It is interesting to note that God talks more about money in the New Testament than Heaven. It is not that money is more important than Heaven. Actually many times when He is talking about money, He is talking about Heaven. Money can keep us from following God.

If you follow God and obey Him, you will be blessed in obeying Him. Obedience and blessing go hand in hand. So if we follow God’s tips, or rules for money, He promises to care for us.

 This is not  the “health and wealth Gospel.” Some have turned the Gospel into a “get rich scheme.” That  is not the Gospel at all. In fact, Scripture talks a ton about how we should use money, but also greatly about giving it away and being generous to others. I wanted to give a couple quick tips on how God asks us to use our personal finances.

1. GOD CALLS US TO PLAN: Proverbs 21:5 says that  we are supposed to plan for our future and where our money will go. To “spend as we go” is not Biblical. It is good to budget and plan for the future. Sometimes Christians get this wrong because they believe that we are supposed to just “live by faith.” We do live by faith. We live by faith that if we plan like God calls us to do with our money, He will care for us.
2. GOD CALLS US TO WORK: Proverbs 20:4 says that God calls us to work. If we have the ability to earn money, we should. In fact the apostle Paul says in II Thessalonians 3:10 “we would give you this command: if anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.”
3. GOD CALLS DEBT SLAVERY: Proverbs 22:7 tells us that God wants us to get out of debt as fast as we can. IF we are in debt, we owe others; which means in part, we are owned by others. People who are in debt have a hard time planning for the future because they are concerned about the now. Those in debt often face more stress leading to health issues, sleeplessness, and other relational problems. If we have debt, at best, we should start planning on how to get rid of that debt.

How are you planning for your future, both immediate needs, and future ones? Are you working hard to attempt to earn money if you are able? What debt do you have, large or small, that you can plan to start getting rid of to free you to better enjoy life and be generous?

Thanks for taking time to read this Maddening Theology post. If you enjoyed this content you can find Pastor Tim’s sermons at www.cornerstoneforestcity.org. You can also join us at 520 Marion St. Browndale, PA 18421 on Sundays at 10:45 AM. To make following the blog easier you can also register. You can also join us on Facebook at Cornerstone Forest City. Also, don’t forget to download our APP on iTunes  or Googleplay.