Show me the money!

Some Christians have a problem discussing finance because they feel it is a “worldly” concept that will inevitably corrupt the soul. 

The word “prosperity” is often dismissed as an Americanism that doesn’t match up with biblical teachings.

I strongly disagree with this. Jesus mentioned money more times in the gospels than any other topic apart from the Kingdom of God. If it’s good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for me. According to my calculations, the word “prosper” is used a whopping 49 times in the Bible, while “prosperity” is dropped in on 17 occasions.

We need to remember that it is the love of money that is “the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10), not the money itself. We all need cash to put food on the table and to keep a roof over our heads, but that doesn’t give us carte blanche to become greedy and covetous. We are called to rule over our money rather than letting our financial circumstances rule us; to stop comparing ourselves with others and to value people over “stuff”.

The Bible tells us we should be “wise stewards” of our money (Luke 12:42). In other words, we should not spend beyond our means and we should use our cash to live honourable and generous lives. In actual fact, the more sensible we are with the money God has already blessed us with, the more he will entrust us with in the future. So if you need a few extra quid, maybe it’s time to readjust the way you view the money that’s already burning a hole in your pocket.

As Christians we believe that everything in the universe was created by, and belongs to, God. So whatever we earn, we should remember to give thanks for it and use it for His glory, not to keep buying endless pairs of shoes (is it just me that struggles with this particular temptation?).

The Bible makes it clear that we should tithe, which means giving the first 10% of our income to God. I’ll discuss this at length some time soon, as it’s a topic that needs a bit of careful consideration. It also tells us we should use it to help others, particularly orphans and widows; basically, anyone who is in real need.

This is really just an introduction, an overview of the topic, which by now I hope I’ve convinced you is one that is close to God’s own heart.

In future editions of Liberti magazine I’ll be covering all aspects of finance in the future: mortgages, debt, government benefits, credit cards, cashback sites, pensions, inheritance tax, shopping, budgeting, ISAs, online banking and anything else I can think of. If that doesn’t float your boat, I don’t know what will!

Hopefully, I’ll also be able to tailor this to the financial needs of you lovely Liberti ladies by covering issues such as the gender pay gap, childcare costs and upcoming changes to women’s car insurance legislation.

Most importantly, I’ll endeavour to present all of this from an interesting and biblical perspective. So let’s get ready to shake our money makers (what does that even mean?) and cash in on everything God has promised us.

After all, it was God who came up with the “live long and prosper” (Exodus 20:12) philosophy, long before Star Trek’s Dr Spock started using the infamous Vulcanian greeting. So let’s say a firm farewell to money worries and a hearty hello to healthy bank balances!

Read more from Joy in the upcoming edition of Liberti mag.