I know this is an evil topic to talk about, but this is more about my struggles.  I travel for a living currently and make a decent wage, but I wonder if I am being s good steward of what God has provided me with.

I believe that everything on this planet is the Lords and we are just temporarily using it, but with that said that does not mean we are allowed to be irresponsible.  So what are we to spend the money we make on?

The simple answer is what God wants you to spend it on.  The hard questions is what does God want me to spend the money on?

First and foremost, you are required to give 10% of you everything.  Now some will argue that was old testament way and does not apply to new testament.  However Christ said he did not come here to abolish the law but to fulfill it.  Therefore, you are still required to give 10% of everything.  The simplest thing is for us to give 10% of our money, but what about your garden or when you hunt or your time?  Who better to give your money too, the bank or government or the Lord?  Who would use it more wisely?

Why is this about my struggles?  I do not worship money, it like anything that I have and use is a tool.  So I am not too worried at the moment about that, but I wonder if I am spending money on the right things. We give 10% or more of our income to the church, but what about the other money that I make and spend.  I wonder if I should give more or if I should consider getting out of debt 100% or if I should invest it more to better provide for the future or whatever.

I am reminded of the following:

Matthew 6New International Version (NIV)

Giving to the Needy

6 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

² “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ³ But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Prayer

⁵ “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ⁶ But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ⁷ And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

⁹ “This, then, is how you should pray:

¹⁴ For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Fasting

¹⁶ “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ¹⁷ But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Treasures in Heaven

¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

²² “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

²⁴ “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Do Not Worry

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

So my prayer for myself is to use the money wisely for the Lords service.  Those who have been blessed with money should really evaluate how they are handling that money and to determine if it has become their god.

I pray that you too will make wise decisions regarding the money that the Lord has blessed you with.  As for me at the moment, my goal is to get out of debt as instructed and to ensure that I give at least 10% to the church, but I will also be giving my time which in some cases can be just as valuable.

God bless you and have a great day.