The Bible on MoneyThese teachings are to give glory to the Father, through Jesus, and in the Spirit. They teach us how to glorify the Father through our use of money and material possessions. Read these teachings one at a time. Pray before and after each one. Be sure to read the Scriptures quoted or referred to. Repent. Let the Spirit work in You. We thank you for accepting God's call to read this book. We thank Mary for her intercession and faithful help in preparing these teachings.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Financial Freedom
Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better
Finances Mean Fatherhood
Kingdom Kindergarten
Stewardship
The ABCs of Tithing
Tithing Test
Alms-Living
Smile Style
The Credit Card Blues
Interest
Savings and Saved
How To Make Money (Part 1)
How To Make Money (Part 2)
Multiplication Tables
Fund Raising and Faith Raising
Parish Finances
Mind Games
He Ate the Whole Thing
The Spiritual Gift of Poverty
The Spiritual Gift of Administration
Finances and Community
The End
FINANCIAL FREEDOM
"Do not live in fear, little flock. It has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom." —Luke 12:32
The Lord wants us to have financial freedom. He does not want our hearts to be troubled (Jn 14:1). "Stop worrying, then, over questions like, `what are we to eat, or what are we to drink, or what are we to wear?' The unbelievers are always running after these things. Your heavenly Father knows all that you need" (Mt 6:31-32). Financial freedom is attained not by getting so much money that we feel safe or by getting a big pension or retirement plan. "Tell those who are rich in this world's goods not to be proud, and not to rely on so uncertain a thing as wealth" (1 Tm 6:17).
Finances that depend on circumstances are enslaved to circumstances and always in jeopardy. No matter how much we have, we always wonder if it's enough. True financial freedom must transcend circumstances and be based on relationship with our all-loving and all-powerful Father. He loves us more than a father ever loved a child. He even sent Jesus to die for us. "What shall we say after that? If God is for us, who can be against us? Is it possible that He Who did not spare His own Son but Who handed Him over for the sake of us all will not grant us all things besides?" (Rm 8:31-32)
Our heavenly Father loves us and can do more than we can ever ask or imagine (Eph 3:20). If we have a strong relationship with Abba, we are financially free (Jn 8:36). The Spirit is sent into our hearts to cry out "Abba" (Gal 4:6). Then we have financial freedom that will not change with circumstances but change circumstances.
Prayer: Father, I don't need an IRA but INRI, that is, Jesus, the only Way to You (Jn 14:6).
Promise: "When you pray, say: `Father...give us each day our daily bread.'" —Lk 11:2-3
Praise: John quit working overtime to give Abba some prime time. Now he's got more peace and more money.
ANYTHING YOU CAN DO I CAN DO BETTER
"Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you may judge what is God's will, what is good, pleasing and perfect." —Romans 12:2
Modern people assume they are more advanced than the people of Biblical times. Our reasoning is that, since we are technologically more sophisticated, we are automatically better in everything. We call ancient people primitive and think we know more about life, relationships, sexuality, and even finances and money. If we are going to let God speak to us through the Scriptures, we'll have to take the chip off our shoulders.
The Bible is above all the cultures of all time. We are to submit to God's Word rather than submit it to our rationalizations. The Bible challenges our financial system. It makes a vice out of the supposed virtue of saving for a rainy day. It "flat-out" condemns interest (see Ex 22:24ff; Ps 15:5; Prv 18:8; Ez 18:13,17: 22:12; Dt 23:20). What we call "wise", the Bible calls "foolish" (Lk 12:19-20). We are called to admit we are wrong, or we relegate our lives to be bound by cultural blind spots. Does our financial system have anything to brag about? Two world wars, an ever-widening gap between rich and poor, starvation in the midst of plenty — these are the facts and symptoms of an economy not under God's word and not in God's will.
Prayer: Father, may I not think I'm so smart.
Promise: "This is the one whom I approve: the lowly and afflicted man who trembles at My word." —Is 66:2
Praise: John started reading the Bible more than the Wall Street Journal.
FINANCES MEAN FATHERHOOD
"Your heavenly Father knows all that you need." —Matthew 6:32
When we teach on tithing, almsgiving, interest, credit cards, and the lottery, we may think we're talking about our money but really we're talking about our relationship with our heavenly Father. Tithing tests God's promise to father us. Almsgiving helps us grow in our relationship with our heavenly Father. That is why almsgiving has been traditionally considered as the most important penitential practice, even more important than prayer and fasting (Tb 12:8, Lk 11:41). Almsgiving is a chance to be alone with Abba, provided we keep our almsgiving secret and not let our left hand know what our right is doing (Mt 6:3). If we sow bountifully with our money, we'll appear to put ourselves in financial jeopardy. Our Abba will be a good Provider and come to our rescue. And it will certainly be God because no one else knows our need. "Keep your deeds of mercy secret, and your Father Who sees in secret will repay you" (Mt 6:4). We must let ourselves be put in a position to be fathered. Let's not try to be self-sufficient and independent.
Let Abba run up to embrace, kiss, and gift you. Let Him give you the robe, the ring, and the shoes, and throw a party in your honor (Lk 15:20-24). "Seek first His kingship over you, His way of holiness, and all these things will be given you besides" (Mt 6:33). Financing is only an effect of fathering.
Prayer: Abba, may I accept Your adoption of me and expect Your fathering in practical details.
Promise: "Stop worrying, then, over questions like, `what are we to eat, or what are we to drink, or what are we to wear?' " —Mt 6:31
Praise: Terry had a bad relationship with his earthly father. He forgave his dad, was healed, and never worried again about finances. He now trusts his heavenly Father.#
KINGDOM KINDERGARTEN
"If you can trust a man in little things, you can also trust him in greater." —Luke 16:10
Jesus considers money to be a little thing. It is kindergarten in His kingdom. We must pass this elementary test to move on to greater things. When God gives us His money to manage, it may seem like a lot in our eyes. But it is really like a father giving his son a dollar, just to see what he'll do with it. As a child thinks a dollar is "big money", so an adult thinks a million dollars is "big money". However, with God, the Creator of universes, a dollar or a million dollars is chicken feed. The money we have is not so valuable but the way we use money can be important in so far as it leads to greater things. If our Father can't trust us with the use of money, how can He entrust us with peoples' lives, salvation, marriages, families, and spiritual needs? How can He trust us with ministry if we haven't been able to pass kingdom kindergarten? Maybe that's why Judas held the purse for Jesus' disciples (Jn 13:29). Possibly he never grew beyond spiritual kindergarten. Maybe that's why Jesus started discipling the rich young man by challenging the youth to be possessed no longer by possessions (Mk 10:21). Possibly that's why Zacchaeus instantly recognized that to deal with his financial dealings was the first step in following Jesus (Lk 19:
.
Prayer: Father, may I pass kingdom kindergarten.
Promise: "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other or be attentive to the one and despise the other. You cannot give yourself to God and money." —Lk 16:13
Praise: Charlie wrote a $50 check to the church. It was the first time he ever put more than $10 in the collection, although he was 35 years old and making $15,000 a year.
STEWARDSHIP
"The manager thought to himself, `What shall I do next?' " —Luke 16:3
As stewards, we accept the fact that God owns everything, including us (see 1 Cor 6:20; 1 Chr 29:16). He tells us not to own but to manage things for Him.
A good manager moves as much merchandise as quickly as possible. He should be enterprising and aggressive (Lk 16:
. A manager is a failure if not constantly emptying and re-stocking the store. It doesn't matter if we start with five talents or two talents, $5,000 or the widow's mite, just as long as we move it for God's kingdom (Mt 25:14-30).
We do not have to compare ourselves to others. We are all equal in His sight no matter how many talents we have. For example, someone severely retarded can be a better steward than a multimillionaire. It's not how much we manage but how well we manage. On judgment day, one person can go before Jesus with ten talents, another with one talent. To the person with one talent, Jesus may say: "Well done, good and faithful servant" (Mt 25:21 our transl.). To the persons with ten talents, He may say: "Get out of my sight you evildoers" (Mt 7:23, our transl.). As God's stewards, we're not under pressure to produce. All we need do is be faithful.
Prayer: Father, sometimes I take over ownership from You and thereby overburden myself. I repent. Forgive me.
Promise: "While we live we are responsible to the Lord, and when we die we die as His servants. Both in life and in death we are the Lord's." —Rm 14:8
Praise: Harry turned over his finances to God and then took them back. This happened ten times over five years. One Easter, Harry finally left it in God's hands.
THE ABCs Of TITHING
"Return to Me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. Yet you say, `How must we return?' " —Malachi 3:7
Tithing is a way of returning to the Lord. It is 10% of our gross income. It is not a contribution but more like a tax or a bill. It is something owed. For example, we do notcontribute to the gas and electric company; we pay our bill.
Tithing is the first lesson in kingdom kindergarten. We don't work our way up to tithing. As a Christian under the lordship of Jesus, we obey God's word to pay our tithe. When we tithe, we test God (Mal 3:10). He opens the floodgates of heaven. This strengthens our faith, and then we move past tithing to almsgiving (over 10%). Abraham (Gn 14:20), Jacob (Gn 28:22), Moses (Dt 14:22, 26:12; Num 18:21-32, Lev 27:30), Amos (Am 4:4), and Nehemiah (Neh 10:38) stressed the importance of paying our tithes. Jesus Himself (Mt 23:23) stated we should not neglect paying our tithe. He emphasized going beyond tithing to living the "weightier" matters of the law.
The tithe is to be brought to the priests for the temple worship. The tithe of the third year is given to the poor (Dt 14:28). In the new covenant, the temple is the Christian believer and the whole body of Christ. Therefore, some believe the whole tithe need not go to the local church but can be sent to any ministries that are building Jesus' kingdom. Some send 5% to the local church and 5% to other works of God. The Spirit will direct us.
Prayer: Loving Father, may I return to You in tithing.
Promise: "We will not neglect the house of our God." —Neh 10:40
Praise: Rick and Rita didn't have enough left for the month's food after they tithed. Someone, unaware of their situation, gave them several boxes of free food.
TITHING TEST
"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me in this, says the Lord of hosts: Shall I not open for you the floodgates of heaven, to pour down blessing upon you without measure?" —Malachi 3:10
Since tithing is like owing a bill, we are thieves and robbers when we don't tithe. "Dare a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! And you say, `How do we rob You?' In tithes!" (Mal 3:
We not only rob God but deprive ourselves of having the floodgates of heaven opened for us. Furthermore, when we tithe, God prevents any sudden catastrophe that would drain us of our finances. "For your sake, I will forbid the locust to destroy your crops" (Mal 3:11). The money we refuse to tithe is eventually taken from us by circumstances beyond our control. If God doesn't get the tithe, the doctor, car mechanic, IRS, rest-home, or hospital will get it. We put our money in a bag with holes in it (Hag 1:6). By not tithing, we deprive ourselves of getting the benefit of our resources and become victims of circumstances. Some may say: "Thank God I didn't tithe; I needed the money because my car suddenly broke down. I better not tithe just in case something unforeseen occurs." This is backwards. The world will try to convince us to doubt God's word and believe in man's word. But don't fail the test. Test God in tithing. He'll pass, and the world will fail. And you'll know God's word is true.
Prayer: Abba, Abba, Abba...
Promise: "Consider your ways! Go up into the hill country; bring timber, and build the house that I may take pleasure in it and receive My glory, says the Lord. You expected much, but it came to little; and what you brought home, I blew away. For what cause? says the Lord of hosts. Because My house lies in ruins." —Hag 1:7-9
Praise: Loretta had to go to the hospital in 10 of 12 years. She started to tithe and went 10 years without hospitalization.
ALMS-LIVING
"When you give alms, for example, do not blow a horn before you in synagogues and streets like hypocrites looking for applause." —Matthew 6:2
Many Christians have put money in the collection basket or plate for years, but they have never given a cent to the church. We never give a thing to the church until we put in more than 10% of our income. The first 10% is not a gift but the payment of our bill.
The Lord calls us to break the 10% barrier. The measure with which we measure will be measured back to us, and more besides (Mk 4:24). If we sow bountifully, we will reap bountifully (2 Cor 9:6). God will provide enough for all our needs and even a surplus for good works (2 Cor 9:
.
Once we know this secret, we are highly motivated to give. After Moses called for a collection, the complaint of the "finance committee" was that the people were giving too much. They told Moses to give a sermon to stop the people from giving anymore (Ex 36:5). Has your pastor ever had to give that sermon? The Macedonians begged Paul for the privilege of contributing to the collection (2 Cor 8:4). They gave beyond their means even though they were in deep poverty (2 Cor 8:2-3). Do they know something we don't know? Do they believe something we don't believe?
Prayer: Father, may I break the 10% barrier and give for the first time.
Promise: "You need to recall the words of the Lord Jesus Himself, Who said, 'There is more happiness in giving than receiving.'" —Acts 20:35
Praise: Mary gave her house for use in a Christian ministry.
SMILE STYLE
"With each contribution show a cheerful countenance." —Sirach 35:8
Because we trust our heavenly Father and because we know He will always outgive us sevenfold (Sir 35:10), a hundredfold (Mk 10:28-30), we give with a smile on our face. We are cheerful givers (2 Cor 9:7) with "overflowing joy" (2 Cor 8:2).
We give in style to give God the glory. "Because of your praiseworthy service they are glorifying God for your obedient faith in the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them" (2 Cor 9:13). We give in style because God gives in style. "My God in turn will supply your needs fully, in a way worthy of His magnificent riches in Christ Jesus" (Phil 4:19). God does more than supply our needs fully. He does it in style, in a royal way, as befits His place as Creator and Lord of all. For example, He doesn't just send a loaf of bread; He rains down manna from the sky. He even gives us Jesus, the Bread come down from heaven (Jn 6:41).
So we should not be groveling and compromising for money. Our churches should not be begging, or selling their souls by gambling or pushing alcohol. Those methods are not worthy of God's "magnificent riches in Christ Jesus." We should give and receive in style, God's style.
Prayer: By my faith, may I show off Your faithful love.
Promise: "What I say to you is this: Make friends for yourselves through your use of this world's goods." —Lk 16:9
Praise: George used to hate the collection at Mass. Now it's often a great time of prayer.
THE CREDIT CARD BLUES
"Owe no debt to anyone except the debt that binds us to love one another." —Romans 13:8
God, in the Bible, tells us not to owe any debts. In the old covenant, Sirach counsels us to lend freely but be careful (Sir 29:1-7). Proverbs discourages loans and warns they will cause us to be enslaved (Prv 22:7). Leviticus commands the chosen people to adopt the jubilee year (Lev 25:
. In this system, no one can be in debt or lose his inheritance for longer than 50 years. In the new covenant, Jesus takes it further. He says: "Lend without expecting repayment" (Lk 6:35). Instead of giving loans, we should give gifts.
The reason we don't loan it is that we don't own it. The Bible teaches that no one owns land (Ps 24:1). It all belongs to God. Also, we don't own our bodies (1 Cor 6:19) or money. So no one has the right either to give a loan or take one without God's permission; it's His money. But usually this is what we do through loans, interest, and credit cards. How many people have asked God's permission to give or take a loan. If we don't ask God's permission, we may be enslaved to the world and forced to ask its permission to function financially. The book of Revelation prophesied that it would come to a point that a person would not be allowed to buy or sell anything until he or she had sold out to the system of the beast (Rv 13:16-17). We're almost to that point now.
Prayer: Father, get me out of today's economic system before it destroys me.
Promise: "Love your enemy and do good; lend without expecting repayment. Then will your recompense be great. You will rightly be called sons of the Most High." —Lk 6:35
Praise: John and Debbie brought daily prayer into their marriage. They agreed after two weeks of prayer to cut up their four credit cards.
INTEREST
"If you lend money to one of your poor neighbors among My people, you shall not act like an extortioner toward him by demanding interest from him." —Exodus 22:24
Do not exact interest from your countryman either in money or in kind" (Lev 25:36). "You shall not demand interest from your countrymen on a loan of money or of food or of anything else (Dt 23:20). When a person can make money just by having money, then the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Ezekiel lists taking interest as one of the abominations which caused death to a person or a nation (Ez 18:13), and is an indication of having forgotten God (Ez 22:12). Nehemiah was "extremely angry" at the nobles and magistrates for obstructing the restoration of God's people by exacting interest from their kinsmen (Neh 5:7).
In the Old testament, the prohibition against taking interest was for the chosen people among themselves. They were to "lend to many nations and borrow from none" (Dt 28:12). But in the new covenant, our compassion and love extends beyond our own people to all nations.
Prayer: Father, may I act like Your child and not let myself be programmed by the world's economy.
Promise: "He who increases his wealth by interest and overcharge gathers it for him who is kind to the poor." —Prv 28:8
Praise: Terry never could save up much money because of constant car repairs. He took out his money from the bank and gave most of it to the starving. He has had only $35 of car repairs in one and a half years.
SAVINGS AND SAVED
"To whom will all this piled-up wealth of yours go?" —Luke 12:20
If we're not paying or receiving interest, we may wonder how we can save enough to get ahead. The Lord may answer that question by saying we can throw out savings accounts along with our unbiblical notions of debts and interest. Contrary to what we may have been taught, Jesus is generally against saving money. He implies it is a form of greed (Lk 12:15ff). Jesus calls the man, who has "blessings in reserve for years to come" (Lk 12:19), a fool. We call a person who doesn't save, a fool; Jesus is just the opposite.
Savings do not fit in with God's system. Since He is all-powerful, He doesn't have to save for a rainy day and neither do His children. He operates on a "daily" system. Jesus teaches us to pray for our daily bread (Mt 6:11). He says to let tomorrow take care of itself (Mt 6:34). For example, when the chosen people collect extra manna (just in case God didn't come through the next day), it became wormy and rotten (Ex 16:20). When we save for a rainy day, we may be making rainy days happen or more precisely not making sunny days. If we look hard enough, we may find some veiled references to savings in Proverbs. Also, God called His people to save to prepare for famines (Gn 41:35-36, Acts 11:28-29). But usually our heavenly Father does not approve of saving. Jesus is our Savings and Savior; we are to trust Him.
Prayer: Holy Spirit, cry out in me "Abba". Give me the grace to trust.
Promise: "Seek first His kingship over you, His way of holiness, and all these things will be given you besides. Enough, then, of worrying about tomorrow." —Mt 6:33-34
Praise: Kim, 10 years old, opened her piggy bank and gave to the starving. Now she doesn't put anything in the bank; she just sends it straight to Africa.
HOW TO MAKE MONEY (Part 1)
"Give, and it shall be given to you. Good measure pressed down, shaken together, running over." —Luke 6:38
In Jesus' kingdom, we make money not by amassing capital but by giving money away. Therefore, we are to take initiative in moving God's resources (Lk 16:
. "`Here we have put everything aside to follow You. What can we expect from it?' (Mt 19:27)...Jesus answered, `I give you My word, there is no one who has given up home, brothers or sisters, mother or father, children or property, for Me and for the gospel who will not receive in this present age a hundred times as many'" (Mk 10:29-30). Nobody returns a hundredfold but God. That is why "it is better to give alms than to store up gold" (Tb 12:
. It's better to give than to have a bank account on earth. "Do not lay up for yourselves an earthly treasure" (Mt 6:19). "Make it your practice instead to store up heavenly treasure" (Mt 6:20). We must withdraw our money from the earthly account and deposit it in the heavenly account by giving it to the poor. Jesus said to the young rich man: "There is one thing more you must do. Go and sell what you have and give to the poor, you will then have treasure in heaven" (Mk 10:21).
This teaching seems foolish to many people, even Christians. They trust man's word more than they do God's word. They trust an earthly bank more than God. But who's really the fool? "Then I will say to myself: `You have blessings in reserve for years to come. Relax! Eat heartily, drink well. Enjoy yourself.' But God said to him. `You fool!' " (Lk 12:19-20)
Prayer: Father, may I not be foolish enough to save my money in an earthly bank.
Promise: "He who has compassion on the poor lends to the Lord." —Prov 19:17
Praise: John laughed at the faith-preacher on TV. Later he cried and repented.
HOW TO MAKE MONEY (Part 2)
"I do believe! Help my lack of trust!" —Mark 9:24
When we put God's money in an earthly bank, we only get a few percent interest. We could get 100 times as much from the heavenly account. Most people make the extremely foolish mistake of using an earthly bank because they don't believe Jesus is serious.
But He means what He says. For example, Jesus did give Peter 100 times as many houses. "All who owned property or houses sold them and donated the proceeds. They used to lay them at the feet of the apostles" (Acts 4:34). Peter didn't have his name on the deed, but he had at his disposal all these houses, properties, and farms. That's better than owning them. This doesn't mean Peter was "filthy rich" because he had to keep moving the property out for God to keep
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