Stewardship: Where Faith and Finances Meet

Around the same time that I was learning about financial peace and budgeting from Dave Ramsey, the Lord lit a fire in me to get serious in my pursuit of following Him. I have always been a believer, but my heart began stirring at the realization that I needed to fully surrender my heart to Him in order to experience true life. When you draw closer to the Lord, He plants truths in your heart that blossom into beautiful, transforming things in your life. For me, one (among many) of those things was a passion for good stewardship. Mr. Ramsey, who is also a believer, encouraged and inspired me to remain steadfast in this newfound passion.

There is a beautiful song by Casting Crowns called "Oh My Soul." (Click here to listen). My favorite line of the chorus is, "There's a place where fear has to face the God you know." I believe the same is true of our finances. The way they face and reflect the God we know is through practicing good stewardship. So what does that look like in practical application? 

1. Tithing: Everything we have is a gift from God. We have a responsibility to use our gifts and resources to further His kingdom. How generous He is to only ask for ten percent (and lets us keep ninety percent) of what belongs to Him! 

2. Giving: This is in addition to tithing. In my introductory post to this blog, I wrote about my past struggles with impulsive spending and my entitled attitude. Another invaluable lesson the Lord taught me on this journey is that He is all we need. I always knew this in theory, but when I allowed this truth to take residence in my heart, I realized that there was nothing else I needed or even wanted. I realized how much extravagance there was in my own life and in our culture in general, and my heart broke for those truly in need. God showed me that my life and my resources could be of great consequence to the world. When you live to give, you will be blessed beyond your wildest imagination. 

3. Budgeting: See my previous post. We should be intentional about our spending. We need to know where our money is going. Every dollar should be accounted for.

4. Be selective: This is really just common sense. We know deep down how we should or shouldn't spend our money, it's just a matter of holding on to our conviction. I will reiterate that we need to be intentional about our spending. When tempted to make whimsical purchases, I ask myself: Do I really need this? If I don't buy this, will I even miss it in a few months or even tomorrow? Is it really worth the money? Does it add value to my life or to others? Would I really rather have this than the cash in my pocket? Almost always, the answer is no. Now don't get me wrong, I believe that God wants us to enjoy the fruits of our labor, and notice that I said the answer is no almost always. However, being a good steward means doing this sparingly and having predetermined spending limits.

So that's the secret, friends. Dump extravagance. Be a minimalist. Surrender to the Lord. Be intentional. Live to give. Then you will live a free and abundant life.

*Side note: My posts may seem cliche as I'm not the first or last to write about this subject matter, but my hope and prayer is that my voice will encourage and inspire those of you in my world, within my reach.