Saturday, January 30, 2010

What Does the Bible Teach About Spending Money?

This is a guest post from Money Help For Christians

There are two common feelings associated with spending – guilt and pleasure (which may lead to indulgence).

At times people feel one or the other of those emotions, and at times they feel both. Either extreme is terribly dangerous.

An overly guilty conscience makes it difficult to honor the generosity of the Father. If God is the Source of all we have then ultimately it is a blessing to be able to enjoy his abundant generosity. Job 1:1-3 introduces a man of great wealth. For the very first paragraph the writer assures us that “this man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.”

On the other hand, if you seek too much personal pleasure you will ignore the biblical mandate to consider the needs of others. This is, after all, the second most important command. Luke 16:19-31 highlights this danger in the story (parable?) of the Rich Man and Lazarus. The Rich Man enjoyed all he had in abundance without regard for his neighbor.

Most likely, you lean towards one extreme – too much guilt or unchecked pleasure. It is essential as Christians for us to recognize our tendencies so we can address them.

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