How To

Have All
The Money
You Need
©2009 by George A. Kohl
This Bible study booklet was written by Rev. George A. Kohl with gratitude for those who consulted and edited. Rev. George A.
Kohl may be contacted at Belmont Street Baptist Church, 25 Belmont Street, Worcester, MA 01605, gakbsbc@verizon.net, 508-
753-0312.

All Scripture quotations are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978,
1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House and Hodder & Stoughton, Ltd. All rights
reserved. The NIV does not capitalize pronouns related to deity and these materials do. To remain faithful to the NIV, no changes
were made when the NIV was being quoted.

Introductory Matters and Directions

The purpose of this course is to expose you the fundamental teachings of God’s Word
regarding finances. I am not a trained financial counselor; I am a of the Scriptures. I can teach
about money because God’s Word has much to say about it. There are about 2350 verses of
Scripture that touch on money matters. We will only consider one or two hundred.
Some people mistakenly think that God’s Word only addresses the topic of giving. In
fact, there is not an aspect of financial management that the Word doesn’t have something to
say about it. There are many places we can turn for financial counsel but a Christian should
turn first to the Bible. Entire books have been written about each reading. This course is
merely a primer that attempts to get people pointed in the right direction. Mastery of these
materials will take you quite far in the development of a Christian world view and lifestyle.
The reader should attentively read each recommended Scripture passage and reading.
Mark places where you have questions for your mentor or group leader. In a separate
notebook, honestly respond in writing to the “Heart Checkups” that follow each reading. As
you make your way through this material, do not merely try to understand what it says. Put
equal time into putting it into practice.
 Reading 1
Financial Foundations
1 Kings 17:1-6

What do you own? What percentage of what you own really belongs to God? Let’s look at
three basic and foundational truths that profoundly impact the financial management of those who
embrace them as true in their hearts.
1. God created all things. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis
1:1). As it says in Jeremiah 32:17, Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth
by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.
2. The fact that God created all things makes Him the ultimate owner of all things. For
by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones
or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him (Colossians 1:16). The
earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it (Psalm 24:1). David said
to the Lord, Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the
splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are
exalted as head over all (1 Chronicles 29:11). I (the Lord) have no need of a bull from your stall or
of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine (Psalm 50:9-11). 'The
silver is mine and the gold is mine,' declares the LORD Almighty (Haggai 2:8). Clearly, everything
in the universe belongs to God.
There is clearly a sense in the Bible in which we are said to be the owners of personal
property. This can be seen in the command to not steal out of respect for the private ownership of
another’s rightful property (Exodus 20:15). On the other hand, there is a sense in which all property
ultimately belongs to God. We are joint-owners in a sense and stewards in another sense. A steward
is one who is trusted to manage the finances and property of another. God trusts us with a certain
amount of His property as we pilgrimage our way through this life and trusts us to manage it well
for Him.
3. God is sovereign over the distribution of the wealth of the world. David praised the
LORD in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, "Praise be to you, O LORD, God of our father
Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory
and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is
the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler
of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God,
we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name (1 Chronicles 29:9-13). You may say to yourself,
"My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." But remember the
LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth (Deuteronomy 8:17-18).
There is an illustrative story in 1 Kings 17:1-6 in which Elijah is taking refuge in the
wilderness. God provides him with a brook of water out of which to drink. Through some ravens that
brought food to Elijah, God provides him with meat and bread. Someone had to bake that bread and
prepare that meat. God took it from others and gave it to his servant. God is sovereign and has the
right to do so. As sovereign owner of all, God can shift the wealth of the world around so that your
needs are met.

Heart Checkup: How much does the fact that God is the ultimate owner of everything you own
impact your daily financial decisions? Are you aware in every financial decision that you make that
you are a mere steward of God’s property that He has entrusted to you?
 Reading 2
Thinking Like a Steward
Matthew 25:14-30

The Lord’s parable of the talents is not limited to money in its application to our lives. It can
apply to our time, energy, abilities, and opportunities. The parable, however, illustrates well what
it means to be a steward.
In the Parable of the Talents a businessman is about to go on a long journey. He calls his
servants together, entrusted each with a portion of his property, and ordered them to increase his
wealth while he is away. To the one servant he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand,
and to a third one thousand. While he was gone the stewards to whom he entrusted the five and two
thousand dollars immediately put their master’s money to work; whereas the steward who had one
thousand dollars did nothing except preserve the master’s money. When their master returned, the
stewards entrusted with his five thousand and two thousand dollars had doubled their master’s
money. He was delighted. But he was enraged by the steward who merely preserved the master’s
money.
A steward does not have the right to do whatever he wants to do with the money and the
possessions the Lord has put under his supervision. He must always think in terms of the owner’s
interests. Likewise, as stewards, we do not have the right to do whatever we want with the Lord’s
money. We must keep His interests in mind in every decision we make.
Sometimes we are tempted to think that as long as we give the Lord a tithe, we can do
whatever we want with the rest. Not so. He owns it all. He entrusts it to us. We must make every
financial decision with His interests in mind. That is true whether it is a decision to give, buy, save,
invest, borrow, insure, or whatever.
The most important thing about being a steward of any kind is that we remain faithful to the
interests of the owner. As it says in 1 Corinthians 4:2, Now it is required that those who have been
given a trust must prove faithful. In the Lord’s parable of the talents, the two servants who were
complimented were praised for their faithfulness to the interests of the master. They proved
trustworthy with the master’s possessions and they were rewarded for it.
In Luke 16:10-12 the Lord Jesus said, Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be
trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if
you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And
if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your
own? Once again you can see the importance of stewards proving trustworthy with their master’s
possessions.
We should aspire to be good stewards of the Lord’s money that He has entrusted to us. A
trustworthy servant will make every financial decision with the Lord’s interests in mind. This is true
whether we are making a decision about giving, spending, saving, investing, borrowing, insuring,
or whatever. A good and faithful steward sees every financial decision as a spiritual decision.

Heart Check Up: How much of a steward perspective do you have in the management of your
finances? To what degree are all your decisions about giving, spending, saving, investing, borrowing,
and insuring made with the Lord’s interests in mind? To what degree are they made with your own
interests in mind? Have you ever turned all of your money and possessions over to its rightful owner
in a time of prayer specifically intended for that purpose? Is there anything preventing you from
doing that right now? Unless you have some kind of hangup with the idea, do so right now and check
the box when you have done do. 9
 Reading 3
Financial Decision Making
James 1:5-8

Whenever people trust others to manage their possessions for them, they always give the
steward some guidance regarding what they want done. In the same way, God gives guidance to us
regarding how He wants us to manage His property that He has entrusted to our care.
To receive guidance from God we consult His Word. Psalm 119:105 says that His word
is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. The Bible is full of propositions, principles, and
promises that are relevant to every financial decision we will ever make. There is no aspect of
financial management that is not touched upon by relevant Scriptures. Out of respect for God, we
should consider all guidance He has already given us in the Word.
Second, we ask God for wisdom and guidance. In making decisions, we often need
wisdom to to know how to apply God’s Word to our specific circumstances. In James 1:5-8 we read
a wonderful promise in this regard. There we see that God requires us to meet two requirements to
get guidance from Him – ask and expect Him to answer. If we meet both requirements, He promises
to be generous in giving us the wisdom we need. And why wouldn’t He? He wants us to do well at
managing His property.
Third, we consult good and godly people. We should consult those who know more than
we do. Proverbs 15:22 says, Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. The
more input one gets from good sources, the more likely that one will make good decisions. The
person who proudly feels like a storehouse of wisdom is a fool. Proverbs 12:15 says, The way of a
fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice. The Lord enjoys and blesses the humility
that enables a person to seek the wisdom of another. We will say much more about consulting others
on financial matters in the next reading.
Fourth, we listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit. As you consider the relevant passages
of Scripture, expect God to give wisdom in response to your prayers, and consult with good and
godly people, you will come to a decision that you can just sense is right. It often happens to me
when I am in prayer. Whether it happens in prayer or not, I take these experiences to be the voice of
the Holy Spirit.
Sometimes we come up against a deadline and a decision needs to be made even if we
haven’t got that sense we are making the right decision. In such cases we must make the best
decision we can based on what we know and sense. Rarely do we make decisions in life with all of
the needed information. We usually have to make the best decision we can make with the fifty to
seventy-five percent of the needed information.
Biblical decision making should not be viewed as some form of divination or fortune-telling
that will lead to financial prosperity. We are not talking about getting the kind of wisdom that assures
good timing in the stock market, yields high returns on investments, offers the best price in
purchases, and finds the most secure place for savings. We seek counsel so that our hearts remain
right in relation to the Master and His money.
The importance of this reading cannot be overstated. As we will see, we need much wisdom
and guidance from God on many financial decisions. We need wisdom from God about our giving,
buying, saving, investing, borrowing, and insuring. We need His guidance in every financial decision
that we make.

Heart Checkup: How much do you know the teachings of God’s Word regarding giving, buying,
saving, investing, borrowing, and insuring? Take a guess: What percentage of your financial
decisions involve prayer about the specific decision? Under what circumstances do you seek good
and godly counsel in your financial decision making?
 Reading 4
Consulting Others
James 1:5-8

Counselors can come in many different forms. They can be peers or paid professionals. Good
financial advice can also be found in books, magazines, and journals. Good advice can also be found
on the Internet. Of course, you can also find bad advice in all these places as well. So, with the Word
of God firmly fixed in our minds, we must listen to advice with a discerning ear.
A counselor is responsible to give advice. You are responsible to make decisions. You must
never relinquish your decision making responsibility to a financial advisor. If you do, you will
probably get hurt and fail to do well with the Lord’s money. For the love of money is a root of all
kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10). Wherever there is money, there is corruption. Many financial advisors
have exploited people who have put too much trust in them.
As you listen to the counsel of another, you must evaluate the counsel you receive using the
propositions, principles, and promises of the Bible as your guide. As it says in 1 Thessalonians 5:21-
22, Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. And Psalm 1:1-3 says, Blessed
is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the
seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and
night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf
does not wither. Whatever he does prospers (his soul).
Psalm 1 does not limit you to getting counsel from Christian people. There is nothing wrong
with receiving financial advice from competent non-Christians. When I board an airplane, there is
a sense in which I do not care if the pilot is a Christian or a Buddhist. What matters the most to me
is whether or not the pilot is competent to fly. Likewise, when it comes to money management, what
matters the most to me at the time of decision making is whether or not the counselor is competent
to advise me about money. With God’s Word firmly fixed in my mind, I can listen to a non-
Christians with a discerning ear.
You must carefully consider the advice of anyone who sells financial products. They may
sincerely desire to serve your best interests but their self interests are going to be in the mix of
motives. Usually the purest financial advice comes from a fully devoted Christ follower who is
highly competent in financial matters and who sells no financial products.
You will often get conflicting and confusing counsel when you listen to many advisors as
Proverbs 15:22 advises us to do. To clarify matters you must disregard all counsel that goes contrary
to God’s Word.
It is also helpful to realize that there is no one best way of managing finances. There are
several different schools of thought about how finances should be managed. Sometimes Christian
advisors go beyond biblical instructions when they dogmatically declare certain practices to be “the
Christian approach” to finances. Multiple roads can lead people to the same place. God gives us the
freedom to take different roads as long as we do not neglect what He has said.
The more a financial decision is going to impact your lives and the lives of those around you,
the more counsel you should seek. You should certainly consult those who will be impacted by your
decision to the degree that it is appropriate. 1 Peter 3:7 promises that God will not respond to the
prayers of husbands who are not considerate of the thoughts and feelings of their wives. Philippians
2:3-4 commands, Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others
better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the
interests of others.

Heart Checkup: Do you need to increase the amount of good and godly counsel you get in your
financial decision making? How considerate are you of those who will be affected by the financial
decisions you make?
 Reading 5
Devotion & Provision
Matthew 6:24-34

Worry indicates that we may need to enlarge our view of two things. First, you may need to
enlarge your view of your worth to God. The Lord Jesus said that people are of greater worth to God
than the birds of the air and the flowers of the field. He cares for them and you can be certain that
He will care for you (Matthew 6:26-30). Worry can only afflict you when you feel like you are too
unimportant to God to have Him care for you.
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny ? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart
from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be
afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows (Matthew 10:29-31). God is so fully aware of your
circumstances that He knows when a hair from your head falls to the ground. Considering that you
started with 110,000 to 140,000 hairs on your head, that is meticulous attention on His part! And if
He concerns Himself with your hair count, won’t He concern Himself with your needs of food,
water, clothing, shelter, safety, and whatever else? If you had as large of a view of yourself as God
has of you, you would have no worries.
Second, you may need to enlarge your view of God. In Matthew 6, the Lord Jesus said that
your Father in heaven is great enough to be fully aware of all of your needs at all times. Knowing
this, there is no need for worry. But it is not so with the pagans. Unlike our God, their gods are too
small to drive all worry away from their lives. As a result, they have to pursue food, clothing, and
shelter in a worrisome manner (Matthew 6:32-33). It is not so with Christians.
Ponder afresh whether or not God is capable of caring for you. He is all knowing, so He is
certainly aware of you and your needs. He is loving and compassionate, so He certainly cares about
your needs. He is attentive to your prayers. He is all powerful, so there is nothing He cannot do for
you. Nothing is impossible for Him to do. He can perform miracles on your behalf if He so chooses.
He is sovereign and can redistribute the wealth of the world to meet your needs. He is faithful and
unchanging, so He will certainly be true to all of His promises.
If you only believed that God is as great as He has described Himself in His Word, you would
have no worries. If you only believed that you were as important to God as He says you are, you
would not have a care in the world. The fact that you have worries is a clear indicator that you do
not trust one or both of these truths with your heart.
Did you notice the word therefore in Matthew 6:24? When you see the word “therefore” you
should always ask yourself what it is there for. As I have thought about it, the Lord is saying that
when we worry about our basic material needs we are loving money more than God. That is stunning
to think about given how much all of us worry about material things. Instead of worrying about
material things, we should seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be
given to you as well (Matthew 6:33). Instead of being concerned about how we are going to get our
material needs met we should concern ourselves with how are we going to live for God. If we make
that our top priority in life, He will see to it that our needs are met.

Heart Checkup: Do you worry about financial matters? What does that tell you about your faith in
God? What does that tell you about how much you realize your worth in His eyes? Are you more
concerned about making financial ends meet than living for God or are you more concerned about
living for God than making ends meet? Take some time right now to dedicate yourself afresh and
anew to living your life for God and trusting Him to provide all your needs. Mark this box when you
have done so9.
 Reading 6
Honesty & Money

A follower of Christ should be completely honest at all times. God does not need you to be
dishonest in order to provide for your needs. He is bigger than that. Like worry, dishonesty reveals
a lack of trust in what God has said about your worth to Him and about His greatness. It reveals that
you believe in your heart about His ability to provide. It reveals a love of money and a lack of
contentment. Dishonesty, whether lying or stealing, reveals the sorry state of your heart.

Read the following Scriptures and mark the box in front of it when you have done so. You might
what to jot brief summary notes in the space available.

9 Exodus 20:15
9 Exodus 23:8
9 Leviticus 19:13
9 Leviticus 19:35-37
9 Deuteronomy 24:15
9 Proverbs 12:22
9 Proverbs 16:8
9 Proverbs 19:22
9 Proverbs 20:14
9 Proverbs 20:23
9 Proverbs 21:6
9 Romans 13:8
9 Ephesians 4:25
9 Ephesians 4:28
9 James 5:1-6

Heart Checkup: Do you lie, cheat, or steal in any way for financial gain? Of what dishonest deeds
do you need to repent? Repentance is not just about stopping wrong behaviors. It is about believing
right. What does your lying, cheating, and stealing tell you about your ability to trust God to provide
for you if you will just live for Him?
 Reading 7
Absolute Integrity
Daniel 6:1-28

Some think to be successful in business one must be dishonest. There is, however, a different
definition of success. For the Christ-follower, success is being at the judgment seat of Christ and
hearing Him say, Well done, good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:30). Therefore, a follower of
Christ should not work in a job in which he or she cannot be fully honest.
The life of Daniel shows that it is possible to be both an effective employee and a person of
integrity. As adolescent boys, Daniel and his three friends–Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego–were
taken captive. Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar was always looking for the brightest people he
could find to put into advisory capacities in his government. He placed these four boys in a special
school for three years to prepare them for service to himself. At that point, they resolved to live for
God first and foremost. At the end of the three years, the King interviewed each student to determine
whom he would put into his service. Daniel and his three friends were found to be far more
competent than their fellow students. Daniel served Gentile kings for the next 65 years.
King Cyrus must have been impressed with Daniel and his work. He had 120 provinces that
he ruled by three administrators reporting to him. As the king was thinking about a more efficient
way to rule, he looked for one trustworthy person to appoint as chief administrator over the three.
The king was thinking out loud about the possibility of making Daniel that chief
administrator. This suggestion interfered with the personal ambitions of high ranking government
officials, who started engaging in the dark side of politics. They sought to get rid of Daniel at all
costs. As hard as they looked they were unable to find fault with his work or character. They had no
choice but to try and frame him. They successfully landed Daniel in the lion’s den but the Lord
spared Daniel from the mouth of the hungry lions. God blesses those who are completely honest.

Heart Checkup: If your enemies put you under constant surveillance, would they be able to find
dishonesty in your life or would they have to frame you in order to make you look dishonest? What
kinds of dishonest deeds and words would constant surveillance uncover in your life? Of what
dishonest deeds do you need to repent? Again, repentance is not just about stopping wrong
behaviors. It is about believing right. What does your lying, cheating, and stealing tell you about your
ability to trust God to provide for you if you will just live for Him? Pray to god about the matters
raised by this reading and the previous one. Check this box when you have done so. 9
 Reading 8
Prayer & Money

In His Sermon on the Mount, the Lord Jesus gave us a model for prayer. It consists of an
address to Our Father who is in heaven and is followed by six petitions. The first three petitions
align our wills with God’s concerns and the next three address our concerns. The first of our
concerns is give us today our daily bread (Matthew 6:11). The Lord wants us to ask Him daily for
the food, clothing, shelter, and provisions we need to sustain our lives.
Christ-followers living under the privileges and perils of prosperity often wonder why they
should ask God for provisions when they seem perfectly capable of providing their basic needs by
themselves. The reason is that prosperity tends to make us forget that God is our ultimate provider
and asking God to provide reminds us of that fact. In Deuteronomy 8:7-18 we read:
Observe the commands of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and revering him. For
the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with streams and pools of water, with
springs flowing in the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees,
pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing;
a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.
When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has
given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands,
his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied,
when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your
silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you
will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led you
through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and
scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the desert,
something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well
with you. You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this
wealth for me." But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce
wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.
All prosperous people face the peril of forgetting that God is their ultimate provider. Asking
God for provisions serves to remind us of that truth. Furthermore, there is no certainty that wealth
will be with us our whole lives. Some people have gone from riches to rags. That is why Christ’s
apostle Paul commanded Timothy to command those who are rich in this present world not to be
arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who
richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment (1 Timothy 6:17). Riches are uncertain and the
day may come when previously wealthy people will need God to provide.
There are numerous passages of Scripture in which Christ promises that God will provide
us with whatever we ask. Read the following Scriptures and mark the box in front of it when you
have done so. You might what to jot brief summary notes in the space available.

9 Matthew 21:22 9 Mark 11:24 9 John 14:13 9 John 15:7,16

9 John 16:23 9 1 John 5:14-15

Obviously, these verses do not mean you can ask for whatever you desire. They mean you
can ask for anything required to sustain your lives and to fulfill God’s purpose for your life.
 Reading 9
Muller & Taylor
Matthew 7:7-11

In the nineteenth century, the Black Plague was making its way through England. People died
by the hundreds every day. Many children were left without adults to care for them. They were left
living in the streets and were a public nuisance. It was under these circumstances that God filled the
heart of George Muller with compassion. He started a Christian orphanage.
Based on God’s great promises to provide, the purpose of the orphanage would be to meet
the needs of children and glorify God by watching Him provide in response to prayer. They also
developed some stringent financial policies. They decided that they would ask only God to provide
their needs, that they would never borrow, and that they would never worry. With these policies in
mind, they started an orphanage with a few children. It soon grew to 130 children. It peaked with
2050 children who were almost literally fed out of the hand of God.
I do not want to imply that there were no difficulties. On March 7, 1831 Muller’s journal
records: “Here I sit in dire circumstances and it seems like the Lord has forgotten me. I am again
tempted to disbelieve in the faithfulness of the Lord and, while I am not miserable, I certainly am
not resting in His promises.”
In the 35 years that Muller ran the orphanage, not one child went hungry for a single day.
Literally, millions of dollars passed through Muller’s hands as God provided for the care of the
children. God was greatly glorified.
Muller’s life and journal have been an inspiration to many, including myself. Most notably,
it inspired the famed missionary, J. Hudson Taylor, whose life has been a further inspiration to so
many. Through his whole missionary experience he prayed and trusted God for every need. God
provided. One story in particular impacted my life.
Taylor lived as frugally as possible so he could give the maximum amounts of his money to
the Lord and people in need. He lived off one third of his income and gave the other two thirds away.
One day he encountered a poor man that he sensed God wanted him to help but he only had a small
amount of money in his pocket and struggled with giving it away for fear that his own needs would
not be met. A great inner battle ensued. In the end, Taylor gave the money to the man saying to
himself, “All I have in my pocket is a little money and all the promises of God!” How often that line
has sustained me in an hour of testing!
The Lord Jesus promised, Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and
the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who
knocks, the door will be opened (Matthew 7:7-8). We can expect God to give us all we need to
sustain our lives and fulfill His purposes for them.
Christ’s apostle James makes an interesting point in his letter. He says, You want something
but don't get it. . . You do not have, because you do not ask God (James 4:2). His statement always
leaves me wondering: How much do I not possess because I have failed to ask God for it?
There is a story in Mark 10:46-52 about a blind man named Bartimaeus who stumbled his
way into the presence of the Lord Jesus. Everybody, including Jesus, knew what the blind man
wanted. He wanted to be able to see. Nonetheless, Jesus asked him, "What do you want me to do for
you?" Even though the Lord knew what the man’s request was, He still required the man to ask. This
is instructive. Even though God knows your every need, He still requires that you ask.

Heart Checkup: Might you not have all the money you need because you fail to specifically ask the
Lord to provide for your needs? Are you in the habit of asking God to provide for your every
financial need? Spend some time right now asking the Lord to provide for some of your needs.
Check the box that follows when you have done so. 9
 Reading 10
Secular & Sacred Work
Matthew 7:7-11

Even though the Lord requires both the prosperous and poor to ask Him for their daily bread,
He will also ask us to work for it. In 2 Thessalonians 3:10 it clearly says, If a man will not work, he
shall not eat.
We often see people like missionaries and pastors as involved in sacred work and most
everyone else as involved in secular work. But A.W. Tozer was right when he said, “It is not what
a man does that determines whether his work is secular or sacred – its why he does it.” There are
sacred and worldly reasons for working.
Worldly motivations involve seeing income as a means to increasing one’s self-indulgent
possessions, power, prestige, or pleasures. The Book of Ecclesiastes addresses all of these
motivations and considers them to be vain and meaningless pursuits (Ecclesiastes 2:1-11, 17-26; 4:4-
8, 13-16; 5:8–6:12; 9:11-12).
There are more sacred motivations for working. First, we were created to work and to derive
satisfaction from our work (Genesis 2:2, 5, 15). Ecclesiastes 2:24-25 says, A man can do nothing
better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God,
for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? Ecclesiastes 5:18-19 adds, It is good and proper
for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the
few days of life God has given him--for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth
and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work--this is
a gift of God.
Second, work is God’s means to provide for our needs and the needs of our dependents (1
Thessalonians 2:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12). 1 Timothy 5:8 says, If anyone does not provide for his
relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is (behaving) worse
than an unbeliever.
Third, work is God’s means by which Christ-followers are able to come up with resources
that help meet the needs of others. Ephesians 4:28 says, He who has been stealing must steal no
longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to
share with those in need. Working to have something to share is not just an antidote for those who
steal, it is part of the Christian lifestyle. We are not all called to be J. Hudson Taylors who live off
one third of our income and give the rest away; but all of us should give away a generous percentage.
Fourth, works puts us in a good position to earn an eternal reward by being able to give our
money away to the Lord’s work and helping others in need. We saw this in Matthew 6:19-21. John
Wesley taught the early Methodists to earn all the money they could so they could give away as
much as possible to meet the needs of others and earn eternal dividends on their investment.
Finally, work puts us in a position in which we can love, serve, and witness to non-Christians
(Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 4:1-4; 1 Peter 3:15).
Converting your jobs from a secular job to a sacred one is as simple as changing your
motivations for working which is no simple task. We can be in “secular” work with sacred motives
and we can be in the ministry with worldly motivations. Christ’s apostle Peter is trying to steer
church leaders clear of secular motivations when he says, Be shepherds of God's flock that is under
your care, serving as overseers--not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants
you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but
being examples to the flock (1 Peter 5:1-3).

Heart Checkup: Make a list of the reasons you work. Based on this reading, are your motivations
secular or sacred? Do you work so you can have more money to give away?
 Reading 11
Working Hard

A Christ-follower should be known as a hard worker. Read the following Scriptures and mark
the box in front of it when you have done so.

9 Proverbs 6:6-11 9 Proverbs 10:5 9 Proverbs 12:24, 27

9 Proverbs 18:9 9 Proverbs 19:15, 24 9 Proverbs 20:4,13

9 Proverbs 21:25-26 9 Proverbs 22:13 9 Proverbs 24:30-34

9 Proverbs 26:14,16 9 Ecclesiastes 10:18 9 2 Thessalonians 3:10-11

What is said about Christian slaves about their attitude toward their masters can also be said
of the attitude of Christian employees toward their employers: Slaves, obey your earthly masters in
everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of
heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for
the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a
reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving (Colossians 3:22-24).
Christian women should also be diligent workers. Notice the diligence of the noble women
described in Proverbs 31:10-27: She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like
the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food
for her family and portions for her servant girls. She considers a field and buys it; out of her
earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her
tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she
holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers . . . .When it snows, she has no fear for her
household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in
fine linen and purple . . . She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with
sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come . . . She watches
over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Whether working inside or
outside the home, this noble woman is industrious.

Heart Checkup: Are you known to be a hard worker at home and/or on the job? Does the Lord want
you to work harder? How much wealth might you have missed out on obtaining because you have
not been a hard worker?
 Reading 12
Overworking
Genesis 39:1-6

In many sports there are four boundaries–tennis, soccer, football, lacrosse, and field hockey.
To play the sport right, an athlete has to stay in bounds.
While we extolled the virtue of hard work in our previous reading, it is also possible to
overwork. Christians can work as long and hard as possible as long as they stay within certain
boundaries. I’d like to suggest the following four boundaries that you should stay within in terms of
your work.
First, do not neglect your needed rest. Proverbs 23:4 says, Do not wear yourself out to get
rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. God created you so that you need a good period of sleep
every day. He also instituted times that we should set apart for weekly rest (Exodus 20:8-11; Romans
14:5-6; Mark 2:27).You were not made to go at your work without rest. You are certain to forget the
Lord if you are overly ambitious about your pursuit of material goods. Furthermore, the commands
to rest strike at the heart of your covetous drive to own more and more. You must learn to trust God
with your life. He intends to do what is best for you. You need to play the game of life in bounds.
One of His boundary lines says do not neglect your needed rest. It is in your best interests to develop
that carefree spirit of joyous trust in God.
Second, do not neglect your relationship with God. As Proverbs 15:16 says, Better a little
with the fear of the LORD than great wealth with turmoil. He is your priority relationship in life. It
takes time to maintain your relationship with him. Do not neglect to invest time in the spiritual
disciples that will cultivate your relationship with God.
Third, do not neglect your relationship with your family and friends. As the very next
proverb says, Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred
(Proverbs 15:17). Family members and friends are some of your God-given priority relationships in
life. It takes time to maintain your relationship with them. Do not neglect spending quality time in
those relationships for the sake of work and accumulating wealth.
Finally, never compromise your integrity. Try as our enemies might, you should live such
a clean life that people could not find anything against you if they tried their best to do so. You
should be so pure that the only way people could take you down is by framing you or telling lies
about you.
You do not want to work for an enterprise that requires you to engage in evil and
questionable activities. Looking at Bible characters like Daniel (Daniel 1-6) and Joseph (Genesis 37-
50) will help you realize that it is possible to live for God in an ungodly environment.
Joseph and Daniel worked hard and stayed within these four boundaries. They both rode the
emotional ups and downs of promotions and demotions. They both knew that God was sovereign
over their lives.
Within these four boundaries you should work as hard and smart as you can. You should do
this so you can earn the greatest income possible so you can do the greatest amount of good for
others and the kingdom of God.

Heart Checkup: Do you get enough rest or could you use some more? Do you maintain or
frequently neglect your relationship with god and your spiritual disciplines? Do you invest enough
time in your relationships with your family and friends or should you be investing more? What
changes are you going to make in your life as a result of this reading?
 Reading 13
Old Covenant Tithing
Proverbs 3:1-10

You have worked and been paid for it. You now have your pay in hand. What is the first
thing you should do with it? Proverbs 3:9 says you should honor the LORD with your wealth, with
the firstfruits of all your crops.
For the farmers to whom this verse was written, they were to give the first wave of their crops
to the Lord before they touched any of their crops for themselves. The same principle applies to
present day people earning money. Before we spend, save, or invest any of our earnings, we are to
give a percentage of it back to the Lord’s work and people in need. The first discretionary thing you
should do with that money is set aside what you are gong to give away.
The people who are most successful at giving give before doing anything else with their
money. People who wait until all their bills are paid to see if they have anything left over to give are
the least successful at giving.
Tithing is a good standard to use to determine how successful we are at giving. Some people
think that tithing is a synonym for giving money, however, tithing is actually giving ten percent of
one’s annual income to the Lord.
In the Scriptures we see tithing taking place even before God gave the Old Testament Law
to Moses at Mount Sinai. This tithing, however, was completely voluntary. Tithing, before the giving
of the Law of Moses, was not compulsory. For example, in Genesis 14 Abraham voluntarily gave
a tenth of his booty taken in battle to Melchizedek, the priest of God. He did so as an expression of
his gratitude to God for the victory He gave him. And in Genesis 28, Jacob is so touched by the
kindness of God that he promises to give to God a tenth of his net worth every year for the rest of
his life.
With the giving of the Law to Moses, tithing became compulsory. Actually, there was not
a singular tithe but three different tithes that were compulsory. The first was “the priest’s tithe.” It
went to the priests of Israel and covered their living expenses so that they could serve the Lord and
the people full time (Leviticus 27:30; Deuteronomy 12:10-18). The second tithe was “the
thanksgiving tithe.” The people were to use this tithe to cover their travel expenses so they could
go to Jerusalem and have a thanksgiving celebration in the presence of the Lord (Deuteronomy
14:26, 28). The third tithe was “the benevolence tithe.” This tithe was given to the priests on the
third and sixth year of every seven year cycle after the people paid their other tithes. The priests used
these funds to care for people they knew to be in need (Deuteronomy 14:20-29). The whole tithing
system was a compulsory, charitable giving and tax system for the geo-political nation of Israel.
Consequently, it is hard to make a good comparison of the Old Testament principles to New
Testament giving. Beyond these mandatory tithes, the people were commanded to give freewill
offerings out of the goodness of their hearts. For example, the people of God were commanded to
give to the poor in their towns and villages (Exodus 22:22-24; Psalm 41:1; Proverbs 3:27-28).
Occasionally the people were asked to give special offerings beyond their regular tithing to build and
repair worship centers (Exodus 25:1-2; 1 Chronicles 29, 2 Chronicles 29; Ezra 1:4, 3:1-13).

Heart Checkup: What percentage of your gross income do you give to the Lord’s work and people
in need? Do you give before you spend, save, invest, or do anything else with your earnings?
 Reading 14
New Covenant Believers & Tithing
1 Corinthians 16:1-4

God has presently set aside His chosen geogrphical-political nation. God is now working
through a new “chosen people” (1 Peter 2:9) known as “the church” or “the body of Christ.” This
new group of chosen people is not obliged to obey the Old Testament ceremonial laws.
As before the Law, tithing is now a voluntary action. Under the New Covenant there are no
mandated percentages. As before the Law, tithing is again a voluntary action although there is a clear
expectation that New Covenant believers will be generous givers.
You are commanded to determine, with guidance from God, the percentage He wants you
to give. In 1 Corinthians 16:2 it says, On the first day of every week, each of you should set aside a
sum of money in keeping with his income. While a percentage is not prescribed, you are under divine
orders to support the living expenses of those who serve the Lord vocationally (Luke 9:3-6; 10:5-7;
1 Corinthians 9:9-14; Philippians 4:10-19; Galatians 6:6; 1 Timothy 5:17-19; 2 John 10; 3 John 5-8).
Furthermore, you have an obligation to give some of your money to those in need, especially
believers in need (Psalm 41:1-2; Proverbs 19:17; 21:13; 22:9; 28:27; 29:7; Matthew 6:1-4; 25:31-46;
John 13:34-35; Acts 2:42-47; 4:32; 11:27-30; Romans 12:13; 2 Corinthians 8-9; Galatians 6:10; 1
Timothy 5:3-16; Hebrews 13:3; James 1:27; 2:15-17; 1 John 3:17-18). And you are free to support
buildings and programs that will advance the Lord’s work (Exodus 35-36; 1 Chronicles 29:2-19; 2
Chronicles 24 & 34; Ezra 1:4-6). Under guidance from God, each New Covenant believer is under
an obligation to determine a percentage of their income which they will give away. It is, however,
hard to imagine that He would require less of a New Covenant believer than an Old Covenant
believer. Use the tithe as a starting point and see where the Lord leads you from there.
There are no exemptions for giving to be found in Scripture. Spiritual leaders, children
earning income, and the poor should give away ten percent or more of their income. It could be that
some people live in special circumstances that make it difficult to give. For example, a Christian may
have a non-Christian spouse who cannot understand the concepts of tithing and generous giving.
There may be a dozen other scenarios that might make tithing difficult. Perhaps such people need
to think in terms of giving extra time, professional expertise, or the use of their spiritual gifts. They
must look to God for guidance. He understands their circumstances through and through and has a
plan for what He expects of people in special circumstances.
There is nothing in the New Testament mandating you to present all your giving to the local
church. Just as the percentage of your giving is a matter between you and God, so are the recipients
of your giving. At the same time, if Christians do not finance the Lord’s work, who will? Certainly
you have an obligation to do your part in supporting the expenses of your church family. Money is
necessary in order for your church to fulfill its God-ordained mission to make more and better
disciples of Jesus Christ. It is a fact of life that the vision of spiritual leaders inspires people to give
generously to the Lord’s work. It is also true that the more congregations give, the more spiritual
leaders are inspired to cast larger visions for God.
To some degree the leaders of your church are already dependent on your present patterns
of giving. If you ever considering a dramatic change downward in your giving to the local church,
consideration requires that you do so over a period of time. A deep and sudden reduction in giving
could create a hardship for your spiritual leaders.

Heart Checkup: Using tithing as a standard of generosity, are you generous or not? If generous, are
you barely generous or very generous? What percentage of your income is the Lord directing you to
give away? To whom is He directing you to give your money? (Make sure you are not being self-
directed in these matters but directed by the Lord. Just give tentative answers to these questions now
until you have really received counsel from the Lord.)
 Reading 15
How Much Should I Give?
1 Corinthians 16:1-4

Old Testament scholars vary in the views about what percentage of their income that Old
Testament believers gave. All agree that obedient believers gave over 10%. Estimates for mandatory
tithing vary from 10 to 27%. Furthermore, while sounding like a contradiction of terms, there were
several mandated, freewill offerings in the Old Testament. Believers were mandated to give but had
choice in terms of how much they gave.
While tithing is not required of New Covenant believers, they are required to give a set
amount of their income to the Lord and the Lord’s work. The amount they give is determined by the
leading of the Holy Spirit and guidance from God.
Would God require less of New Covenant believers than He did Old Covenant believers?
New Covenant believers can, therefore, use a tithe as a point of reference.
Those who have studied the psychology of money say that we will squander at least ten
percent of our incomes away no matter how much we make. God gives us the opportunity to tighten
up our finances a little bit, manage them a little better, and convert what would be squandered into
eternal reward (Matthew 6:19-21). Certainly the more money we have beyond adequate food,
clothing, and shelter, the more responsible we are to give away greater and greater percentages of
our incomes (1 Timothy 6:17).
God has a unique calling for each of our lives. Some are called to live with great wealth while
we walk with God. We see plenty of people that loved God and were loved by Him who were also
wealthy--Job, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Solomon, Nicodemus, Mary, Martha, Lazarus, Lydia,
Joseph of Arimathea, and several others. While it is possible to have a strong relationship with God
and be wealthy, it is much harder. First, the wealthier a person becomes the harder it is for that
person to respond to the Gospel and be saved (Matthew 13:22; 19:16-30). Second, there are many
more distractions, temptations, and trials with which the rich have to deal (1 Timothy 6:9-10;
Ecclesiastes 2:17-26; 4:4-8; 5:8-17; 6:1-2).
Some are called to serve God and live with great wealth while others are called to be
economically poor (1 Samuel 2:7-8). It is advantageous to our souls to live a life of material
simplicity. Those with less possessions are more likely to be saved, to grow strong in faith in God,
and to be rich in the Kingdom of Heaven than those who have much wealth here on earth (Matthew
19:16-30; James 2:5). I’m sure that when all of history is said and done, those who were poor in this
life and rich in faith will be the best situated citizens in the kingdom of heaven.
Some of us may start out with great wealth and be called to give it all away like the rich,
young, ruler (Matthew 19:16-26). Regrettably, he loved money so much that he couldn’t do what the
Lord Jesus ordered.
Some people have been called to give away all they have like the famed cricket player C.T.
Studd. He was from a wealthy family and became one of England’s most renowned athletes. At the
age of 18, as a result of evangelistic meetings held by the internationally renowned D.L. Moody, he
became a follower of Jesus Christ. That event dramatically altered the direction of his life. At 24 he
felt called of God to walk away from all of the wealth, privilege, and adulation he was experiencing
to become a missionary. He first offered himself to J. Hudson Taylor for service in China and later
served in India and Africa. When Studd’s parents died, they left him a fortune. He distributed it all
to worthy causes such as Moody’s evangelistic ministry and Muller’s work among the orphans in
England.

Heart Checkup: What is God’s calling for your life? Are you one of the few He is calling to give
away all of your great wealth? Or is He calling you to be a generous giver as He expects almost all
of his children to become?
 Reading 16
The Rewards of Giving

Eternal Rewards
In Matthew 6:19-20 the Lord Jesus says, Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and
steal. There will be a correlation between the riches we give away on earth and the riches we enjoy
in heaven. We will not all have the same net worth in heaven. There are other Scriptures (like
Matthew 6:1-4; 1 Timothy 6:17-19) that teach these same truths.

Earthly Rewards
In addition to heavenly rewards, God promises earthly rewards to those who give generously
to the His work and to people in need. He promises generous givers that they will always have all
the money they need. We will certainly receive a return on our investment when we get to heaven;
but the verses that follow are primarily focused on the time between our earthly birth and death.
Read the following Scriptures and mark the box in front of it when you have done so. You might
what to jot brief summary notes in the space available.

9 Proverbs 3:9-10
9 Proverbs 11:24-25
9 Malachi 3:10
9 Luke 6:38
9 2 Corinthians 9:6
The Scriptures are clear: The more you give, the more you receive in return. For example,
if a farmer sows just a little amount of seed, he can only expect to reap a little harvest. If he sows a
large amount of seed, he can expect to reap a large harvest. Likewise, if you are a stingy person, you
can only expect to reap a little bit of blessing. If you are a generous person, you may anticipate
receiving much blessings from God.
These verses you read teach that we never give money away without it returning in greater
amounts at a future time. We have no idea when the Lord will give us our return. That is completely
up to His discretion. My experience is that it will usually be in a period of need in our lives but, quite
honestly, I have never seen any rhyme or reason to the process. His ways are beyond our
understanding and superior to ours.
We also have no idea in what form our investment will be returned to us. Because it was
donated in the form of money does not mean that it will be returned to us in that form. It may return
to us in a wide variety of ways–tangible gifts from others, windfalls, inheritances, discounts in
purchases, free services, miraculous provisions, and government aid. Again, we give and just simply
trust God with our lives and needs.

Heart Checkup: How much wealth might you be lacking because you have failed to give
generously to the Lord’s work and people in need? Do you give at least ten percent of your income
away? If not, why not? Do you lack faith in God and His promises to provide for all of your needs
if you are a generous giver?
 Reading 17
Frequently Asked Questions About Giving
1 Timothy 6:3-10

Q: Should I tithe off my gross or net income?

Giving is mostly a matter of trust in God. The amount we give will be based on how much
we can trust God with our lives. Quibbling over gross and net are irrelevant to the heart of the matter.
The percentage of your income that you give is strictly a matter between you and God. Honestly ask
the Lord what proportion of your income He wants you to give. Start with the idea that He probably
wants you to give at least ten percent of your income and seek His will from there.
Q: Should I expect a decline in my standard of living if I start tithing?
I cannot say what God’s plan is for your life. I can say that most people who give away ten
percent of their income do not experience a reduction in their standard of living. Most tithing
believers testify to the mystery of maintaining their standard of living even though they are giving
so much money away. I have heard many testimonies over the years of people receiving exceptional
blessings–better jobs, promotions, bonuses, generous gifts-- when they started tithing. It seems to
me that God wants to encourage us in our giving and there are usually blessings that follow our
commitment to tithe. On the other hand, I can’t say that there is any rhyme or reason to all I have
seen others experience. God wants us to obey him pure and simple. He wants us to trust Him with
our lives. He promises to care for us.
Q: Should people who are deep in debt give or should they focus on getting out of debt?
The more we give, the more we get in return. Those in debt need all the help they can get.
Therefore, trusting the Lord with your whole heart and leaning not on your mathematical
calculations, you should give ten percent and watch the Lord bless your life.
Q: Should we give as a means of growing wealthy?
There are religious teachers who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness
is a means to financial gain (1 Timothy 6:5). While there is nothing wrong about giving with an
awareness of God’s promises to bless, that should never be our motive for giving. Our motive should
always be love for god and others (1 Corinthians 13:3). It is ignoble to give in order to get. If that
is our motivation, God knows it. If he knows it, he probably will not bless us as a form of training
us in godliness. To think like that is not in our best interests. It only feeds such sinful tendencies as
selfishness, greed, discontentment, and the love of money.
Q: What should I do if we don’t think we can afford to give ten percent?
I encourage you to take the 10% plunge. Just do it. If you do, you can anticipate two
possibilities. First, you can expect that the devil will tempt you to doubt that you can both tithe and
make ends meet. If, however, you submit to God and resist the devil (James 4:7), you can anticipate
that God will encourage you in this practice by bringing blessings into your life. Most people who
take the tithing plunge discover that their standard of living does not suffer as a result of giving. Why
that is true is not completely known but God’s math is different than our math. His ways are not our
ways (Isaiah 55:8). Giving to the Lord has always been a matter of trust.
If you presently do not possess the level of faith in God and His Word required to the ten
percent plunge, you can build your faith and your giving by increasing the percentage you give by
one to three percent per year until you have worked your way up to a tithe or more.

Heart Checkup: Is there anything the Lord would like me to do differently as a result of this
reading? Do I already give ten percent? If not, is it time to take the plunge or increase things
gradually?
 Reading 18
Contentment
Philippians 4:10-13

Are you a poor or wealthy person? We usually answer that question by comparing ourselves
with someone else. We might come up with one answer if we compare ourselves to the rest of the
people who live in our region and another answer if we compare ourselves to the world at large. The
Scriptures, however, imply that there is an objective standard by which we can answer that question.
1 Timothy 6:8 says that if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. The Greek
word for clothing means “covering.” In the Scriptures it can mean a covering of clothing or a
covering of shelter. Therefore, our basic needs are adequate food, clothing, and shelter. If we do not
have adequate food, clothing or shelter, we are poor. Whatever we possess beyond adequate food,
clothing, and shelter is wealth. Some of us have meager wealth some have enormous wealth.
Contentment is realizing that God has already provided me everything I need for my present
happiness. 1 Timothy 6:6 is telling us that we can and should be completely happy if we have
adequate food, clothing, and shelter. With these three things in adequate supply, contentment is a
choice. We choose to be content or not. Thankfully, as we saw in the Scripture reading, contentment
is something that can be learned with practice and God’s help (Philippians 4:11-13).
1 Timothy 6:6 says, Godliness with contentment is great gain. The word used in Greek for
gain means a financial gain. In other words, to be content is a great financial gain. To be a person
who is content with adequate food, clothing, and shelter is worth a fortune. Contentment enables one
to feel like they are wealthy even if they are not. Think of how much money a contented person can
save over the course of a lifetime by simply not “needing” so much. As the highly quotable G.K.
Chesterton said, “There are two ways to have all you need–earn enough money to get everything you
want or need less.”
The truth is that if we are not content with what we presently own, we will never be satisfied
with owning more. The wisest man to ever live said, Whoever loves money never has money enough;
whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income (Ecclesiastes 5:10).
When one of the world’s wealthiest men, J.P. Getty, was asked how much money it takes to
be happy, he replied, “Just a little bit more.” Happiness is elusive when we seek it through the
accumulation of wealth.
One of the wealthiest men to ever live said, “Money has little or nothing to do with
happiness” (J.D. Rockerfeller). Doubling or tripling our income will not double or triple our
happiness. After having our basic needs met, the thing that increases happiness in people is
deepening relationships. As long as people have adequate food, clothing, and shelter, increases in
happiness are based on increases in our relational intimacy with God and fellow humans (1 Timothy
6:8; Hebrews 13:5-6) and increased realization of the spiritual blessings and hope that we possess
in Christ (2 Corinthians 4:17-18; Ephesians 1:3; 5:20; Philippians 4:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:18). I have
seen these realities in some of the most impoverished nations in the world. I’ve seen very poor
people who are much happier than most of the prosperous people in my own country.

Heart Checkup: By the standards of this reading, are you rich or poor? How rich or poor are you?
How content are you with only adequate food, clothing, and shelter? What other material possessions
do you think you need to make you happy? How much learning do you need to do to get to the point
that you could be truly content with adequate food, clothing, and shelter? How will you learn to be
content with these things?
 Reading 19
Covetousness
Hebrews 13:5-6

As you can see in Hebrews 13:5, the opposite of contentment is covetousness. Any time you
are not content with what you presently possess, you are engaging in covetousness.
Discontentment is a serious matter as you can see from the biblical synonyms for
disconcertment which include being a lover of money, a greedy person, and an idolater (Luke 12:13-
21; 16:13-15; Colossians 3:5; 1 Timothy 6:6-10). At any moment you are either a content person or
a covetous person. That is a tough reality to face.
When you fail to realize that God has already given you everything you need for your present
happiness, you are engaging in covetousness. When you are craving for bigger, better, and more
possessions, you are engaging in greed. When you think that more possessions will bring more
happiness, you are engaging in the love of money. This matter of contentment and discontentment
is not to be taken lightly by a serious minded follower of Christ. To be discontent is to break one of
the Ten Commandments. The tenth commandment reads, You shall not covet your neighbor's house.
You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or
anything that belongs to your neighbor (Exodus 20:17). If I am not content with my house, spouse,
employees, and possessions, I am breaking this commandment.
Without true contentment of heart we are vulnerable to many spiritual and moral challenges.
When things are going good, we are prone to forget that the Lord is the giver behind every good and
perfect gift (James 1:17; Deuteronomy 8:6-20). The Scriptures promise a host of troubles and
challenges for the discontent. They say, If we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.
People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful
desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.
Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many
griefs (1 Timothy 6:8-10). Self-achieved wealth comes to us at a great cost to our souls and
relationships (Ecclesiastes 5:10-17). On the other hand, the blessing of the LORD brings wealth, and
he adds no trouble to it (Proverbs 10:22).
Who is more vulnerable to the lure of advertising, to the trap of overspending, to self-
absorption, to get-rich-quick schemes, to risky business adventures and investments, to fraudulent
investments and investors and to gambling and the lottery? Is the content person more vulnerable
of the covetous person?
Covetousness is in abundant supply all around the world. I have seen it in impoverished and
prosperous nations. People everywhere are equally covetous. And the Holy Spirit has worked deeply
enough in many hearts that truly content people can be found living in poverty and in prosperity.
There is a very thought-provoking prayer found in Proverbs 30:7-9: Two things I ask of you,
O LORD; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither
poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown
you and say, 'Who is the LORD?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my
God.

Heart Checklist: What more do you think you need in order to be happy? How vulnerable are you
to the temptation of keeping up with your neighbors? the lure of advertising? the tendency to
overspend? to the trap of get-rich-quick schemes? to the enticement of risky business adventures and
investments? to the temptation to gamble? to the trap of fraudulent investments?
 Reading 20
Purchasing Life’s Necessities
Ecclesiastes 5:8-6:12

To obtain the money we need God requires us to ask for it and to work for it. In exchange
for the work we do, we receive compensation. In most of the world, that compensation comes in the
form of money which we then distribute. As discussed above, the first thing a good steward does is
give the proportion of their income that they sense God led them to give to the Lord’s work and the
needy. After that they are free to obtain life’s necessities. We primarily earn income to provide our
families with the necessities of life. We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out
of it (1 Timothy 6:7). You did not need money before you were born and you will not need it after
you die. You only need money to survive your earthly pilgrimage.
The goods and services we need include adequate food, clothing, and shelter in every society.
Prosperity, however, has a way of enlarging our list of necessities. In some societies, additional
needs are required to earn an adequate income such as education, transportation, phone service, and
the like. Furthermore, some things get written into law such as mandatory insurances. Furthermore,
some societies put enormous pressure on their constituents to consider certain goods and services
as necessities that are really desires. It almost takes a supernatural honesty of heart to identify life’s
real needs and to distinguish them from our desires.
Besides distinguishing needs from desires, the constituents of prosperous nations have
choices within the purchase of good and services. There are always choices between good, better,
best, and extravagant goods and services. One can purchase a barely adequate home or a mansion.
One can buy a basic car or a Rolls Royce. One can attend a state school or a prestigious university.
To some degree our purchases will be influenced by God’s true calling for our lives. As a
general rule, a good steward will make purchases that are a good value for the money. This involves
avoiding two extremes. The first extreme is extravagance–purchasing far more than is needed. The
second extreme is purchasing poorly made goods that will soon need to be replaced and will end up
costing more over time than a good purchase in the first place.
Choosing far more than is needed has never seemed like a morally right choice for me. First,
our Lord Jesus never engaged in extravagance. He said of Himself, Foxes have holes and birds of
the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head (Matthew 8:20). God the Father
always provided the Son with a shelter over his head, but He never owned a shelter of His own. He
always slept in borrowed beds and ate food off other’s plates. Jesus did not live an extravagant
lifestyle. Second, knowing how little wealth most of my brothers in Christ around the world own has
always had a moderating effect on me. I would not say that God would never guide someone to an
extravagance purchase. After all, Mary poured a $25,000 bottle of perfume on Jesus’ feet. I’m quite
sure, however, it is rare that the Lord guides one of his children to make an extravagant purchase.
Purchasing poor quality goods is never wise. It can cost you more over time than a wise
purchase of quality goods at a reasonable price. In an attempt to save a few dollars, I have purchased
much junk over the years that ended up costing me more in replacements and repairs than if I had
made a sound purchase from the start. A good steward is handling the Lord’s money for Him and
will want to make purchases that are a good value for the money.

Heart Checkup: Make a list of the material goods and services you need to fulfill God’s calling in
your life and function within the society in which God placed you? Do you tend to purchase things
that are extravagant, inexpensive, or a good value. What changes might the Lord want you to make
in the way you spend money?
 Reading 21
Saving Up for Future Needs
Genesis 41:1-57

The first thing a good steward does is give a God-determined portion of his income to the
Lord’s work and the needy. He can then purchase the necessities of life as we discussed in our
previous reading. Assuming there is discretionary income after these distributions, a good steward
will set aside a certain amount of money in savings to defray the expenses of foreseeable future
needs before improving our present quality of life.
Certainly the future is only known to God. There are, however, aspects of it that are
foreseeable to you. As in the days of Joseph, there are always going to be economic cycles of
prosperity and scarcity. You must set money aside during the better times for the harder times.
Furthermore, you already know that you own possessions that will need to be repaired or replaced
someday. Also, you never know when an illness or injury is going to strike you and limit your ability
to earn income. You already know that you are going to have certain, predictable needs and
expenses in the future for which you could start saving for now.
Saving up for future needs is seen as a virtue in the Scriptures. The wise man saves up today
for future needs, whereas, a foolish man spends all his money as he gets it (Proverbs 21:20).
Proverbs 6:6-9 says, Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no
commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at
harvest. The ant is considered wise because it stores up in times of plenty for future needs. Proverbs
13:11 says, he who gathers money little by little makes it grow. (Also consider Proverbs 10:5 and
30:24-25.) Ideally, we will put our savings in a secure investment that preserves the principle and
adds interest or dividends. In the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) the Lord commends the
idea of compounding interest and condemns the unfaithful servant for just preserving the principle.
Since you do not know the future, it is impossible to know how much you should set aside
for it. You should seek the Lord on this matter. The most successful savers do as I have taught you
to do with your giving. Assuming they have discretionary income after their giving and spending for
necessities, they seek the Lord for a specific percentage of their income which they do not touch until
those future needs come along that they are intended to offset.
You must make sure that the amount you set aside is God-led, not fear-led. Fear of the future
can drive us mad and make us obsessed with saving. This preoccupation with money is not good for
your spiritual well-being. What I am advocating is savings that help to alleviate future catastrophes,
not eradicate them. God is still going to be there for you. Others are still going to be moved by
compassion to assist you with your needs. You may not know what the future holds but you know
who holds the future in the palm of His hands. You can trust Him with your life.
In some cultures, people are not allowed to have savings. As long as there are family
members and friends in need, those cultures teach that extra money should be used to help others.
At first glance, that kind of thinking looks compassionate but it may actually be morally wrong not
to allow another the opportunity to save up for his future needs. It is a Christian virtue to be as self-
sufficient as you can in providing for yourself and your family (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12; 2
Thessalonians 3:6-15). Furthermore, it is morally wrong not to provide for your family and saving
up for foreseeable future needs is part of providing for your family (1 Timothy 5:8).

Heart Checkup: Make a list of your foreseeable needs. Do you have money you can set aside for
those future needs? If so, what percentage of your income does the Lord want you to put into savings
and investments?
 Reading 22
Upgrading the Quality of Life
Ecclesiastes 2:1-11

After you have given unto the Lord, supplied the necessities of life, and saved up for
foreseeable future needs, you can purchase some of the possessions, services, and pleasures that will
upgrade the quality of your life. 1 Timothy 6:17 tells us that God richly provides us with material
things beyond the necessities of life for our enjoyment. Wealth is a blessing from God.
Obviously, you can’t purchase everything your heart desires and you would not be any
happier if you could. We saw this in Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 and 5:10-17. In fact, your spiritual health
would suffer if you sought to acquire everything you wanted (1 Timothy 6:9-10). With our
discretionary income, we must ask the Lord for wisdom to know what He would allow us to
purchase with His money as a blessing from His hand. Only His work in our lives will prevent the
wealthy from becoming selfish and self-indulgent.
The Scriptures are clear that those with discretionary income, must be careful not to hoard.
Hoarding is storing up excess possessions that you do not use. The extra goods a hoarder puts in
storage should be used to improve the quality of another’s life.
There are probably many different reasons that people hoard. I would guess the three main
reasons for hoarding involve the fear of poverty, the flaunting of wealth, and the need for
significance. These all involve moral issues. The fear of poverty involves a lack of trust in God. The
flaunting of wealth involves sinful pride. Finding significance in our possessions is a feeble
substitute for finding our worth from our standing in Christ.
A man once complained to the Lord that his brother was not being fair in the way he was
dividing up the inheritance of their father. He wanted Jesus to arbitrate their dispute. Jesus refused
on the basis that dispute arbitration was not His calling in life. Instead Jesus attacked the deeper
problem. The other brother may have been unfair but much of the dispute was rooted in the
discontentment, covetousness, and greed that existed within the men’s hearts. Jesus warned them,
Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the
abundance of his possessions (Luke 12:15). Then he told everyone present a parable in which He
rebuked the practice of hoarding.
He said, The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself,
“What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.” Then he said, “This is what I'll do. I will tear
down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say
to myself, ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be
merry."' But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then
who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” This is how it will be with anyone who stores
up things for himself but is not rich toward God (Luke 12:16-21).
Christ’s apostle James condemned hoarding: Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail
because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your
clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your
flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days (James 5:1-3).
James condemns the wealthy who hoarded material goods. They stored up large quantities
of food that rotted on them. They filled their closets with large quantities of excess clothing that the
moths had eaten. They piled up excess lumps of gold and silver which got cankered by interaction
with some acid. Meanwhile, all of these things could have been put to use by others in need. There
is no good reason to cling to excess goods. There is every good reason to give those goods away to
people in need.

Heart Checkup: Do you own possessions you do not use that could improve the quality of life of
another? Why are you holding onto them? What does the Lord want you to do with them?
 Reading 23
Sharing with Others
Luke 10:25-37

After you have given to the Lord, supplied the necessities of life, and saved up for future
needs, you are free to purchase some of the possessions, services, and pleasures beyond the
necessities of life. However, we are not to use our discretionary income to engage in a self-indulgent
lifestyle. The Apostle Paul told Timothy to command those who are rich in this present world . . .
to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share (1 Timothy 6:17-18).
The more money we have, the more responsible we are before God to share with those in need.
Don’t forget, we do not work and earn an income to meet our own needs. We also work so that we
can meet the needs of others. It says in Ephesians 4:28 that the Christian must work, doing something
useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. In this way we
are fulfilling the commandment to love our neighbor just as much as we already love ourselves
(Matthew 22:34-40). The Good Samaritan was an excellent example of this.
The Good Samaritan was going about his business when he encountered a complete stranger
in deep need. His heart was moved with a meaningful kind of compassion that led to action. His
compassion was the kind that led to the loosening of his purse strings. He took a generous sum of
money out of his wallet, gave it to the innkeeper, and paid him to provide health care for the man.
He also promised that he would reimburse the innkeeper for any extra expenses he had to put on his
credit card. How different this behavior was from the behavior of the religious workers who simply
overlooked the man in need.
By habitually asking yourself “What needs do I see?” and “What can I do to meet these
needs?,” you will find yourself frequently loosening your purse strings and showing compassion to
those in need. Obviously, there is only so much you can do because the world is a bottomless pit of
need. God does not expect you to give away all of your discretionary income to people in need; but
He certainly expects you to give away some of it for that purpose.
You need Him to guide your life in how to use your discretionary income. On the one hand,
He wants you to enjoy increased material blessings in your life. On the other hand, He wants you to
bless the lives of others by being generous. He certainly does not want you to spend all of your
discretionary income on yourself. As the Lord taught, Do not store up for yourselves treasures on
earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and
steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:19-20).
While somewhat of an extreme position, John Wesley taught the early Methodists to earn all
they could so that they could give away as much money as possible to the Lord’s work and people
in need. In this way they would receive eternal dividends on their investment. Wesley practices what
he preached. A large sum of money passed through his fingers yet when he died all he owned was
a coat, a Bible, and a silver spoon his mother gave him. While I find this to be extreme, I also find
it to be extremely thought provoking. It causes me to examine my heart, the degree of my love for
others, and the degree of my love for money.

Heart Checkup: Do you invest all of your discretionary income in improving the quality of your life
or do you also share it with others in need? Do you consider others in need just as much as you
consider upgrading your lifestyle with your discretionary income? Do you habitually seek guidance
from the Lord regarding the use of your discretionary income?
 Reading 24
Oppressing Others

There will always be rich and poor people living together as long as the earth goes around
(Matthew 26:11). And there will always be tension between the classes until the day we are
completely sanctified by Christ, all evil forces are destroyed, and we enjoy life in the heavenly
kingdom.
While openly acknowledging that there are different classes, the Scriptures do not generate
animosity between the classes. It is inconsistent with the teachings of the Lord to arouse the poor to
despise the rich or the rich to despise the poor. Any animosity generated by Bible teachers is rooted
in the sin nature and not the teachings of Scripture. In the Scriptures the rich and poor are instructed
about how they can peacefully coexist in a society. The rich, however, have a heavy obligation to
be a blessing to the poor and not a burden. Specifically, the Scriptures command the wealthy to avoid
hoarding, to be generous with what they own, and to not oppress the poor.
As one looks at history one can see a general pattern: The rich get richer and the poor get
poorer until the poor band together and rise up against the rich. Why is that the case? Because the
rich use their wealth to protect their privileged position in life. They want to maintain the way things
are because current conditions are in their favor. The rich want to maintain the system even if the
masses are poor and suffering under the system.
When the wealthy are feeling invulnerable, they become arrogant. They almost feel like the
rest of humanity exists to further their self-indulgence. They become insensitive to the many around
them who are suffering under the way things are. They exploit the little people and for such
behaviors they are condemned by the prophets (especially Amos) and the Apostles (especially
James). People were not created by God to be exploited. The rich must be just and generous in all
their dealings with the poor.
James asked some poor, exploited Christians: Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are
they not the ones who are dragging you into court? (James 2:6). Then, speaking directly to the rich
and sounding like an Old Testament prophet, he warned them about the negative consequences of
their unjust treatment of the poor.

9 Read what James said James 5:1-6.

Heart Checkup: Honestly now, do you have animosity toward people who are rich or poor?
Honestly now, did the Scriptures give you that animosity or was it generated by your sinful human
nature? Have you ever asked the Lord to forgive you for your animosity toward another class? Have
you ever repented of those sinful attitudes you hold toward another class? If you are wealthy, are
your political views designed to keep you in a favorable position or do you think of what is best for
all? If you are wealthy, are there ways that you subconsciously oppress the poor so that they serve
your self-indulgent purposes? Are you just in all your dealings? Are you a blessing and not a burden?
Do you avoid hoarding? Do you share generously with those in need?
 Reading 25
Charitable Lending

Some people have no choice but to go into debt. Their situation in life is such that they must
borrow to have the basic necessities of life. They are forced to hope for better days in the future
whereby they can pay off yesterday’s needs. Christ-followers are to be generous with their charitable
lending. This involves lending to someone in real need with the hopes of being repaid but without
the expectation of it. If repayment is made that money can then be put to further good use. On the
other hand, the charitable lender must be willing to absorb the losses if repayment cannot be made.
Essentially, charitable lending is simply another way of giving. All of God’s promises to the
generous would apply to generous charitable lenders as well. Read what the following Scriptures say
about charitable lending.

9 Deuteronomy 15:7-11

9 Psalm 37:25-26

9 Psalm 112:5

9 Matthew 5:38-42

Heart Checkup: Have you ever given a charitable loan to another person in need? If not, why not?
 Reading 26
Borrowing
Proverbs 22:7; Romans 13:7-8

Borrowing to increase our accumulation of depreciating possessions is morally questionable.

Depreciating possessions are possessions that become of less monetary worth the more they are used.
For example, if I buy a pair of pants for $10 and wear them for a year, they are likely to be worth $2
a year after they were purchased. They will have reduced in monetary value through use.
There may be some special circumstances that allows for the purchase of depreciating items
on credit. For example, something might be on sale at a price that makes it worth purchasing now and
paying later. As a general rule, however, such borrowing for depreciating items is immoral or
inadvisable at best. First, it is poor stewardship. Borrowing money with interest increases the overall
cost of depreciating items quite significantly. Is that good use of the Lord’s money? Instead of buying
now and paying later, a good steward will save now and buy later.
Second, the Scriptures take a dim view of indebtedness as this listing verifies:
• A borrower surrenders some control of his finances to others (Proverbs 22:7).
• Being in debt is seen as being under a curse from God (Deuteronomy 28:15,44).
• A borrower presumes the future will be better than the present (James 4:13-16).
• A borrower may have to overwork and lose balance in life in order to pay back his debts
(Proverbs 15:16-17).
• A borrower may be tempted to withhold money that should be shared with others in need and
used to honor the Lord (Proverbs 3:9-10). It will thereby deprive us of the earthly and eternal
rewards of generous giving (Matthew 619-20; Luke 6:38).
• Borrowing puts a mask over a bloodied face. It may prevent others from seeing our needs and
coming to our aid (2 Corinthians 8:14).
• Borrowing lacks faith in God’s promises of provisions and His miracle-working power (James
4:3).
• Borrowing brings much extra and unnecessary anxiety into a life (Proverbs 10:22).

In addition to these biblical reasons, borrowing stifles creativity and resourcefulness. It hinders
us from saving up for future needs which can make life all the more complicated. We could go on and
on. There is not much good that comes from borrowing for our wants in life.
That is not to say that we should never borrow. It makes good sense to take measured risks
on things that are almost certain to appreciate in value. Some possessions increase, instead of
decrease, in value over time. Getting into a business opportunities can be a good use of borrowing
if we are going to make more money than we pay back on the principal and interest of the loan. In
many societies, paying for an education can be a good use of borrowing if we are going to increase
our income enough to pay back the loan with interest. There are some uses of indebtedness that make
financial sense although they involve risk.
The Christian ideal is to make every effort to get out of debt, stay out of debt, and live a debt-
free existence. Our indebtedness often reveals something about our hearts. It reveals that we are living
a self-indulgent and impulsive lifestyle or that we lack faith in God’s abilities to provide.

Heart Checkup: Make a list of all of your debts. Evaluate them. Are your debts related to providing
the necessities of life or are they related to pursuing your wants and desires? Are your debts related
to things that are appreciating or depreciating in value? If they are related to things that are
appreciating, did you get good terms for your loan and assume a reasonable amount of risk? How
likely could your loans for appreciating things afflict your life with misery? Are you being a good
steward of the Lord’s money in terms of your borrowing? What do you need to do to get out of debt
and live debt-free?
 Reading 27
Cosigning
Proverbs 6:1-5

As you can see in Proverbs 6:1-5, you are being strongly advised against cosigning for the
loans of others and against serving as collateral for them. The fact that a person needs a cosigner
indicates that the lender does not have full confidence that the loaned money will be paid off. If the
lender does not have that confidence, should you? Your problems in life will increase if the person
for whom you cosigned defaults on the loan as a result of irresponsibility or catastrophe. Do not be
a man who strikes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts; if you lack the means to pay, your
very bed will be snatched from under you (Proverbs 22:26-27).
Sometimes borrowers lose some of their incentive to prioritize the repayment of a loan when
they know that someone else is serving as a safety net. Cosigning has a long history of creating
tension between family members and friends. A man lacking in judgment strikes hands in pledge and
puts up security for his neighbor (Proverbs 17:18).
Usually we cosign in order to give a family member or friend a break. Cosigning can be a form
of charitable lending if you are fully willing to absorb the losses if your friend or family member
defaults. Remember, however, you are dealing with the Lord’s money, not your own. You must
receive guidance from the Master as to whether or not He wants you to take such a risk with the
money He has entrusted to your care. Most likely and based on His word, He is not likely to approve.
He who puts up security for another will surely suffer, but whoever refuses to strike hands in pledge
is safe (Proverbs 11:15). However, if He approves, and if you are not going to require repayment, and
if you are not going to be upset if the borrower defaults even on the grounds of irresponsibility, you
may cosign. In such cases, your cosigning would be just another form of charitable giving. All of
God’s promises to generous givers would apply to such cosigners as well.

Heart Checkup: Are you collateral for anyone’s loans? Is your cosigning a pure act of charity on
your part or would you be upset if the person defaulted? If you would be upset, how are you going
to seek to free yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the
fowler?
 Reading 28
Taxes

Many governments require their citizens to pay taxes. The government then uses those
revenues to provide security and services to its citizens. You can thank God for your civil leaders and
the services they provide with your tax dollars.
The enemies of our Lord Jesus tried to trap Him into saying something stupid against the
government so as to inflame the governor, Pontius Pilate, against Jesus. They sent some people to the
Lord who pretended to be seekers of truth. They asked Jesus if it was right for His followers to pay
taxes to the Roman Empire. Sensing their real motives, Jesus asked them to show him a coin. When
they presented one, He asked them to tell Him whose face and inscription were on the coin. They
stated that it was Caesar’s. Then He uttered his famous words, Then give to Caesar what is Caesar's,
and to God what is God's (Luke 20:20-26.
As a Christ-follower, I often feel uncomfortable paying my taxes knowing that much of the
money is going to be used for evil purposes. But we know from history that the Roman Empire used
many of their revenues for evil purposes yet the Apostle Paul told Christians that the civil authorities
are God's servants, Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then
revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor (Romans 13:6-7).
The Scriptures are clear that a Christian has a moral obligation to pay all of their taxes. It is
immoral for Christians to deceive the government in relationship to paying taxes. It is immoral for
a Christian to work at a job that illegally enables them to avoid paying taxes. A Christian does not
need to be dishonest in order to provide for himself. God is more than able to provide both the monies
that are needed for living and for paying taxes.

9 Read Matthew 17:24-27 for further insights into the Lord’s views on paying taxes.

Though the Lord did not believe the tax system was just, He believed that each of us should
pay our taxes. This story gives us assurance that God is able to provide the monies we need to pay
our taxes and pay all of our bills. He can do so even if He has to provide by miraculous means. You
do not need to cheat the government.
Tax codes vary in complexity from country to country. Some countries try to influence the
behaviors of their citizens by offering tax breaks. It is a trade off. The government is saying, “We
believe it will better our country if our citizens do this and that. Therefore, we will give them tax
breaks in exchange for them doing this or that.” If civil leaders are offering such tax breaks, it is
morally permissible for a Christian to take advantage of those tax breaks as long as the behaviors the
government desires are not immoral.
Every once in a while a tax code will have a tax loophole in it. A tax loophole is a means of
avoiding taxes because of an inadvertent oversight or ambiguity in the tax code. While it may be
legally permissible for any citizen to take advantage of a tax loophole, is it morally wrong for a
Christian to exploit another’s mistake.
Governments are notorious for overspending, inefficiency, corruption, and over-taxing.
Having the power by law to increase revenues undermines the discipline of governments to form
sound budgets and operate within them. Therefore, the need for tax reform is ongoing. Certainly a
Christian living in a democracy is at liberty to be involved in tax reform by all legal means.

Heart Checkup: How capable is God of providing you with the money you need to provide for your
needs and pay your taxes? What are some dishonest means you are using to keep money for yourself
that rightfully belongs to the government? If you have engaged in any dishonest practices in regards
to your civil leaders, what does the Lord want you to do to make things right?
 Reading 29
The Inheritance

When we die we no longer have material needs. Something needs to be done with what we
leave behind in terms of possessions, property, monies, investments, businesses, and the like. At some
point before we die, we must give careful and prayerful consideration to how the Lord wants us to
distribute these things after we die.
In Bible times families had a patriarch. He was the highest ranking member of a family. He
felt responsible to do what was in the best interests of the family line after he died. He was concerned
for his spouse, his children, his grandchildren, his great-grandchildren, and the children of his
posterity that he would never live to see. So, as he thought about distributing his inheritance, he had
the family’s best, long-term interests in mind. He gave about two thirds of his wealth to his oldest son
while he was still alive and approaching the end of his life. The remaining wealth was distributed
among the other sons. That money given to the eldest was not given as a show of favoritism. After
the death of the patriarch he would become the new family patriarch. He was to use that inheritance
to care for his parents and do what was best for the rest of the family line.
We are under no mandate to impose the culture of biblical times upon our culture. I am merely
giving the cultural background so we can understand the Bible verses that mention inheritances. Every
society has its own ways of distributing inheritances. Applying the biblical principles involved to
these various ways is not always easy. In any case, a good steward gives careful and prayerful
consideration to the orderly transfer of those goods after his death. A good steward will take whatever
steps are necessary in one’s society to assure that his possessions are wisely distributed upon his
death.
If God blesses our lives with wealth, leaving an inheritance to the next generations of our
family should be one of our aspirations in this life. To be able to leave an inheritance for the family
line is a good thing (Ecclesiastes 7:11). It is unfortunate if a man suffers a misfortune that makes him
unable to leave something to his son after he dies (Ecclesiastes 5:13-14). Proverbs 13:22 says, A good
man leaves an inheritance for his children's children. That does not mean we are bad people if we
can’t leave an inheritance as a result of insufficient means or misfortune. It means we are bad people
if we are able to leave an inheritance and don’t because of a lack of self-discipline or a life of self-
indulgence. Some people who find themselves with great wealth spend feverishly toward the end of
their lives to consume their wealth. This behavior displays a lack of love for posterity.
As good stewards, we will want to train the next generation how to be good stewards of God’s
money that He has entrusted to our care. After all, they are the ones who will manage our hard-earned
possessions after we die. The squandering and mismanagement of inheritances is observed frequently
in prosperous nations. Experiencing a windfall, the children often purchase expensive goods and
services that they have long desired. If the family needs to spend inheritance money to meet the basic
necessities of life, that is a legitimate use of transmitted wealth. However, if the basic necessities are
met, that money should be invested in something that appreciates in value instead of something that
depreciates in value. That kind of investing would be in line with the spirit of the Bible’s teachings
on the inheritance. It would be consistent with thinking about the long-term material needs of
posterity.

Heart Checkup: Is a lack of self-discipline or a life of self-indulgence going to prevent you from
leaving an inheritance to your family? Have you carefully and prayerfully thought about how you
want your possessions, property, monies, investments, and businesses distributed after your death?
Have you taken the steps required to assure that your wishes are honored after you die? Have you
trained the next generation or two regarding god’s principles of good stewardship?
 Reading 30
How to Have All the Money you Need

In this reading I will summarize the main ideas I have taught throughout this course and bring
things to a conclusion. There will be no separate Scripture reading as there are a number of Scriptures
embedded in this extra long reading.
When you do not have all the money you need, your problem is probably that you are violating
one or more of the seven principles fundamental principles listed below. As you read, examine the
way you manage finances. Listen for the voice of the Living Lord to speak to you. What changes does
He want you to make in the way you manage the money and possessions He has entrusted to you?

Principle One: Live for God alone, not for money and material things.
The Lord Jesus said, No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the
other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body,
what you will wear . . . But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be
given to you as well (Matthew 6:24, 25, 33). This passage says that if you make it your sole concern
to live for God, He will make it His concern to provide for you. You might be lacking some of the
money you need because you are more concerned about pursuing your material needs than pursuing
God’s calling for your life. Just focus on taking hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of you,
(Philippians 3:12) and watch God provide all of your material needs.
He does not need you to cheat anyone, to cheat on your taxes, to do illegal things, or to lie and
steal in order to provide for you. These kinds of behaviors show that you lack trust in God and His
ability to provide. You are responsible to live a devout, righteous, and honest life before God and
others; He is responsible to provide all of your needs.

Principle Two: Ask God to provide all of your needs.

Did not our Lord teach us to ask our Heavenly Father to give us today our daily bread
(Matthew 6:11)? Did He not promise us: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and
to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8)? Did the Apostle James not say to the
believers he was leading that there were things they did not have because they failed to ask God to
provide them (James 4:2)? Do you pray about all of your financial matters? How much needed money
might you be lacking because you have failed to ask God to provide?

Principle Three: Work to earn an adequate income.

You are not to just to lazily sit in your home asking God to provide your needs. The Lord
requires you to also work for an income. As the Apostle Paul said: For you yourselves know how you
ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone's food
without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we
would not be a burden to any of you. We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help,
but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. For even when we were with you, we gave
you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat.” (1 Thessalonians 3:7-10).
Laziness is condemned throughout the Scriptures. You must have a job or make a full-time
job out of seeking it. How many of your material needs might not be being met because you are not
working as hard and smart as you can?
Principle Four: Give generously to the Lord’s work and people in need.
Let’s say you have worked and been paid for it. You now have your pay in hand. What is the
first thing you should do with it? Proverbs 3:9 and almost all successful givers says you should set
aside a portion to give away to the Lord’s work and people in need. After seeking guidance from God
regarding the amount you should give away and who the recipients are going to be, give away your
money before you do anything else with it. Use the tithe as a benchmark. Give away at least ten
percent of your income. God promises earthly rewards to those who do (Proverbs 3:9-10; Proverbs
11:24-25; Malachi 3:10; Luke 6:38; 2 Corinthians 9:6).
These verses teach that you never give money away without it returning to you in greater
amounts at a future time. You have no idea when the Lord will give us our return. That is completely
up to His discretion. You also have no idea in what form our investment will be returned to you. It
may return in the form of tangible gifts from others, windfalls, inheritances, discounts in purchases,
free services, miraculous provisions, someone’s charity, or government aid. God promises that
generous givers will always have all the money they need. So how much needed money might you
be lacking because you are not generous in giving to the Lord’s work and people in need?

Principle Five: Learn to be content with adequate food clothing and shelter.
One way to have all the money you need is to desire less. Whoever loves money never has
money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income (Ecclessiastes 5:10). On the
other hand, godliness with contentment is a great financial gain (1 Timothy 6:6). A contented heart
is worth a financial fortune. Do you realize how much money you could save if you cultivated a
contented heart? Imagine how few your material needs would be if you could truly learn how to be
completely content with adequate food, clothing, and shelter (1 Timothy 6:8)!
Fortunately, contentment can be learned. The Apostle Paul said, I have learned to be content
whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I
have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry,
whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength
(Philippians 4:11-13). With instruction, good examples, and help from God, you can also learn to be
content with little. How much money might you be lacking because you do not have a content heart
and have purchased too many possessions, services, and pleasures that you did not really need?

Principle Six: Spend less than you earn.

While there is nothing morally wrong with acquiring more possession if you can afford them,
you would feel no compulsion to do so if you knew how to be content with life’s basics. If you were
truly content with little, having enough to get by would feel like a fortune and anything beyond that
would feel like a windfall. If you had a contented heart, you could limit your spending to the money
you have and would feel no need to overextend your lifestyle with credit.
Why buy now and pay more later? With interest being added to the amount borrowed, you will
spend much more on purchases. Why pay 50% more than the stated price because you want
something now? Why not save now and pay less later? As I have demonstrated, the Scriptures take
a dim view of credit when you are using it to purchase possessions, services, and pleasures you do
not really need. How many of your material needs are not being met because you have not learned to
live within your means? How many are not being met because some of the needed money has been
used to pay the interest on past purchases? How much more you would get for your money over the
long run if you disciplined yourself to save money and delay your purchases? Anyone can do that with
a content heart.

Principle Seven: Save up for future needs when possible.

While the future is known only to God, there are things that are foreseeable to you. You
already know that you own possessions that will need to be repaired or replaced someday. It is safe
to assume that there will be economic cycles of prosperity and scarcity. You must be prepared for an
illness or injury to limit your ability to earn income. You already know that you are going to have
certain, predictable needs and expenses in the future for which you could start saving for now if you
have the extra income to do so.
Having a discontented heart, buying things you really don’t need, and wasting money on
interest may be among the reasons you do not have extra money to save up for future, foreseeable
needs. Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer
or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest (Proverbs 6:6-9). The
ant stores up in times of plenty for future needs. How much needed money might you not have
because you have failed to save up for foreseeable, future needs?
There you have it! There are the key principles of Scripture that assure that you will have all
the money you need. When you do not have all the money you need, the problem is that you are
violating one or more of these seven principles. Pray and invest some serious time into thinking about
what changes the Lord wants you to make in the way you manage the money and possessions He has
entrusted to your care.

Heart Checkup: What changes does the Lord want you to make in the way you manage the money
He has entrusted? Make a list of the changes He desires and go to work on making the changes,
asking Him for help. Who else can help you achieve these goals? Do not merely listen to the word,
and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says (James 1:22). May the Lord bless you with the grace to
obey His Word and the thrill of watching Him provide all of your needs.