Did you know that the Bible records Jesus talking more about money and physical possessions than just about anything else?  The Bible is filled with verses about money management.  Eleven of the thirty-nine parables of Jesus are about money.  In the book of Luke, one of every seven verses deals with money or physical possessions.  Jesus wasn’t pleading for money or preaching a gospel of prosperity, He was simply sharing guidance and warnings about one of the main things that can trip people up in their personal lives and relationships.

I vividly remember sitting in a graduate class when the topic of churches and money came up.  Being a minister, I was intrigued to hear what my fellow MBA students would have to say about religious organizations and money.  As you might expect, their opinions of most churches and money were pretty negative.

One student told of her disgust when visiting a mega-church here in the DFW area.  That church teaches the Old Testament principle of tithing to their congregation.  After the collection plates were passed around that Sunday, the pastor asked all of those who had tithed to stand up and receive a special blessing.  He prayed over them for several minutes.  My classmate was disgusted by this special blessing for those who were able to give.

The Bible promotes responsible money management.  There are several men who have done a good work in restoring the public image of money management based on Biblical principles.  Dave Ramsey and Steve Diggs are two of the most prolific promoters of responsible money management that I know of.  Neither one of them talks about getting rich quick or the ‘give so you can be blessed’ theology.  They both promote responsibility and contentment in financial matters.

Yesterday in Bible class I was studying Hebrews 13 with the teens.  We have been studying Hebrews for several months now.  Chapter 13 is the closing of a letter filled with much information, encouragement and instruction.  The Hebrew author is imparting a ‘blast’ of final thoughts and instruction in chapter 13.

Hebrews 13:5 says, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.””  Money and possessions are not evil.  A love of money that corrupts, deceives and leads to improper priorities is the problem.  Christians are called by Jesus and the various writers of the New Testament to live in a content manner.  We might simply say, “Live within your means.”

In our struggling economy, there is a strong movement of people from various backgrounds who are revolting against the common perception that debt is a part of life.  Many are scrimping and saving as much as they can each month to get rid of debt as fast as they can.  Many times the mental image of frugal living and modest money management conjures up images of people who wash out their Ziploc bags and reuse them, families eating by candle light to keep their electricity bills low, or others who have sold their homes to live in micro-homes.  There is nothing wrong with any of these money saving activities, but they are not for everyone.

Others are living comfortably but making choices with their money based on personal priorities.  Many monitor what they are spending and take advantage of additional opportunities to make a little money on the side.  They pick specific things that they enjoy and splurge on those activities while cutting back on other things they don’t find necessary.  Personal money management is just that…personal.   Everyone needs to find the right balance of cost cutting that works for their family and moral values.  The key point is to live a lifestyle that fits inside your budget.

The idea of responsibility seems to be key to what the New Testament teaches about money management.  Even though the original audience of these messages lived in an agrarian (or agriculture based) economy, the lessons taught still apply to those of us living in an information and technology based economy.  When I talk money in my Bible class, I try to give real world application of the concepts, just like I do with any teaching on faith.  I teach a junior high and high school Bible class, and it is not unusual to walk into our class and find debt repayment schedules, rough budgets or credit card terms on our white board.

The kids that I work with have rarely been exposed to teaching about managing their finances in classes at school.  Some of their parents have set down with them to talk about family finances or managing money.  When we talk about money in class, I make sure to emphasize that the Bible teaches responsibility, and avoiding debt that can impact health, relationships and long-term goals.  Being a good steward of money can be one of the richest blessings in life.

I know that not everyone who reads my posts believes in Jesus or the Bible.  Many might have a negative opinion of ministers and churches when it comes to money matters.  There are a growing number of churches and individuals who are willing to be transparent in their finances.  We are open and willing to talk about how we spend our money, where it comes from, what successes we are having and where we are still getting ourselves into trouble, while still maintaining some privacy for income levels, etc.  The relationship between Jesus and money is a positive one in my life, I hope it is (or becomes one) in your life too.

Goal Update

My goal for 2013 of cutting back on soda continues to go great!  On Saturday we were getting ready for a big event at the church and I ran across to the Whataburger to enjoy a burger, fries and soda.  This is the first time in 2013 that I can recall having a combo meal.  This is a HUGE deal since combo meals had been a daily part of my life for all of 2012 and even further back.

As my wife and I were sitting and eating lunch, I mentioned to her that I couldn’t remember the last time I had eaten french fries.  I could only think of one other hamburger I had eaten in 2013.  I know we’re only about two months into the year, but to go from having fries, soda and burgers multiple times a week to once or twice a month is a huge success in my book!  And of course bringing my lunch to work everyday has lead to a considerable amount of savings so far this year.

I have decided to ramp up my efforts in adding strength to my upper body and core.  Several times in the last week I have had to fight off soreness in my back.  I am not sure if it is related to my treadmill desk or not.  The first day it flared up was Thursday when I was working from home.  There was a strange pain in my back after an 18 hour day of working, house cleaning, laundry, errand running, playing with children, etc.  The pain returned on Saturday when we were setting up and taking down tables, chairs and decorations for our big event.  Sunday morning in class I made a pointing motion with my finger and something hurt in my back bad enough that I made a comment about it…at which the kids laughed.  I’m glad they find it funny I am getting old 🙂

I’ll be working on doing push-ups, sit-ups, planks and stretching to see if that helps strengthen my back and alleviate pain in the future.  I am still really enjoying the treadmill desk.  I finally painted the desk and shelving over the weekend so it looks like a finished unit.  We’ll see how the added exercises help with the back pain.  I hope you are doing well with your goals for 2013.