In an annual survey of college freshmen released in January 2007, almost 75 percent of the students interviewed said they thought it was very important, or even essential, to be “very well-off financially.” That compares to 62 percent who gave the same response in 1980 and to 42 percent who did so in 1966.
For many Americans, the desire to live like the “very well-off financially” has led to excessive spending on material things, resulting in a savings rate of minus 1 percent in 2006, the lowest since the Great Depression.
Even worse, people aren’t just sacrificing savings to get what they want. They’re using debt to buy things they can’t afford. Consumer credit rose to a level of $2.43 trillion in 2006, an increase of 4.5 percent compared to the previous year.
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Ultimately, the required payments associated with this debt affect giving to the church and create financial stress that contributes to marital problems and even divorce.
The Bible has plenty to say about finances, giving pastors a solid base for teaching Christians to handle money and possessions in a way that honors God. Following are three key lessons in this teaching.
1. God owns it all.
When we recognize that God owns everything and that all blessings come from Him, our role as managers of His possessions becomes evident. We also see the multitude of blessings for which we can be thankful.
Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains.” And in Psalm 50:10 the Lord says, “For every beast of the forest is Mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.” In verse 12 He says, “If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is Mine, and all it contains.”
Recognizing God’s ownership is important in learning contentment. If you believe that you own a particular possession, then the circumstances surrounding that possession will affect your attitude. If it’s a favorable situation, you will be happy. If it’s an adverse circumstance, you will be troubled.
Money is not our possession; it is God’s possession. He allots different amounts to us, based on His plan and purpose for our lives, and we will be held accountable for the way we manage allotments distributed to us. The Parable of the Talents, in Matthew 25:14-30, illustrates this point. The parable tells the story of a man who was going on a journey and entrusted his possessions to his slaves. “To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey” (v. 15).
When the Lord returned, He held each slave accountable for managing his possessions. Likewise, we are required to be faithful whether we are given much or little. As someone once said, “It’s not what I would do if $1 million were my lot; it’s what I am doing with the 10 dollars I’ve got.”
