No Christian can truly serve God and live in fear of financial loss. It is vital for us to view potential future financial needs as opportunities to exercise and develop our faith. God's plan seems to be that we have some needs so that we can develop our faith in Him. Hebrews 11:1 describes faith as something we hope for that we do not presently have. Withholding your financial commitments to the Lord so that you can buffer yourself against potential future financial hardships will end up costing your financial security rather than guarding it, simply because God's blessings will not be on such a self-imposed buffer. Keeping our financial vows to God is the way to ensure that we will not become victimized by a financial downturn. The Bible says we are to honor God with the tithe – the first-fruits of our income. You cannot be slaves of God and of money" (Matthew 6:21, 24). No one can be a slave of two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. This gives us good reason to pause and review what Jesus said: "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Less money is being saved and contributed to churches and charitable organizations, while more is being spent on credit card interest, recreation, alcohol, gambling (primarily through state lotteries) and pets. Still, there has been a shift in how the funds are spent. Actually, there has been very little change in the percentage of their income that Americans spend. Many Americans live so close to the edge financially that a prolonged economic downturn could put them in serious financial straits.ĭespite all this, and even though many are very concerned about the financial future, consumer spending has not dropped proportionately. They worry about not having enough money to pay normal monthly bills, and the rash of recent mortgage defaults has devastated many families. economic slowdown has the financial well-being of many Americans hanging in the balance. relations with North Korea, war in Iraq, turmoil in the Middle East, gasoline prices, rising trade deficits, major layoffs, threat of terrorism, and an underperforming economy, have caused many Americans to be concerned about the future. Mistakenly, they see this as a first step in an attempt at financial stability. Often, Christian families that are motivated by fear of the financial future will cut back on their tithes and offerings. This doesn't mean that we shouldn't plan ahead to ensure financial stability for our families however, when Christians find that attitudes of fear and worry are motivating financial decisions, they need to reevaluate their financial priorities, and recommit to trust in the Lord.
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