February 22: View finances wisely

Steve Smartt is pastor of Moultrie Baptist Church in St. Augustine.

It seems that no matter how great the supply of riches, the thirst for treasures is in no way satisfied. There may be a steady supply of water flowing, but the well never seems to be refreshing enough. As a result, the primary goal in life becomes the accumulation of personal wealth to satisfy the insatiable thirst, the pursuit of which eventually takes control of our lives and becomes a virtual god tempting us with the increasing desire for accumulation. If we are not cautious in applying godly principles and gaining His perspective, wealth might then be sought after and achieved at the expense of loved ones, compassion for others, and the pursuit of personal integrity. The Bible warns us against this deception of riches and calls us to reevaluate our perspective and follow the wisdom that God has prepared for the management of our possessions.

While it might be tempting to seek the promise of abundant wealth as a reward for living justly, the actual truth is simply that a godly lifestyle will lead to us to a prosperous and long life (22:4). A proper perspective to follow in our approach to riches is that which is found in a prayer from the Sayings of Agur in chapter 30. Realizing his own vulnerability to the enticement of financial prosperity, his prayer was to have neither poverty, nor wealth (30:7-8). He simply asked that God provide for his needs and withhold any abundant blessings (30:9).

This is a dramatic contrast to the popular "health-and-wealth" gospel that is so popular among ministries today. That contrast is even more evident when compared to the perspective that Christ carried as he walked this earth. His life was certainly not characterized by possessions. Instead, the extreme opposite is true. An inventory of his possessions at the crucifixion would have revealed that they consisted only of the clothes taken from His body to shame Him further. Moreover, His warnings of the deception of worldly gain highlighted his priority for accomplishing the will of God, even before the pursuit of basic daily necessities. There certainly was no petition for the pursuit of wealth in the life of Christ. Instead, we hear Him declare, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matt. 6:33).

Where the Bible does speak of the pursuit of riches, it is in the context of hard work and good stewardship, the objective of which is to be in a position to help others, not to indulge ourselves. Thus, the purpose of material prosperity should be to honor God with our finances, and to be obedient in its surrender back to Him through tithes and offerings to the local church (3:9). Here, the promises are great. With this obedient pursuit of righteousness (16:8) and the surrender of material wealth (28:6), God will bless the whole of our lives (3:10) and give us a prosperity that this world will never have in its possession to offer (11:28).

Beyond the simple call to keep perspective on wealth is the much bolder call to be fair and prudent in all financial affairs (Prov. 13:11; 15:27; 20:17; 21:6; 28:24; 22:16; 28:8). We are never to allow our thirst for gain to supercede our relationships with others. As we commit our lives to godly principles in the management of our finances, the integrity of our motives will become evident and God will use us to be a blessing to others.

Following the principles of godly wisdom in handling our finances will bring us satisfaction and contentment. Ignoring these truths will be like pouring water into a bottomless pit. Continually, the well runs dry.