Spring is here!
And so is a new financial season with new spending priorities and challenges. How will we approach the next season? Will we just continue on our current course, or evaluate our heart toward our financial habits? Just as important as purging our financial mishaps and getting back on track financially is calibrating our attitude toward stewarding our finances.
Motivation.
We create budgets and make and spend money, often not giving a lot of thought as to what motivates our financial decisions. What is behind our decision to invest? To give? To spend or save? Examining some key hallmarks to wise stewardship from a biblical worldview can help our budgets and our hearts to stay on track.
Wisdom.
When we consider each facet of our financial portfolio or decisions, are our decisions made from a place of wisdom, characterized by thinking through the intent of choices we make financially? Or is folly lurking around our financial status, tempting us with impulsive financial decisions made from spontaneity, fear or greed?
God’s word guides us in our financial decisions and helps us to avoid waste. Wisdom does not necessarily mean excessive frugality, but it can help us to handle our finances well and prepare us for when life’s financial curveballs come at us.
Others-Centered.
While we need to ensure that the needs of our family are met and perhaps prayerfully consider what amount God would have us to allocate toward ourselves, we would be remiss if we were to not carefully consider both the amount and the beneficiary of our charitable giving.
The motivation for our giving is an important factor to our financial worldview. Giving out of compulsion or obligation does not please God, but prioritizing generosity in our financial landscape honors Him, the Giver of everything we steward. Selfless giving is a beautiful thing, especially when our hearts give out of compassion and love.
God’s glory.
Our financial worldview needs to be anchored in God’s worldview. Though our finances are temporal, God can achieve eternal means through hearts surrendered to Him in finances and every area of our lives.
