Practical Ways to Honor God with Our Money
Honor the Lord with your money, with the first fruits of all your labor
Proverbs 3:9
Money is mentioned hundreds of times in the Bible. In fact, there are more than 2,300 verses on money, wealth, and possessions. 11 out of 39 parables were on finances. It was Jesus’ most talked about topic while he was here on earth! When we read the Bible we should notice how frequently the topic of money comes up! The Bible talks about money A LOT!
God clearly values wisdom when it comes to money and what we do with it. Being wise with our money is a way that we can honor God.Especially because the Bible makes it clear that God is the provider of all our resources, including the ability to produce material wealth in the first place.
So let’s look at some ways we can honor God with our wealth.
What are some practical ways that we can honor God with our money?
6 Practical Ways to Honor God With Our Money
1. Giving when we feel we cannot
One way we can honor God with our money is through giving to our home churches even when money feels tight. We shouldn’t just be giving when we feel like we have a lot of wealth and prosperity going on in our lives.
Your faith is strengthened when you give the little bit that you have.
As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”
Luke 21:1-4
In this story, we see a poor widow who gives only two coins to the treasury. The rich are probably thinking to themselves that they are better than her because they gave more than just two coins. However, Jesus explains that the widow gave more because she gave all that she had. The rich men probably still had plenty to go back to.
The widow had more trust in God that he would take care of her, even though she had nothing.
Tithing is still an important practice for modern-day Christians. Giving to your church when you feel that you do not have enough money is a sign of trust that God will sustain you even when you do not have much.Though tithing is not necessary for our salvation, God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). So in order to honor him with our money, we should cheerfully give to our churches and ministries. Even when we feel we have nothing to give.In fact, there is a lot of encouraging Bible verses that express how God is pleased when we trust him this way during times of financial struggle.
Related: The Key to Financial Freedom According to the Bible
2. Making good spending decisions
How we spend our money is important to God. He cares about the kind of things that we are purchasing and supporting. Where our money goes also shows the things that we value. If we are spending a lot of money eating out, that shows we value food. If we are spending money on clothes, we value how we look.
Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also
Matthew 6:21
It was the late Billy Graham who said, “Give me five minutes with a person’s checkbook, and I will tell you where their heart is.”
Wherever you are spending your time and money, that is where your heart lies. Look through your spending and see where the majority of your money is going. Are you giving to churches and ministries? Or do you tend to spend your money on shopping sprees and coffee (my own personal spending habits…)
Reevaluate and adjust your spending decisions to align with Biblical principles.
Related: 4 Ways to Discern How God Wants You To Spend Your Money
3. Creating and Sticking to a Value-Based Budget
Preparing a budget is another way we can honor God with our money. Especially when we choose to practice value-based budgeting.
Value-based budgeting allows us to align our spending with the things that matter most to us. We take control over where our money is going and we choose to spend it on those things that align with our faith. It ultimately gives us the opportunity to use our spending as an act of worship towards God!
Budgeting gives us the chance to track and guide our money and ultimately master our finances. It can help to make sure we have enough money to be able to give generously and still cover all of our living expenses.
Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?
Luke 14:28
Jesus says these words to a crowd of people to explain the cost of following him. His point is that in most instances in life you wouldn’t just jump into something without first weighing the cost of it. So even though His main point is not about budgeting, I think it can easily be applied to how you handle your finances.
If you wanted to buy your first house, you wouldn’t jump into it without first checking your finances to make sure you can afford to buy one. If you were planning to go on a vacation you wouldn’t leave your house without first figuring out if you can afford the hotel room when you got there.
Don’t allow myths and excuses about budgeting keep you from truly taking control of your finances. Setting up a budget is a great way to make sure your spending habits align with your values. (Need a budget spreadsheet template? Grab the very spreadsheets I use to budget here!)
Related: 8 Bibles Verses About Budgeting
4. Being generous in our hospitality with others
You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
2 Corinthians 9:11
Another way we can honor God with our money is by being generous with others. We can invite people into our homes and provide great meals. These meals will show our love and appreciation for our friends and family.
There are so many times that we read about generosity throughout the Bible. Just like giving to churches and ministries, being generous is also a way to thank God and trust him with our finances.
Don’t be stingy when you are hosting a dinner for friends and family. Serve them the best of what you have and create a space that is welcoming to all.
5. Helping those in need without being repaid
The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Matthew 25:40
When we help those in need, we are honoring God. There are a variety of ways that we can help those in need. When we are helping others, we should not expect to be repaid.
Some ways to help others can include providing food for the homeless. You could house a family member who is going through a life transition. It could be buying a coat for a child who needs a new one this winter.
If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you. Take no interest from him or profit, but fear your God, that your brother may live beside you. You shall not lend him your money at interest, nor give him your food for profit.
Leviticus 25:35-37
We honor God when we use our money to help others without expecting to be paid back. Our joy should come from the fact that we are honoring God by using our money to help those in need. The reward we will get for helping may not come here on earth. One of the best ways to do this is by giving to our local churches.
6. Teaching others about good money habits
Just as we should be sharing the Gospel with others, we should also be teaching others to become good personal money managers.There are tons of great habits that can be picked up while pursuing to live a financially healthy lifestyle.
As I’ve mentioned before, God cares about our personal finances and how we handle them. We should let the gospel transform the way we handle our money. And if we see someone else handling their money poorly, we have the opportunity to share our knowledge and help them out.
You then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal?
Romans 2:21
When we teach others, our own lessons become more engrained into who we are. Sometimes the best way to learn is by teaching others what you have learned.
As you learn about personal finance and start your journey towards becoming an excellent money manager for the glory of God, teach others what you are learning. It will not only help others to flourish, but it will also help you as well and best yet, it will help the Kingdom of God thrive!
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