Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Spiritual Budget?

Far too many people fail to have a budget for their finances. How do I know this? The simple statistic that the average American carries over $10,000 in credit card debt is proof. If the average American lived on a solid budget, having their money work for them instead of vice-versa, credit card companies would be in big trouble. Make no mistake, credit card companies are nothing more than money lenders, a biblically unsound industry that lays traps for us all. For more on that, I’ll refer you to the expert, Dave Ramsey.

We can all easily see the damage that occurs when people don’t have a financial budget they live by. (Angie and I certainly learned the hard way years ago to do just that.) The evidence is all around us in this current economic meltdown. A budget is simply a plan for how you’re money will work for you, how much you'll earn, what you’ll spend it on, and what you’ll save for later.

As the old saying goes, ‘when we fail to plan, we’re really planning to fail’.

So, how about our spiritual lives? If we have no budget for our finances, what hope is there that we have one for our spirituality? Do you have a plan for how you’ll spend your spiritual gifts? How much will you spend this month? How much will you save for later? What will you do to earn more?

December is a month where the focus on spiritual things is at its height. Between Christmas and Hanukkah, and the evil one’s campaign to undermine both, never is there a point on the calendar when your spirit matters more.

December is also a month that draws focus on gifts, both giving and receiving.

If you’re a follower of Christ, you’ve received many spiritual gifts from the Holy Spirit. So, how are you going to spend those gifts this month? Do you have a plan? Many do, but only for December. Serve at Church on Christmas weekend, give of our time at local charities, put spare change in the Salvation Army buckets as we leave the store. But what about the rest of the year?

If we don’t have a financial budget, we’re inviting an economic disaster. If we don’t have a spiritual budget, we’re inviting an eternal one…

3 comments:

  1. Good post. The economic downturn has hit our family hard. We will make it and learn much from it.

    No credit cards (PTL), one house and one car debt but now a one income family. I am trusting God to either provide, turn the economy around or do something no one can imagine.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sounds like you have some great faith, Jon. :)

    ReplyDelete