The Principles of Finance
Many sources are citing financial stress as one of the leading causes
of marriages ending. This being the case
it is obvious that the popular cultural strategies are not working. It is time
to turn to time honored principles that give direction in the area handling
money. The Bible is the primary source
for these principles. Here are the principles of finance:
1. Acknowledge God’s ownership
daily. Accept the responsibility of
stewardship by hanging on to things loosely and using them for eternal
purposes (Luke 12:13–21; 1 Timothy
6:17).
2. Accept God’s answers and
direction. Accept God’s decreases as well as His increases as positive
direction (Proverbs 3:4–6; Matthew 6:28–33; Philippians 4:12–13).
3. Keep finances current. Keep a
good record of past
and present spending and investing (Luke 14:28–30;
Romans 13:8).
4. Tithe 10 percent and give
above and beyond that to allow God to bless the 90 percent. Give, rather than
lending, to the needs of others (Proverbs 21:26; Malachi 3:10, 2 Corinthians
9:6–15).
5. Evaluate purchases based on
needs, wants, and desires.
Know the differences between the three. (Philippians 4:19; 1 Timothy
6:6–10).
6. Plan carefully and avoid
speculation. Never make financial decisions under pressure or in a hurry
(Proverbs 23:4–5;
2 Peter 1:6).
7. Trust intuition. If you don’t have peace; don’t buy (Psalm
37:7; Proverbs 10:22).
8. Invest in God’s work. Find out what God is doing and join Him by
giving resources to that (John 5:19; Colossians 3:1,2).
We have a choice: we can
chose to accept societal norms in using our money or we can direct our spending
based on biblical time- honored principles.
The best investment yield comes in applying the eternal truth of God’s
word to the use of money that can be here today and gone tomorrow.
For more help with your finances click below for the budget worksheet: