Quick Thoughts on Christian Finances

I've no time to write an elegant essay on this topic, but here are some passing thoughts as I seek to honor God in my finances.  Do bear with me in my logical leaps and untidy style.

Being a good steward of our money does NOT mean:

1. Hoarding. This is not the same as participating in wise savings and investments for legitimate reasons (i.e., retirement, children's college funds, etc.).  If we pile up money for the sake of our emotional security, we have missed the mark. “This world is passing away and also its lusts, but the one who does the will of God lives forever.” All that is in this world, no matter how attractive it may seem, is passing away. Money is without exception.
   
   
2. Making your financial choices based on other people's whimsical demands. Christians are called to be agents of redemption, and we should rightly help those in need. But this does not mean we continuously live our lives paying for other people's bad life choices. We should not seek to patch up other people's short-term losses (although there are occasions for such choices, certainly), thus making them dependent upon someone else long-term, but seek a long-term solution to their circumstances.
   
   
   Jesus did perform short-term miracles (feeding the five thousand, etc.), but his main mission was not social welfare or health improvement of Israel. The ultimate goal of redemption is not to repair our petty human problems; it is to deal with our root problem and to change us from inside-out. I believe same principle should apply to Christian charity: the ultimate goal is not hand-outs or patch-ups but lasting restoration. From caring for widows to excommunication, it always has been.
   
   
3. Having a compartmentalized view of your money. By this I don't mean we should not categorize when we keep account of our incomes and expenses. I mean that, when all is said and done, we should have a bird's eye view of the whole of our money as God's. In practice, this replaces the ever-tempting mindset that says, “When I have spent X% of my money on godly causes and life's essentials, I can do whatever I please with the surplus” with a mindset that says, “Even the Y amount of surplus is God's, and I should not spend it thoughtlessly.”