Prodigal or Purposeful Spending

18 November 2010 by Barb Julian.

Wisdom about money…Sounds great.

What if you have always had enough money available that you could pretty much do what you wanted and when you chose, then are in a riff, an accident, a bankrupt company?

Now the feeling of urgency may appear in trying to manage the costs of daily living that were never questions before.  Adam Hamilton gives some spiritual advice that assures us that even if we have made bad judgments, squandered money, been profligate, and wasted our opportunities, God remains steady and faithful toward us.

But why is our challenge to become wise so often contingent on an experience of being down so long it looks like up?  We named credititis and affluenza as diseases with which we are very familiar.  We know the enemy, and as Pogo used to say:  He isus!

Wisdom is underpinned by knowledge, experience, values, and personal commitment.

Hamilton gives principles in Enough for breaking through to wise planning of finances:

• Put God first in your life, honor him and pay your tithe (in response to his goodness in your life) and offerings, first
• Know what you spend on and set limits via a budget, and continue to track expenses
• Live below your means
• Plan for contingencies and have an emergency fund
• Pay off credit cards, use cash and debit cards for purchases; use credit wisely
• Practice long-term savings and investing habits.

Even with effort, maintaining the same home or habits may prevent results that demand decisions for simplifying, letting go, changing plans, and walking new paths.  We are fearful, anxious about the unknown, feeling oddly different, embarrassed that we are so dependent upon others’ opinions of us.  Friends, God is already there.  He accepts us as his beloved children, and wants us to be content and fully engaged in his plan of reconciling the world.  The way was modeled.  A bridge across the great divide between heaven and earth was Jesus’ ultimate responsibility paired with love poured out for others.  It’s the way of the Cross…it is radical and purposeful spending.

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