't let me fool you into thinking I don't fall prey to the status monster. Right now my roommates and I are looking at houses to rent. I've noticed that my first two thoughts when I walk into a prospective pad are 1) do I like this place? and 2) how impressed will other people be that I live here? That second question shouldn't even factor into the equation. Unfortunately, for far too many of us, it does.

Lastly, so many of us fail to give generously — a very wise use of money, according to Scripture⁴ — because we don't heed Matthew 6:25-34. You know, the part of the Sermon on the Mount in which Jesus tells the masses that birds and wildflowers are more trusting of God than they are. Do you not give money to your church or to a worthy ministry because you're worried you won't then be able to provide for all your needs? Remember: That money you're not willing to give away is God's to begin with. And He knows what you need. You can trust Him. He's your Abba.

We could go on and on, but you get the picture. We all have misplaced affections and fallen attitudes that gravely affect the ways we manage our finances. And we've got to kill them at their root: We must develop a fuller understanding of who God is as well as our relationship to Him. We must realize that only in Him do we find our ultimate joy and satisfaction — not in having oodles of money and stuff. Only then will we begin to ameliorate — and eventually prevent — the vast majority of the financial woes we find ourselves in.

Live and Learn

If you feel a little beat down by your lack of financial prowess, take heart. You'll probably like what I have to tell you in this section a little bit better. And it's this: If you don't know much about handling your money wisely, it's probably because you haven't learned.

Unfortunately, when it comes to finances, we're not like fawns, baby squirrels or infantile giraffes, who instinctually know how to hide from predators, dodge traffic, and splay their limbs just so to drink from a watering hole⁵ (respectively, of course). That is to say, we don't come out of the womb — or even college, for that matter — just knowing how best to manage our money.

But don't use this lack of knowing as an excuse to slip into a 1980s teen movie rant about how lame your parents are and how society has failed you in so many ways. Because you're above that. You're going places. You, dear reader, are a college student.

C O F F E E  S H O P

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What do you spend most of your money on: food, clothes, entertainment?

Join the discussion!

So, maybe you're clueless when it comes to credit cards, but don't fret. Now that we've conquered the why of money mismanagement, we can get on with the how of biblical financial stewardship. We'll talk about that next time.