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Eddy Ekmekji is an InterVarsity staff worker at California State University, Northridge. He
loves Jesus, his family and a good cup of coffee, and he enjoys blogging at ServingBread.net. Shortly after graduating from college in 1998 with more credit card debt than he could handle, he committed to make it a priority to grow a biblical view of finances and stewardship. The following are excerpts from his weekly musings on finance.
What Belongs to God
Posted August 24, 2007, at ServingBread.net
How we see what belongs to God speaks to how we view our finances. For many years, I let my finances and resources serve me. How I earned them testified to my hard work, my luck and/or God's gift to me. What was given to me was to be mine.
Some of the implications of this paradigm led me to believe that all resources and finances were within my power to disperse. And because the Bible (seemed to have) mandated a 10 percent tithe, the rest belonged to me. Faithfulness was measured by whether I would part ways with 10 percent of my finances.
In the past few years, I have been meditating and reflecting on the truth that all resources and finances belong to God. In Genesis 1:26, God creates man to have dominion over all things created the day before. And in his instructions to humanity, he offered us the gift of all the things that he had created, whether they be creatures or plants.
And as we walk with God through Scripture, we are reminded time and again that God is the owner of all things. In Psalm 50:12, we read of God confessing, "If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world and all that is in it is mine." And in Mark 12:1-11, Jesus tells a parable that reminds his audience that God is the owner of all things.
It all belongs to God. Our possessions, our resources and our money belong to God. He has gifted us with various resources to live and to use toward his glory. When I forget that it all belongs to God, I operate with a scarcity mentality, where I try to make sure that I am in control of everything. It limits my ability to be generous and hospitable. But when I see God as the owner of all things, I recognize that my faithfulness is not measured by giving 10 percent, but how I manage my financial life in general. Do my spending habits glorify God or glorify myself ? Am I using my money toward God's glory or my own? Does my hope rely on my bank account or in Jesus? Does my worth come from God or from materials?
Living Within Our Means
Posted August 31, 2007, at ServingBread.net
One discipleship question I often come back to is whether I live within my means or not.
Although I value budgeting and living within my income level, this is an area that always
gets pressed for me. When my income fluctuates upward, I find that my expenses can fluctuate upward as well (usually at a faster rate). And this is not something that is usually done intentionally.
With the rise of the credit industry, living within our means has become more and more difficult. I don't necessarily think that North Americans are more prone to live on stretched budgets, but our access to easy credit (albeit expensive), makes it easier to live in the red.
Living outside of our means will inevitably challenge our stewardship convictions. Living on credit will mean that money is more expensive, and we are spending money toward interest rather than toward kingdom values.
The value of living within our means will force us to live more simply and to make sure that we are being faithful with the things that God gives us. If we are not faithful with this, how will we be faithful with more (Luke 16)?
I find that there are several challenges that contribute to living beyond our means:
- We compare ourselves with others. Rather than operate within our budget, we want to operate within other people's budgets. Many of my peers have more disposable
income than I do, and it is often tempting for me to want to have the same material success that others have.
- We don't have accountability. There are very few teachers who will challenge the notion that living beyond our means may be sinful and perhaps a red-flag of deeper
money management and character issues.
- We don't have models. How many people do I know who live well within their means? Not many! There are many companies and governments (including ours) that are operating in the red. And unfortunately, there are too many churches that operate in the red.
- Rather than address the specifics of change, I find that I often need to address my heart. Why am I living beyond my means? In what ways am I being unfaithful with the money that God entrusts to me? How do I view having and spending money?
We also need accountability. Without accountability, it will be difficult to get out of the cycle of spending more than we have. When we learn to live within our means, our character will grow in self-control, accountability, self-image and trust in God for our provisions. My struggles in this area have pressed me to go to God and receive from God
a vision of being faithful with what God entrusts to me.
Budgeting
Posted September 21, 2007, at ServingBread.net
For most people, drafting a budget is not a fun thing to do. Most people are probably not wired (or disciplined) to draft a budget and stick to it. Many people may give lip service to budgeting, but frankly, it's not easy to put together a budget and then actually stick to it.
But a budget can be a very helpful and faithful discipline. Budgets reveal a picture of how we intend to use our money. A budget helps us prioritize our giving and our expenses. It allows us to see what we value and how we want our money to be spent. I often muse that someone's checking account may be one of the best indicators of his or her faith and convictions.
Here are some tips I have found helpful in
developing my family's budget:
- Begin with the realistic. To see a budget as a limiting factor on how we spend our money will make it hard to stick to the budget. We need to begin by being realistic with our numbers. One woman I knew was in deep debt and needed some help because her entertainment expenses were well over $500 a month. Rather than begin with cutting expenses drastically and putting herself in high discipline, I asked her to simply pick the
numbers that are realistic and comfortable. Having said that, the first step for her was to stick to her budget. Once she did that, it would be easier to then begin looking at ways to cut her expenses.
- Revisit regularly. Once a budget is created, most people never revisit their budget, which essentially makes the budget useless. Revisiting a budget every month (when you're first learning to live by a budget) and then every quarter will help you track your expenses.
- Budget everything. Don't be surprised by recurring expenses.
- Itemize all of your annual expenses: insurance, taxes, Christmas gifts, insurance payments, rent, etc.
- Divide the anticipated amount owed by twelve.
- Every month, automatically transfer the amount for annual expenses from your checking account into a savings account (or you can even keep it in a cash envelope at home).
- Use a spreadsheet to keep track of the amounts you are saving. Track expenses. The only way to really know how the budgeting is going is to track expenses. I find that a software program (like Quicken or Microsoft Money) can be extremely helpful. It is well worth the cost of the program!
- Seek accountability. Money seems to be one of the least talked about topics in most Christian relationships, yet so much of our faith and convictions revolve around it. Get input for your budget and ask others to keep you accountable.
Check out these financial resources for additional
thoughts on financial stewardship:
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