The Best Financial Advice I Can Give You

Let me give you some financial advice: Don’t come to me for financial advice.

One half of this married couple is really good with numbers. The other half is sitting behind her. — One-half of this married couple is really good with numbers. The other half is sitting behind her.

I am not good with numbers. I have trouble counting along with Big Bird. In God’s goodness, He led me to fall in love with an accountant. God knew that, left to my own financial wisdom, I would have probably sold pagers for a living (“Cell phones are just a fad”) and invested my meager income in an attempt to revitalize the Pet Rock industry. Afterward, I would be sent to prison for failing to pay my taxes. (“What are taxes?”)

OK, so maybe you didn’t marry a woman who is good with a spreadsheet. The Book of Proverbs points to another woman who was just as wise with money. In Proverbs 31, we see a woman who was enterprising with what she had, made careful purchases, and was just flat-out industrious. I see in Proverbs 31 a woman who could manage money.

Her example is one all of us should follow. Whether God has given us a lot or a little, we are called to be wise with what we have. If you are a follower of Christ, everything you are and everything you have belongs to Him. Everything. We are just stewards—managers—of the things God has placed in our hands.

I cannot shirk my need for diligence in money matters simply by saying “I’ve never been good with those kinds of things” or “My wife handles that.” I’m still called to use what God has given me wisely—and use it in a way that honors Him.

Jesus told a parable about three men who were given different amounts of wealth. The issue was not the amount they were given, but what they did with what was in their hands. I want to be like the two men in this story who, in the end, were told, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matt. 25:23).

I’ve learned it doesn’t take an accounting degree or an MBA to be good with money. It just takes a willingness to think before I spend, pray before I spend, and see to it that my financial pursuits and expenditures are in line with what God wants.

Since it all belongs to God, I should use it as He would.

Now that’s sound financial advice.

This Screen-Shot-2013-06-24-at-1.41.38-PM (1) post supports the study “Manage Money Diligently” in Bible Studies for Life.