Money And Stewardship:
Earning, Giving, And Living at Peace With Your Finances

Becky was a stay-at-home mom with three little boys. She loved her sons and considered them her biggest blessing. She enjoyed being home with them but in the area where she and her husband lived, getting by on a single income was difficult.

So, Becky decided to look for ways to make more money while continuing to raise her children. When she mentioned to some of her Christian friends that she was searching for these opportunities, they shamed her for wanting more money. One even accused her of not trusting God, while another questioned the sincerity of her faith.

Is It Un-Christian to Want to Make More Money?

When it comes to money, many Christians have a lot of hang-ups. That’s because, over the centuries, the concept of money has been twisted by those who don’t understand what God’s Word truly says on the subject, or they are wolves in sheep’s clothing attempting to lead others astray.

The first and most important thing to understand about money is that it’s not evil. Some Christians have been taught that “money is the root of all evil.” This stems from an incorrect understanding of 1 Timothy 6:10.

Here’s the actual text of the verse from the King James Version (KJV)…

From the text, it’s clear that the love of money risks leading us astray in our faith. It’s when we love money more than we love people and more than we love God that we begin to step into spiritual quicksand.

What Does Money Really Mean?

Money is much like time. It has no real value, except what we assign to it. For example, let’s say you have an extra hour of time today. You might choose to spend that hour with your child at the park and consider it time well-spent.

Or you could spend that hour waiting in line at the DMV only to get to the counter and realize you’ll have to come back another day. You’ll probably consider that hour wasted.

Either way, it was an hour of time. But how you valued that hour depended entirely upon your circumstances and the end result it brought about.

It’s a similar concept with money. Your friend may place a very low value on money, preferring to work a job where he’s happy (even if he’s not paid very well). He might choose to stay in a small house and drive an older car, perfectly content to live this way for the rest of his life.

But you may place a much higher value on money. You might choose a job based on how much you’ll earn or how much you’ll be able to earn in the coming years. You might choose to live in a larger house or own two cars instead of one.

None of these decisions make you better or worse than your friend. It’s simply a matter of value. If you and your friend value serving God and loving others more than how much you make (or don’t make), you’re both on the right track.

What About Tithing?

It’s hard to have a conversation about money and Christianity without the topic of tithing coming up. Some Christians cheerfully give a portion of their income to the church each week and don’t think twice about it. Others struggle with the idea and wonder if it truly matters to God whether they give or not.

To dig deeper into the idea, it can be helpful to understand why tithing was first commanded in the Bible. God wanted His people to take a portion of their crops and give it back to Him. Here’s more insight…

The purpose of the tithe was to provide for those who worked in the church (the Levites) and those who were financially destitute (foreigners, orphans, and widows).

Nowadays, most Christians aren’t farming the land. Instead, you probably work a job and earn a paycheck each week. Setting aside a small portion to give back to the church or those in need can be an excellent way of honoring God.

But it’s not really about the amount you give to God. It’s about the heart or spirit behind your giving. This is why Paul urged the Corinthians to prepare their generous gifts with the right attitude. He said…

Should You Give It All Away?

Are You Judging Others for Their Wealth?

After an encounter with a rich young ruler, Jesus had strong words to say about those with considerable wealth.

But Jesus said again, 

At first glance, it sounds like Jesus is condemning wealth. But it’s clear from the passage surrounding this verse, that’s not the point at all.

Jesus is once again denouncing the love of money. You see, the rich young ruler wanted to serve God. But when Jesus challenged him to give up everything and become his follower, the man walked away. He chose the love of money over the steadfast love of Christ.

While it’s tempting to shake our heads and say we wouldn’t make the same decision, the truth is it’s easy to. In fact, we can do it daily—by focusing on work and money to the exclusion of spending time with God, loving our families, and joyfully participating in our communities.

What Is Stewardship?

That’s why it’s important that Christians focus on stewardship. The idea behind this is that you don’t truly “own” anything you have – not your house, car, time, money, or talents.

Instead, stewardship is about viewing these items as generous gifts from God. In Acts, Luke wrote…

Everything in your life is a gift from God, and it’s on loan to you. As His beloved child, God wants you to use every resource He’s given you. He wants you to honor Him with every part of your life, and that includes your house, car, time, money, and talents.

Stewardship isn’t just about money. It’s not how much you put into the offering plate on Sunday mornings or whether you donate to a charitable organization that feeds the hungry or cares for the homeless.

That’s what happened with Ava. When she shared a few extra slices of pizza with a homeless vet on the street, she watched in awe as he blessed someone else with extra food as well.

Seeing the homeless man give away what little he had humbled Ava and made her determined to become more generous in her own life. Where she’d previously found it difficult to give, she now found it easy.

She realized that by providing for others, God would always provide her.

What Does Stewardship Look Like?

It’s great to talk about stewardship, and it’s exciting to think of all you have as a gift from God. But sometimes, it can be hard to move from warm, fuzzy feelings into taking actual action. After all, stewardship is a broad concept, and you might be wondering what it looks like in day-to-day life.

Stewardship is an attitude. It’s one of submission to the Holy Spirit. Try this the next time you’re praying. Say, “God, You’ve given me so much, and I’d like to be a blessing to someone else. I am Your steward, and everything I have is Yours. Please show me who I can bless this week and how I can give to them.”

Sometimes, God will put someone on your mind right away. For example, He might prompt you to remember that the widow down the street needs her gutters cleaned out, or the single dad at your child’s school could use some extra groceries this month.

God may also stretch you in a new way by using a resource you normally hold close. For example, you might be an introvert who prefers spending your nights at home with your family. God might prompt you to open up your home one night a week for a Bible study for teenagers in your church. He could ask you to take in a stranger for the night.

What If I’m Nervous?

It’s normal to be nervous when you think about following God’s leading with the resources He’s entrusted to you. Perhaps you fear if you help out a neighbor one time, you’ll be the person that’s called on to do it all the time. Maybe you fret that if you buy groceries for a family in your neighborhood, there won’t be enough left over for yours.

But understand that God can sustain you in new places. Just as God’s grace is limitless, so is His provision. There’s a fascinating verse tucked away in Psalms about God’s amazing resources.

Pause and meditate on that truth for a moment—God owns everything already! He doesn’t need your resources. Instead, He’s inviting you to partner with Him in work He’s already doing.

What If It’s an Adventure?

Just like a mother welcomes her toddler into the kitchen when she’s baking and patiently lets him “help” her, God is the same way. He beckons you close, inviting you to share in the experience with Him.

Yes, you might make a mess sometimes. Maybe you’ll assist somebody, and you won’t do it quite right. Or you’ll feel awkward while you’re cleaning out those gutters for the widow or showing up with food on the single dad’s doorstep.

But the point isn’t how you feel or don’t feel. It’s about showing up with open hands and telling God, “Here I am—send me!”

 Grace and peace,

Alicia