Priorities
(The Easy Way or the Hard Way)
When it comes to personal finances, wouldn’t it be great if we had a guide that would show us the best fork in the road? We are confronted with important choices all the time. Author Ron Blue, in his book Master Your Money, gives insight into what we often do with our money. Mr. Blue says there are only five things you can do with your income and we usually prioritize like this: 1) lifestyle (spend), 2) debt repayment, 3) taxes, 4) accumulation (save/invest), and 5) giving. Pastor Andy Stanley, in his audio series, Stewards Are Us, says there are only two things that ultimately determine how our money is allocated among those five choices: 1) our priorities, and 2) our self control.
The problem with the average American Christian is that we too often take an “ownership” view instead of a “stewardship” view of our possessions. This results in making decisions based on our limited knowledge – in the end we have the wrong perspective and end up giving God the leftovers. There is a verse in the Bible that challenges “ownership” thinking:
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (money and possessions).” Matt 6:24
If you read on in Matthew chapter 6, the birds don’t worry about what they will eat and the flowers don’t worry about clothing – God knows what we need! Verse 33 says “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.”
In other words, Matthew 6:33 challenges us to think like stewards. When we think like stewards, we will reorder our financial lives and change our spending priorities. In fact, we reverse our list of spending priorities:
- giving
- accumulation
- taxes
- debt repayment
- lifestyle