Earn Money Honestly: (Eph. 4:28: Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands.) ~ Money can be earned dishonestly in a variety of ways, the most obvious being through corrupt activities such as stealing or profiting from immoral practices. More subtle and common ways include selling products with partial truths, rounding up time cards, using the company credit card for personal business, ducking out of work early, or surfing the internet and playing games while on the employer’s time.
Give Money Generously: (2Cor. 9:6-7: Whoever sows generously will also reap generously. (7) Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.) ~ Many times we mistakenly try to make financial generosity a dollar amount or a percentage. Contrarily, God demonstrates to us that generosity is an issue of the heart. In other words, it is not necessarily about how much money you give, but with what heart you give it. Sadly, many people in our community cannot give cheerfully because they are weighed down by the expenses of unwise living decisions. They have exhausted their funds by choosing to buy the nicest house(s), or the coolest car(s), or the biggest toy(s) that their finances can allow. Therefore, cheerful giving begins with a transformed heart that makes informed decisions.
Enjoy Money Powerfully: (Ecc. 5:19: Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them…this is the gift of God.) ~ How would you respond to someone who said, “God has given us the power to enjoy money!” I must confess that even though I am convinced it is good to enjoy God’s creation, (which He has given to us to steward), I often struggle to believe that it is also good to enjoy God’s money, (which He has also given to us to steward). Ecc. 5:19 instructs us that the secret to enjoying God’s money is in relying on God’s power to know that ‘wealth and possessions’ are not a god, but a gift from God.
1Tim. 6:17-19: As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. (18) They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, (19) thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.
